The answers are in my latest book, The Century-Old Startup: The Nordstrom Way of Embracing Change, Challenges and a Culture of Customer Service. As the author of the bestselling The Nordstrom Way book series, and an international speaker, I’ve spent the […]
Mom & Pop and Hope
After a hurricane or earthquake or terrorist attack, the first tentative sign of a return to normalcy is the reopening of the neighborhood shops and markets. When Mom & Pop merchants demonstrate their hopefulness for the future, they are signaling the rest of us […]
Customer Experience—Above All Else
Each one of us is an expert on customer experience. At one point or another during the course of our day, every one of us plays the role of the customer. We all know the difference between a good experience […]
The Wisdom of the Mom & Pop Store
“There is no one who is not in some degree a merchant; who has not something to buy or something to sell,” wrote Samuel Johnson in the late 18th Century. All of us are involved in trade, whether we’re selling […]
Seattle: America’s Capital of Retail
What do Nordstrom, Starbucks, Amazon, Costco, and Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) have in common? They are all world-class retailers based in Seattle. And don’t forget 103-year-old Ben Bridge Jeweler (a division of Berkshire Hathaway, with 75 stores in 11 states), […]
After You’re Gone, What Will Your Employees Say About You?
For all you CEOs who privately ponder how the employees of your company would react to your death, visit the Nordstrom Friends page on Facebook. The raw emotional outpouring to the news of the unexpected death of 58-year-old co-president Blake […]
Service Culture: Past, Present, Future
My grandparents grew up in a time when impeccable service was expected, and was delivered in the restaurants they took me to as a child. I still remember. It wasn’t just the act of providing an excellent service experience. Service […]