There’s nothing like a channel check—the retail industry term of art for a store visit—to study how consumers are actually engaging with inventory. So over the past weeks, I popped into several Nordstroms to investigate what’s working, and not working, as the 125-year-old department store chain prepares to go private—a calculated bet by Erik and Pete Nordstrom that family control (in partnership with El Puerto de Liverpool, a retail-focused Mexican holding company) will outweigh the benefits of public shareholders. With the brothers back in charge, they’re also planning to invest in what’s kept Nordstrom relevant while competitors have faltered: luxury experiences worth leaving home for.