Mojo At The Register

I am not sure that anyone really imagines working at Wal-Mart is exactly fun. Unlike a retail or restaurant destination like Starbucks that over the year has created the impression that working there is like a non-stop party, no one really feels like that about Wal-Mart. Clearly the retailer does employ a lot of people who need jobs and that is a good - if not great - thing, but I can't say that when I am there I see tons of employees having what seems to be a great time.

That is probably why on my last visit I was so impressed with the woman who checked me out at the register. She was an older woman who looked like she should be sitting in a living room and enjoying her grandchildren rather than working the register at Wal-Mart, but the thought never seemd to have occured to her. She had a line up of customers with bulging trolleys a mile long, and yet she was moving us through with a speed and enthusiasm that one couldn't help but admire.

She was sweet, kind, helpful and in a word just had a tremendous amount of 'mojo'. I walked away realizing what a difference it makes to a retail experience interacting with someone who doesn't seem to hate every minute that they have to work there. Unfortunately, due to a rather low minimum wage and an increase in the overall level of societal disgruntlment, it doesn't seem to happen very often any more - mores the pity.

My impression is that if more stores realized the importance of having truly happy sales associates, they might put more emphasis on doing what it takes to make them happy and keep them that way - a sales person with mojo certainly encourages one to go back another time.

A Sale with Mojo!

Although, like most people, I have been trying to be thrifier, I can't resist a good sale.

However, I also find myself getting rather annoyed at retailers who pretend to be having a big 'holiday' sale and put up huge 'blow out sale' posters all over the place - only to offer their customers the same percentage reductions on the same clearance racks that they were doing prior to the supposed sale.

So I have to take my hat off to Coldwater Creek who really know how to do a sale.

Their apparel, which is targeted at the 35 and up female consumer, is well made and relatively speaking, fairly high priced. However, when it comes to their two semi-annual sales, they do it in style. For a period of 10 days, they give their consumers 50% off everything in the store - no exceptions.

I can tell you from personal experience that their stores were packed every day for that 10 day period with hundreds of extremely happy customers.

The items were still far from bargain basement priced, but as a customer you felt like you were getting a great deal on high quality items and that you didn't have to settle for the dusty, clearance merchandise to benefit.

A smart sale that has lots of mojo - which has resulted in my bank account having a little less - mojo that is.