Monday, January 30, 2006

You either feel comfortable in one of these stores or you don't

Yesterday I went into a local Carphone Warehouse. All these mobile phone retail outlets have the same sort of sales personnel - hyperactive, over-enthusiastic, slightly manic. They talk with a sort of musical tone to their voice, as if they have memorised their sales pitch and are singing the words to you to give the proposition depth and variety.

The stores are minimalist in style, focussed on the tiny high-tech products. Everything is spotless, neat and tidy. The lighting is bright and unyeilding.

The seriousness with which these products are sold is intense. As with cars, it is the "added features" that are the crucial talking point. You either feel comfortable in one of these stores or you don't - they are not places for indifference.

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