This year I drove to The Running Event (TRE) in Austin, Texas. Amounted to just over 2500 total round trip miles from my home in central North Carolina. Part of the route followed the same stretch I walked earlier this year. And though that was a nostalgic highlight, it’s not what I came here to write about. TRE, per usual, was a giant reunion. I … Continue reading Trust and Authenticity
Not Just You…You Plus One One of my mentors always claims, “The store is a stage.” And you know what? I believe him. Because when the retail show starts, we can’t afford to be unprepared. If we are, we’ll get booed off. Possibly shut down before our run is though. So, if you are the sort of person who needs three espresso shots before you … Continue reading Amplified
Best to Stick With the Basics When I was an in-the-trenches retailer, I attended countless trainings on pretty much any topic you can imagine. But I’m not going to lie, training didn’t always feel productive. In fact, I often left wondering why we were always harping on “best business practices” when really what I needed to know was how to handle the one-off stuff. Like, rather … Continue reading Hoosiers Layup or Tomahawk Jam?
Just Because You Want Change Doesn’t Mean You Will Change Retailers tell me all the time that they want to make ‘a big change’, but rarely do they know what this change looks like. Sure, they exclaim their readiness to rock the boat, but they are too far from water to set sail in the first place. Often folks think I’ll define this change for … Continue reading 4 Steps to Your Big Change
What an Atlanta Airport Bathroom Visit Taught Me About Customer Service On Monday I had a layover in the Atlanta airport. I don’t usually fly through ATL—mostly because I am a Southwest loyalist—but when I do I am repeatedly impressed by the airport’s amenities. If I’m passing through in the evening, I’ll head over to terminal E and visit One Flew South—a classy joint for … Continue reading We Aim to Please
Offer Your Customers a Good Luck Charm I’d like to introduce a new word to the specialty retail lexicon—handseling. Ever heard of this word? Neither had I until I interviewed the owner of a local bookstore for an article I was writing. She used it when referring to her staff’s interaction with each customer. As in, “When handseling, staffers really need to make sure we … Continue reading New Retail Word: Handseling
Your Goal is Not to Sell – It’s to Connect “Stop selling stuff.” That’s what I tell retailers looking for a new, innovative way to approach the day. None think I am serious, but I am. I usually end up having to repeat myself. “No really,” I say. “Stop selling stuff. Just stop.” But my words are so far out in left field that folks … Continue reading Your Goal is Not to Sell
– Retail Archaeology: The Innate Passion of Discovery – My grandparents retired from their San Francisco jobs to a piece of property up north. Their hidden acre sat on the rocky slopes of an ancient volcano. The surrounding land was covered in shiny black glass—obsidian. Gramps told me if I’m patient and look closely at the ground, I might find an arrowhead. After scouring every … Continue reading Retail Archaeology
An Open Letter (on Apparel) to Specialty Running Store Owners… Dear Owners of American Run Shops, Many of you have asked me how to sell more apparel. Rather than get back to each of you individually, I’m blasting off this form letter with my thoughts on an ever-present topic of frustration in specialty run. Forgive my generalizations and take my comments with a grain of … Continue reading Reframe Your Apparel Category
Tom Griffen 