Deck the Halls
This weekend, we decorated our Christmas tree. Twice.
Four of us put in about 2.5 hours each, for a total of ten people hours, before the tree began to list dangerously. On the tree were handblown German ornaments from Gumps, Waterford balls I had bought in Ireland this fall, and a large collection of favorites spanning more than 30 years. There were even a few priceless World War II ornaments handed down from my mom. Not a good situation.
There was nothing to do but to remove all the ornaments and lights and start over at 10:30 that night. All because of some bad advice given at the plant store where we had purchased the tree.
Once denuded of all its finery, the tree had to be recut, removing some of the lower branches that kept the tree from reaching down to the base. We had been reassured by two people in the lot that the tree would be stable in our stand (we had brought the stand to the lot), even if the trunk didn’t reach all the way to the bottom. In fact, they insisted.
By 2:30 in the morning, we had restrung the lights. Up at 4:30, I began redecorating the tree. I was in no mood for jolly holiday carols.
I was determined to let the plant store know what their employees had so blithely advised and the outcome of that misinformation. I was not looking for redress. The tree was up and there wasn’t anything the store could do to help at that point.
Jerry, one of the managers, listened to me without interrupting, except to express concern and sympathy. A good start.
He tried to think of what he could offer to make amends. I couldn’t think of a thing.
Still looking for a way to help, having reassured me that he would talk to the staff so this would not happen again, he suggested a complete reimbursement for the price of the nine-foot tall noble fir. It was a generous, unexpected and much-appreciated solution.
Where I had been complaining to others about the plant store, now I was filled with gratitude and feelings of vindication. Smart move. The manager had turned a detractor into an ambassador. He lost $130; but gained a loyal customer.
What’s the analogy to the food business? Supermarkets and specialty food stores are already very good about refunding money when customers have problems with their purchases. Next logical step would be to have more staff trained about the food products to cut down on returns. People need to be educated about what they sell. Texas-based Central Markets have “Foodies,” food-knowledgeable people dedicated to assist customers, not just about what’s in aisle 23, but about how to be successful using the food items in that — and every aisle.
Good training, good service. For selling Christmas trees or food products, you need both.
A final note: In the spirit of the holiday season, we are donating this “found” money to Civicorps Schools for its fledgling library fund — a win-win for everyone. Happy holidays!
