Dave Wells, an area manager for City Centre Restaurants and a member of the London Company of Friends, emailed the following question to Fast Company's readers' network in the UK: "When has a retailer made you say, 'Wow!'?" His query inspired a lively, weeklong discussion on the group mailing list. Some of the most interesting member responses follow:
"My best retail experiences are not the cheapest nor the ones that try to enhance an average service, but rather the ones that deliver good value and a service tailored to me, not a category. My local butcher is friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to personalize the service. Our local Warhammer shop sells war-gaming materials but does a lot more by explaining the pros and cons of various options, helping to assemble and paint the kits and offering training and playing sessions. It also has a staff of people who are enthusiastic players themselves." -- Alan Arnett
"A 'Wow!' retail experience is tough. Having spent 10 years at the sharp end of retail, mostly on Oxford Street and in the West End, my personal and professional experiences have been varied. For day-to-day stuff, my local Italian café a few doors away--where the staff knows who I am and always makes me feel welcome--is hard to beat." -- Helen Keegan
"I just spent the day at the new Bullring shopping center in Birmingham. It contains the same shops as every other center in the country, but the "Wow!" came from looking at how Selfridges had arranged things in the store, like putting gadgets next to menswear. Obvious, yes. But who else has done that?" -- Paul Berney
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