Sometimes art imitates life, and sometimes, life should imitate that art. The Masterpiece Classics series Mr. Selfridge recounts the true story of an American retail employee who took the lessons he learned working at Marshall Fields across the ocean and opened his eponymous store in London. Even more than the personal stories, the PBS series explains the historical origins of several early twentieth century retail innovations that have since become nearly mandates.

For example, Harry Gordon Selfridge has a reasonable claim to being the first person to assert that the customer was always right—as well as the first to use the phrase “Only 10 shopping days until Christmas!” Rather than limiting his clientele to wealthy patrons, Selfridge encouraged myriad shoppers to browse through the store, whether they made a purchase during that visit or not. To encourage such visits, Selfridge ran popular promotions and hosted notable events, such as when he displayed the first airplane to fly over water in his stores. The plane attracted an estimated 150,000 people in just four days.

He also took care to recognize the essential needs and desires of shoppers. Women of the era had trouble finding access to some basic comforts while outside their homes, so Selfridge made sure to build pleasant in-store restaurants, allowing them to sit down for a cup of tea in the midst of their shopping. He also added a remarkable innovation, found in few other business locations: women’s restrooms. Furthermore, Selfridges introduced the first semi-annual sales, to appeal to customers’ enjoyment with finding a good deal.

His consideration of people’s needs extended to employees too. Before Selfridge arrived, retail clerks often worked 12-hour days, treated as if they were domestic servants in a store setting. In contrast, Selfridge paid workers a higher wage, allowed them to live in their own homes (whereas other stores often required them to stay in onsite dormitories), and encouraged them by example to interact with and provide superior service to all customers. His daily managerial walks throughout the store demonstrated his accessibility, his interest in ensuring the store functioned smoothly, and his dedication to treating customers well.

Restrooms, putting the customer first, and sales seem like old hat now. The lesson for modern retailers who might catch a few episodes of the television series is that they must keep paying attention to new and creative ways in which they might transform retail again, as Mr. Selfridge did, to keep customers happy.

Discussion Question:

What did Mr. Selfridge contribute to today’s retailing strategies and tactics?

 

Source: Joe Cecere, April 10, 2014, Retail Customer Experience