Northern Store manager Dee Opperman has an
open door policy
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Monday, October 12, 2015
LLI GOLINE/NORMAN WELLS
Given the option between a private office with a door that closes, and an open space near the front of the Northern Store in Norman Wells, manager Dee Opperman chose the latter.
Dee Opperman, right, presents customer Wayne Kakfwi with a prize after winning a Northern Store contest in Norman Wells. - photo courtesy of Dee Opperman |
"I'm a very people-oriented person - so I've been told," Opperman laughs.
Opperman's career with Northern stores started off more than 20 years ago in Northern Quebec. From 1996 to 2003 she managed the store in Cape Dorset, before moving west to Norman Wells.
"We're the general store, we sell food and retail, we also have the post office in the store," she says, among a list of other services such as cheque-cashing.
"Being the manager, you do a bit of all of that."
As well as her in-store duties, Opperman is active in the community, currently serving as president of the Norman Wells Chamber of Commerce - a position she also held a
few years back. She's also been a director
at the NWT Chamber of Commerce since 2005.
"I believe in the movement. I believe in advocacy for businesses," she says.
"If you want to see change or you want to see things done, you have to be willing to step in and help and make sure they are done. As soon as I came to the Northwest Territories I got involved with the chamber."
Opperman has seen her store through major changes, with a move to a brand new store in 2014 - at which point she was able to opt for a "doors open" office.
Construction began in September 2013, and Opperman said the store opened the following June and certainly kept things interesting in terms of operations.
"Before, the building was Acro trailers strapped together," she says.
"Now we have this big beautiful store."
While interacting with customers is a perk of the job, Opperman says there are some challenges.
"Every store in the North, we all suffer the same transportation issues that come about and it's very hard to tell a customer the fresh food won't be here until tomorrow because a plane was cancelled," she says.
"You can try as hard as you can to keep fresh, but you're limited to how long it will last."
Though she says fresh food is always a challenge when you're in the North, Opperman focuses on responding to customer needs - whether it's dietary requirements or specific products they want to see in stock.
"Any customer in this town knows at any time if they have an issue, they can come to me," she says.
"We can't be everything to everybody, but can we try."
