Where the Customer Is Still King

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Mail order forms the bulk of Bean's business: last year $308 million of the company's sales came from catalog orders. The firm's reputation for homey efficiency comes from its ability to deliver virtually any item almost anywhere in the U.S. and Canada within 72 hours. During peak season, more than 28,000 telephone orders a day flood the Bean switchboards. Computers help keep track of the models, colors and sizes that are in stock at any given moment, and orders are filled accurately 99.8% of the time. The company provides repairs as well as sales. Each year, for example, it resoles some 17,000 pairs of its famed Maine hunting boots for $24, about half the cost of a new pair.

Bean employees receive 40 hours of training before they deal with their first customer. Much of the instructional emphasis is on care and thoroughness in filling orders and on general courtesy and helpfulness. People around the U.S. call the company for advice on what accessories to provide for children on their way to camp, what to take on a first trip to Alaska and what to wear while cross-country skiing. If a Bean staffer cannot answer the question, the customer will be switched to someone who can.