Hello Gwendolyn
Wow- I am so disappointed and embarrassed to hear your story! This behavior is completely unacceptable and I am shocked to hear that one of my department heads would react in this manner.

Please accept my deepest apologies. We pride ourselves on offering our guests the finest hospitality in town and in the nation. To have one of my team leaders respond in such an inappropriate way has not only damaged our relationship with you but set a poor example for the rest of his team. I read your email last night before bed and could only think about how many other times this may have shown up on the sales floor without my knowing.

Rest assured that I will be following up with [the offending manager’s name, spelled correctly] as soon as he gets in today. I will also find about about the recipe that you requested and make sure we get it slotted in the production schedule for you.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart that you took the time to contact us yesterday. I know that most people who had been treated in this manner would have walked out and never looked back. Your feedback will give me the opportunity to address this issue immediately and ensure that no other guest has an experience similar to yours.

I would love the opportunity to leave you a gift card at the service desk. I completely understand if you would prefer to pick up the card at one of our other locations, but would like the opportunity to meet with you in person and reassure you of the level of service that our team is capable of.

I will have a card waiting for you at guest service as soon as we open- just let me know if you would prefer to pick up elsewhere and I will arrange that for you.

I will be back in touch on the recipe, and please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if I can be of further assistance

[store manager’s sig]

Response from Central Market

I’ll send your idea off to our Food Service folks and see what happens – [Selling Manager’s name]

Sighing with Relief

(I really did send both those emails, right before I posted them on the blog.)

I’m glad Whole Foods wrote me back and was nice about it, because I really do like then for more than just that chicken. But I couldn’t say so, because my feelings were hurt and I was temporarily blinded by that. I felt like they were a boyfriend that did me wrong — I didn’t actually want to break up with them, but I was prepared to do so if they couldn’t respect my feelings.

I’m glad I can go back, because I’m currently obsessed with this stuff they have called Green Gazpacho, which I guess you’re supposed to eat like soup, but which I only eat with naan, as nature seems to have intended.

See, kids? What does this teach us?

WRITING:
Helping customers get what they need, since [the year the Egyptians or whoever invented it].

Hi. I went to the Kirby location for lunch on Monday. While there, I asked [the hot deli] team when they’d have Moroccan Chicken again, because I really like it. They told me to come back Wednesday (today). So I drove over after work in order to pick it up for dinner. They didn’t have the chicken. A female clerk on staff apologized, then suggested that I speak to the manager. I said I didn’t want to wait. But she said he’d find a way to make it up to me — that maybe he would have the staff prepare the chicken the next day and then give it to me on the house, for my trouble. I thanked her and started to leave, but then the manager, Andre, walked up. The female clerk explained the situation to him.

He said, “Oh, I don’t think we make that salad anymore.”

The clerk explained again that it was chicken, and that the staff had told me to come back for it today.

Andre suggested that I come back the next day or Saturday. I said I didn’t want to do that. He suggested that next time, I call ahead. I asked why I should call ahead if showing up in person hadn’t worked. He had no response, other than “Sorry!” with an insincere smile. He was very glib about it, and didn’t seem to fully comprehend what had happened.

I wasn’t *too* upset, because I figured that the staff had misunderstood me on Monday, and there was nothing Andre could really do about it, anyway. But his uncaring attitude had annoyed me a little.

I went to put back my other purchases, not wanting to stand in line for just a few things. As I did this, I overheard Andre complaining about me to clerk at the cold deli. He was shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Well, what was I supposed to do?”

Maybe you guys can give Andre some tips on what to do when customers drive to his location after work in order to buy an item that his staff has incorrectly said would be available.

Maybe you can at least instruct Andre to carefully look around his department and make sure the unsatisfied customer is gone, before he starts talking about said customer to his coworker friends.

Or, hey — maybe you can demote Andre and promote the female clerk in his place, since she actually had some ideas about providing customer service?

An Open Email to Central Market

To Whom It May Concern:

Hi. I am a frequent Central Market shopper and prefer you guys to Whole Foods.

The only thing Whole Foods has that you guys are missing is Moroccan Chicken. Their deli sometimes has chicken that’s been marinated with olives and preserved lemons.

Unfortunately, they aren’t very reliable about providing that chicken, or even about telling customers the correct day to show up and purchase said chicken.

Do you think you guys could make a similar, Moroccan sort of chicken? I’m sure it isn’t copyrighted or anything — Whole Foods’ tastes a lot like the chicken tagine you can get at Saffron and other Moroccan restaurants.

I hope that you’ll consider it.

Sincerely,

Gwen