An opportunity missed?

Last Saturday I went to Kingdom Books and Stationery (the major stationery shop/store in Accra) to stock up on materials for the coming academic year.   There were several obviously like-minded family groups checking out what there was to buy.  

Yet there was nothing in the store to indicate any kind of sensitivity to a large percentage of the buying or to the particular time of year.  No school calendars or diaries, not many pencil sets, hardly anything out of the usual, in my view.  Plus of course there was only one cashier serving the non-corporate customers, so ten to fifteen people waited patiently in line, without complaining (that I could hear).   It was quite difficult to find exercise books, and the options available didn't seem particularly different from previous months. 

Upon reflection, and in response to a discussion with a colleague, I wondered why it was that they did not seize on the time of year to put up a few signs, such as "Get your school supplies here"  "Don't forget xyz for your children"  etc... and maybe even putting together special packs to make the shopping easier, and of course to encourage people to spend more.   What about some special displays or promotions?  What about material specifically geared at a particular target market - or more precisely the parents and guardians who do their buying?  Was there any particular help or advice being offered by staff to customers?  Was the cashier happy to see people buying material, or just wishing that she could be chatting on the phone to her friends? 

It seems that opportunities upon opportunities were being missed, but then the philosophy of this store, as evidenced by the behaviour of its staff seems to be:  "Well, we are the big supplier in town, so you take what we have or just go without..."   And of course because there isn't any real competition the customers do keep coming - even if some of us are a little reluctant to do so very often. 

The only thing is that if an alternative comes - one which offers a range of products, with good customer service, and an attractive environment, then some of us will simply vote with our feet.  

Such a missed opportunity?