-By Dr. Kenneth C. Herbst and Harold Lloyd

As we move toward the end of 2008 (could 2008 already be almost over?) and anticipate showing our appreciation for, among others, our family, friends and customers, Harold and I thought this would be a great opportunity to discuss what we feel sets some retailers apart from the competition -- heavy community involvement and appreciation for the towns and cities in which they operate.

As we travel and observe the manner in which food retailers operate, we are often impressed by the community involvement taking place. We are not simply referring to sponsoring local races or sporting teams and leagues (although this type of activity is important). We also want to discuss how you can easily interact with customers via involvement that does not include sponsorship.

Show Your Colors
Recently, I was at a store in which employees came to work sporting the name of their favorite local school on their shirt. This could be a high school or a college, but it was something with which the local customers could identify, and it led to hearty and fun conversations with customers (and perhaps some "tough" talk between the "Wake Forest" employees and the "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" employees). Still, it was all fun, and it seemed to increase the employee morale while providing an interesting way to interact with customers (remember, our research has shown that an interaction with a customer is associated with 23 percent more spending at the register). Not only is it fun, but this type of "local" attire also suggests to customers that the community and local schools are important to you and your employees. In this same store, the cashiers actually stand out two to three steps from the register and look for customers who are looking for lanes in which to pay. With a smile and a local college T-shirt, they make eye contact with the customers and ask them if they are ready to check out. At this particular store, happy employees with local school names across their chests welcome customers to their aisle as if there was a reward given to the employee with the highest sum at the end of the shift!

Not only do we suggest in-store community involvement via your support for local schools, but we also like finding ways to host events outside of the store which attract multiple guests. One way to do this is to pair your wines with foods from a local bakery or restaurant. You can also pair some of your store-label products with a local winery in an effort to show customers just how many scrumptious foods you have that go well with the popular local winery. This is a way to interact with present and future customers in the community, and it is also a way to sample your products with wines that the foods mesh so perfectly with. Sampling leads to trial and purchase, and we feel confident that the effects of sampling could become even more profound when one of your products is matched with the perfect red wine. By aligning yourself with a local winery, you also could increase the quality perception of your store because you are demonstrating that the list of your store-label products is long and full of palate-rewarding potential. We suggest not charging for such an event because you want to encourage significant attendance, and you want your wines and/or foods to be sampled and discussed by as many people as possible.

And one other thing -- football season will be closing soon (at least for colleges), but there are still several tailgating opportunities and Sunday NFL days remaining on the calendar. We suggest that you bake cakes, cookies, brownies and many other malleable foods in the shapes of the local team's mascot. Cakes and cookies are crowd-pleasers, but we often pass by them when preparing for the big tailgate party. A cake in the shape of the local beloved mascot (e.g., a Wake Forest Demon Deacon), however, is purchased because it is novel and fun.

Please do not get me wrong -- I love cake, but a black-and-gold Demon Deacon cake is exciting and unexpected. Similarly, along with the cake, I would have the school's mascot on balloons, napkins, tablecloths, flags, shirts and trash cans. It may be difficult for a University of Maryland fan/store manager in a Duke neighborhood in Durham, N.C., to paint the store royal blue for Duke, but the efforts will be appreciated by the Duke community of fans and customers, and in the end, that is what counts.


This is the last column of the year for Harold and me. We have now completed two years with you, and we have enjoyed getting to know you. We encourage you to continue sending comments our way. We hope to see you right back here in The Gourmet Retailer in 2009. As the "Ol' Lefthander" Joe Nuxhall said after each game of his storied broadcasting career when signing off on the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network, Harold and I "are rounding third and headed for home" in 2008. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss our research and recommendations with you, and we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. So, until January 2009, as the late and loved Skip Caray would say, "So long everybody."


Dr. Kenneth C. Herbst is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. He earned a Masters and Ph.D. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, Dr. Herbst earned a B.A. from Wake Forest University.

Dr. Herbst has been interviewed about his food research and industry expertise by, among others, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today and Woman's Day. Recently, he gave a keynote presentation on his in-store food shopper research at Shopper Insights in Action. He has also recently spoken at FMI and IDDBA. In April, he presented his top tactics for retailing and merchandising at the 2008 NARMS Spring Conference and Annual Meeting.


Harold Lloyd was the President and CEO of a 14-unit retail organization for 10 years. His practical, exciting ideas and dynamic presentation style have combined to earn him a highly regarded reputation reflected in his top ratings at numerous appearances at such prestigious events as the annual FMI and IDDBA conventions, as well as The Gourmet Retailer's annual Retail 2020 event.

For almost two decades, Harold has worked very closely with small and large businesses to provide a "powerful push in the right direction!" His mission is to provide qualified, executive-level assistance to companies on a "temporary basis," eliminating the need to add permanent top management overhead. To further assist his clients, Harold authored the book It's About Time, focusing on time management.


For more information on customized research or speaking engagements, please e-mail Dr. Herbst at Kenny.Herbst@mba.wfu.edu or visit his Web site at www.mba.wfu.edu/herbst at the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University.