by Jason Schuster
The light glared off of the ice as the sun rose over Mascoma Lake on Monday, April 3rd- season opener for the 2017 Boston Red Sox. One by one we arrived at the RCS headquarters and prepared ourselves and the van for the 2.5-hour journey south to Boston. While we are far from a professional sports team like the Red Sox, we certainly did feel like it that morning. Our lineup consisted of:
- Matthew: The promising rookie playing in the position of hardware support
- Geff: The proven networking master
- Molly: The sales/customer service all-star
- Jason (myself): The software/database guru
We arrived at the Team Store thanks to Geff’s expert knowledge of Boston streets and unloaded our van of supplies. The crowd at the store and on the street outside were busy but mostly with stragglers killing time before the game. We met up with Lindsey, the Store Manager, and were quickly split up and put to work. While others went to the satellite stores in the stadium I worked at checking and updating the additional registers that were stored for the offseason and brought back in for the start of this season.
Once the checklist at the store was completed, Geff and I accompanied Lindsey into the stadium to support a possible issue at one of the many kiosks. We followed closely as Lindsey masterly navigated through the stadium while pointing out each store location in case we were called there later.
As we made our way back to the main store, we took a quick break to go into the stands to take it all in. I will always remember the quietness of the anticipation in the empty stadium knowing there are thousands of people outside just waiting to get in. We arrived at the store to a much different scene as all customers were moved out from the store and street to get ready for the gates to open. Once opened it felt like nearly all the true fans were heading straight to the store. Lindsey and her team of seasoned experts were more than prepared, and so were we.
The pregame sales went very smooth with Molly helping at the cash registers and Matt, Geff, and I assisting and monitoring for support issues. The issues we addressed were mostly straightforward and quick to resolve; answering questions, ensuring device functionality, and making sure all settings were correct.
As the game started and the store emptied we were left feeling relieved that things were going smoothly. Lindsey took our cell phone numbers and released us to walk the stadium and watch the game during the quiet time but assured us we’d be on call for when it picked up again! We were able to enjoy several innings of the game, including the incredible home run by Andrew Benintendi, while periodically checking on the satellite stores and the main location to answer any NCR Counterpoint-related questions they had.
We made our way back to the main store to finish watching the game – which ended in a win for the Red Sox! After the announcement, the excitement grew from the store staff as they knew what was coming next. While close games with wins are great for everyone, it does mean that all the fans leave at once and many want a last-minute souvenir from the store. For most of the RCS lineup, this was the first time to assist The Red Sox with a home opener; although it was a bit overwhelming for a split second as the store became full with excited fans, the Team Store staff was unnerved more than prepared to handle the demands with professionalism. We did what we could to help as needed while staying out of the way as the staff did what they do best, serve the Red Sox fans of the Boston area. We stood behind the registers as customers came and went, helping with stocking and bagging and again with any NCR Counterpoint questions that came up.
As we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left we all felt like we helped to ensure that our customer, and most importantly to them their customers had a smooth and successful day. While there were many takeaways and experiences the feeling we were left with was this: The only greater feeling than being on a team is being on a winning team! I would like to thank the RCS team as well as Lindsey and the Team Store staff for the opportunity to work together to guarantee one of many winning days.
Read about our past experiences with the Red Sox Team Store here:
