According to the company website, "Nordstrom, Inc. is a leading fashion specialty retailer offering compeling clothing, shoes and accessories for men, women and children. Since 1901, we've been committed to providing our customers with the best possible service-and to improving it every day." Source: Nordstrom-About Us The company was started by a 16-year-old (John W. Nordstrom) Swedish immigrant who could not speak English and arrived in New York with only $5 in his pocket. After spending time in mining and logging camps in Washington and California, he moved to Alaska and made enough money in a gold mine stake to return to Seattle, Washington. There, he partnered with a friend from Alaska and opened a shoe store, which would grow to be the largest independent shoe chain in the country. Nordstrom retired in 1928 and turned the company over to his sons. By the 1960s, they had expanded throughout several Western states and added clothing apparel to their stores and in 1968 turned the company over to their children and other relatives. In 1971, the company went public, changed its name to Nordstrom, Inc., was recognized as the largest volume West Coast fashion specialty store, and surpassed the $100 million sales mark. In the late 1980s, Nordstrom opened its first Nordstrom Rack (clearance center) expanded to the East coast and focused on catering to customers' needs, individually. As stated on its website, "Instead of categorizing departments by merchandise, Nordstrom created fashion departments that fit individuals lifestyles." In recent years, Nordstrom has analyzed customer needs and has added online shopping capabilities to allow customers more options for accessing products. The result has been the continued growth. In 2015, Nordstrom reported an all-time record high for sales of $14.1 billion. Throughout the Nordstrom history, the founder's guiding principle "offering the customer the best possible service, selection, quality, and value" (Source: Nordstrom-Company History) has led to national reputation as a truly service-focused organization that caters to the wants and needs of its customers. The result of its efforts has paid off. The organization regularly receives awards from a variety of organizations. Nordstrom has been named as one of the "100 Best Places to Work" numerous times by Fortune magazine, "Most Admired Company." and "100 Best Corporate Citizens" by Business Ethics. Additional awards include, "Top Employers for Minorities" and "Retailer of the Year" by the American Apparel and Footwear Association. With over 347 stores in the United States and Canada and more being added each year, the company has the infrastructure to provide quality service. The goal is to live up to John W. Nordstrom's founding philosophy of "offering the customer the best possible service, selection, quality., and value." To help accomplish that, Nordstrom has offered customers 24-hour shopping access to its website since 1988 and now offers free shipping and returns. It has also embraced mobile technology to better serve customers with shopping apps and register-free transactions. The latter is possible because store employees carry tablets to allow them to complete sales transactions from anywhere on the sales floor. In addition to its efforts to provide quality service through innovative retail strategies, the company actively participates in community, charitable, and other programs to give back to the people it serves. Nordstrom also has active environmental protection programs in place to reduce its impact on the earth. 1. Based on what you read in the attached and maybe found on the internet, what are the company's strengths related to customer service? 2. Why do you think Nordstrom has such a solid reputation for quality service? 3. How does Nordstrom compare in its customerservice initiatives to other major retail store chains of which you are familiar. 4. How does the company's approach to giving back to people and organizations make it a better organization? 5. If given the chance, will you work for Nordstrom?Why or why not?