The Art of Enjoyment Over Speed in Retail

As Stampede fever envelopes my great city, the 13th edition HOW INSIGHTFUL pays tribute to those food creations of the midway. In the fast-paced world of retail, speed is often seen as the ultimate goal. The faster a service can be delivered, the better. But is speed always the best approach? Let’s delve into this by comparing two popular food chains: Jimmy Johns and Five Guys.

The Need for Speed: Jimmy Johns

Jimmy Johns, a renowned sandwich chain, prides itself on its lightning-fast service. Their motto, “Freaky Fast! Freaky Good!” encapsulates their commitment to speed. They aim to have your sandwich ready as quickly as possible, reducing wait times and ensuring you can enjoy your meal without delay. This approach has certainly garnered them a loyal customer base. But is speed the only factor that matters?

The Joy of Waiting: Five Guys

Contrastingly, we have Five Guys, a burger joint that couldn’t possibly compete with Jimmy Johns in terms of speed. Burgers take time to cook, and that’s a fact they can’t change. Instead of trying to speed up the process, Five Guys took a different approach. They offer their customers peanuts to snack on while they wait for their burgers. This simple act transforms the waiting time from a period of impatient anticipation into an enjoyable experience. Customers are no longer focused on how long their food is taking; they’re too busy enjoying their peanuts!

The Takeaway

The comparison between Jimmy Johns and Five Guys illustrates an important point: speed isn’t everything. While it’s important to respect customers’ time, it’s equally important to make their experience enjoyable. Five Guys couldn’t make their burgers faster, so they made the wait more enjoyable. They didn’t try to fit into the fast-food mould; they created their own.

In retail, it’s easy to fall into the trap of copying what works for others. But as Five Guys shows us, sometimes the best approach is to think outside the box and focus on what you can do to enhance the customer experience. After all, a memorable experience can often be more impactful than a speedy service.

In conclusion, while speed can be a competitive advantage, it’s not the be-all and end-all. As retailers, we should strive to create enjoyable experiences for our customers, even if it means slowing things down a bit. Because at the end of the day, a happy customer is a returning customer.