We can’t even go to church anymore without expecting to be entertained. We want great music and puppet shows for the kids. We want to hear a message that tickles our ears, not pierces our hearts. Christmas has become a gross spending spree instead of a glowing spiritual season.

But this isn’t a commentary about religion; it’s about the entertainment culture that permeates everything we do. Restaurants plaster the walls with kitschy signs and big screen TV’s to keep us entertained while we wait for our food; the kids get coloring books and crayons. Heaven forbid we should just sit there and talk amongst ourselves!

Shopping for furniture isn’t life or death like food or religion, but the entertainment mentality is here to stay. Look around at commercials that change views every .8 seconds and Nickelodeon-style hair salons for kids. How do you rate? Can you hold a candle to Jordan’s Furniture, who has IMAX theaters in three of their stores? Don’t laugh: according to “Furniture Today,” Jordan’s has the #1 sales per square foot in the country.

Is your store fun? Interesting? Intriguing? Entertaining? Can you hold your customer’s attention, and her husband and kid’s, long enough to make the sale?