Greeters and Cashiers

There is a grocery store here in town that I truly dislike.  My wife and I shop there occasionally when we only need an item or two and don't feel like driving 10 minutes to the nearest Walmart.  Last night my oldest son and I had a typical shopping experience at this local grocery store.

As we pull into our parking spot and get out of the car the wind was blowing so we quickly run up to the entrance to the store.  I put my son in the shopping cart and we bravely venture inside.  Once inside we work our way around picking up a tomato here, an onion there, some graham crackers, and the ever constant item on the shopping list: chocolate donuts (my wife is a big fan).  When we have found all of the items we were sent to retrieve we begin looking for the shortest check-out line.  We make a dash for it before another customer notices it too.  So far we've had a pretty good trip; we've found everything we were sent for, it's not too expensive, and we found a really short line.  Here is where the store can seal the deal and make us lifelong fans.  We unload the cart onto the conveyor belt and approach the checker.  I try to make eye contact and give her a friendly disarming smile (if this works I usually say something like "looks like it's been quite a day.  How are you holding up?"  They usually respond with "It hasn't been too bad, I just can't wait to get home" etc.).  She doesn't look up.  She doesn't acknowledge my presence.  She doesn't say a single word to me in the 90 seconds we are practically stuck together while I wait for her to ring up my purchase.  Then (because of the customer credit/debit card swipe terminal) I pay and walk away with my son and groceries without having said a word to her or her to me.  I then notice that all of the other checkers are acting the same way.  That the man that I presume to be the manager (because he is dressed slightly nicer than the rest) is flirting with another employee, or at least that's the way it looks.  My checker, on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being best), is a 6 at best in the cleanliness department...in fact she may not have showered today.  As I walk the last 20 feet out of the store contemplating the experience I just had I also notice that the floors aren't clean.  While my son and I walk back to our car I am feeling greatful that is over and I won't have to go back there for a while.

What a sad experience that could have so easily been prevented with a little consideration for the customer and some training.  Now, I understand that maybe the checker was having a bad day and maybe the manager wasn't flirting, he's just the "friendly" type, but that doesn't change the feeling I left with.  The store was dirty, I was not welcome there, and I couldn't wait to be out.  In a perfect world this is how my visit would have gone:

As I walk in the store the manager greets me and welcomes me to the store (maybe even asks if he can help me find something).  I make my purchases and as I walk up to the checker she makes eye contact and says hello, then comments on what a cute son I have.  She rings my food up, asks me if there is anything else, and then informs me of the total and inquires how I would like to pay: cash, check, or credit.  I respond "debit" and she processes my payment.  As I pick up my groceries to leave she thanks me for shopping there and, with a smile, invites me come again soon.  I walk out of the store with a good feeling thinking to myself "I can't understand why other people don't like shopping here."  My son and I go home and don't think about it again.

See the difference?  Which store am I going to go to next time?