By Tom Richards
Please allow me one more rant at retailers. We blame store failures on the economy but I think much of the blame should be put on the lack of training in retail.
At the Border's Café, I was the recipient of a nice bit of cross-selling. When I ordered a cup of coffee, I was presented with a coupon that offered me a $3.00 discount on CDs in their music department. So, after coffee, I strolled over to see if I should add to my CD collection. So far, so good.
I'm a jazz and classics hobbyist, so I started in the jazz section. As it turned out, not a smart move. A Border's employee was putting inventory into the jazz department in the J section, exactly where I wanted to look to see what selections were on the latest Norah Jones album. And there he was -- as if I didn't exist.
I thought if I seemed interested in section J, he'd go do something else. But no, he was going to put up his J rack and who the hell did I think I was getting in his way. So I moved and Norah Jones missed a shot at a royalty.
But I'm flexible -- annoyed, but flexible. I'll look at the latest release from Diana Kral. Yup, you guessed it, there he was again. Time to fill the rack in section K. Feeling claustrophobic, I left section K and almost stepped on a batch of posters strewn all over the jazz department floor which, I observed, was going to be my unwelcome partners next chore. That took out the rest of the department for me so I left, throwing the $3.00 coupon into a trash basket.
So, please, look at things from a customer's viewpoint. If you need to run a wall or put up posters, pre-plan the wall and the purpose of your strategy and do it when customer traffic is light. Retailing is about profit per square foot. Posters on the floor make a profit center inaccessible. Get your gear off the floor when customers are about! Their attention span is fickle enough without building an obstacle course like this Border's doof did with me.
Last, if I'm browsing, and you've established a department where browsing is encouraged, stay out of my way and come back and do your stocking after I'm gone. Just as you don't want a waitperson in a restaurant hovering over your dining table, I don't want to share Norah and Diana with you, either.
Every product that is not sitting in front of the customer is a bad use of capital.
--Paul Pressler, CEO, Gap
Tom Richards is president of 1 on 1 Strategies, Inc in Santa Fe. He has been a customer communications and guest satisfaction consultant for 27 years to manufacturers, retailers and resorts. Visit his website at: www.1on1strategies.com
Kelley,
Thanks for your comments. I know -- struggling economy, cut training and advertising. But we will prevail.
Tom Richards
Posted by: tom richards | March 15, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Tom,
Great insights for retailers. Unfortunately, the majority of retail staff receive any training. And because of the volume of work they have to do in a given day, they seldom consider anything from a customer's perspective.
Part of the problem is that most retail executives are out of touch with the front-line experience; they're too busy trying to find ways to cut costs instead of increasing sales.
On the positive side, it keeps people like you and I busy! Good post. I hope some retail executives come across it and take a look at their business as a result.
Kelley
Posted by: Kelley Robertson | March 12, 2008 at 03:04 PM