I am a long- time Stop & Shop shopper. I use Stop & Shop in Milford and in Dennis. The growing substitution of mainly Stop & Shop brands and difficulty finding preferred brands is frustrating; some Stop & Shop brand products are of poor quality. However, I have always liked the stores, most of the offerings, and the personnel.
Very recently, I have had one food quality issue and four consecutive bad customer service experiences, all in Milford. Two involved the meat/fish counter. As I waited to be helped, both times, the employee carried on a lengthy social conversation with a customer/acquaintance whose transaction was finished.
There was no indication that he was aware that he should be checking for customers and waiting on them. After five minutes each time, I left.
This past Monday, I had a checker -I'll refrain from using her name-who was very immature, unfocused, and clueless. She was not intentionally rude-just poorly trained in the basics, like the fish/meat guy. There was a large amount of white powder on the conveyer belt. It looked like flour, but could have been any of several substances, including baby powder or household cleanser, etc. Although there had been no one in her line until I came, she didn't seem to know she should wipe it up. I suggested it. She replied,"Oh, ya, I'll get that cleaned up." She continued to ring me up, I mentioned again the powder which was now widespread as the conveyer continued to revolve, she giggled and said she thought it might be flour. I finally had to spell it out for her that she needed to stop and wipe it up, since neither I nor any other customer wants unidentified powder all over their groceries. She did finally catch on and clean it up, but before, during, and after my entire check-out, she was completely wrapped up in chatting, joking, socializing with several other teen employees-should she get her hair cut? Should she cut it like her friend at the other register? She may as well have been at a party. I had to interrupt her to get her to take my Stop & Shop card, and she made an error that necessitated someone with a register key coming over to fix it.
In my order that day were two packages of pork chops
for that night's dinner. One package was bad, as evidenced by its odor, sliminess, and actual disintegration on the top of the chops. Two of us had pork chops, and I cooked burgers for the other two.
Today, I made a special and inconvenient trip to return the bad meat, receipt in hand. After the service counter person asked if I wanted to go get another package ( I had told her they were Monday's dinner), she refunded my money. There was no "sorry about that," "sorry you had to make another trip," ...nothing! Again, very basic, common-knowledge, customer service fundamentals.
I'm left wondering two things: first, what kind of training is going on at Stop & Shop these days? And second, are these employees earning the rewards of their hard-won new contract?
Stop & Shop managers, for an example of excellence in customer service, take a trip to Market 32 in Sutton. read more