Making Me Love You!

In the field of marketing to women, we talk a lot about how men mainly want to make a transaction at a store, but women want to start a relationship. I am not sure that this is universally true, but I definitely have my favorite stores that I mentally have a little love affair with. Although I realize that it is a little cliche, I definitely feel like I have a relationship with Starbucks even though I don't go there very often anymore. It stems from the fact that they really do go out of their way to remember who you are and to greet you by name every time you come in the store.

On the other hand, I have a bit of a negative relationship with stores who force me to greet someone at the door every time I go in. I know that it is a little uncharitable to say this because they are of course trying, but instead of it feeling like the beginning of a beautiful relationship, I feel like my privacy is being infringed upon. I mean of course, if I am in a great mood and I bounce into the shop and catch the eye of the sales associate at the door, I am quite content to exchange greetings. However, if I am in the middle of a little retail therapy and not in the best of moods, I completely resent having someone shout 'how are you?' at me from across the store. I have even experienced sales associates who will keep saying it until I respond.

I want to feel loved and appreciated as a customer, but I am not sure that this is the way to win women over. I imagine that it is something that sales associates are told they have to do to every customer that walks in the door. How much more effective though if the sales associates were allowed to gauge the mood and situation of the shopper and respond to her accordingly, e.g. 'You look like you are in a hurry, can I help you find something quickly?'

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?