Inside the Container Store: Secrets of America's Favorite Stores

March 30, 2010— -- As Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City" knows, the right closet can make all the difference.

And the Container Store couldn't agree more. For its organizational gurus a good closet means great business.

"It's been our best-selling product since 1978. Drawers and shelving to make the perfect closet," Kip Tindell, the CEO of the Container Store, said.

The store sells more than $100 million of its signature "Elfa" closet units every year. The unit has been such a company staple, the Container Store bought the Swedish company that manufactures the "Elfa."

Tindell says one of their secrets to success is how customers are approached in the store. The company discourages standard retail lines like "May I help you?" in favor of more specific communication with the customers about the products and special store events.

"You just have to have great people that love what they're doing and are really well trained. And somebody that says 'Can I help you' spurs kind of a subconscious response from the customer that 'No thanks, I'm just looking'…so we try to have true engagement," Tindell said.

Approximately 85 percent of Container Store customers are women, ranging from college students to young mothers to retirees. The store tries to have a feminine appeal including wider aisles to maneuver carts and children, carpeted floors for a cozier feel and popular items at eye level for the average woman's height.

"You want everything organized in a way to where they can get into the store, find what they want and get out as rapidly as possible. And they'll reward you for that by coming back several more times a year than if it's kind of a maze in the way people used to design stores," Tindell said.

The store has been ranked in Fortune's "Best Companies to Work For" list for 11 years in a row and has developed a dedicated following; many of their employees were once long-time customers.

Tindell said he has tried to create a so-called "yummy" corporate culture, which he hopes customers notice immediately.

"We call it 'air of excitement.' If you walk into a…retail store and everybody there is excited to be there, you can kind of sense that three steps in the door," Tindell said.

Container store employees receive 240 hours of training, most of it focused on becoming familiar with the products, compared to less than 12 hours at typical retailers.