The Gospel According To Nordstrom

In the late 1800’s John W. Nordstrom, at the age of 16 came to the United States from Sweden with $5 in his pocket.

A man who was not scared of hard work and with an obviously keen mind, he set out from the east coast, where he had landed, to cross the country getting jobs along the way to keep him going.  He arrived in Seattle and, whilst there, heard about gold in Alaska so he headed there.  He was not there long and did not, in fact find gold himself but had a claim to a mine which someone in turn bought from him making him $13,000 – a lot of money in those days.  He headed back to Seattle at that point and opened a shoe store with his friend, Carl Wallin, Wallin & Nordstrom.  When he retired, his two sons bought his share in the company and then later also bought the share of Mr. Wallin and so, the Nordstrom that we know today, was born!

Nordstrom has grown into a wonderful empire and it has done so because of the way it treats its customers.  Customer service is its one and only desire, their belief being that “profit is the applause for good customer service”.

Your Two Chums have a dear friend who happens to be a pastor.  Years ago, she was in Nordstrom and noticed a “bag lady” for want of a better word, looking around the counters.  She decided that she would follow this lady to see what kind of customer service this lady would receive from Nordstrom.

The lady walked around the store, our friend quietly following her, until they ended up in the “party dress” section.  “Well, this will be a good test”, our friend thought.  A Nordstrom associate came right up to the lady and asked her how she could help her and offering for her to try some of the dresses on.  So, there she (the bag lady) was, in the dressing room trying all of these pretty dresses on.  Our dear friend went into one of the changing rooms nearby so she could see and hear what took place.

The lady left Nordstrom without buying anything but, oh, what a lovely experience she had – she had just been treated like a princess.   The love and caring this Nordstrom associate showed certainly personified the Nordstrom way.

Shortly thereafter, our friend did a sermon at the church where she ministers, a very large Presbyterian church here in the Los Angeles area, and the title of the sermon was,  “The Gospel According To Nordstrom”.  It was heard with great joy by many congregants and, I believe, is the sermon that has sold the most tapes at that particular church.

Yes, Nordstrom continues to be a wonderful place to be.  John W. Nordstrom started a great thing – we have to wonder if he knew how many lives he would touch spreading love, joy and abundant living!