I hate it when grocery store baggers mix raw meat with other items in a grocery bag! I do. I especially hate it when they place raw meats on foods that are generally eaten raw, or uncooked. All I can think of is leaking raw meat juice dripping on the baby carrots (unbeknownst to anyone) and then causing problems later. (I’ll leave the description of whatever problems may be caused out of this blog post.)
Consequently I love it when a bagger asks me if I want the raw meat separate from the other items. That shows that s/he is thinking of my best interests. That shows me that s/he is thinking of the little things that make a big difference.
I also appreciate it when baggers pack my groceries to maximize the amount of stuff that the bags can hold. You see in California if we don’t use our own bags we have to purchase bags at the store at a cost of 10 cents per plastic or paper bag. So, if the clerk doesn’t maximize how much the bags can hold I have to pay more money for each bag and then have to make more trips carrying those bags from the car to the house! Now, I know this may not seem like a big deal to some-but if you’ve ever had a large grocery run, you know what I’m talking about.
As a shopper it’s obvious which supermarket companies train their employees on how to bag groceries and which ones don’t, or do initially but never follow-up on the initial training, leaving employees to do whatever they feel is right. There is one store in particular that I go to that has developed a devoted cult-following nationwide for having good food, good prices and very friendly associates. I actually have friends and family members from other parts of the nation without this grocery store who make it a point to visit this grocery store with a list of their “must have” to purchase before going home. And they bag groceries right!
Tetris!
Whenever I watch these associates bag groceries it seems evident that they must train their associates on the finer points of grocery bagging. I mean it’s like a well-oiled machine (or a great game of Tetris) watching them figure out what items they will bag, which items to group them with and how to place them in the grocery bag to make it all fit well. I also learned some things that I use when I purchase my groceries at the self checkout-out counter. For example, instead of bagging all of our potato chips in one bag, I place them at the top of almost filled shopping bags. This helps me utilize the space at the top of the bag that is not often used, yet adds little weight to the bags, making it more efficient in several ways.
What am I saying?
It’s the little things that matter! So often we focus on the big things not realizing that the little things make a big difference too. Let me explain further. Yes, I go to this grocery store because I like the food and the prices. This is the big thing to me. And no, if I didn’t like the food nor prices I probably wouldn’t go back often even if they bagged my groceries well. But, when they take care of the big things and the little things, it makes my total customer experience a good one which makes me want to go back again and again.
Right now, how are you handling the little things? (And, don’t forget the big things too!)
