Tag Archives: retail

Respect People: Trust Them to Use good Judgment

Posted on October 28, 2010 by John Hunter

Nordstrom’s employee handbook used to be presented on a single 5 x 8 card: Welcome to Nordstrom We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them. So our employee handbook is very simple. We have only one rule: Use good judgment in all situations. Please feel free to ask your department manager, store … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Lean thinking, Management, quote, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tesco Pauses USA Expansion

Posted on March 31, 2008 by John Hunter

Pausing for reath at fresh & easy (Tesco’s USA stores) We’ve opened 31 stores in 66 days so far this year…now we’re pausing for breath… However, after opening our first 50, we planned to have a 3 month break from openings, and other than a couple more in Phoenix, we’re taking it (albeit, in our usual fashion, with 59 stores already open). … We’ve learnt a huge amount about running the operation, and talked to thousands of customers about what … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Not Lean Retailing

Posted on March 1, 2006 by John Hunter

Renovating Home Depot [the broken link was removed], Business Week It is always dangerous to make too much of a magazine article, but Home Depot seems to be moving away from lean thinking in the following examples, to me anyway. The Home Depot founders: allowed store managers immense autonomy. “Whether it was an aisle, department, or store, you were truly in charge of it,” says former store operations manager… These days every major decision and goal at Home Depot flows … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer focus, Lean thinking, Management | Tagged , ,