Based on the industry-wide spiraling decline in customer service, I am more encouraged than ever about the future for independent retailers who are paying attention and minding their store.
When the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins met for the World Series in 2003, Sports Authority, who had just moved out of their Florida based corporate offices two months earlier, didn’t have a single piece of Championship merchandise for the Marlins in their Florida stores. Of course, they did have plenty of Cubs merchandise ready in Chicago! They bet against their home team and struck out!
On more than one occasion I have listened to restaurateurs who seem completely perplexed that a diet conscious patron didn’t want breading on their meat, even though the breading is low fat. It seems to me that someone in the food service business should at least be aware of the growing popularity of low-carb diets – in fact I can’t believe they could miss it! Ignorance, though, is a much better excuse than the arrogance of one server who actually got in an argument with one diner over the healthfulness of a low-carb diet!
In yet another example, Office Max spends thousands of dollars promoting a sale on a computer desk that they can’t get delivered for two weeks. Wal*Mart is notorious for ignoring local needs when selecting merchandise (I guess they don’t know that people in the south still need chlorine for their pools after September).
We all have similar stories; we get beat over the head with them every day. To those of us in the retail business, disservice stories are particularly grating. Whether motivated by better odds than loyalty like Sports Authority, ignorance of one’s own business like food service providers who don’t know or care about their diners, or bureaucracies that make merchandising and advertising decisions from a far away cubicle, these companies offer the mindful retailer a tremendous opportunity to steal market share!
How often do you step to the other side of your wrap desk? When working with a customer are you showing product or discussing their needs? A customer doesn’t so much buy a dress, suit or sweater as much as they are fulfilling a need. Are they dressing for a date, an important business meeting across the country where fashions might be different, or for personal comfort? Take a closer look at your window displays and mannequins; are you displaying merchandise that you have in stock in a reasonable size run?
As with any job we do for a long time, it’s easy to get into a routine and get focused on processes and functions, instead of focusing on the customer, their needs, and the reason we have a job in the first place. I am convinced that in any business, if we keep focused on the customer, we will win in the long run.
Jack Mitchell is the CEO of Mitchell’s and Richard’s, two of the best run specialty stores in the country. The cornerstone of their success is that they sell relationships.
This book should be required reading for all independent specialty stores. Contact Jack at www.HugYourCustomers.com.
