There is a new shopping center that I pass almost every day, and today I opted to visit it in lieu of wasting my TGIF mood in rush hour traffic. It was a much larger hub of big boxes than I realized. Best Buy, Costco, Whole Foods, Target, Lowe’s, Borders, a 14-screen AMC theater and a 30 lane bowling alley were side by side, with lots of smaller and independent stores in between. Big retailers in a big shopping complex in the middle of a big residential area sounds like the makings of big profits.

To look at the packed-like-Christmas parking lot was to see tangible evidence of its success. To DRIVE the parking lot was to experience the tangible evidence of its failure.

There were obviously not enough spaces built into a parking lot shared by 7 big box stores. The parking lot layout was complicated, with stop signs about every 20 feet, or so it seemed. The multiple lanes of traffic that were converging in many unnecessary places were all trying to figure out the taking-turns system of chaos that was supposed to pass for traffic control. The spaces that were easily accessible to my desired Borders destination were across four lanes of traffic without a pedestrian crosswalk.

While the flow of cars into the complex was substantial, the flow of cars out of the complex was equally substantial. The exiting vehicles might have been filled with satisfied shoppers who had just pumped their Friday paychecks into the retail economy. But since there were two SUV’s that had been doing the parking space dance with me, I concluded that it was more likely that the departing cars were filled with people who, like me, had decided to take their paychecks home because it just wasn’t worth the effort it would take to spend them.

Considering how difficult it is for some people to earn their money, retailers just can’t afford to make it difficult for people to spend their money. While most retailers don’t have control over their parking lot design, they have complete control over the design of their shopping experience.

I was shopping in an Old Navy store this week and there was one particular corner of the store that was a jumbled mess. Upon examination it was easy to determine why. All of the petite sizes were hanging on the top bars, which were way too high for petite-wearing women to reach. So, the small sizes had been yanked off their hangers to be examined, and then draped on top of the lower racks when they were not purchased. Why any retailer would think it is a good idea to put the short-person sizes on the top rack I will never know. But I will tell you from first-hand experience that it is the rule, not the exception.

The good news is that in every jumbled mess, there is the opportunity to recover lost sales. With every hassle, there is the opportunity to prove to the customer that you are willing to make changes on their behalf. With every exodus is the opportunity to find a way to improve the invitation to come back inside.

I like the Corner Bakery. It’s a quick serve sandwich/soup/salad restaurant chain that’s almost as fast as fast food, but with menu choices that are real and fresh. I’ve been to several of their restaurants in more than one state, and it’s the high quality consistency of their food that’s impressed me the most. Until today.

Today I stopped on my way home to grab an early dinner instead of sitting in rush hour traffic. I ordered a scrambled egg sandwich from their breakfast menu and even though they’re not an all-day breakfast kind of place, they didn’t even hesitate to comply with my request. When my order was delivered, though, there were things on my sandwich that I didn’t order. As soon as I walked back up to the counter with my plate in hand, before I said anything, the cashier, Monica, said, “You didn’t want ham!”

Not only did the cooks have to make a breakfast item at the wrong time of day, now they had to make it twice for the same customer. Some very few minutes later Monica walked up to my table with a new steaming hot sandwich in one hand and a big hunk of my favorite chocolate cake in the other hand. (Besides being friendly, apparently the Corner Bakery employees are psychic too!)

What happened next is something I rarely experience as a customer. Monica said, “I’m sorry for the mixup.” No excuses. No justifications. No attempt to make me feel guilty for my unusual order. Monica made a simple, sincere apology, smiled, and walked away. Five minutes later the manager walked up and said, “How is your new sandwich?” With my mouth full, I nodded and smiled while he said, “Sorry about the first one.”

It was Service Recovery 101. They did nothing extraordinary, but it was not an extraordinary situation. Just like with their menu, the Corner Bakery team delivered a service recovery experience with rock solid consistency. They gave me a new reason to be impressed.

What is the measure of success at the end of a typical retail day? Sales? Number of transactions? How about the number of times you give a customer a new reason to be impressed? That’s a goal that any customer can get behind. It’s what motivates me to say things like, “I really like the Corner Bakery!”