gerry harvey , page-118

Maybe he tries to improve the levels of service from his staff?

Competant staff and good SALES people will get the money in the till, but they need to be trained to do so. It's not just all about price (though admittedly it is for some people) and paying the 10% GST. People can be reassured/coaxed/convinced that not only that they are getting the right product but they are buying it from the right place and can return it etc. It's about perceived value as well as price.

I did a sales exercise last year where we visited various electrical retail outlets and appraised not just levels of service but also the selling skills of the staff. Broadly Harvey-Norman was one of the worst performing...

The staff service/sales process is what Harvey Norman and co. can offer consumers over online shopping if they want to maintain the current business model, but what incentive is there buy when these levels of service are comparable to that of an online order form?