Beyond the Bag

The other day I zipped into my local big-chain grocery store to grab a few things for lunch. The store was fairly empty so I breezed through the checkout line and on my way out the door, the Courtesy Clerk (those are the people that bag your groceries - my first job in high school at Safeway!) handed me my bags and off I went. At home, I started unpacking the food and realized the clerk had mistakenly given me someone else's grocery bag, in addition to my own.

I decided to call the store to let them know about the mistake, but the problem was that I had pitched the receipt. No store information was printed on the flimsy plastic bag, so I had to look up the store's number on my computer. Once I got a hold of someone at the store, I was transferred back and forth between two people and finally ended up talking to a manager who thanked me for letting him know about the mistake and asked me to bring back the groceries.

Here's the problem: I am a good customer. I called the store to let them know about "their" error. Now I, as the good customer, have to take the groceries back? Why are they punishing a good customer? Does this make sense? No. Do I now have a good memory of my last shopping experience at that store? No. Is there anything the store can do differently in the future? Yes.

Fix it tip #1: Better train your staff to add more value to your service. A Courtesy Clerk can do more than just ask customer if he wants "paper or plastic". A clerk could actually look in the bag he or she packed before giving it to the customer to be sure it is the right purchase.

Fix it tip #2: Don't dump your work on your customer. Imagine how I would've felt if the store manager had said, "Thank you so much for calling and we're very sorry about the mix-up. What's your address? We'll send a Courtesy Clerk right over to piik up the groceries for you so we can get them back to the original customer who purchased them."

Fix it tip #3: Use every interaction with a customer as an opportunity to make a positive impression. By offering to pick up the groceries for me, that gives the store a second chance to connect with me, to fix the error impression I had in my head. The store could even give me a "reward" - something as little as a "10% off your next bag of groceries" coupon or even a free cookie from the bakery or a chocolate Hershey's kiss. It doesn't matter what the gift is, it is the thought that counts. Show some attempt to recognize me as a valuable customer. Leave me with a positive impression of the business.

Now all I can think about is what a pain it is to have to gather up the "guest" groceries, drive back over to the store, try to find parking, locate the right person in management and explain why I am returning groceries that a Courtesy Clerk willingly handed me. It makes me want to shop at the local Farmer's Market. Next time, forget the bag and focus on the service.