A Trader Joe’s Moment – You Know it Will Be Good

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on September 24, 2008 under Customer Moments, Missed Moments | Be the First to Comment

Before I even start my story, you know it will be wildly wonderful.  Why?  Because it happened at Trader Joe’s. Can you imagine having your name so closely associated with great customer service that all people have to hear is your name and know right away that it will be great?  Like Jell-o is synonymous with gelatin; some companies have so closely tied themselves to superior customer service that it is assumed.

I was chatting with Mary Perlmutter of Twinsburg Eye Associates (locally associated with great customer service) about marketing and business and service and she told me a great little story that just happened to her yesterday.

She lives near the Trader Joe’s in Beachwood and frequently shops there.  She loves the layout of the store, the products and of course, the service.  Yesterday she had a list of four specialty items that she needed.  She walked into the store and upon being greeted by an associate made her request:

“I shop her frequently but I’m not sure if you carry these items.  I wonder if you could save me some time by looking at my list and telling me if you stock these things.”

The associate said, “Not a problem.  Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll go get them for you.”

She sat down near the front door and away he went, her list in his hand, and proceeded to do her shopping for her.  Moments later he returned, all four items in his arms.  He placed them in her basket, returned the list and left her with a smile and a great story to share.

You should know that my friend is not old, or infirm or physically challenged in anyway.  It never occurred to her that he’d go and get the items, she just figured he would know by looking at the list if the items were in stock. 

Here’s how the same circumstance might have played out elsewhere and how we’d respond.

• We enter the store, we aren’t greeted by anyone and we fend for ourselves.  We wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

 

• We are greeted and the person says- oh, I don’t know if we have those things.  I haven’t worked here that long.  We say thank you and fend for ourselves, never thinking twice about it.

 

• We are greeted and the person says you can find those items in aisle 3 on the left and aisle 5 on the right.  We say thank you and marvel that the associate would know their stock so well as to know which side of the aisle the product is on.

 

• We are greeted and the person says – yes we have those things – let me take to you to them.  We say thank you and think to ourselves – WOW that’s really nice!

So where on the thermometer of customer service measurements does Mary’s experience at Trader Joe’s rank?  Off the charts? 

Why is that?  Why is extra special service so rare?  This associate exceeded Mary’s expectations and I’m sure it took no time at all and yet great customer service is so out-of-the-ordinary that we hold it up as if it were the Hope Diamond of experiences. 

Make or Break Moments happen everyday and most of the time they are so basic and so simple, we totally miss them.  Look around.  Is there a moment in which you could be making a difference for someone that you’ve missed?