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photo by humboldthead
a cautionary tale
wandered into trader joes the other day to buy a simple lunch, an apple and some cheese, and when i got my receipt i noticed that i was charged 65¢ rather than the expected 45¢. so i mentioned it to the cashier and her response was
the organic apples are always 65¢.
the sign said 45¢, i said.
the organic apples are always 65¢, she repeated. do you want me to give you 20¢?
no, i said. i’d like you to fix the sign, tho.
i’ll talk to the manager, she said, while flashing me that look, and then turning to the next customer.
second verse same as the first
as i turned to the escalator outside i had a vague discomforting feeling, so i turned back around and walked over to the customer service area, where i mentioned the situation to another clerk.
that’s an organic apple, he said, the organic apples are always 65¢.
the sign said 45¢, i said.
that’s not possible, he said, the organic apples are always 65¢.
it was just the one sign, i said, and there weren’t any other apples under it.
well the organic apples are always 65¢.
maybe you could check the sign, i said.
yeah. i’ll check that out. and then he gave me that look. and turned away to a co-worker.
is this any way to treat a customer?
i didn’t think so either.
and of course the crazy thing is that i wasn’t asking for a deal or anything, and i had walked 10 minutes to get to this particular store, while i had a 45 minute window to get lunch. will i do that again without thinking twice?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Jeb Dickerson 04.08.09 at 11:48 pm
Chas…that’s surprising out of TJs. Of course, it’s been a few years since I lived in a Trader Joes State.
Regardless, these are the types of things – seemingly small, insignificant details – that bring down companies. Maybe that’s a bit over dramatic, but with communication such as it is today, you’ve just shared that small, insignificant detail with dozens (or maybe hundreds/thousands depending on your reach) of people. My previously good view of Trader Joes is now tarnished.
These are also the types of things that allow the up and comers to get their foot-hold. So while it’s surprising to see this behavior, it’s also sort of encouraging. I don’t think I’m alone in seeking out more personal, authentic relationships these days. For every story like this where some huge corporate entity treats their customers as though they are dispensable, there are a handful of mom and pop shops treating those same customers like royalty.
Always did like the under dog.
Jeb Dickerson´s last blog post..Brooding is for losers
chas 04.14.09 at 8:58 am
@jeb yeah, it’s strange ‘cos i usually find tj’s to be a pretty friendly place. down to earth, convenient, unpretentious. very strange to hit two bad clerks in a row. and then i have to say, it wasn’t my usual store, which i will still frequent, and there are other stores much worse that i will never write about because i will never give them any business! do much prefer the mom and pop, though.
Christy Zarlengo 04.15.09 at 8:43 am
Let me guess, on break in Back Bay, went to the one on Boyston – I know from the mention of the escalator (and I know you’re down there a bit these days).
Yes, yes, yes, the right thing would have been to just give you 20 cents right away, no questions asked, and then they could have gone over and checked the sign after that. My guess is that the management would have been against the way they handled it and you just got stuck with a couple of lame clerks in this new generation (I sound like an old lady now…) which just doesn’t think about “relating” in the same way.
chas 05.02.09 at 9:21 pm
Good guess on the location…which i have been back to,,,and not to buy produce!