2018Q1SpiritedVirginia - 11

SPOTLIGHT ON SERVICE

THE DEFIANT
SPIRITS OF
VIRGINIA

JEB INGE

Jackie Karnes, Manager, Store 417, Yorktown

S

oon after Jackie Karnes sold her
hairdressing business, her sister-in-law
suggested she get a job with Virginia ABC.
"I did, and I dearly loved it," Karnes recalls. "I
read anything I could get my hands on about
ABC, its policies and procedures."
She began at the Williamsburg premier store
and has worked at several peninsula locations
since. "I love to open new stores and train
people with the knowledge that I've received."
Karnes now manages Store 417 in Yorktown,
which she opened in 2016
What do you enjoy about working for Virginia
ABC?
I love to meet new people and get to know
them. When this store opened, it was the first
in the area, so I was welcoming people into
their new ABC store. I like my job overall. I like
training new employees, educating customers,
and learning about new products. I've enjoyed
the agency and I want my employees to
experience the same thing I've experienced.
How do you learn about the many different
spirits and cocktails?
We learn from customers. They might come
in and tell me about something they heard
about. I learn from reading the bottles, from
sales reps and my employees, by going to
other stores to see what they have.

How do you decide what to stock?
We've learned largely from customers. When
this store first opened, we didn't know what
people would prefer, so as new customers
came in, we made a list of what they requested.
The store has broadened our product
categories a lot since the store opened. And
we're still ordering to fill customer requests.
How do you promote public safety?
I'm really big on ID challenging to prevent
alcohol getting into the hands of those who
are underage. We monitor the floor for theft
and to look out for someone who may be
underage or intoxicated. We're like a family
here, so we can read each other if someone
comes in that we need to monitor.
How do ABC's core values of accountability,
service, integrity and performance excellence
guide your work and customer interaction?
Accountability and service: Making sure
shelves are stocked; speaking to customers
when they come in. Integrity: My customers
have to trust that if we're ordering things for
them that we will stand behind trying to get
that for them. Performance: When it comes
to inventory: I want to be a total zero-no
over, no short, no nothing.
I love my job. There's no aspect of my job
that I don't like.

SPIRITED VIRGINIA | JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH 2018 11
http://www.drinkdefiance.com
2018Q1SpiritedVirginia

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2018Q1SpiritedVirginia
