retail musings

I don't particularly like shopping anywhere (except of course Costco). What I do like doing is observing how retail stores and other businesses try to make money, and thinking about ways they could make more of it. I wondered why they don't sell batteries at a local used children's clothes, toys, and accessories store. Seems like an easy high margin impulse purchase to go along with your battery operated toy.

I wondered why my gym let an extremely annoying issue with their electronic gate entry linger for months before fixing it. Do they know the staff are on Facebook while the paper towel dispensers are crying for new rolls? What is the threshold number of members that a gym wants anyway? There must be a target members:equipment ratio. Too high causes problems with overcrowding and disappointed members waiting for free equipment. What percentage of members never work out? I'm sure those couch potatos are their favourites, no wear and tear on the equipment or bodies in the hot showers while their membership fees keep rolling in through direct withdrawal. I'm sure there are stats on all of this. Would it be possible for the energy expended on the cardio equipment to power the gym?

Some Previous Retail Ranting I've Done On the moneygardener:
I don't like shopping at Canadian Tire. I even bought my washer fluid at Costco this year!
I really like shopping at Costco, maybe too much.

washer fluid masters

I'm just as patriotic as the next guy, but when it comes to wading through aisles of general merchandise, and home improvement stuff, Canadian retailer Canadian Tire (CTC.A) just doesn't do it for me.

Am I alone in this thinking? Canadian Tire is a very successfull company, and so many other people seem to love the place. This utterly confuses me. To those who like Canadian Tire: why does the junk they sell fall apart on the drive home? Why, when you finally find a staff member their customer service level makes a garage sale operator seem like the concierge at the Hilton. Don't get me wrong the customer service at retailers like Home Depot (HD), and Wal-Mart (WMT) leave something to be desired as well. But what is the redeeming quality that makes Canadian Tire a destination? Their selection is poor, product quality is shabby, prices are average, and their customer service is just plain irresponsible. Yes, I'll take a 'rain cheque' please...

The Saturday flyer they dole out might as well be for a flea market, with the junk they include, but it seems to drive people to the big red yield sign like bees to honey, or more approprietly flies to sh$t. Want to ruin your Saturday; hit Canadian Tire at about 1 or 2pm. You'll see the pride of whatever town or city you live in, in their full glory. They'll likely be rifling through the bin of $4.99 travel coffee mugs that are guaranteed to leak. If you don't find them there, they'll be waiting in a 20 minute understaffed check out area with their windshield washer fluid in toe. Incidentally windshield washer fluid is, in my mind, the only product worth buying at Canadian Tire. Yes, I can always rely on them for the solution that I spray on my windshield to allow me to see out of my car, couldn't live without them.

For my American readers, just picture a cluttered big box store that is more expensive than Wal-Mart, but with less selection, and inferior customer service that is complete with an auto service centre that you wouldn't trust with your bicycle. I think they need to find their niche, is it auto accesseries, home improvement and tools, kitchen appliances, electronics or a garden centre? I'd rather them do something right than do everything wrong, but that's just me. Does this make me less of a Canadian...