I almost always do our weekly grocery shopping at the stroke of 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings. The Main Street Market Piggly Wiggly opens at 7 and, at that time on a Sunday morning, is nearly devoid of customers, enabling me to complete shopping very efficiently. I usually have the groceries home and stored away by 8:30. This gives me a calming sense of satisfaction and completion (you all know I’m a “bit” obsessive/compulsive & weird” by many standards, but that could be a blog all on its own) and a great start for my day.
Last Sunday – 8/10 – was typical. I pulled into the Pig lot at 7 and went through my list quickly and efficiently. At the check-out, I noticed it was raining; no, it was absolutely pouring. I thought I had heard something on the roof. The amount of rain coming down was incredible and it looked as though it would continue for some time.
Hmmm – how to get my groceries to the car? Clearly, I have been wet before, and while a “sweet” guy, it would be unlikely I would melt. So, as I’m pondering that in the front entry way, I was joined by two employees who had stepped to the windows to check on the rain. I know these two pretty well. We chatted about the volume of rain and how wet I would get retrieving my car or wheeling my groceries to it. But then the magic – they offered to go get my car and bring it up to the edge of the entrance.
I looked at them thinking they were kidding but, no, they were serious. I was tempted but declined (I was going right home and could change out of wet clothes, but they would be stuck working in wet clothes.) I ran to my car – drove up to the overhang where these two very caring individuals were waiting – and was flabbergasted as they flung open the rear hatch on my car and transferred my groceries from the shopping cart.
Needless to say, I was impressed and grateful. Some would ask, “Why did they do this? That’s not their job.” Well, maybe it was that morning. Meeting and exceeding expectations is a basic tenant (or should be) of any custom service platform. They clearly did that. Customer service guru, Chip Bell, states it this way, “Customer service isn’t about satisfaction. It’s about dazzlement.” Let me tell you – I was “dazzled” big time.
Many would say, “That is an unrealistic expectation as a regular job duty/task.” I would agree. But these two Pig employees did know what their job was. They saw a customer service moment and seized it.
LINDA and COURTNEY, I thank you and I applaud you for your kindness and for dazzling my very rainy Sunday.
