Wal-Mart and many of its big-box brethren--from Home Depot to Best Buy--are attempting to make their premises less overwhelming for shoppers. Their tools range from brighter light bulbs for quicker
comparison-shopping to personal assistants catering to customers' whims. And they are determined to eliminate lengthy checkouts -- perhaps the biggest turnoff for harried customers.
Among the changes at Wal-Mart: better signs to help shoppers find merchandise, more convenient placement of hot-selling items and staffing changes to speed up checkout times.
In a
pilot program, electronics retailer Best Buy is employing "personal shopping assistants" in 60 stores who are knowledgeable about all merchandise in the store. Their job is to individually serve
time-starved customers making complicated purchases. They wear button-down shirts to set them apart from regular salespeople.
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