“The secret of successful
retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you
think about it from your point of view as a customer, you want
everything: a wide assortment of good-quality merchandise; the lowest
possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly,
knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant
shopping experience.”

– Sam Walton (1918-1992)

My most recent experience with the culture that Sam built that supposedly makes me No. 1, was a great example of Lip Service Innovation.

I was in search of what amounts to plastic shoe boxes. The Walmart in Amherst, Massachusetts had two good choices, but not enough of either to get the set of 8 I needed. Without a matched set, stacking when empty would always be a problem. 

Realizing that I would be going near the Northampton Walmart on the way home, I asked a clerk if he could call for me. I was hoping to avoid either a wasted stop or the inconvenience of returning the two mismatched boxes if I left Amherst with 8.

While he waited on the phone, I spotted one of the desired boxes right on the counter next to his phone filled with gift cards. I fetched an alternative for him so I could have that one but was still one short. When I returned with his replacement, he was still on the phone.

Hoping for another stroke of luck, I scoured the entire store looking for one more of the right size in use – pharmacy, jewelry, checkout lines, customer service . No luck. When I returned, he was still on hold.

While we waited longer still, he told me that he knew the answer would be ‘no’ anyway. He was right. After a minimum of 20 minutes, the Northampton store said they were out.

Given his prediction, I decided to make the detour just in case. I found at least a dozen of the desired items stacked neatly right where anyone looking would have found them.

I was so No. 1, that I had the pleasure of that long wait, standing in line to purchase the mismatched boxes, making the detour to the other store, standing in line to purchase another box, making the trek to my car and back through the snow to retrieve the mismatched shoe box, and standing in line again to return the extra shoe box.

A little “friendly, knowledgeable service” would have saved me well over an hour, not to mention significant aggravation. What a “pleasant shopping experience”!

Today’s Lesson: If you absolutely can’t answer a simple question accurately and quickly, then at least fess up right away. Don’t make matters worse by wasting a customer’s time and lying.