I personally like the idea of retainers, but full wards and running around all over is totally annoying. So here's an idea that keeps retainers, but gets rid of the runaround and disappointment of full wards:

Scrap the wards.
Add a counter.
Add ability to summon retainers from the counter for buying/repairing//selling/storing. (Instead of a simple "buy" feature, you summon the retainer that has the goods you want. Remember that the whole point of MW was so that you could view everything that the retainer had on sale.)
Add a repair search system. (Categorize: DM Grade> Craft Class)
Add ability to "dispatch" retainers to non-physical wards for tax breaks.