Retail As Entertainment

As a very non-outdoorsy kind of person, a trip to Cabela’s sounds downright boring. I was asked to go there this past weekend and I was a little hesitant to accept the offer. “What’s there for me?” I thought. As it turns out, quite a bit actually.

While most of the merchandise failed to capture my attention (with the exception of a cute, half-priced Columbia jacket and a buttercreme frosting-scented candle), there was way more to enjoy than hunting rifles, fishing rods, and camouflage. In addition to the sprawling sales departments, I found an aquarium, a museum, and a roasted nut vendor –and that was just the first floor. Up a level there was a quaint general store with candy samples and fudge galore, a restaurant, and an interactive shooting gallery game for the kids. Given the size of the store, it would be easy to spend a day there. Judging by everything else it has going on, it seems that’s just what Cabela’s wants to you do.

I think it works on the idea that the more time a person spends in the store, the more he or she will spend at the register. Part of that is giving people a large variety of the products they come to your store for, but a larger part is giving the non-shopping companions something to do. Enter TV lounges, computer kiosks, cafes, and a bevy of other non-shopping entertainment options. The shopper is kept happy searching through merchandise while the non-shopper is kept happy doing other things.

While I didn’t leave the store with a bag in hand, I did gobble up some of those delicious-smelling roasted almonds while I wandered through the museum. Cabela’s didn’t turn me into an outdoor enthusiast, but it didn’t leave me feeling like I wasted an afternoon either. Retail as entertainment? I’d say it’s a pretty great idea.

Football Wisdom

Watching the Green Bay Packers lose the NFC Championship game last night was a little heartbreaking for me, the passive fan. But my heartbreak was nothing compared to the sheer distress that was felt by my boyfriend, the die-hard fan. All season, I’ve watched him pummel coffee tables after dropped passes, shout obscenities after blown plays, and rant for days-on-end about missed opportunities, poor play calling, and terrible execution.

Despite all his disappointment when his team lets him down, he rarely misses a game, proudly sports his green and gold even on non-game days, and professes his love for Brett Favre until he’s all but blue in the face. For him, the bad games are brutal, but they’ll never offset the memories and experiences he associates with his beloved team and those are what keep him saying “Maybe next game,” and watching week after week. In a sense, my boyfriend is the perfect customer for the Packers because he remains true to the brand despite the occasional disappointment.

Wouldn’t it be great if all our customers were this way? Football shows us that they can be. Give them enough positive experiences and memories and they’ll be unlikely to leave you when a slip-up happens. Since it’s really hard to be perfect all the time, this is definitely something to think about.

Coffee, Quarter Pounders, and Interior Decor

Poring over yet another article about McDonald’s vs. Starbucks and their impending battle for coffee drinkers’ hearts, I started thinking about interior décor. (Not quite the reaction the article’s author was hoping for, I’m sure, but when you work for a retail display manufacturer, it just sort of happens.) When designing a space, we’re always reminded to create an environment that best represents the brand. A fast food joint that heavily advertises its Dollar Menu but is now adding “upscale” coffee services to its offering? How do you design for that?

Coffee houses and fast food restaurants traditionally offer two completely different design aesthetics. One encourages lingering and aims to create a relaxing atmosphere. The other wants to keep the pace quick and ambiance isn’t a high priority.

Lately, however, it seems the fast food industry is putting an extra emphasis on quality. This has translated not only into sourcing better ingredients but upping the sophistication of interior décor. Color schemes are getting bolder, lighting more complimentary, and wall finishes more interesting. With McDonald’s following this trend, maybe making the jump to becoming a hangout hip enough for the coffee house crowd while still remaining true to its core customers (the time-starved, valuing-seeking hungry people) won’t be so difficult.

I have a few visions of what these “McCafes” could look like, but it will be really interesting to see how the barista stations and café drinks blend with the condiment counters and quarter pounders. Double cheeseburger and a cappuccino? Not really my cup of tea, but you never know.

New Additions for the New Year

They say that the average person gains about 7 pounds during the holiday season. As we at The Dadson Diaries were filling up on sweets and adding to our waistlines, F.C. Dadson was busy filling up its offices and adding to its family of operations. Read on for the inside scoop.

FCD’s New Construction Management Division
Permitting can be a pain and we’ve seen firsthand how stressful it can be for our customers. To help ease their headaches, F.C. Dadson has created a new construction management division. Headed up by Rick Cline, an experienced general contractor, the new division will be home to FCD’s construction consulting and management programs that are being developed to assist clients through the permitting and construction phases of their build out projects.

Working with clients, our construction management team will create a personalized program of services specific to their needs. Some of the services that will be offered include:

• Plan review for potential permitting issues
• Permit assistance and expediting
• Development of construction manuals complete with itemized specifications and responsibilities lists
• Coordination of General Contractor bids
• General Contractor qualification and recommendations
• Direct General Contractor communication and assistance during permitting and construction
  

“F.C. Dadson wants to be able to offer a complete turn-key program to its customers,” says Cline. “With this division we’ll be able to really help clients every step of the way and get their locations open as efficiently as possible.”

For more information, check out FCD's website.