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As Mick Jagger sang, “You can’t always get what you want…..But if you try sometimes. You just might find. You get what you need.”

Is your retail image well-defined? Does your customer have a great chance of finding what they are looking for in your shop? And if they don’t get what they wanted do they at least feel good that they came into your business?

Niche .Niche. Niche.That’s chiseled into the indie retailer’s codex .But allow me to b**ch, b**ch, b**ch about how I could not find what I wanted at a mainstream retailer.

I went to my local 20,000 sq ft Barnes and Noble store, where I expected to find at least one reference manual on blogging. (As some of you can tell, I’m still learning.) I found nothing on the subject of blogging. Not even a Dummies book. Is this subject matter obscure? I think not.

The counter sales clerk was of no help —”we have two titles. They are in this section.” No mention was made of where the section was located. God forbid I ask the help to show me the section or actually find the book for me!

I left feeling huffy, impatient, ignored, and my needs unmet. These emotional responses overwhelmed any logical/intellectual understanding that I had shopping at a big box bookseller.

You cannot be all things to all people. As independent retailers, we know this to be true.

When we cannot help others with their immediate needs, maybe this is when the finesse of salesmanship, cordiality, and service come into play. This is the charm and humanity that an independent retailer can imbue in their customers.If the Barnes & Noble only tried to make an effort to help, I would have left feeling not defeated, but acknowledged.