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Keeping It Brand, Part 13

f2d27“‘Do you have any of those 99 cent eggs?” the woman asked me at 8:15 this morning. I knew her. I had seen many like her yesterday in the afternoon when we first ran out of “those 99 cent eggs.” Honestly, I’m embarrassed to tell people that I don’t have what they’re looking for, especially when what they’re looking for is one of the biggest tenets of the holiday that is coming up soon. But it sometimes happens, and I have to do what I can to make their shopping experience as good as it can be regardless of the absence of eggs, or whatever else happens to be missing.

So what did I do today to help those guests who were disappointed over the lack of eggs? I gave them discounts on other products they wanted to purchase. I labeled and brought clearance products out of the back room and re-merchandised them in the egg section. But the first thing I did was to sincerely apologize, and an honest apology can go a long way toward repairing hurt feelings, in retail and in life.

Funny how working in retail gives me more of a perspective on real life. We spend so much time before the store opens making sure everything is ready for a full day of sales. The floors are cleaned, the windows and bathrooms too. The food is put out and faced off so it looks fresh and full to even the casual eye. The endcaps are also faced off and filled with product to influence even more sales. Money is placed into the registers in preparation for making change, smiles plastered on the faces of the employees to make it all seem more hospitable.

Today was one of those days where everything worked like a machine. The truck arrived early and then quickly dashed my hopes when no eggs were on it. I immediately began deciding how I was going to try and make up for that shortcoming. Then there were also no hams in the shipment, prompting even more decisions. So yes, it worked like a machine, not a particularly well-oiled one though. I adjusted, putting oranges and clementines on sale and putting them in the hams’ space. And go figure, we sold a ton of clementines today. Coincidence? I think not.

Then there are the berries. Oh, the berries! We have always sold a lot of berries, but this week blew all of that out of the water. It helped that strawberries were 2 for $3 dollars, and raspberries were $2.99, of course. In fact, we got in 30 cases of strawberries on Tuesday and every single one was gone before we closed on Wednesday night. Another 25 showed up on Thursday and they were gone by mid-day on Friday. Today’s 25 cases will probably already be gone, and it’s only 5 on the day before Easter. It’s crazy the volume of berries we move through the store, but it’s wonderful to watch them move.

But we still don’t have those 99 cent eggs, and next week they’ll be back to $1.69. Of course next week people won’t be clamoring for them anymore, yet I’ll still be smiling because life’s too short to let it get you down. I bet they’ll send me a whole pallet of eggs on Tuesday with the exact same expiration dates.

Sam

Keeping It Brand Archive

41 thoughts on “Keeping It Brand, Part 13”

  1. I can’t help but laugh! I am in retail as well, and have been for pretty much every job I’ve had. I completely understand this story to the last word. You are an amazing storyteller, I look forward to what you post.

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    1. I’ve found these are stories you just can’t make up. I find myself just standing there at work sometimes and just laughing out loud. Working with the public can be so exasperating sometimes but oh the stories we could tell!

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      1. Exactly! I get a good laugh multiple times throughout my day. Every day is a new experience. Successfully working with people requires a unique type of person. Everyone who does it is not cut out for it.

      2. And you can always tell the people who aren’t cut out for it. They either disappear pretty quickly or they piss off enough other people.

      3. Those are the ones. I am not a fan of working with them, but every now and then they have it out with a customer and it is interesting to watch them try to dig themselves out of the hole they dug themselves into.

      4. What I love is when they’re saying something “behind the customer’s back” but the customer hears them. Then they try to backpedal. That is hilarious! Where do you work now?

      5. Oh yes! Don’t let it be a customer who is already heated about something they feel they are entitled to. That’s when the bell rings and the “Round One” sign goes up. Hilarious, when the associate has it coming to them. I work at Lowe’s. Where do you work?

      6. I work at Target. Our big team member phrase is all about keeping it brand, remembering that we own the brand while we wear the red and khaki.

      8. I bet I spend more time there than you. 🙂 Seriously though, one of the reasons I decided to work there is because I love so much of their stuff. You know, I think I’m going to check out your blog now.

      9. Yes, I bet you do! I wouldn’t mind spending more time there in exchange for a discount on my purchases. Thanks for checking it out. It’s still in the developmental stage, but feel free to check it out.

      10. Hey, we were all in the developmental stage at one point! I like what I’ve seen so far, by the way. But of course now I want to know your name.

      11. And of course all I had to do was check out your About page. I think I’m probably the only person who doesn’t go there first when visiting a blog. LOL.

      12. Lol, don’t feel bad. That is literally the LAST page I check on everyone’s blog (That’s IF I check it at all). Thanks again for checking it out!

      14. It’s pretty cool being that in the middle person. You are accepted by the majority, yet you aren’t popular. You have a small group of close friends, but you aren’t considered uncool.

      15. Of course I would have killed to be one of the cool people. I have my high school reunion coming up next weekend and I’m excited and nervous at the same time. Kind of just like high school. Interesting.

      16. Secretively I would have too back then. Today, I see what the popular crowd is up to, and I am better off than most of them. Not in wealth, but in mental state. Most of them are bitter, sad, depressed, and a whole host of other negative things. I hope you enjoy your reunion. Please blog about it. I am sure it will be a great read.

      17. It’s interesting how that works, that some people just don’t change or grow throughout the years. Imagine peaking in high school and then everything is downhill from there. Yikes. I wouldn’t know what to do with a life like that. I think life is all about shifting, changing, and growing into the person you’re supposed to be, then growing some more. I will definitely blog about it. It is sure to be a wild experience indeed.

    1. Thank you very much. I try my best to make sure they leave feeling at least somewhat good about the experience. Difficult to do when all they want is eggs, but most people wanted other things too.

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      2. That’s one thing I definitely found out. It’s funny, but we had a Keurig coffeemaker on sale for $149. It usually sold for $150, and our sales doubled the week it was on sale. Go figure. It just makes me scratch my head sometimes!

      4. That’s the real key, isn’t it? Ask yourself if it is a necessary purchase (i.e. would I get it if it weren’t on sale), and if it doesn’t pass that test, don’t go for it on sale. You are just wasting your money. I’m glad you have your hat firmly on. 🙂

      8. It was a wonderful day. Good food, good family. And the kids had fun which is the best I could ask for. How about you? I hope the day treated you well also.

      11. Being inside is good for me but can be isolating. Mum visits on Sundays so thats great. otherwise just one person a day and when I get comments on post. I like comments on posts because its give the opportunity to interact with others. I just posted about my day. If you are curious, you should take a gander

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