I is for Image

Such a tradition is important. "Perception is a lot in retail. Just look at the 'décor.' Home Depot and Lowe's have pallets of goods stacked on racks up to the ceiling. The customer sees that and thinks 'bigger = better = lower prices.'

"There are two ways to get a good perception. One is simply by good service, by a good value equation (good service and quality products relative to price) and happy customers. The other way is to create an image artificially. The negative side of that is that it can be nothing but PR, molding the public's perception in a way less than honest." For example? "When Walmart was advertising the importance of buying American, of all stores Walmart had the lowest percentage of American made goods on their shelves. Or, when Home Depot puts in a new store, for two to six months they fill it with shock troops of service people from across the nation so that the first impression is of a very helpful store. But that only lasts the first few months. Or chains use commercials to create a warm fuzzy feeling about their name and stores."