Thursday, May 15, 2014

Good Customer Service

Smoked-Sausage-Polska-Kielbasa-links Many times I’m quick to complain about customer service and if I get mad enough, I may even write the company. But sometimes I need to stop and recognize good customer service when I get it too. Maybe if I do that more often, I will see a trend in getting better customer service in the long run.

For months, my husband and I have been looking for Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa in the bun size and have not been able to find it anywhere. We checked several grocery stores in our area but no one carries it anymore even though last year we were able to find it in a couple of places.

Like most people, we try to save money when we can so on Wednesdays, the new sales flyer comes out at Publix. I know that the meat is sometimes higher than the local Wal-Mart but the quality is so much better that it is worth the cost. Yesterday we went to our local Publix Store #613 (which has the best meat department in Greenville, SC – and probably the state!) where I usually buy all of my meat products. Once again, we lingered in the area where they sell hot dogs and sausages because my husband keeps hoping that one day, he will see what we are looking for on the shelf. Near us, Mike who works in the meat department, was stocking some shelves and noticed we were looking for something. He took some time to have a conversation with us, even though I’m sure we interrupted his work. But when he heard what we were looking for, he let us know that he thought he had some in the back. He took the time to stop his own work to look for something that we wanted. I didn’t believe he had it until he brought out the box and we were so excited that he was able to find some for us! He made us feel like we were very important customers and that feeling is exactly why we like to shop at Publix. We were so excited we even wanted Mike’s boss to know how much we appreciated him taking the time to help us.

At first, we talked among ourselves about how good the customer service is at Publix. Even Publix stores in other states have great service so I know it must be a company policy. But many stores have this company policy even though you don’t really see the good service. I’m always impressed with how consistent the good service is at Publix stores around the country. And I’m especially glad that we have an awesome Publix in our own neighborhood!

If you have a Publix in your area, check it out and notice the difference in customer service compared to other grocery stores. When I started making a conscious effort to notice the differences, I was surprised to see how noticeable it is.

What kind of customer service do you like in a grocery store? Please share.

1 comment:

Sioux Roslawski said...

I think when they go to the spot in the store to show you what you're looking for, instead of saying, "If we carry that, it will be on aisle 7."