It’s the Experience

October 10, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on October 2012

Every other month or so, always on a Saturday morning, I make my way to one of my favorite places to shop€”Holdren€™s Country Store in Vinton, Va. The store is a former mill that ground wheat, corn and other grains for farmers until the 1950s. It was purchased by a local family and was originally a farm supply store. It now sells feed for wild animals, pet supplies and seeds for gardening.

One reason I shop there is I can buy food in bulk (50-pound bags) for my birds and squirrels. I also can pick up a salt block for the deer that visit our yard on a regular bases. What can I say? We enjoy watching nature in its natural habitat.

Saturday hours at Holdren€™s are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., so I always go early in the morning. It€™s not convenient; actually it€™s out of the way and not close to my regular stops. In fact, it takes me a little over an hour round trip, excluding shopping time, to visit the store. They don€™t have the lowest prices, but they are competitive. My wife often asks me why I pass half a dozen stores that sell the same products versus making this hour trip.

€œWe only get one Saturday a week, why not go somewhere more convenient?€ That€™s what she thinks.

Well, here is why. I enjoy the experience. I remember going to similar places with my dad on an early Saturday morning. The dew is still on vehicles, folks are just getting the morning started and I€™m out and about. It€™s enjoyable for me. I like the old building they€™re housed in; hardwood floors and the additions that have been made over the years.

You can always find an €œold timer€ or two with mud on his boots, holding a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. I can see them right now, steam rising as they are blowing in the cup in an effort to cool the coffee. Sometimes you might find a group standing around €œtelling lies€ with the staff or whoever is listening. You are welcome to jump in to about any conversation€”the weather, current events and my favorite, college football. It makes no difference what your background might be, no one is judging. It€™s just friendly people starting a Saturday morning.

As far back as I can remember, they have had the same full-time staff. They have a few regular college guys and one lady (I believe they are family members) that help out in the summer. The guys are country strong and the young lady (and she is just that a young lady) doesn€™t miss a beat when working with them. It€™s nice to see them growing up year after year and becoming adults. They are always friendly and ready to give advice on about any question. They never get in a hurry, and you might even have to wait on them to finish a bite of the morning biscuit before checking out, but I€™m OK with that. They always smile, and thank you for the business. It always seems genuine.

My question to retailers is this: What buying experience do you offer consumers? Do you have designers on staff to help customers €œsee€ the finished product? Do you have an area to entertain kids so mom can stay in the showroom a bit longer?

Maybe you need a place where dad can sit and watch the game to avoid hurrying mom out the door. Any of these will be an experience for the kids and/or dad, so mom can stay in the showroom a bit longer. The longer she€™s in your showroom, the better your opportunity to sell her the dream.

I€™d love to hear what you do that helps create an engaging shopping experience. Feel free to pop me an e-mail and let me know.