I Wasn’t Trying to Cheat Anyone ….

My wife and I are trying to eat healthier. As part of our efforts, we use ROIHealth, which has a nifty little thing going. When you join (by invitation), you receive access to one dollar coupons which can be used at any store for any manufacturer’s products. The store gets an extra few cents per purchase.

The kicker: The coupons only work on healthy food, like fruits, vegetables, skinless chicken breasts, and so on.

Great way to offset the usual higher cost of eating healthy and I think this organization is great for doing something about public health.

Aaaaaaaand Action … A tale of two Schnuck’s Stores in St Louis …

Scene One, Take One: Schnuck’s Store at Dorsett and McKelvey

We have used the coupons here before and it has always involved a call for a manager, much scrutiny, then we use them and the episode is over. I had previously been advised to stop by the courtesy counter to “confirm” the coupons to hopefully avoid the wait and additional approval. When I did so today, things did not go so well.

Admittedly, standing quietly waiting at the open window and being “bumped” by others who simply walked over to where the two workers were engaged with something did not start the interaction off well.

I began with a polite description of the history at this store of using these coupons, ending with a stated wish to avoid further hassle. Without getting into all the details, here’s a thumbnail of how this experience went:

“Well, I’ve never seen these before.”

“I don’t know if we can accept these or not.” (After I had already noted that both my wife and I have used the coupons in that store several times)

“There’s a limit – we couldn’t take all of these.” (I had shown the stack that we take with us to the store on each visit and did not indicate I intended to use them all.)

“We can’t do this. If you bought an item for a dollar and we gave you a dollar off, you’d get it free.” (see above about face value and extra payment)

“”Where’d you get these … off the Internet?” (insert suspicious glare)

Your wife and you are the only ones who use these coupons here.” (I know other people who have redeemed these coupons from this source at this store.)

“We don’t post this where customers can see it.” in response to a question about a policy on coupon redemption that someone brought out on a clipboard. It appeared to limit the number of coupons which a customer could use at any one time, which had already been discussed as a misunderstanding)

“I’m dealing with someone else right now ….” (on the heels of the above statement and after a lengthy exchange)

At this point, I realized I had failed miserably to meet my goal of reducing the hassle while spending money in this store. So I did one of the few things a consumer can do when they feel they have been treated poorly at an establishment.

“Okay, I”ll take these to one of the other stores we have used them at in the past and just not shop here anymore.”

Receiving no opposition to this plan, I carried it out.

Scene Two, Take One: Schnuck’s Store at St. Charles Rock Road

Same start at the Courtesy Counter – except for not being “missed” while waiting to speak to the person behind the counter this time. I even waited in the parking lot until I had calmed down from the earlier exchange:)

“Hmmm … I haven’t seen these before.” (In a neutral tone and with a small smile.)

“If it’s okay, let me photocopy a few of these and forward to corporate, so they can give us some guidance for the future.” (After mentioning that they had no guidance about these specific type of coupons)

“I’m sure these are okay. Aren’t you glad the checkers check these kind of things?” (Yes, actually I am:)

“Thanks for shopping here. If you run into any problems during checkout, just have them call the Courtesy Counter and we’ll take care of it.”

“What a great idea! Where did you get these?” (From my checker at my NEW FAVORITE Schnuck’s grocery store)

BOTTOM LINES:

1) Today one store of a chain lost $95.68 in revenue after $8.00 in discount coupons, while another store from that same chain gained that same amount … a wash in terms of money.

2) One store gained an appreciative and newly loyal customer who will return several times a week and buy lots more, even though the second store is further from their home. Still a wash for the chain, but a victory for the store whose employees knew how to deal effectively with a customer situation.

3) I received some great reinforcement about the value of positive customer service through a first hand experience.

4) I was also reminded of just how difficult doing good things can be in our world. An organization trying to promote healthy eating is treated by some with suspicion and almost with hostility. Not so good, especially for a company who depends on the sale of things we eat.

5) Maybe the first store will become more effective in handling customer situations, but I’m not optimistic.

Footnote: I’m sure the two people with whom I interacted in the first store would describe our interchange differently. Fair enough … however, I’m the one who chose to walk into their store first to spend my money. This is a customer service reality that businesses should never forget.