How do we attract and retain customers? That's a great question, and for a retailer, probably the most crucial one to address. First, we pay a lot of attention to detail -- the way our stores look, the lighting, the cleanliness. Is the parking lot clean? Are the signs visible and easy to read? Second, we invest in our associates. We pay merit increases, we pay bonuses, and make contributions to their retirement plans. We believe that satisfied workers equals satisfied customers. We just introduced something we call power hours. In the hours that traffic is heaviest, we stop all activity that the customers can't see, like back-room unloading and storing, and put every associate out on the main floor. It's really that belly-to-belly experience that makes people want to come back. We hear from about 100,000 customers each week, and they rate us on a number of attributes. So far, they tell us that we're doing the right things.
