While being a retailer can be very rewarding, running a store is no piece of cake. There are days when you’ll need extra helpings of motivation and inspiration to remind you why you’re in this business in the first place. At Vend, we are all about delighting retailers and helping you be more awesome, so we’ve compiled a collection of inspiring quotes from some of the world’s most successful retailers.

1. 9 Quotes from Successful Retailers
That Will Inspire You
to Run Your Store Better

2. The best in the industry
offer their hard-won wisdom to you,
free of charge.
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 2
Save the quotes that speak to you.
Stick them somewhere you’ll see them every day.

3. 9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 3
“Retail is a customer business.
You’re trying to take care
of the customer – solve
something for the customer.
And there’s no way to learn
that in the classroom
or in the corner office…”
– Erik Nordstrom, President,
Nordstrom Direct

4. “My company is an extension
of me, so when I designed my
stores I wanted people to feel
that they were in my home.”
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 4
– Tory Burch, Founder
& Creative Director, Tory Burch

5. “I was reading all these reports that were down
on retail brick and mortar, saying it’s all about
online… I think brick and mortar
is an amazing opportunity to use
our stores and our store staff
as a vehicle to truly engage
with the community in a way
no other retailers are doing.”
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 5
– Jim Brett, President, West Elm

6. “Businesses often forget about
the culture, and ultimately, they
suffer for it because you can’t
deliver good service from
unhappy employees.”
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 6
1. Authenticity
2. Positive
3. Ethical
4. Natural
– Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos

7. “[The Apple Store Staff’s] job is to figure out what you
need and help you get it, even if it’s a product Apple
doesn’t carry. Compare that with other retailers where
the emphasis is on cross-selling and upselling
and, basically, encouraging customers to buy more,
even if they don’t want or need it.”
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 7
– Ron Johnson, Former Senior VP
of Retail at Apple

8. 9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 8
– Joe Coulombe, Founder,
Trader Joe’s
“This was one of my most
important principles: Never have
a mandatory sell. This rule gets
violated all the time; it just drives
me nuts: ‘Buy Now!’ You never
give an order to a customer.”

9. “We know who our customer is
and we’re a company standing
firm with our point of view.”
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 9
– Ralph Lauren, CEO,
Ralph Lauren

10. 9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 10
“Too many businesses today are
based on driving prices lower
by screwing over somebody: Pounding
suppliers or squeezing employees.
We’re the opposite. We put employees
first, radically… If you take care of
them, they will take care of your
customer better than anybody else.”
– Kip Tindell, CEO, Container Store

11. “Why are you doing this?
How are you making a difference?
What is your reason for being,
besides making money? There
is no engine or vehicle like
business to make a difference.”
9 Quotes from Successful Retailers 11
– Walter Robb, CO-CEO,
Whole Foods

12. 9 Quotes from Successful Retailers
That Will Inspire You
to Run Your Store Better
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