ColumnistsJun 06, 2023
Squirrel Spotting: The Challenge of Closing Sales ColumnistsJun 13, 2023
Squirrel Spotting: Own Your Customer Experience
When something goes wrong, fix the problem instead of blaming your employer or a fellow employee, Peter Smith writes.
Peter Smith is an industry consultant, speaker, sales trainer, and author. He can be reached via email at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.
“The goodwill the customers have for the store is largely created or destroyed by the store’s employees. To most customers, the employee is the store.”
It’s hard to argue with the logic of that sentiment; it feels relevant, contemporary even.
It was written in 1946, and I found it in a book I discovered in one of those Little Free Library boxes on my regular walking route.
The book, “Retail Store Organization” by Preston Robinson and Norris Brisco (how great are those names!), was a terrific find, coming as it did from a small box usually stuffed with books from Ruth Ware, Jodi Picoult, and James Patterson.
Finding a 77-year-old book on retail in superb condition, with that extra little heft and old-book smell, was a touch of fairy dust.
I thought about that passage recently when I was waiting to check out at a Nordstrom Rack store.
Despite the hubbub of music, PA announcements and customer noise, a heated exchange between an obviously agitated customer and a store employee drew my attention.
As the customer rubbed his head in frustration, the employee asked, loud enough to be heard over all the noise, “Did they call you to say it was ready?”
I don’t know what happened next as I was summoned to the cashier to pay for my purchase, but the words of the employee stayed with me.
Did “they” call you, she had asked, as if she worked for someone else and not the store in question.
I wondered why that employee so readily split from her own employer to side with the aggrieved customer. A case of misplaced empathy, perhaps?
Or maybe she thought siding with the customer against their common enemy, her employer, was a good way to win him over?
Related stories will be right here …
It’s hard to argue with the logic of that sentiment; it feels relevant, contemporary even.
It was written in 1946, and I found it in a book I discovered in one of those Little Free Library boxes on my regular walking route.
The book, “Retail Store Organization” by Preston Robinson and Norris Brisco (how great are those names!), was a terrific find, coming as it did from a small box usually stuffed with books from Ruth Ware, Jodi Picoult, and James Patterson.
Finding a 77-year-old book on retail in superb condition, with that extra little heft and old-book smell, was a touch of fairy dust.
I thought about that passage recently when I was waiting to check out at a Nordstrom Rack store.
Despite the hubbub of music, PA announcements and customer noise, a heated exchange between an obviously agitated customer and a store employee drew my attention.
As the customer rubbed his head in frustration, the employee asked, loud enough to be heard over all the noise, “Did they call you to say it was ready?”
I don’t know what happened next as I was summoned to the cashier to pay for my purchase, but the words of the employee stayed with me.
Did “they” call you, she had asked, as if she worked for someone else and not the store in question.
I wondered why that employee so readily split from her own employer to side with the aggrieved customer. A case of misplaced empathy, perhaps?
Or maybe she thought siding with the customer against their common enemy, her employer, was a good way to win him over?
I had an unrelated but not entirely dissimilar experience after I ordered a pair of readers from Warby Parker a few weeks ago.
The associate in the store had encouraged me to order the glasses, indicating delivery was currently taking only about three days.
The emails from Warby Parker began almost as soon as I arrived home from the store, and the tone of the communication was more self-congratulatory than informative.
By the number of emails sent, you would have thought Warby Parker was tracking the progress of a lone traveler traversing the Silk Road on foot, not delivering a $100 pair of spectacles.
Unsurprisingly, the glasses didn’t arrive in three days, or four days, or even five days.
In fact, despite the endless, almost intrusive emails, the glasses never arrived at all, at least not that first pair.
Eventually there was, you guessed it, another email informing me the order was going to be redone (no apology, no explanation, and no concession on future purchases).
When I inquired as to what happened, expressing surprise that the promised three-day delivery was now up to two weeks and counting, the latest emailer indicated “she,” meaning the in-store associate, should not have communicated three days in the first place, as if that explained everything.
“Don’t over-communicate what you can’t or didn’t do. Don’t conscript me in hating on your colleagues or your employer; just own the problem.”
— Peter Smith
In “The Effortless Experience,” Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick Delsi wrote, “The data tells us that from a customer’s perspective, when something goes wrong, the overriding sentiment is, help me fix it. No need to dazzle me, please just solve the problem and let me get back to what I was doing before.”
Whether it was the dude in Nordstrom Rack or yours truly with Warby Parker, don’t over-communicate what you can’t or didn’t do.
Don’t conscript me in hating on your colleagues or your employer; just own the problem. Tell me you’re committed to getting to the bottom of it and do it.
What customers want more than anything else—more than a litany of emails, more than misguided empathy—is a frictionless experience.
Make shopping in your store a low-effort experience, and I’m certain customers will enjoy repeat visits.
It’s not that complicated.
Happy selling and always great to hear from you at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Columnists
The Latest
SurveysOct 09, 2026
These Will Be the 10 Busiest Days for In-Store Shopping This Holiday SeasonStores should expect to see the most customers on Nov. 27, and Christmas week is expected to be hectic too, as Dec. 25 falls on a Friday.
CollectionsOct 09, 2026
Elisa Solomon Collabs With Serendipity 3 on ‘Frozen Hot Chocolate’ CharmThe charm, our Piece of the Week, features brown diamond frozen hot chocolate topped with white diamond whipped cream and a ruby straw.
AuctionsOct 09, 2026
8-Carat Blue Diamond Goes Unsold at UK Jewelry Auction The top lot of Elmwood’s recent fine jewelry sale in London was a 1.84-carat, D color Tiffany & Co. solitaire diamond ring.
Brought to you by
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional EditionExperience gemstones with greater precision and comfort than ever before.
WatchesOct 09, 2026
Movado to Sell Majority Stake in Ebel for $66.5MThe watch company agreed to sell a 95 percent interest to a group comprised of F.P. Journe, Chanel, and Swiss watch exec Pierre Jacques.
Weekly QuizOct 08, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Policies & IssuesOct 08, 2026
Third Wave of IEEPA Tariff Refunds Begins This round of tariff refunds is for importers that have sued over IEEPA tariffs in the Court of International Trade and won.
CollectionsOct 08, 2026
Brent Neale’s New Collection Goes ‘Back to Basics’It revisits the brand’s most requested silhouettes, from "Pillow"-set necklaces and bracelets to "Signature"-set rings and earrings.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
SourcingOct 08, 2026
Ethical Gem Fair Heads Back to BrooklynThe trade-only event includes buying opportunities as well as educational sessions on artisanal mining, the new Paraíba source, and more.
Events & AwardsOct 08, 2026
Pattons Fine Jewelry Sweeps Local Design ContestAra Chanakian, a jeweler at Pattons, took home top honors in every category at Jewelers of Louisiana’s annual jewelry design competition.
AuctionsOct 08, 2026
Reba McEntire’s Jewelry, Watches Head to Julien’s AuctionsThe live charity benefit sale in Nashville will also feature gowns, boots, and other memorabilia from the country music legend.
Supplier BulletinOct 08, 2026
Overnight Mountings’ Bridal Builder Helps Jewelers Turn Custom Design into a Hands-On Selling ExperienceSponsored by Overnight Mountings
Policies & IssuesOct 07, 2026
The Plumb Club Amplifies Its Voice as Geopolitical Pressures MountThe supplier organization recently joined JA and JVC to have more input on political issues affecting the jewelry industry.
CollectionsOct 07, 2026
Blue Nile, Royal Asscher Collection Highlights Natural Diamond BeautyBlue Nile, a Signet Jewelers-owned brand, is now Royal Asscher’s exclusive licensed retailer in North America.
CollectionsOct 07, 2026
4 Standout Pieces in Audemars Piguet’s First High Jewelry Collection “Royal Oak” pays homage to the brand’s most popular watch model using 18-karat gold as well as diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.
MajorsOct 07, 2026
Empire Safe & Vault Promotes Juan Morales to CEOAs part of the transition, Joseph Nicosia has stepped into the role of COO.
SourcingOct 07, 2026
AGTA Extends Deadline for 2026 Spectrum Awards EntriesParticipants now have until Oct. 14 to complete their submissions.
CrimeOct 06, 2026
6 Charged in Connection to String of New Jersey Smash-and-GrabsThe alleged thieves used crow bars and sledgehammers to smash into jewelry stores across the state.
SourcingOct 06, 2026
DDG Taps Influencers for ‘My Diamond Does Good’ CampaignIn the new consumer-facing campaign, four fashion and lifestyle creators share the stories behind their natural diamond pieces.
MajorsOct 06, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names COO, CMOFGI President John Orrico is also leaving the company after more than 13 years.
Events & AwardsOct 06, 2026
JIS Fall Returns to MiamiThe 2026 edition will feature presentations on alternative materials and design trends, as well as pop-up activations on the show floor.
SourcingOct 05, 2026
De Beers to Take Full Ownership of Gahcho KuéIt is the last fully operational diamond mine in Canada following the recent closures of Ekati and Diavik.
AuctionsOct 05, 2026
The Star Cats of the Sandy Lerner AuctionThese jewels stood out at Bonhams’ sale of the cat-loving tech entrepreneur’s collection of objects depicting the feline form.
CollectionsOct 05, 2026
Sorellina Writes Another Love Letter for ‘Postscript’ CollectionThe fine jewelry brand has expanded the collection that debuted at Couture with four new designs based on its most popular styles.
SourcingOct 05, 2026
Bruce Bridges Joins CIBJO BoardThe AGTA president was elected for a two-year term on the board of directors.
SourcingOct 02, 2026
De Beers, National Geographic Society Renew Okavango Eternal Partnership The partnership, a pledge to protect Africa’s Okavango River Basin, has been extended for an additional five years.
MajorsOct 02, 2026
Pandora Opens New $150M Manufacturing Facility in VietnamThe new facility, its first outside of Thailand, will boost its manufacturing capacity by 50 percent.
