Lansky Works for Memphis Customers

ROSALIND GUY

The Daily News

Hal Lansky isnt easily impressed by titles, though he wears several of them. Lansky, incoming chairman of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South board of directors, also serves as president of Lansky Brothers and as a commissioner for the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

But he is not restricted, or defined, by these titles.

Im just somebody that wants to give back to the community in which weve been so fortunate to have great success throughout the years, Lansky said.

Customers first. What impresses Lansky is customer satisfaction. In his stores, located inside The Peabody in Downtown Memphis, service is all about the golden rule: treating customers the way he wants to be treated.

So as chairman of the BBB board, Lansky wants to keep consumers informed about scams and unethical business practices.

There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there, he said.

But Lansky prefers to compete on a level playing field. To him, that means doing what he can to weed out individuals who would take advantage of and mislead consumers. He brings that philosophy and his business expertise to his role as chairman of the BBB board.

Im in the trenches every day working with consumers, he said. I hear complaints and I hear praise.

He remembers a particular customer who came into his store but didnt purchase anything. As the man walked out of the store, Lansky thanked him for stopping in. The man turned to look at him with a bewildered expression on his face. What do you mean, thanks for shopping with you? I didnt buy anything. The customer, from New York, said hed never been thanked for shopping at a store at home, especially one where he didnt purchase anything.

Fit for a king. As a businessman, Lansky knows its important to treat customers as king. Literally.

Known across the globe as the Clothier to the King, Lanskys has maintained a high-profile clientele over the years. In their stores, he and his father have served customers including Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis.

But Lansky isnt star struck even customers who arent celebrities are treated as such in his stores.

Family business. Lanskys has a dominant presence in The Peabody. With five stores in the lobby area, the company occupies much of the hotels retail space. Lansky Brothers, which has seen many changes over the years, is still a family business. Hal and his father, Bernard, work in the stores seven days a week and have worked together since Hals childhood, when he came in after school.

Were workaholics, Lansky said. Thats all we know. We like meeting and greeting customers.

While father and son manage day-to-day operations at the stores, Geri, Hals wife, is a buyer for the Lanskys Lucky Duck Gift Shop and daughter Julie manages the companys Internet presence and is a buyer for the Lansky 126 store.

For Lansky, its all very simple.

I was reading something in the paper the other day, he said. It was an old Chinese proverb that said the store owner who doesnt wear a smile should not be in business.

Name: Hal J. Lansky

Position: Chairman

Company: Board of directors, Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South

Basics: Whether working in the community or in his familys line of stores, Lansky makes customer service a priority.