American Eagle Outfitters - Flying High on Black Friday!
Posted by Nancy Porte on Tue, Nov 29, 2011
Having a personal history of avoiding large crowds, I have never taken part in the Black Friday shopping frenzy. But all that changed this year. My daughter works at American Eagle Outfitters during school breaks, and thought it would be fun if we worked together on Black Friday. Her manager needed to temporarily double the size of the store’s team and was looking for dependable help with a “can do” customer service attitude. My daughter assured her boss that I would fit the bill, and off we went!
So, after cleaning up the family’s Thanksgiving dinner, we fought our way through turkey-induced comas and reported to work one hour before the midnight opening. The store manager, Danielle, had been already been there for many hours preparing the store—and her tremendously detailed plan of attack. Ten hours and 5,000 customers later, I learned how important that plan was! Here are a few of my lessons learned:
Lesson #1: Know thy customer – even when their needs change!
11:00 p.m. – Danielle met with the staff before opening the doors for the throngs of midnight shoppers. She reminded everyone of the uniqueness of the customer that we would be serving – Black Friday customers have high expectations! They make decisions quickly, want merchandise and service quickly, and, well, did I mention “quickly?” Our job was to provide customers what they needed by assuring that all sizes of all products were on the floor at all times. To boot, when a customer asked for a specific item, we were expected to know exactly where it was, find the item quickly, and deliver it into the hands of the waiting customer. OK. That doesn’t sound so hard. This is going to be a lot of fun, right?
Lesson #2: Be prepared!
12:00 a.m. – The doors opened and a roaring wave of excited shoppers swept over the store within a few seconds – and we were ready. Danielle had been very specific with staff assignments and every section of the store was covered.
My first assignment was working with the Line Management team; our responsibility was to do everything possible to keep the checkout line moving. We removed security sensors from clothing, provided gift boxes, and pre-scanned items to provide a single ticket for cashiers. Besides performing tasks to speed the checkout process, we continuously engaged customers to assure they found everything they sought – and to ease tension as they waited to pay. Have you ever tried making conversation with someone who has waited in line for over an hour? That was definitely more challenging that I thought it would be!
2:00 a.m. – The checkout line now runs from the back of the store to the front, and then it wraps around the front of the store and returns to the back – it’s a complete circle! In the past two hours, we have seen over 2,000 shoppers. I’m not sure I have the energy to ask one more person if they need a gift box, but it is clear that the night has just begun.
Lesson #3: Stay ahead of the curve.
4:00 a.m. – The checkout line is shorter now, and the Line Management team has been disbanded. This is my first chance to pause and look around the store. Try to imagine the condition of a store in which over 4,000 shoppers had a feeding frenzy. The disarray reminded me of my teenager’s bedroom, but on the scale of global destruction!
Again, Danielle establishes rules and a game plan. Tables must be reorganized as they had been when we first opened at midnight. Nothing can remain on the floor or in the wrong location. So, now that I think it might be a good time to take a break, my new assignment is to continue taking care of customers while re-stocking, folding, and organizing. Whew!
9:00 a.m. – New staff members arrive, and my long shift comes to an end. Over the past 10 hours, I engaged with hundreds of customers, folded innumerable clothing items, and walked many miles! It was not until that moment that I realized how exhausted I was.
Summary
Working in a retail store on Black Friday might not seem like the time or place for great customer experiences. Yet, at the end of the day, it renewed my belief that the customer comes first – always, and in all situations.
The volume of Black Friday shoppers is overwhelming, and I can imagine that some retailers lower their service standards as a result. But that was not my experience at American Eagle Outfitters. As the leader, Danielle knew what her customers needed, communicated it effectively to her team, and adjusted the team to meet those needs. Danielle never lowered her standards, and all that hard work paid off. The store saw over 12,000 customers that day, and set a store record for highest revenue in a single day.
So now I can say that I have had my first Black Friday experience – and it will be my last. Next year, I think I’ll stick to Cyber Monday!