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Recently, I ran out of a particular ribbon or yarn I needed whilst in the middle of making a bunch of “favors”. You know how it is when you are crafting or making something; you always seem to run out of a specific component, of course, right in the middle of when you are doing the project.
Crafting or hand-making anything, is creative, and when you are being creative, you often don’t always know exactly what you need and how much you will need of it. This is why, despite the online ordering and delivering retail trend, craft stores can still benefit from having an accessible physical location. This is also true for home improvement and grocery stores. These stores should actually consider dedicating a whole check-out lane for these “more of” shoppers. So … if these stores know that their customers are often coming in and out for a variety of purchases, why then, are they making it harder to accomplish this?
Upon entering the craft store, with my need for “more-of” two particular items, I was immediately taken aback with the fact that the main aisle in front of me, and the one I needed to most efficiently traverse, was blocked with a large cart filled with boxes. I assumed this cart was placed there by a member of the staff at the store. I shrugged and decided that I would deter left down a smaller aisle. This aisle was also blocked with another cart of “stuff” needing to be either placed on a shelf or having been just removed from a shelf.
I was now, super annoyed. I wanted to actually buy something in the store, but found the blocked passages, an actual obstruction from selecting and making a purchase. I zig zagged and, in a round a-bout-manner, I found my way toward the back of the store; wherein, I came across another, very wide cart, this time, being wielded by a store employee. She politely excused herself and pushed on through, making me find a small space to squeeze into in order to let her go by. At that point, I was confused.
Isn’t the point of a retail store to welcome shoppers IN and make it easy for them to purchase products? Isn’t that what they are in business to do? Why then, lately, has maneuvering through a retail store, become so incredibly challenging? Why do I always feel like I am in the way of the product displays, rather than the products being displayed for my consumption? Rather than wide walkways with relaxed opportunity for pondering purchases, stores are now made up of overstuffed aisles of massive product displays or restocking piles, rendering the aisle flow of traffic as one-way only. In some stores, the space in the aisle is further compromised with a rolling robot, wandering through, blinking and beeping, yet not able to reach an item on a shelf for me, roll aside to allow me to get by, or, most importantly, even to respond, let alone purchase anything!
My advice to those that are in the business of selling products to actual human beings in a store, make the items pleasantly accessible for purchase!
WHY? WHY?
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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