Robert California, CEO of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. in a recent episode of The Office:

Take a look at where you are.

Where you once worked in a dying industry, you now work at it’s birth. Those superstores are terrified of us.

Anybody know why?

Phyllis Lapin-Vance, sales representative at Dunder Mifflin:

They’re terrified?

Robert California:

Let me tell you how I buy something these days. 

I know what I want, I go on the Internet and I get the best price.

Or, I don’t know what I want, and I go to a small store that can help me.

The era of personal service is back. You are back.

You’ll find that customers will pay our higher prices and then they will thank us. And we will say to them, you are welcome.

Although this conversation took place in a fictional television show, it definitely holds true.

More and more people are shopping online for things they already know they need (or want), and only resort to in-store experiences when absolutely necessary.

For example, I recently ordered BBC’s Human Planet BluRay from Amazon. I knew I wanted it, and had absolutely no need to visit a retail store in person to pick it up. 

On the other hand, shopping for something like a Digital SLR camera is best done at a small camera shop.

Going to a large retail chain like Staples or Walmart to find professional camera advice would be like going to McDonalds for a healthy meal. There may be a hidden gem; a knowledgeable salesperson in a price-hungry, overcrowded environment (a healthy salad amidst the plethora of Big Macs), but in general, you’re better off going to the smaller, more specialized shop down the street.

Unfortunately there’s another behaviour that doesn’t reward the physical outlets: obtaining the personal shopping experience in person, and then going home to find the best price online.

What’s important to note is that if you’re not a superstore (brick and mortar or online), it’s your personal service, the customer experience, that will win you new business. It will keep your customers coming back, too.