Even with all the options available to me online, I still enjoy going into a book store and holding a book in my hand before buying it. This is unfortunately becoming more and more difficult for me to do. Sites like Amazon and Half.com consistently beat brick and mortar bookstores on price and customer service. The inventory for computer related books has dwindled to almost nothing, except for the ‘dummies’ series, which is always well stocked, and should be a good indication of how bookstores view us.

Today I was at a local big chain bookstore (Hastings Books) looking for a baby book. I was unable to find it on my own, and so I opted for the self serve information kiosk, which was occupied. After waiting in line for a bit, I found my way to what they call the ‘Information Station’. There was no-one there. Walking up to the front of the store, I asked the checkout clerk if he was able to help me find a book with his register. His answer was, ‘No, but I can call someone to the Information Station for you’. After walking back and waiting about 15 minutes (no kidding!) at the Information Station, I went back to the front of the store and attempted to get the attention of the same clerk I had spoken with before. He was busy talking with another clerk… a female.

While I waited for them to finish their conversation, I fiddled with my iPhone. Ahhhh… free Wifi. It took me about 30 seconds to find the book I was looking for on Half.com, and another minute to purchase it. When the clerk finally acknowledged me there… I politely said, ‘Thanks, but I found what I was looking for.’ By then, I had already purchased the book on their dime using the free internet they were so nice to provide for guests.

If you have a brick and mortar storefront, it is now more important than ever to go above and beyond for your customers because they have so many more options available to them, many of them much more competitive than you are able to be. Sometimes the only thing that differentiates you from your online competitors is a smile, handshake, or the simple attentive acknowledgement that your customer is patiently standing right there with money in hand. It is vital to your organization for you to reach out to those of us who still value these things, and who value the ability to hold what we are buying in our hands before we purchase it. There are so few of us left, and some of us are getting frustrated with paying so much more for so much less.