World Business Academy
MERCHANTS OF VISION
Vol. 1, Issue 2
REKINDLING THE HUMAN SPIRIT IN BUSINESS
May 31, 2001
The World Business Academy recognizes as "Merchants of Vision" those business practitioners who go beyond the
conventional and use their business expertise to make a difference in the world. They are visionaries who do the
right thing for the right reason, with significant collateral business benefits. We hope that you will enjoy the
attached Merchants of Vision piece, the Nordstrom Store Story.
Nordstrom Store Story
Reverend Carolyn Crawford was known throughout Southern California for her topical, powerful sermons. But
speculation on what she would say was unusually high one particular week just after the holiday season.
As was customary, each Monday the topic for the Sunday sermon was posted on a sign outside the church. This
week it read: "The Gospel According to Nordstrom." Members of the congregation were no strangers to upscale
Nordstrom. They just couldn't conceive of what a merchandising mecca had to do with the Gospel and its lessons.
Some thought blasphemy. Others felt the unlikely theme might be stimulating. One thing was certain: This unlikely
homily title had created quite a stir in town. With such interest, often the reality can't match the hype. On rare
occasions, it transcends.
The church was packed that Sunday. The hushed congregation awaited Reverend Crawford's sermon. She began, as
might a materialistic heathen, by evoking the bustling, luxurious atmosphere of a marbled Nordstrom store during
the holiday season.
She recounted the sensory delight permeating the store: the sight of abundant decorations; the sounds of holiday
music expertly performed by an elegant, tuxedoed piano player; the aromas of potpourri and expensive perfume.
Flocks of charmed shoppers swarmed in and out, laden with finely wrapped gifts to bring home.
Suddenly, the shared atmosphere of revelry was shattered. A bag lady, hunched over, clad in torn clothes and filthy
with stench, walked through the doors. Reverend Crawford decided to follow her, certain that her inopportune
presence would be taken care of promptly -- as unwelcome as it was incongruous.
The Reverend waited to intervene with security so that she could soften the blow to the woman's dignity when
asked nicely, but firmly, to leave. Yet her original interest in the interloper would soon change. Though Reverend
Crawford saw the stark contrast of this woman to the gracious abundance of the store, Nordies (Nordstrom
employees) must have seen something else.
No one tried to stop the bag lady as she shuffled through the store. She reached the most elegant and pricey Special
Occasions Department, where she was greeted warmly and professionally by a smartly attired saleswoman. The
Reverend was incredulous. What did these people see?
(continued, next page)
"The Academy is not just another association of business people to exchange information and foster
collegiality. It is about investing ourselves in a task of historic proportions."
Willis Harman
World Business Academy ©2001 All Rights Reserved
Merchants of Vision
The Nordstrom Store Story
page-2
Reverend Crawford slipped into the fitting room to eavesdrop. She listened, astonished by what her ears saw. The
salesperson's responses to the customer were solicitous, not patronizing; respectful, not pitying.
When the customer asked to try on evening dresses, the salesperson brought over one gown after another, asking
for the customer's most discriminating opinion. The customer inspected each gown, trying several on. With infinite
patience as an hour slid away, the salesperson carefully evaluated which gowns she felt were the most flattering and
appropriate for the customer.
The bag lady decided she was finished. She left the fitting room, thanked the salesperson, and walked out of the
Special Occasions Department. This woman looked different. Her head was held high, her gait seemed smooth, and
there was a new light in her eye. She had just experienced Nordstrom.
Still sitting in the fitting room, Reverend Crawford was dumbfounded. She got up and approached the Nordstrom
saleswoman. Uncharacteristically at a loss for words, the Reverend simply asked why she had spent an hour with
this bag lady, helping her try on thousand dollar gowns -- at a store which measures employees sales per hour
religiously!
The composed Nordstrom saleswoman looked Carolyn Crawford straight in the eye, answering as if the question
was as simple as "What time is it?" "This is what we are here for: To serve and be kind." The Reverend closed her
sermon by asking the congregation, "Couldn't we say the same thing about ourselves as churchgoers? As human
beings? That we are here to serve and be kind?”
This was far from the end of the sermon. News of the message spread beyond one Sunday morning at one church.
Churchgoers retold the story to friends and associates. The New York Times highlighted the incident -- one that
had been memorialized in a church reputed for its preaching. Demand for the sermon became so overwhelming that
the church eventually sold audiotape copies.
Nordstrom salespeople were both humbled and challenged when they heard the story. In a culture that asked
employees to give their best to customers under all circumstances, the bar had been raised.
Each time this very real story is told, each time it is shared, its truth grows within. And without. May we all have
the opportunity, the grace, to serve and be kind. As the young Anne Frank said, "How wonderful it is that nobody
need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
World Business Academy, 428 Bryant Circle, Suite 109 Ojai, CA 93023
Academy Phone 805 640-3713 Fax 805 640-9914 Website www.worldbusiness.org
Editor, Joe Simonetta [email protected] Phone 941 378-8407 Fax 941 378-9348
World Business Academy ©2001 All Rights Reserved