Need a Bigger Shopping Bag? Don't Go to the Gap

When you make a purchase at a clothing retailer, do you expect to receive a bag big enough to hold all your items? How about a bag that is slightly larger, so you can stash the bags containing merchandise you've purchased from other stores?

To me, asking for a slightly larger bag from a retailer is not a major request, especially when you've just handed over a decent sum of money for a boatload of polo shirts and shorts. But when I did today at The Gap, I was told the clerk "was not allowed" to give me a larger bag. Now, mind you, I was not asking for a gargantuan carry-all, just the next larger size bag so I could throw in some smaller bags I had been carrying around. But I was told "no."

So not only did they irritate a loyal customer with that response, but the store lost the opportunity to showcase its name on a larger bag. If I had been given a larger bag, I could have effectively helped promote The Gap to other shoppers in the mall, who would be able to see where I had been shopping, not to mention hiding the fact that I had just come out of Gymboree, Ralph Lauren, and Harry and David. (My plan had been to cram all the other bags into one from The Gap.)

Now you may be rolling your eyes, I know, but think about the marketing opportunity The Gap just lost, and make sure you don't do the same thing in the interest of saving a few pennies.

When a customer makes a reasonable request, especially after they've just made a decent-sized purchase, your goal should be to keep them happy. If they'd like a larger bag, you give it to them and suggest they put their other bags in it. Maybe you even give them two bags, so that all any other shoppers see is your store's name.

When shoppers see other people with several bags from a store, it suggests to them that there must be great merchandise at that particular store and they should go check it out. So be generous with your bags and watch your business grow.