I think that neither retailers nor manufacturers concentrate on the psychological aspects of shopping as much as they should. The human factor has been pushed aside while in stores there is a ‘war’ going on, with food scandals and other bad news.

Consumers often meet unprepared and frustrated shop assistants who can’t help them or answer their questions. The cornerstone of being a retailer is having a customer-oriented approach: shoppers only become buyers if shop assistants are selling to them. If shop assistants are annoyed by having customers in the shop then customers will also have a negative attitude towards the whole buying process. Unfortunately the level of trade education declined shockingly in the last 20 years. There are too few good trade schools where those would make shop assistants could be selected. My view is that it is the task of retail chains’ managements to start changing this situation by organising training programmes, even though this wouldn’t replace modern state-organised trade education. Shoppers will notice and appreciate the positive change instantly!