Reading through the posts above convinces me that the behavior of individual employees is critical to the success of a store. Management may think success depends on inventory, prices, or ambiance, but the customer pays far more attention to the clerk. And the clerk is probably the least expensive, most despised part of the package.

I was happy with my first visit to Micro Center. On my second (last week) a guy on the floor swore that a certain kind of CD would work in my CD maker. It didn't. Since I live quite a distance away, I'm not happy with that.

When I returned the useless CD's, I decided to shop for an encyclopedia on disk. The clerk directed to an aisle which didn't seem to have any. Soon the canned music -- beatle-infested tunes which were half self-pity and half phlegm -- got on my nerves so much that I left without buying anything.

If you want a store to succeed, you need to know what is happening on the sales floor.