Monday, March 24, 2008

How to Irritate Customers


From the looks on the faces of drivers in the Jewel-Osco parking lot tonight, quite a number of them were confounded, confused and even mad at the number of overturned shopping carts blocking empty parking places in front of the store. In one aisle about ten parking places were blocked; carts were turned on end to prevent drivers from parking at close-in parking spaces.

In another aisle 4-5 spaces were blocked by pallets of what looked like fertilizer.

I inquired at the Customer Service counter and was told that “corporate” had ordered the garden center moved from the end aisle to a center aisle between the two store entrances. That sounded right to me – something that someone sitting in a glass palace somewhere would decide. Disregard customers’ parking desires and move the merchandise in their way so they’ll have to walk by it to enter and leave the store.

There are at least two outcomes to this policy. One is that customers will love it and buy more. Another outcome is that customers will recognize the ploy and walk past it without buying it!

If you have an opinion, voice it on http://www.jewelosco.com/ Click on the “Contact us” button and fill out the email form. By the way, tell them that, if it is a corporate decision, don’t bother to have the Store Director call. Fix it at the corporate level.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

poor gus, your old bones will have to get a few more steps of exercise.