Customer Service

We all have our share of horrific stories about awful customer service.  Hours on hold, incompetent employees on the other end of the conversation, and getting disconnected only to have to start all over again are just a few of what we have all probably experienced at some point or another.  Allow me to offer a recent experience with a large food chain that ended up being anything but horrific.

While shopping in Stop and Shop over a month ago, I noticed the store was out of the brand of coffee k-cups I generally buy.  The following week they were also out and I also noticed the shelf space that generally housed them was no longer there. I went on to the Stop and Shop website to investigate.   For those who are wondering… yes, I did have extra time on my hands.

First I tried to search for the coffee by name.  ‘Sorry, no matches were found’ came up.  I realized that meant they were no longer carrying the item, but sent in a question anyway.  Stop and Shop has 355 stores in the Northeast.  I knew I would not get a response back, but because I was annoyed they discontinued my coffee, I felt they should know.  After all, isn’t customer satisfaction what stores are supposed to care about? 

Imagine my surprise when I received a response.  Not only was it a response; it was a response from the manager at the local store where I shop.  (It did ask me to identify which store I shop at during my email to them.)  Here was his response:

           

            Hello Linda, my name is (I deleted the name) and I am the store mgr at the Lake Ave Stop and Shop. I received your email regarding the Grove Square coffee. I'm sorry to tell you that the item has been discontinued from the warehouse. I did locate six packages for you if you would like to have them. If you would like to pick them up please let me know. Thanks for being a Stop and Shop customer.

            (First name)

Well blow me down!  Not only did I get a personal response from a person with a name, but he also somehow dug up six more boxes for me!  I responded back how pleased I was and that I would definitely like the coffee but would not likely be back there until next week.

            No problem Linda.. When you come in ask for the manager at the service desk. The coffee is in a bag in my office with your name on it.

Thanks.  (First name)

Awesome.  Now I didn’t have to make a special trip to pick them up.  When I did my weekly shopping the following week, I went to the service desk and tried to explain to the employee on duty what I needed her to retrieve for me in the manager’s office.  I saw this might take a few minutes, so I told her I would shop for my produce and return in a few minutes.

A different employee was now behind the service desk with a brown paper bag, about the size of what would contain six boxes of coffee.  He was on the phone, so I waited patiently even though I just wanted to take the bag, put it in my cart, and continue on to the checkout line.  But being the proper person I am, of course I just waited and smiled. 

After the phone was returned to its cradle, the employee began to scan the first box of coffee.  I asked if I had to pay separately here or if I could just take the coffee and pay for it with the rest of my order.  When he told me there was no charge for the coffee, I naturally assumed he thought I pre-paid for it.  When I told him I had not, he said that the coffee was to be given to me for free which was why he had to do the transaction there.  I was truly speechless.  If you know me, that doesn’t happen often.  I must have thanked him three times, but of course I was going to follow up with another email to my new manager friend at Stop and Shop.

I have been a Stop and Shop customer for 23 years.  Although I am reminded from time to time that Shop Rite is cheaper, albeit further from my house, the convenience of Stop and Shop wins out.  It is nice to know that when you are a loyal customer, that sometimes you are rewarded in little ways.  It is those little gestures that go a long way.