Nordstrom left a legacy on Washington state through their excellent customer service, faith in the company and eachother, and family oriented business. According to the blog SeattlePi, "As the account goes, having had no customers the entire morning, Nordstrom's partner left for lunch. As soon as he was gone, a woman happened to stop by the store, attracted by a pair of shoes in the front window.Unable to find a similar pair in the stock room, and feeling a little nervous, Nordstrom pulled the pair from the front window and wrapped them up for his customer. She paid and left. Whether the shoes fit her or not, Nordstrom never knew." This shows that John was really dedicated to satisfying his customers. Most stores wouldn't risk advertising their product for making a customer happy but he did. Also they lived by John's philosophy. For instance, "The one constant? John W. Nordstrom's founding philosophy: offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality and value," (Nordstrom Company History). As a result Nordstrom was very well known for their customer service.There philosophy was basically to be nice, have a huge selection and to have amazing quality products.
|
They also had incredible faith in the company and each other. For example, "The three sons expanded the company by adding in accessories and clothing. Later it would carry men's apparel, women's apparel, children's wear, accessories, and cosmetics," (John W. Nordstrom Prezi). This shows that the brothers had big ideas for the company's future. Additionally, Everett, Elmer, and Lloyd had lots of encouragement from their father. In Elmer's book, he says, "When I got out of the Army, my dad advised me to work every hour I could, work as hard as I could, think about the business 24 hours a day, and do it for 5 years. And then he said I'll discover that that's what I do. It will be ingrained in me. Sure enough I followed his advice and it was ingrained in me." As a result, the father-son groups always had tremendous faith and trust in each other. They all wanted what was best for each other and for the company.
|
Finally, Nordstrom left a legacy through their family oriented business. For instamce, "In 1928, when Everett Nordstrom was 26 and Elmer was 24, their father sold them his share of the business and retired. Carl Wallin sold out to them the following year. When their younger brother Lloyd finished college in 1933, he joined them," (Nordstrom HistoryLink). This shows that John intended to keep the business in the family. Also John loved his family. For example, in A Winning Team it says, "On Christmas Eve, usually about 8:00, my father would tell us he was going to check on the animals. A few minutes after he left, why, in would come Santa Clause." This shows that Nordstrom was a family man. I think this aspect of him really showed in the business. He treated all of his customers and staff like family.
|