The Retail Doctor Blog

Sometimes We Buy Proof

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:09:39 GMT

Does Retail Sales Training Work?

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Retail sales training works when you hold your crew accountable to it. It fails when you don't. The training is almost never the variable. Accountability is.

Why Is the Checkout Counter Hurting My Sales?

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:59:04 GMT

The counter is your enemy. Get behind it and you're selling across a barrier, and a barrier turns help into a transaction that stalls the sale.

That's true in every store, and it's a special problem in businesses built around counters, like jewelry and photography, where associates spend whole careers with a barrier between themselves and every customer. But don't give up hope.

How Do I Use Fitting Rooms to Grow Sales?

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:18:46 GMT

Two moves grow sales in the fitting room: get every shopper to try it on, and keep handing them options while they're in there. The room is where one item turns into an outfit, and most stores waste it by pointing shoppers at it and walking away.

AI Retail Sales Training: How AI Role-Play Builds Better Salespeople

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:30:52 GMT

AI retail sales training uses AI role-play to let an associate practice real selling conversations before they ever face a customer. Instead of learning on your live traffic or shadowing whichever veteran is free, a new hire runs the greeting, the rapport, the objection, and the close against an AI that talks back, as many times as it takes, until they cannot get it wrong. It does not replace the salesperson or the manager. It gives the human the reps to be better on the floor.

7 Cringe-Inducing Behaviors That Push Retail Customers Away

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:57:01 GMT

Customers leave and never come back because of small, everyday habits on your floor, not because of Amazon or your prices. Traffic is down, shoppers are waiting for the deal, and it is easy to blame the economy. Walk your own floor and watch what your people actually do. Here are seven behaviors that quietly push shoppers out the door, and the fix for each.

How to Train Furniture Sales Associates to Sell the Room, Not Just the Piece

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:41:23 GMT

You train them to sell the room by teaching one sequence and making them practice it until it is automatic. Greet and build enough rapport that you earn the right to sell. Ask what changed in their life that brought them in. Show them the room that answer calls for, not the one piece they pointed at. Then ask for the sale. That is the whole job, and almost nobody does it, which is why the money is sitting on your floor right now. Oh, and don't forget to hold them accountable for doing what you taught them to do.

Why Are Stores Closing Fitting Rooms?

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:13:14 GMT

Theft is the reason usually given. Labor is the reason that keeps surfacing underneath it. And in the most-watched case of 2026, no reason was given at all.

Should We Close Our Fitting Rooms to Prevent Theft?

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:04:05 GMT

No. The shrink you remove is smaller than the sales you give up, and unlike the shrink number, the sales number has been measured in a controlled field experiment.

Best Retail Sales Consultants for Mid-Sized Chains

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:30:01 GMT

The best retail consultant for a mid-sized chain depends on the problem you are solving. "Consulting" covers operations, technology, real estate, and selling, and those are different specialties. If your stores have traffic but weak conversion, you need a sales-floor training specialist, not a strategy deck or another software platform. Match the firm to the problem, not to the loudest name.