With the holiday season fast approaching, and “Christmas creep” pushing decorative items into September, I want to take a few moments to post my observations on the whole shopping environment and offer a few suggestions to retailers who wish to stand out from the crowd. Please note that I’m not talking about the merchandise on the racks. I’m referring to the shopping experience.

Just as this article from Reuters points out, there is a disconnect between why employees stay on a job and why employers think employees stay on a job. Likewise, my experience suggests there is a vast difference between what retailers THINK customers want and what shoppers ACTUALLY want.

First, have staff available to direct customers to desired merchandise. Not just at the entrance (although that is important), but throughout the store. Key personnel should have small, hand-held radios with which to communicate, and request assistance from, other key floor personnel and the manager on-duty. The whole “let me go find somebody, I’ll be right back” is a bad idea: What if your potential customer wanders off or “gives up”? Maintain customer engagement.

Second, provide a comfortable place for your customers to sit. I have never understood why I have to go to lawn & garden or the furniture section in order to rest my feet. If I were a manager, I would insist that customers should be able to see a bench, seat, couch, etc. at any point from the store. I cannot recall how many times I have left a retail establishment simply because I was tired–and the only place to sit was in the truck in the parking lot. Take a lesson from Barnes & Noble: Keep people in the store.

Next, stock quality merchandise. A liberal return policy is acceptable in some circumstances (such as unwanted gifts); however, returns are a major headache: Find the receipt, find the original box, try to get the darn thing back into the box, fight traffic driving back to the store, stand in line (while listening to screaming children), have the return associate try to upsell something else, and if the stars are properly aligned, actually complete a successful return. A very negative customer experience. Just don’t sell the junk in the first place.

Finally, quit with the upselling and data harvesting. If I show up asking for batteries, don’t try to sell me a new computer. When I am ready to pay for said batteries, don’t ask for my life’s history or contact info. One would think that in this economy, anybody in retail would be grateful to “take the money and run.”

Well, just my thoughts. Perhaps some manager will actually take my lofty and insane ideas to heart. If so, please drop me a line. I’d look forward to visiting your establishment.