One of our customers complained yesterday about browsers in the magazine aisle who were blocking his access to the magazine he wanted to purchase. He reminded us that we are not a library and advised that we should stop the browsing.
When I heard about this is made me smile. While it is true that we are not a library, I would rather have happy browsers than an empty shop. It’s my job as a retailer to do everything possible to convert the browsers into customers.
What an interesting concept – customers not liking browsers LOL
I’m working on keeping recreational print browsers outside, with a selection of second-hand books to read with coffees, and some kind of book exchange. It’ll be interesting to see how that does or doesn’t affect the mag sales. The ones who get their reading in by browsing don’t do our business any good whatsoever – that’s all they do. If we can offer an alternative, and a cuppa, it might change their behaviour a little.
I don’t mind browsers, but sometimes the line gets blurry between recreation and purpose.
The best thing we did to help curtail the serial ‘read-but-never buy people’ was move the top selling weekly womens mags to above the newspapers. This makes it hard for them to stand there and read cover-2-cover as they are in the way of people looking for a newspaper. Has worked a treat.
i don’t mind browsers but there has to be a difference in people who come in week after week and read the weeklies and never buy one,or anything else
most of the people do end up buying ssomething
What about the good old “excuse me?”
Goes to show, customers are not always right.
i’d rather have browsers in my store and the increased chance of a sale rather than please that 1 customer who probably don’t understand we need to earn money to survive.