Cha-ching! (7-27)

For more and more garden center operators, "destination" has become the mantra. They don't just want people to shop; they want them to enjoy a shopping experience.

Take Briggs Nursery. The retail operation in North Attleboro, Mass., has joined the ranks of garden centers that have opened a cafe. But this isn't just a cafe. This is a cafe with free Wi-Fi and a flatscreen television. This is a cafe that does both breakfast and lunch. This is a cafe with an Espresso bar. This is a cafe that serves fruit smoothies.

As a result, this is a garden center that is enjoying more Cha-ching! than many of its contemporaries, simply because the management team had the good sense to realize that the longer a customer stays on the grounds, the more likely she is to spend more money while there.

Maybe we should all go to the Briggs Nursery cafe and "drink to that!"

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