THINK SMALL

Recently as a society we have embraced the notion that “bigger is better.” While there is a place for this idea, it does carry with it unintended consequences.

My local food store where I have shopped for over 30 years has seen cutbacks—in hours, locations, and personnel and in numbers of brands sold. All of these cutbacks are being made in an effort to compete…with the GIANTS.

When a-- let’s just call it a “big box store”-- can undercut anyone’s prices; when they can remain open 24/7 and always have a crowded parking lot, how can a smaller state or regional chain of stores compete with that?  By thinking…small.

A few months ago I stopped into a food store on my way home on a clear sunny late morning. I was in the store perhaps half an hour. When I checked out I stood in the doorway of the store and looked out onto a monsoon blasting the parking lot. I did not have a plastic baggie with me much less rain gear. I was looking at puddles flowing and blowing sideways rain.

Before I could take the plunge, the lady manager for that shift instructed me to wait for a moment. She called over one of the stores young employees—let’s call him B.—who escorted me to my car. That in itself is not remarkable. The fact that he covered me and six feet all around me with a patio umbrella was remarkable.

My feet still got wet but my clothes and hair were dry. But even more important, that store made  friend for life that day. They have become my new place to stop in on Sunday late morning on my way home. I pick up lunch at their deli.  I have gotten to know by face many of the ladies who work in the kitchen—do you call it a kitchen if it is in a store? Well, kitchens are where food is prepared and sometimes served as well, so I guess yes, you could call these delightful ladies the kitchen staff.

They are cheerful and conversational with me. I am not a “next, please” or “ serve you, please” to them. Last week, the item that I wanted was on the very top shelf. And just beyond the reach of my hand even when standing on tip-toe. I caught the eye of one of the managers and called him over. He retrieved the item with his longer arm-reach.  “So,”  I said, “ You are the one that they put those on the top shelf for.” And, it was  stretch even for him. But his attitude was, “Any time. Glad to get it for you.”

A week or two before, I could see the grapefruit slices that I wanted and even though the shelf was not high they were out of reach.

A polite young man offered to retrieve the containers for me. Then, he did.

I am not suggesting that this is amazing—or maybe in 2011, I am—it is certainly no longer a given that you will as customer receive something called “customer service,” but in this store at this time—and on each occasion since the patio-umbrella-monsoon rescue I have been greeted, smiled at, recognized, conversed with, warmly acknowledged by dozens of employees in that store. In other words, I have been treated as a visible valuable human being.

You can get a glimpse of this kind of customer relations from 1950’s television shows: Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, Donna Reed Show, etc.  Kind treatment of customers—generally speaking—was the order of the day…(with notable exceptions for certain individuals). 

From then till now there has been a decline in this kind of personal human to human interaction. The larger the store/chain the more likely it is that customers begin to be treated as annoyances instead of those who by patronizing the establishment in fact pay the employees’ wages.  This is a generalization—undoubtedly there are numerous exceptions to this “rule”.

Depending on your perspective you might say that this is a “small” thing…training your staff to treat your customers as if you are clad they are your customers. But, this works.

I enjoy shopping at that store. I look forward to a positive shopping experience.

I enjoy being helped and acknowledged and smiled at and being warmly greeted. One or two cents off a box of cereal or a pound of bananas is not the only important consideration for choosing where to spend one’s food budget.  When you are considering which stores to patronize…think small.

Think of the local neighborhood regional stores  or a family-owned and operated food business—in other words a small business.  If you can find one that treats you as well as this one treats me you will really have hit on a bargain.