McDonald’s Corporation (MCD), Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (LOW): Mama’s Wisdom: What Makes a Good Shopping Experience?

General disclaimer: Store experiences can vary greatly based on regional management, local culture, dispositions of individual franchise owners, etc. Mama’s wisdom reflects personal experiences and is not necessarily characteristic of the parent companies as a whole.

What it means to us Fools
The main takeaway that I gathered from hearing about and witnessing these real-life examples is that it only takes one bad experience to ruin someone’s perception of a brand and for the company to lose out on all or most of that customer’s business. The fundamentals of a business are very important, but without quality people to support it, success is hard to attain in the long run. Paying attention to the business’s bottom line is of course extremely important, but forgetting about the customer can cost you dearly. By investing in creating a positive company culture, it’s possible to attract customers who not only want your products but will also be loyal to your brand. If you are doing it right, they might even tell their friends about how well you treated them.

In my mind, a quality retail company is one that cares enough to keep its locations presentable, hires helpful people, and does its best to cater its services to its customers. When evaluating companies as a potential investment, it is a useful exercise to visit a location, call their customer support number, or actually try their product or service. Your personal experience can offer insights that don’t appear in annual reports or shareholder presentations.

The article Mama’s Wisdom: What Makes a Good Shopping Experience? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Raymond Boisvert.

Raymond Boisvert has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Burger King Worldwide Inc (NYSE:BKW), Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW), and McDonald’s. The Motley Fool owns shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD).

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