Big-box stores are getting smaller.
Because so many big box retail chains are cutting back on store sizes, Barry Shlachter writes in the Fort Worth Star Telegram that this is a national trend.
It’s also one of the Small Town Rules, where we know that bigger isn’t always better.
A few juicy quotes from the article:
“Small is a big idea nowadays. There is definitely a trend to a smaller footprint.”
–Sheri Bridges, a marketing professor at Wake Forest University and faculty director of its retail marketing center.
“Best Buy calls it ‘community-oriented retail.’”
–Bridges
I can hear the Small Town Rules ideas in that one!
“Quite honestly, a lot of retailers have come back to the customer service days where the customer feels loved. If you can win on service, even if a product is online, people will come. They enjoy the entertainment factor of shopping in the store.”
–Charles Wetzel, CEO of the Fort Worth-based Buxton Group, which advises retailers on site selection.
That would Small Town Rule 4, where we all bring back customer service like small towns have maintained all along.
[Photo of “The Biggest Store East of Skiyou” in Washington State by Becky McCray.]
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Small Town Rules: How Big Brands and Small Businesses Can Prosper in a Connected Economy is a book written by Becky McCray and Barry Moltz. It was published in 2012 by Que Biz Tech and was reprinted internationally in 2015.