By Rick Esparza, Region Vice President
When it comes to the in-store experience, Cash America’s pawnshops have always been a step ahead of the competition.
Cash America Store of the Future
And well, we’re at it again! We’ve developed a new store concept that will dramatically change the way we do business. If you thought our shops were welcoming places to do business before, take a look at what we call our “store of the future.”
Our Store Development Team has spent the past two years studying and researching what consumers like about the places they shop – from colors and décor to store layout, lighting and convenience. As part of this process, we turned a vacant building on the southwest side of Fort Worth, Texas into a world-class pawnshop.
We began with aesthetic appeal both inside and out. The new design improves traffic flow, allows customers to shop while they wait, improves efficiency and gives customers more privacy when making financial transactions.
Features:
• More windows on the front so people can see the merchandise inside the store from the street.
• The façade has more brick features, a change from the usual cinder-block-box look.
• A layout that resembles small shops within a mall. Each “department” has its own special lighting and the jewelry “department” has hardwood-style laminate flooring.
• Multiple loan counters provide more privacy for transactions, and instead of waiting in line, each customer can take a number, then shop until it’s his/her turn to be served at the counter.
• A conveyor system resembling that of a dry cleaner allows merchandise to be retrieved from the back room more efficiently.
• A lift system installed on the ceiling of the back room stores bicycles and weed eaters overhead to save space. Each lift can be lowered to access the item needed.
The new store opens in Fort Worth on October 31 at 3740 Alta Mesa Blvd. It’s a pilot project, and all the new systems will be tested and analyzed before they are rolled out to other stores.