Marketing Nordstrom

Marketing Nordstrom

1. Identify the type of retailer that Nordstrom’s is classified as. Describe the characteristics it shares with other retailers of this type..

Nordstrom would be described as a department store. They carry a wide variety of goods, such as clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry and cosmetics like other department stores such as Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears. They have a very high level of service as evidenced in the case study about selling just one shoe and taking a return on snow tires when they never sold auto parts. Their prices are fairly high since they carry mostly high-end brands. These are all traits that department stores share.

2. Describe Nordstrom's level of service on the continuum from full service to self-service. Give an example of a store that would be on the opposite end of the continuum and explain their differences.

Nordstrom’s level of service would be classified as full service. They have sales people that help with the fitting process among other things. Their customer service is their number one priority. The example given in the case study was of a Nordstrom employee paying for a cab ride to the airport just to return a lost ticket to a passenger. This is going above and beyond what is expected of a salesperson.

On the other end of the spectrum would be self service. An example of this would be Wal-Mart. They have employees to help, but for the most part people get their own merchandise and make their decisions with no input from the employees of the store. Because of self checkout options at Wal-Mart, it is possible to go to a Wal-Mart, find your items and check yourself out of the store with absolutely no human interaction whatsoever.