New York’s Happening Retail Scene: Part I

Looking at the Manhattan retail scene, all I can say is: So many stores, so little time. The days before the holiday shopping season begins in earnest and are always filled with a rash of store openings. Here are four of my early favorites:

• Miss Sixty/Energie have opened their first-ever dual flagship, on Broadway and 20th St. The 7,000-sq.-ft. store is filled with everything from men’s and women’s denim, to apparel and accessories on two electric-colored levels. The opening marks the debut of Energie’s footwear line in the United States.

• Mickey Drexler’s latest concept, Madewell, has opened a pop-up in SoHo. It features a full denim wall, filled with skinny and bootleg styles in a variety of washes, tables full of striped henleys and chunky knit sweaters, and racks hung with baby doll dresses.

• Japanese import Muji has launched its first U.S. store, in SoHo, and on opening day there were lines snaked around the block to enter. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Muji was giving away its signature bags packed with goodies to the first 500 customers. The store is spacious and clean, with a spare, streamlined design. As for the merchandise, it is affordable (but not all that cheap) and of good quality.

• Jacques Torres, otherwise known as the "king of chocolate," has opened a handsome new store—his third in the city—on the Upper West Side. The décor is elegant and refined, with oak flooring, crystal chandeliers and dark walnut walls. The shop is filled with all sorts of calorie-laden treats.

• CB2, the GenY format from Crate & Barrel, has opened an 8,000-sq.-ft. space in SoHo. The store looks smart and modern—just like the goods it sells. And a plus, most of the furniture seems actually designed for apartment living.

That’s it—for now.

—Marianne Wilson

Not the Typical Best Buy Experience

Last week, Best Buy Co., Minneapolis, reported that it was renewing its focus on its top-spending customers. As my husband Jack told me about his own visit to Best Buy last week, I found this amusing.

Jack, a professional photographer, is an avid Best Buy fan. Besides being a Best Buy credit-card holder, he spends an average of $700 per year with the company (he makes technology purchases for both his business and personal needs.)

Two weeks ago, Jack purchased a Canon camera from the new store that recently opened here in Baldwin, N.Y. The camera wasn’t in stock during this visit, so he decided to order the camera in the store and pick it up when it arrived at the location.

While picking up the camera last week however, service took an unexpected turn. Jack made his way to the customer-service/order-fulfillment counter and dealt with a twentysomething “blue shirt,” or sales associate. Unsure how to find the order, she called someone who, we assumed, was a supervisor.

“Some guy is here to pick up a camera he ordered,” she said into the telephone.

Insulted by her demeanor, my husband stopped her and said, “Some guy? Is that how you talk to a customer?” Realizing she made a mistake, she apologized and told her supervisor that “Jack” was here to pick up his order.

When the camera finally arrived at the customer-service desk, the associate started turning the box to see the content.

“Is this one of those fancy cameras?” she asked. Jack was uncertain as to how to answer her. Also, he was afraid she was going to drop the camera before he even got to use it.

All kidding aside, if retailers are going to have teens and twentysomething employees interacting with their “best-spending” and loyal customers, they really need to ensure a consistent standard of training. This includes making sure that associates know how to address the customer, as well as guaranteeing they also have sufficient knowledge of what product is being sold on the sales floor, what it is and how it works—something that I always thought was considered a trademark for Best Buy’s “blue shirts.”

Clearly, this might have been an isolated incident. However, this story should make all retailers consider the interactions—and store-level training—that are actually happening in their own stores.

—Deena Amato-McCoy

Blogging About Anthropologie

How far would you be willing to go for your favorite retailer?

If you happen to be Jennifer Fuchs, the answer to that question is simple: Start a blog about it. The name of her blog is “Craving Anthropologie” (www.cravinganthropologie.blogspot.com) and she posts several times a week on it.

Jennifer, who lives in New Jersey and works as an IT project manager for a brokerage firm, writes mainly about her obsession with Anthropologie. She reviews different items and alerts readers to what’s new in the store and her own personal “must-have” picks—all of it accompanied by tempting pictures that made me want to run out to the store and start charging up a storm.

Here is a posting from Oct. 24, in which she reviewed Anthropologie’s “Prepster” knee socks:

“I mentioned that I picked up these adorable socks in the mushroom color. I just have to tell you how comfortable they are. It says they are a mix of acrylic, nylon and wool. Well, whatever they are made of, they feel super soft on your skin. And they stay up perfectly.

I think I have to get the chocolate ones too! I wish there were more colors, I would get them all.”

Jennifer’s site gets about 1,200 to 1,400 visitors a week and counts readers from around the globe. Many e-mail her. Her fans include, not surprisingly, a few folks at Anthropologie. Last May, Jennifer heard from the managing director of Anthropologie Direct, who thanked her for her kind and supportive comments. She was sent a gift card along with a personalized note signed by the Anthropologie Direct team.

The gift card aside, Jennifer does not make any money off her site. She has said she does what she does just for fun—and of course, because she loves Anthropologie.

—Marianne Wilson