His organization was really a
"store within a store," encouraging department managers to be accountable
and giving them an incentive to be creative. Successful experiments were recognized
and applied to other stores. One example was the "people greeter" an
associate who welcomed shoppers as they entered the store. These greeter
not only provided a personal service, their presence served to reduce pilferage.
The "1O-Foot Attitude" was another customer service approach Walton
encouraged. When the founder visited his stores, he asked associates to make
a pledge, telling them, "I want you to promise that whenever you come within
10 feet of a customer, you will look him in the eye, greet him, and ask him if
you can help him.