Retail is hard these days and more competitive than ever. The new definition of building a relationship with your customers and creating true loyalty extends far beyond throwing a few loyalty points into the online account. Many retail basics have been long forgotten in the noisy, cluttered new retail landscape. Most retailers no longer place emphasis on simple things that matter to customers such as clean bathrooms, organized merchandise and grateful staff. In my recent article for Total Retail, I discuss the customer relationship basic of thanking the customer on a continual basis for their patronage. To acheive this, there must be a relentless focus and enforcement from the top down, preventing a backward slide toward the currently favored, meaningless parting words of, "Have a good one".