I see that Paul Kedrosky is talking about a resurgence of department stores, based on the fact that lots of people want one-stop shopping rather than going from store to store. Funnily enough, Walmart has been meeting precisely this need for years; I gather one of the major demographics for Walmart is harried mothers with children in tow who also don’t want to schlep from store to store. Now, if department stores would actually make it more pleasant to shop in them, and more efficient, they’d get more of my business as well. Efficiency to me means a reasonable selection of products, not only clothing, organised in a way that means I can find what I’m looking for (or find out they don’t have it) in a short period of time. People to help in the process would be a definite plus, but some logic in where things are would make up for that. Rolling carts for people pushing strollers or buggies would help as well.
Jan 082008
Wally World (what americans call wal-mart) already has all the cheapest goods slave labor can provide, a Subway at the entrance with geezer greeters„ underpaid and disgruntled floor workers, discounted DVDs piled in a box
… and you want a pleasant experience too?
Wow. Be grateful they are saving you gas money and will change your oil while you drag kids through the aisles. Didja think all that money you are saving was free!!!
… pardon me while I laugh out loud. BWAAAHAHAAHA!
Welcome to the concept of Two. Two kids are not the same as one.
Today I’m trying to imagine walking into a dealership selling a car that is functionally an Izetta (remember those?) and keep a straight face while I ask the salesperson to show me their new “Tatas”.
All that so I can enjoy the new Samsung with the same bad cable TV. OTOH, old black and white movies are really fantastic on the thing.
Personally I’d be happy to pay a little more for products if the shopping experience were efficient and pleasant. In fact, I already pay more by shopping at more pleasant places even if it isn’t efficient. Not that that’s an option for everyone, of course.
Hi Lauren,
Came upon your blog via Tim’s at blogs.sun.com, Interesting post about department stores & shopping. I’m in the UK so Wal-Mart aren’t on the scene unless their “proxy”, Asda, is counted. I got hacked off with the weekly poly wrapped supermarket run, frequently with two small children in tow, & have taken to splitting the grocery shopping between the local farmer’s market and a bi-weekly online order/home delivery. When it comes to department stores John Lewis is superior to anything — it’s formed as a partnership of employees so the customer service is excellent & their product range great. Unfortunately, there isn’t one close to home but if a couple of years planning permission wrangling can be sorted there may be soon (me thinks the planning application is being hindered by vested interests). I’m totally willing to pay more for a more pleasant experience, good quality fresh food & top service.