Comments on: The Store Tour Con

By: Arie

Arie — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:25:16 +0000

I don’t know if I see the point in a CEO visiting a store for any kind of evaluative purposes. The visit is biased for all the reasons you mentioned and more.

To pop into a store to get a feel for what’s going on outside of the office and what life is like where the customers are – that makes sense. But if you really want to find out what’s going on you need an unbiased and unknown evaluator – ie a mystery shopper.

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:19:52 +0000

Mark… that’s an awesome…

The Queen Thinks The World Smells Of Fresh Paint.

I’m going to have to remember your phrase and steal it sometime…

And you’re right about the mindset of the big boss…

imperfections are flaws and honest feedback is an excuse

Smart stuff, Mark. Thanks for commenting.

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:15:52 +0000

BS – If you don’t want to forward the article… Print it and provide it anonymously.

There is another whole part of this I didn’t address, and that is the signals this sends to the workers. That “good work” is more about a game than about “quality.”

I remember getting in trouble because the burgers I was preparing were not fully cooked (in my McDonald’s example). I was warned and told to STRICTLY FOLLOW THE TIMERS WHEN THE BOSS WAS THERE.

(However, we never followed the timers because the grill wasn’t hot enough, or something wasn’t calibrated). Because someone hadn’t done their job with the equipment it made me not able to do my job properly.

Anyway, it taught me at an early age that many “responsible business adults” seem to spend more time building the illusion of doing a good job, rather than doing a good job.

Thanks for taking time to leave your thoughts!

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:09:09 +0000

NWGuy… agree with the pop-in approach. (Although don’t expect to be able to pop-into a second or third location. The first probably sounded the warning signal).

Thanks again for your comments!

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:07:39 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts, Don.

One benefit of having the boss visit – it is kind of like having guests stay at your house – it gives you an excuse and opportunity to clean up the place.

I agree… the customer is king.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:48:22 +0000

They say the Queen thinks the world smells of fresh paint. My experience is that corporate staff are too distant from operations to have a good overview of what they see. The result is a focus on trivia, like dust on the floor or other minor, but obvious points. A CEO has his own view of the world and will only listen to feedback that fits this view. If he thinks he is visiting a failing location, imperfections are flaws and honest feedback is an excuse. I have been on both sides of the fence and I believe that corporate staff should use such visits to interact with customers and to observe how the operation works.

By: BS

BS — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:58:01 +0000

It’s very funny to read what I lived.
We just had a “Boss Tour” where we couldn’t place a word.. The local manager did “the job” for us.
All that boss got was smiling faces. The only facts he reported to the board are:
numbers are Ok
atmosphere is Ok
As you said this kind of behavior is ridiculous… The local manager were so stressed (and stressing) that she asked us, by the morning, to clean and make some order on our respective desks… As if the only goal of this tour was to look good!

Advice C : For the local employee:
Forward this article to your boss ?
What can be done to make the boss and/or the local manager understand that the problems we meet are part of the job. Hiding them will make them stronger…

By: NWGuy

NWGuy — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:38:14 +0000

Like you said, this is even truer in the corporate world. An upper-exec tour of a field location or a plant used to be a very staged event (not sure if it is still this way). That was especially true for foreign locations; great preparations were made so that the exec didn’t have to endure any discomfort (not derogatory, just outside their comfort zone) from travel.

You hit it on the head; take the visit as a PR; employee morale/town hall tour and don’t expect to understand how things really work based on it.

If execs want a more realistic view, just drop into one of the locations on their way to/from vacation, and leave the entourage behind. Maybe the team will also benefit by seeing them in a casual view.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:02:52 +0000

Interesting concept. Under this section, If you are (1) Doing the best you can…: You would like to show the boss a true slice of life, good and bad. However in many cultures the boss would not understand. I just looked at store a, b an c and they weren’t like this (yes because they did clean and spit polish in anticipation) and we intentionally did not.

I also agree that secret shoppers/visitors can be helpful.

But the best-est thing of all … listen to the customers day in and day out. Some cultures do, and many do not.

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:44:23 +0000

Jesaka – thanks for your comments.

You’re right… I was a bit casual about mentioning friends and family as a “secret shopper.” Agreed, it needs to be someone who “gets” how it is supposed to be…

Furthermore, before you go blowing things up, make sure you do your fact checking… Some of the best run stores can be thrown into a swirl when a few employees don’t show up/call in sick. Or, as you mention – it just happens to be a new employee running the cash register that day.

Thanks for participating, Jesaka!

By: Jesaka Long

Jesaka Long — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:39:22 +0000

Paul, you nailed the store tour con–and brought back so many memories! Your point on letting the boss see the reality is a good one, especially for the cubicle culture. Years ago, even though our department sat a few feet from the office of “the big boss,” we still put on these fire drills. It was hard to see, especially when the team was short-staffed and needed help. I still consult and work with retail companies and one caution I will make is letting the one experience of a friend or family member spur you (the boss) into action without listening to and trusting your team. I’ve seen entire policies re-written because of one bad customer experience with an under-trained employee. Thanks for such a thought-provoking and truthful post.