Heat Up the Holiday Sales and Not the Customers

During the holidays we need to be careful not to set the thermostat too high in the store, making it uncomfortable for the customers. Retailers would be shocked if they ever added up how many sales are lost because the store is too hot.

Retailers make the mistake of setting the temperature in the store based on what is comfortable for the staff, usually first thing in the morning. What they don’t take into account is that the customers are more bundled up and the store warms up as it fills with people.

We made this mistake one year when I was running a Sharper Image and a customer passed out right in front of the cashwrap. Talk about slowing down your sales. It's not easy to keep the sales going when you have to step over someone waiting for paramedics! Just kidding, we dragged them out of the way.

Managing your store’s cooling and heating is just as important as any other element of the customer experience. Heat up your sales, not your store.