Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - THE THANK YOU

Another vacation and what have I accomplished? 

Well, I was really looking forward to coming to the house, barricading myself in and beginning my new project.  But, though I got started, I really did not accomplish that much and instead have a clean house and all the laundry is done.  Not exactly what I had in mind.

I tried, I really did, but was totally unable to concentrate.  Everything was ready!  I had purchased some canvas, had taken inventory of my brushes and paints and, more importantly, I knew exactly what I was going to paint.

As far as I got was putting the canvas on the easel and selecting the brushes and paints to use - and, then it was over.

For as quickly as my excitement came, it was gone. 

My mind would not stop thinking about, THE STORE.  This is pathetic.

Usually when I have something on my mind, I find cleaning is a great way to work out the stress of the situation.  Cleaning is basically motion memory so, I do not have to concentrate on what I am doing which allows for my mind to wonder.  And, more often then not, I come up with solutions while performing these tasks.  I call it, 'cheap psychology'.
 
But this time it hasn't worked.

The more I cleaned, the more frustrated I became.

Believe it, or not, the biggest concern right now at the store is that of the score of a Mystery Shopper's report and how this score can be improved.   And for all of the employees, this is like a slap in the face.  You see the score is based on greeting customers, department floors that are unattended, etc..  Oh yeah, and pop machines that are 'out of order'.  These reports do not take into effect as to what an employee was doing at the time or why the floor of the department was unattended or the fact that possibly the pop machines are not the property of the store - just the fact that these occurrences happened.

So, getting back to cleaning, I find that throughout my house there are reminders of what customers think of our so called, Customer Service.

As I clean the bookshelves I find these figures that are made from dried flower pods and seeds.  There are two figures, approximately 5" tall, resembling dancers with tambourines and flowing skirts painted in vivid colors, a clown's head reminding one of Mardi Gras and the little duck as he paddles across a never ending pond.

These figures came in a box that was given to me by a customer.  The customer's sister was a Botanist and made these colorful and imaginative creations.

As I put my laundry away, I open my closet and am reminded of another customer.   Sitting on a shelf is a little bag made of lavender tulle and tied with a lavender bow.  The contents of the bag is dried lavender which the customer had harvested from her own garden.

After cleaning, it was time to water my many plants.  High on a shelf, above the kitchen sink, sits a plant that over time has began to cascade down to the kitchen counter.  This plant came as a starter that was given to me by a customer who loves plants.

And every day, as I open the refrigerator, I am reminded of one of our smallest customers.  There on the fridge hangs a portrait done in colored pencil, of Miss Gizzy in all of her splendor.

Then there are all of the deserts, cookies and pizzas that have been brought to the store, by customers, for all of the employees to enjoy.  And let's not forget all of the hugs, greetings, advice and recipes that come our way.

Noticing all of this memorabilia, and how it came to be in my possession, makes me re-think Customer Service.   Maybe they are right.  Just maybe we do not give real Customer Service and we need to take another look at it.

Because looking around my house I realize that one does not receive gifts for giving Customer Service. 

But, instead, these are tokens as a 'Thank you' for just being who we are.

Talk at ya later!
 

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - THE REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

Although this is a Blog that essentially writes about a grocery store, today I found another side of Customer Service - of all places - at a car dealership.

With 27 years under the belt, it is time to retire my Suzuki Samurai (at least until I can find someone to work on it) and resort to a traditional, everyday vehicle.  Alas, I am not different anymore.

So when my cousin decided that it was time to park the little Suz, I listened and agreed.  You see I have come to find out that there are certain times that I need to listen and - trust me - her, I listen to.

We started our venture last week and to tell you the truth, I just couldn't get into it.  With each car dealership we went to, the salesmen were there following and asking questions, when all we wanted to do was look.  But, no one would heed our "We're just looking.", until we got in the car and left.

But today, we tried again and I was told to be prepared to drive home a car.

Okay, so we start our venture and 'cuz', that's what I call her, knows exactly where we are going. 

The atmosphere at this dealership was not only far more relaxed, but it was also respectful.  We looked and then we were ready to ask some questions, get some keys and try them out.

It was while we were doing the paperwork, that I realized why I had enjoyed this little shopping spree of ours;  the Customer Service.

The personalities were down to earth and although outgoing, they were respectful in their approach and very sincere when answering our questions.  They provided us information that we had never thought to ask and followed up with a call in the evening to make sure that everything was fine with the vehicle.

All of this seemed familiar to me, because this is how we are at the store.

You can greet every customer you see, as we had been, but it is the sincerity that is projected that makes a customer feel that you are glad that they are there.  This is what makes good Customer Service stand out - sincerity.

Well needless to say, our venture is over and now I must learn to drive, park and adjust myself to this new vehicle sitting in my driveway.  And should anyone ask me where I got it, I will definitely tell them where and give the dealership a high recommendation.

So, the Suz is now parked in a nice garage after so many years of reliable service. 

And beside the Suz will sit the new gal in town - we call her, KIA.

Talk at ya later!

(A very special thanks to Chris and everyone at Kings KIA, Cincinnati,OH)

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - WHAT'S IN A NAME?

What is in a name?  A name is what we identify and associate things with.  It is how we identify each other and associate with businesses, products and the list goes on. 

Today I attended a meeting, at the store, that was designed to introduce to the employees the new changes of business that are about to take place in our store.  And one of the biggest changes will be that of the name - the old one is coming down and a new one is going up.

When I came here, this store (company) was known for having the best produce around.  It out did all the competition.  So, say the name and people would automatically associate it with fresh produce.  Unfortunately, that changed when the company brought in a different supplier.  But there were other qualities that were associated with the name.

The name stood for great Customer Service, friendly atmosphere and genuine low prices.  Unfortunately, the low prices kind of phased out thus leading to another change.

I work with some employees who worked, at one time or another, for other grocery companies.  And if the companies no longer exist, they talk about what it was like and what the name of the grocery company stood for in regard to customers.  And, more often then not, you can tell that they are happy to recall the name of the company they had been associated with. 

And now it will be our turn.

This is the store that made me the kind of employee I became.  And it is here, that I have learned about Customer Service, team work, how to create sales and business in general.

So when that big sign comes down from the building, I know that it is the name that will be remembered and what it will be remembered for;

Customer Service - the only thing that never changed.

Talk at ya later!

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - ONE STOP SHOP - NO MORE!

As with any thing new that comes into ones life, adjustments must be made to accommodate the change taking place.  And, I have found that I am no exception to this rule.

For quite awhile now, we have been expecting some changes to start taking place at the store - the only question was when it would happen.

So, with five hours being cut from my schedule it was time to try and take control of the situation; a situation I was prepared for.

Having already dropped any needless utility expense, I was ready to go onto phase two - health insurance.  With the new health care laws about to come into play, I did the numbers and reviewed the future prospects of fines and had decided that this was my only route to go at this time: sorry, Mr. President.

Next on the agenda - grocery shopping.

I do not have a car payment (vehicle is 27 yrs.), my mortgage is cheaper then rent, don't have cable, do not shop or go out to eat, no entertainment costs and I have not been on a vacation since I moved here 12 years ago.  So the only thing left to cut cost on, is my food expenditure.

After 11 years, I am having to change grocery stores.  What I have discovered is that, I am not alone.

I like shopping at our store and for all of the various reasons that most customers like, when patronizing a grocery store;  the convenience, staff, quality etc..  And to tell you the truth, this is the one cut that bothers me the most.

I am not going to find produce that is as good as what we handle, nor will I find a staff that is as helpful as what we are.

My allotted expense is a fraction of what I use to spend.  Before I became an empty nester a year ago, I spent $400.00/month.  Then my food expenditure went to $200/month.  Now this expense not only took in food but it also covered toiletries, hair care, pet care, pharmaceutical and anything else we handled.  I never patronized Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger for my personal needs - all expenses went to our store.

So as I leave, after a shift, I must remember not to grab a cart. 

This will be hard to do. 

No longer will I be able to invest in where I work; for 11 years, I reinvested my paycheck in my employer.

Now I am going to go out and venture through the world of grocery land and become like every other shopper out there - a 'cherry picker'. 

As I begin my new venture, as a consumer, I only have one statement to make;
'I am so going to miss shopping here!'

Talk at ya later!