Magic Shop

Apple does a lot of other things well. Employees are taught how to work together because customers notice when employees don't get along. Apple floods its retail zone with staff because the bottom line suffers every minute customers wait for help. By the time I got to Apple (my last stop), I knew that dress codes (like Gap's) were bogus and uniforms that match a job (like at UPS) are critical. Apple requires staff to wear tasteful company-issued T-shirts and lanyards. Employees also hand out business cards as in high-end clothing stores, an act that calls them out as individuals in a way not typical of traditional retail.

Though profitability depends on the efficacy of these frontline employees, few companies pay much attention to them. At Gap, when I saw then-CEO Pressler in my store, I had the rare opportunity to see him folding sweaters (something I did without end). But he was just acting the part. Had he gone through training and worked a few shifts, he would have returned to headquarters wired with new insights on store layout, customer needs, merchandise, and employee satisfaction. More companies should take a cue from the UK's Pret a Manger, which regularly sends out newly hired execs to work in the trenches. There's no doubt about it: You get a different view from the ground floor than from the corner office.

Alex Frankel is the author of Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee, which will be published by Collins this month.