Dear Retailers, You're Doing it Wrong

Corporations are doing dumb corporate things again

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Have you been to a drugstore lately? It's a mess. How about Target? Walmart perhaps? Have you noticed they've locked all the smaller items in a plexiglass jail?

It's ridiculous.

If you need to buy Sudafed or lipstick or socks, you need to ring a buzzer for a salesperson to unlock the case.

This decision was brought to you by some executives who have never worked a day on a sales floor; I can tell you that much.

Let's explore a couple of the issues here, shall we?

Let us also, just for fun, explore some ideas that may make this situation better. No suit will take my great ideas, I'm sure, but I could make their stores a place people actually want to go. 

Let's get into it.

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Shopping in Person is Deteriorating 

The whole point of going to a store, especially to buy something like makeup, is to see it in person. Picking up the product, seeing how that red lipstick shade looks against your skin, or feeling the fabric of your next pair of socks are all part of the shopping experience.

Now, it's gone. 

If you want to try a new fragrance or pick up your favorite eyeliner, it's locked behind plexiglass. 

Where is the fun in that?

If I can't pick it up, touch it, examine the packaging details and compare it to the other items on the shelf, I'll just order it online. I won't bother with going to a store at all. 

Or I'll head to stores that give me the option of shopping alone. I'll go to stores that trust me to shop leisurely, browse the aisles, and purchase when I'm ready. I'll shop at stores that have people there to help me however, I don't want a personal shopping experience.

I don't want a salesperson to be my shadow.

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Nobody Wants a Personal Shopper in a Drugstore

There have been very few times in my twenty years on a retail floor where a customer actually wanted a personal shopping experience. 

Most people don't want you to walk around with them, catering to their every move. Most customers want a few questions answered and then want to carry on alone and browse. 

Now, we can't do that. We have to shop for our items, peering through small plexiglass cases, and when we think we want something we have to ring the buzzer for a salesperson. 

Once the salesperson arrives, they have to unlock the case and wait for us. Do we want to see something else? Is this item going back in the case? 

That salesperson is now stuck with us, and we are stuck with them (in the nicest way possible). They are not free to help others or work on extra projects; they are standing there. 

We may feel rushed to make a decision because now we feel like we're holding this person up from doing other things. 

I've spent countless hours helping customers at cases.

I've sold sunglasses, watches, stickers, buttons, and jewelry. When you help a customer at a case, you can do nothing else. You have to stay there and help them until they are done looking. It could be three minutes, it could be twenty. 

It's a total time suck. 

This is how that interaction typically goes:

Customer: "I'm sorry, am I taking too long? I'll try to hurry. Wait. Can I just see these two? I'm sorry, I'll be quick."

It didn't matter how much I reassured them that they were not an inconvenience and I was happy to help them for as long as they needed. They always felt pressured and they felt like a burden. 

When you've locked everything in plexiglass jails - this is the environment you've now created. 

Your customers feel like a nuisance and the productivity of your sales staff has plummeted. Great. 

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The Money

In business, everything goes back to the money.

Companies didn't want to staff their stores appropriately or pay their staff very well. (Money).

An empty store is an opportunity for thieves. (Lost money).

So, the suits have decided to invest in plexiglass jails for their product.
(Money was spent on this bright idea). 

Now, they have to hire a few more people (money) and give them keys to the cases. Pretty soon, they'll spend more money when those keys get lost and must be replaced. 

Okay. I'm getting mad as I write this because this is the dumbest shit ever. 

This is what money should've been spent on - 

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My Bright Ideas

If you've worked a day on a sales floor, then you know. This is what matters:

• Hire enough staff to have every department in your store covered. This is the bare minimum. 

• Pay people a living wage. At least $20/ hr. AT LEAST. Stop gaslighting people and telling them $18/hr is good. It's not. 

• Give a shit. 

  • Invest in leadership training.

  • Show people that they can move up. 

  • Treat employees like people that matter instead of numbers on a spreadsheet.

• If organized retail crime or looting is a severe problem in a particular store, hire security. Hire off-duty police officers. Partner with city officials.

Retailers are being super lazy about this whole thing. They're blaming external theft for all their woes when, in reality, there are more pieces to this puzzle.

The retail industry needs to look in the mirror, acknowledge how and where they can do better, and do it. 

Putting items behind lock and key, isn't it. 

This isn't going to work. 

It's going to drive sales down right along with productivity. 

There's a better way to treat your customers and your staff. Figure it out.

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MAILBOX

I got another one, ya'll. Another message loaded with retail rage.

"I work in retail right now. I hate it so much. I'm currently getting a master's degree to work in a different field."

That was it. That was the DM. 

I mean…I don't know. 

What about me makes people think I want to hear about how much they hate retail?

Yes, I call for change but I'm also very clear - I loved working in retail and I champion everyone who does it because it takes incredible grit and determination to do it well. 

So, if anyone else is considering sending me a message about how they hate retail, it's cool. You can just - not.

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LEVEL UP

One thing you can do today to be a better leader.

Stay calm under pressure. When you can't, step away.

Leading a retail store is bananas insane. There have been days when I walked into the back room and yelled as loud as possible because the pressure was too much (not my finest moment). 

You don't want to lose your cool when the entire store looks to you for guidance. It's super challenging and requires incredible effort and practice to stay calm. 

As the holidays near, here's how you can stay calm.

• Get rest. 

• Take your breaks.

• Stay hydrated.

• Be transparent with your team.

• DELEGATE - You cannot do your job alone.

• Goof off. Have a laugh when you can. 

When it all gets to be too much, step in the back room, take a walk around the mall, or slow down for ten minutes and eat. (I never ate enough when I ran stores). 

The days fly by, I know. 

You can still kick ass even when you stop for a few minutes to eat or breathe. You're allowed. You'll be even better if you do. 

Retail is tough as nails, but so are you. 

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Got a Corporate Visit Coming Up?

I got you.

I’ve led dozens of visits.
I’ll tell you what REALLY matters.

This quick-reference guide will show you:

✓How to prepare
✓What your visitors are looking for
✓How to lead a store walk through

Build your confidence and impress your bosses.

* This guide will NOT advise you to work a twenty hour day right before your visit. No. You can get your store in excellent shape within your normal workday.

Promise.

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