Store associates are now freed up to help customers following the implementation of electronic queuing at two JCPenney stores in the U.S. Lawrence Metal Electronic Call Forward (ECF) queuing system was first tested in a Texas-based JCPenney store before it was installed in the company’s new New York City flagship store.

“We were very happy with the results in our Fort Worth, TX store,” says John Wise, VP & Director of Store Planning/Design for JCPenney. “In our customer surveys the grade on speed of checkout was up 12 points in less than two weeks” following the installation of electronic queuing, he notes.

Never mind the rush to sell in this current economy—retailers have always been focused on harvesting any and every opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell. While analysts and retailers alike have been on a strategy scavenger hunt looking for the best ways to do it, one of the most important touchpoints is right under their noses in the fitting room.

At a mall-based Metro Park store, this golden opportunity came to life for me full throttle. The LA-based specialty chain is focused on “transcending the traditional retail experience.” The merchandise is reflective of its target customer: trendy, detailed and artistic. The in-store ambiance is reminiscent of an underground club and store associates are like the well-dressed partygoers, young and full of life.

Fearful of cautious consumers this holiday season, retailers may be setting themselves up for failure in the critical Q4 period by keeping inventories too lean. Recent surveys Retail System Research (RSR) indicates that retailers are not ordering enough merchandise to meet even last season’s mediocre level of demand.

With retailers running lean on inventory levels throughout the year, other industry insiders suggest a critical variation between this season’s winners and losers could be the merchants who have set up flexible stock options and can respond quickly to shifts in demand.