It is no longer enough for major outdoor retailers to offer a good selection and fair prices. Rather, it seems that they are all trying to outdo themselves by offering experiences in addition to merchandise. Some stores feature a rock climbing wall, whereas Scheel’s provides a giant aquarium, a life-size Paul Bunyan for photos, and a Ferris wheel in the middle of the sales floor.
I wonder what the ROI on all these extras really is. Do you go there to shop or to play? Could prices be lower if they didn’t have all the entertainment to support?
When you’re tempted to do “more” — add entertainment, provide promotional items, host extraneous events, decorate to the nines, or go over the top with anything, pause for a moment and think of this story from Good to Great.
Regular readers know I often quote Jim Collins’ masterpiece, and Scheel’s has reminded me of this. A high school cross-country team stopped doing all the things outside of running. “When the head coach took over the program, she found herself burdened with expectations to do “fun programs” and “rah-rah stuff” to motivate the kids and keep them interested: parties, special trips, shopping adventures to Nike outlets, and inspirational speeches. She quickly put an end to nearly all that distracting (and time consuming) activity. ‘This program will be built on the idea that running is fun, racing is fun, improving is fun, and winning is fun,’ she said.” The result was triple the number of runners and state championships.
You’ll go further if you stop wasting your energy on the extraneous and focus on doing your core better than anyone.
Source: Good to Great by Jim Collins, 2001, p. 206-207
