Excellence in Customer Service

Perth is renowned for its legendary customer service, especially in the hospitality trade. Now retail is catching up.

I don’t get to sample the retail sector that much.  As our shops are only open during business hours, and I don’t shop on Saturday, I seldom get the chance to go to shopping, but yesterday I did end up in a supermarket.

I went to the fish section, seeking some smoked salmon (as any self respecting Jewish boy with a bag of bagels is inclined to do).  There was some loose leaf salmon sandwiched between the prawns and the squid, and it did not look too fresh.  So I asked the man at the counter if they had any sealed packs of smoked salmon.  The conversation, after waiting 10 minutes to be served, went something like this:

“Hi, do you have any smoked salmon in packets?”;

“I’m not sure, Sir”;

“Could you check out the back?”;

“No, there’s nothing at the back”;

“Well, would it be on the shelf anywhere?”;

“It could be in the fridge, next to the fish”;

“Do you mean the fish section?”;

“Yes, but I’m not certain”;

“This is the fish section, isn’t it?”;

“Yes”;

“you mean to tell me that the fish section doesn’t know if it has smoked salmon?”;

“Oh, we’re not responsible for that”;

“Say what?”;

“You need to speak to the dairy section.”;

“Are you telling me that the fish section can’t help me find fish?;”

“It’s not my job Sir, you need to go and find the Dairy Manager”.

Thank you Woolworths for a spectacularly seamless and satisfying shopping expereince.