Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy, wrote the foreword to Retail Success! Here's how he describes the book.
If you look at the graduates of the five leading business schools in the U.S. over the past fifty years and look at the first job graduates took with their new MBA in hand, only a tiny percentage went to retail companies.
Retail for the last millennia has been something people discovered they had in their blood. Whether brilliant merchant or plodding vendor, retail demanded a special commitment. At any level the only thing guaranteed was hard work.
The point of entry, if it wasn't through family, was often by accident. A part-time job that turned full-time. Discovering a flair or talent for something that precipitated the need to trade. For many senior executives the retail job offer came as a sideways career move. For many small merchants the step into the retail abyss came from the desire to work for themselves. However, running a store or a chain of stores is harder than it looks from the outside. Giving good store means understanding layout and merchandising. It means being able to lead and inspire employees. It means delivering on your promise to the customer consistently day after day.
Being a good merchant has never been easy. The great merchants of the twentieth century learned the details of their craft the hard way--by doing it. They succeed by guts, instinct, and ability to stay focused. If they were lucky, they had a mentor. Someone who brought insight out of chaos. Someone who was willing to teach and help revisit the fundamentals. Someone who could look and listen. For every merchant or aspiring merchant who has missed having that personal mentor, there is George Whalin.
Unlike Columbia Business School professors, George never uses a twenty-five cent word when a nickel word would do just fine. There are no flow charts or fancy three-dimensional diagrams. George dispenses plain and straightforward good advice. From small comic book store owners to the CEO of giant retail chains, George has been a mentor, coach, and cheerleader. In person, George inspires calm and confidence. He's old enough and gray enough to inspire trust and yet he has an easy laugh and melodious voice that is a pleasure to listen to. In this new book, that sonorous and easy tone comes right through the printed words on the page.
If you are in retail, time never comes to you in big chunks. You get breaks, some when you are bone weary, others when you just need to hide for a few minutes. Believe me, George understands. To be honest, you don't have to read this book cover to cover. You don't have to start at the beginning. You can flip and surf, dip and sip. But if you have anything to do with retail, I do recommend that you get to know George and this book is a great place to start.
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Customer Reviews
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I bought this book for all my managers 
By on 2003-01-31
After reading this book, I bought a copy for all my managers. We discuss various points in our monthly meetings. As an example, there's Chapter 13: Great Store Managers Make Great Stores. It tells what the best managers do and how they manage their stores. We use it as a guide for improvement and self evaluation.Many of my managers also use the book to help with their sales associates. There are several chapters on sales, salesmanship, and even selling from a customers point of view. The fact that this book isn't as "technical" as other retail business books I've read is a great plus. I think it's the reason my managers have been so willing to embrace the concepts and pass them along to their employees. I highly recommend this book.
A Quick and Easy Read
By on 2002-10-17
I don't have time to read much because I'm always working. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy a read this book is. I don't have to have a PhD to understand what the author is saying, but it's not so simple that I lose interest. The best part is I don't have to waste time trying to find what I'm looking for. Each chapter is clearly identified and stands on it's own and the index is very helpful. I was looking for suggestions on rewards and incentive programs and was able to find what I wanted right away. The book is organized just like the author says a store should be--so it's easy for the customer to find what they're looking for. I keep the book handy so I can look things up as I need them and I have not been disappointed. Frequently I find myself saying, "Why didn't I think of that!" It's a true retailer's resource.
This book is the BEST!
By on 2002-03-15
This is truly a book full of information that can be used in real life. It's practical stuff--none of that preachy, academic lecturing you usually find in business books. This guy gives lots of examples on how to use the ideas and strategies he talks about in his book. He describes what other retailers are doing to be successful and I got all kinds of ideas on how I can do some of those things in my business. It's great. I'm so charged up and eager to get going.
Attended Mr. Whalin's seminar and then reread his book!
By on 2003-03-13
I read this book when it first came out and really got a lot of ideas from it. Every now and again, I would go back and look something up or reread a chapter. Last week, after attending a seminar given by Mr. Whalin, I decided to read the whole book again. I can't say enough--I keep finding more good stuff that inspires me. And if you ever get a chance to go to one of the author's seminars, do it!
Anybody who didn't like this book didn't read it!
By on 2003-01-30
If you are in the retail business and want to get good ideas, read this book...period!
- I ordered this book, and returned it.
By on 2003-01-28
A lot of buzz words, no compelling arguments, facts or supporting data. This book is published with big font in double spaces, so not much information - like an article.
- Should have read this a long time ago!
By on 2003-03-21
This was great. Good advice. Sensible. Logical. Would have avoided so many costly mistakes if I'd had this book when I first got into retail.
- Good Basic Information
By APOFNXIPH8KSF on 2006-08-26
The book presented several good bits of very basic information. It was an easy read. For someone w/ any experience or familiar w/ the basics, it was a little too basic. Great for chceking on in a library in that case (since there were a few really good tips that were original) but otherwise save your money. For someone not familiar w/ the basics, this may be a good place to start.
- Not recommended
By A14B58Q7IIVYHV on 2007-01-05
The book contained basic information and was below expectations. The writing style was boring and uncaptivating. I expected to have my emotions charged while reading the book as consumer retail buying is widely accepted as an emotional experience. It was a disappointing read as the book did not do justice to the topic of retail success.
- Excellent--Very Helpful
By A1WPKJOBB4JVKT on 2007-02-13
I thought our store was really good at service and individuality. But after reading Retail Success, I came to realize we have lots of room for improvement. It's an evolutionary process and we must continue to evaluate ourselves. This book is a good kick in the pants and offers constructive suggestions from a guy who obviously has been in the trenches. He wrote about asking myself, "What if...we tried something a different way?" That opened my eyes to the process of change. Also, I now ask my employees for suggestions and I ask my customers what they think. Great read!
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