Safeway, My Safeway

Safeway rant # 768...

I must preface this by saying that although I continue to rant about Safeway, My Safeway, I continue to shop there. Why is that? Habit. Difficult to change even with my complaints (businesses like that). I know where the Safeway's are and how to get to them (with Honolulu traffic, that's important).

So, my latest Safeway adventure...

I was near the store just before lunchtime and hadn't brought my lunch that day. So I popped into the deli to grab a quick sandwich to take back to the office. Or I should say I planned to stop in for a quick sandwich. Quick and Safeway never go together. I always tell myself "never go to Safeway if you're in a hurry." The deli was empty, so no waiting. I could get my sandwich and be out of there quick as a wisp (is that a real saying?). As I stood there waiting, and waiting, I decided on the meatball sub, as all you have to do is put meatballs and cheese on the bread, quick as can be.

Well, I continued waiting while one deli worker talked on the phone. And talked. And talked. Then walked out from behind the deli counter and went and talked to the second deli worker who was stocking one of the food cases. He did say "I'll be right with you" as he walked by. After a short discussion worker number 1 went back to the phone. Another "I'll be right with you", just for effect I assume. The phone conversation then proceeded to continue.

By this time I was past ready to leave, but I thought I can't lose this place in line (even though there wasn't, technically, a line, there being just me). Plus I figured that since I got two "I'll be right with you" 's it couldn't be much longer. I was wrong.

Finally, after a good ten minutes (I'm very patient, plus stubborn and by this time curious) I was waited on. And within milli-seconds of worker number 1 taking my order, worker number 2 asked me if I'd been helped. Why, yes I have, thank you for asking after watching me stand there for 10 minutes, thank you very much.

The meatball sandwich making was mostly uneventful, except I only got cheese on half the meatballs. It started out on all of them, but during the transfer of the meatballs and cheese from the microwave onto the bread, the cheese got pushed onto only half the meatballs. Well, at least it was all there somewhere.

So, I eventually got my sandwich and headed back to the office.

I should have gotten salami...


And the lesson is... A customer standing in front of you is your top priority. And, customer service can be improved. Or is one more customer just not that important in this economy?

Good Service

Since I tend to rant about bad service I've received, I should also acknowledge the good service I receive. And also, since I frequently rant about my local Safeway, I will now praise my local Foodland supermarket. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Instead of waiting until Thanksgiving to make my usual turkey dinner, I thought I'd have Thanksgiving in July. I quickly learned that that is not so easy to do. For one, Safeway does not have any turkeys in July, nor do Costco or Don Quixote (a.k.a. Diae or Holiday Mart, depending on how long you've lived here). Second, it's now August, but that's another story. I did find turkeys at Foodland, but the off season price was quite shocking. I'm used to the "subsidized" holiday price, or the loss-leader price that stores use to bring in the holiday food shoppers, and wasn't prepared to pay $30 for a turkey. So... on to the chickens. Much better. I ended up buying a non-name-brand chicken for half the price of the name-brand. A large roaster, ready for stuffing.

I made my stuffing and pulled the bird out of the refridgerator. It was when I pulled the giblets out of the bird that I realized something was wrong. Bad chicken, bad chicken. Rule #1 - don't eat a foul smelling fowl. So my chicken and I returned to Foodland.

I have to say I was very impressed with the Customer Service at Foodland. Not only was I able to replace the chicken (and got 21 cents back, whoo hoo), but the customer service person made the experience pleasant. She apologized for the bad chicken and because I had to return it, and very quickly and pleasantly processed the return transaction. This level of service is not usual in other stores, so I was very happy.

And the stuffed chicken dinner turned out great.

Supermarket Operations

I occasionally check my stats to see how people arrive at this blog, what search leads them here or what website. By far the most popular searches that lead here are for things like “Hawaii rugby” and variations on that. What’s a little odd, though, is the second most popular search that leads people here – “Supermarket Operations”.

Apparently, quite a few people are looking for information on business operations for supermarkets. Sadly, though, it’s probably not the people at my usual grocery stop. I’ve posted a couple of rants about the poor performance of my neighborhood Safeway, and they’re not really getting any better. Ergo, they’re probably not reading up on improving operations.

Since I’ve only posted a couple of these rants, I wondered why so many people (so many being a relative term) ended up at my site. So I Googled “Supermarket Operations”. And there I am, sixth down on the list. Behind a company named Supermarket Operations, the Food Marketing Institute an organization dedicated to the food wholesale and retail industry, a book titled Modern Supermarket Operations, and an article about how big supermarket chains in Britain are driving out the small shops (seems that happens everywhere).

I poked around in these other sites a little, just to see what kind of information about supermarket operations is out there. And it’s not much. The best stuff I found was in that book, Modern Supermarket Operations, and that was printed in 1963.

One thing I did find interesting in the book (the first page of each chapter is available online) was that studies found that fully stocked shelves led to increases in store sales by up to 25%. Which tells me that people want what they came in for, not a substitute item. I know that’s how I am. And that’s why I’m constantly ranting about my supermarket being out of what I want.

I think I need to look into this a bit more and see what I can do to help supermarkets improve.

Modern Supermarket Operations (book, 1963)

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6179602