| Retail store managers can usually tell you what is | | | | - Employee engagement. |
| wrong with other stores more than they can | | | | - Counter service. |
| about their own businesses. | | | | - Value. |
| When they shop they look and make mental | | | | - The overall experience. Consider having index |
| notes. These notes manifest themselves in | | | | cards printed with these and other ratting criteria. |
| conversations about other stores. | | | | Take cards with you when you shop. Take a |
| More retail manages need to apply what their | | | | moment on leaving a store to note their name on |
| approach to shopping in other stores to shopping | | | | an index card, rate them and make any notes |
| in their own store. Everything they criticise in | | | | about your experience. |
| another store needs to be tested against their | | | | Over time you will build a useful database of |
| store. | | | | knowledge which will enhance your approach to |
| If you manage a retail store and see a store with | | | | managing your own store. |
| bad lighting, rather than criticising them in your | | | | Once you have your rating and review system |
| mind or to your shopping colleagues, think about | | | | down, consider training your employees and |
| the lighting in your store. Is it much better than | | | | inviting them to engage in the same process. If |
| what you see in this store? If not, add it to the | | | | enough take up the opportunity, get together |
| list of things you need to address in your store. | | | | every few months to discuss feedback on what |
| If the range of products in the store in which you | | | | they have seen. But always being their ratings |
| are shopping is not ad good as you would like, | | | | back to your store. |
| think more about your range and customer | | | | All of this work, visiting other stores and formally |
| expectations than the store you are currently | | | | rating them, is not about these other stores, it is |
| visiting. | | | | about your store. How do you rate yourself? |
| Always bring the comparison back to you. | | | | Honestly. The experience in fierce assessment of |
| Use your personal shopping experiences to open | | | | other businesses should apply to your business. |
| your eyes to issues you may be missing in your | | | | By training yourself and our employees on a |
| own retail store. This is how shopping can teach | | | | process of assessing retail businesses, you should |
| you about retail management, by using other | | | | become tougher on yourself and your business |
| store experiences to assess you won business. | | | | and this should lead to a better business. |
| Consider bringing structure to your shopping | | | | Shopping for personal goods is an excellent |
| experiences. Create a rating system to assess: | | | | opportunity for learning about other retail |
| - Store access. | | | | businesses and discovering ideas which can apply |
| - Lighting. | | | | to your business. The more structured you are in |
| - Layout. | | | | this approach the greater the opportunity for |
| - Visual merchandising. | | | | genuinely good outcomes for the business. |