Dear Kroger,

I have been a faithful Kroger shopper for over 15 years now. My Mother shopped at Kroger when I was a child and I continued to do the same as an adult. I have always found reasonable prices, clean stores and well stocked shelves at the stores in our area. Customer service has never been a priority but I have tried to overlook that issue…until today.

Today, I spent over an hour and a half in your store without as much as a smile or hello from your employees. There was only one friendly employee in the store and I found him at the register on the way out. Let me explain my shopping experience.

Our first issue this morning was the deli. It is a common occurrence to wait at the deli. Today I timed it just to see how long we would wait. 5 minutes passed before anyone acknowledged my presence. They normally act as if we (the customers) are inconveniencing them and interrupting their duties behind the counter. Today, the employee behind the counter was busy with another task. She never saw me and that was understandable. However, the other three ladies standing behind the counter laughing and talking amongst themselves could have helped me but chose not to. Not one of them offered to help me. When they finally acknowledged us (though I know they saw us waiting) they motioned to the other woman (the one who was actually working) to help me. Normally, after I receive my deli items I allow my children to have a cookie from the “community” cookie package. Most of the time the package is left open on the coffee counter for anyone to reach in and contaminate. We have to retrieve our own cookie because, again, we (the customers) would not want to inconvenience the deli employees by having to personally hand a cookie to a two year old who looks forward to it every grocery day. You know, the cookies that children are supposed to receive from the deli because that is what the sign over the deli says…children get a free cookie?

I walked up and down the aisles with two small children (one of which was screaming at the top of her lungs). Not once was I asked if I needed any help by the many Kroger employees that passed me by. Not one time. After making my way up and down the aisles trying to find our groceries I finally made it to the register. Here I found the ONE helpful gentleman in the entire store. He unloaded my buggy and was very kind. I think he may be in Customer Service as that is where I see him most of the time. I wish I had noticed his name tag but at this point I was ready to get out of the store.

My buggy is almost unloaded, one of my children is screaming at the top of her lungs and the other is talking to the cashier while I am trying to get out of Kroger as quickly as possible. The cashier never spoke to me except with the total of my bill. He never acknowledged my son when he spoke to him, when he handed him the Kroger card or when he took it back. A mere thank you to a 5 year old would be appreciated. The grocery bagger practically yelled at my screaming child to “STOP THE CRYING ALREADY” and then proceeded to act as if he had done nothing wrong. He raised his voice to a customer’s one year old child to stop crying? Do you think that is acceptable? He never offered to take out my groceries nor did anyone else. It was pretty obvious that a mother with two small children and buggy filled with $160.00 worth of groceries might need some help. Not one person offered any assistance. Not ONE!

My husband prefers to shop at Publix because of their service. Up until today, I have always preferred Kroger because of their location and prices. I have overlooked your lack of Customer Service but not anymore. When an employee raises his voice to my child, that is the last straw. From today forward, I will gladly pay a little extra on our groceries at Publix for the wonderful customer service they provide. As a rule I choose to treat others with kindness and respect. I expect others will do the same and that does not exclude the businesses that I choose to support. Why would anyone support a business that treats adults (and their CHILDREN) with such disrespect?

If you would like to know why Publix is now my preferred grocery store I’ll be happy to share it with you.

1. They greet customers with a smile and a hello—every day and every time I walk through the door.
2. The deli employees are attentive and helpful. When you ask them a question about turkey or cheese they know the answer. They ask you if they can help you with something else. They politely offer you samples of different deli items and then ask you (and care about) your thoughts.
3. The deli employees like children (or at least they do a great job of pretending). They secretly ask the parents (sometimes with a sign or a whisper) if a treat is OK. Then they joyfully surprise them with a cookie. A cookie that has been sanitarily retrieved from the cookie box with a gloved hand and new parchment paper. No extra germs or diseases from other dirty hands attached. From a mother of two who has enough germs at her house, thank you Publix!
4. I am always greeted by those in the produce and meat department with kind words and a helpful spirit. “Can I help you find something today?” is always heard from their employees.
5. Each aisle is well stocked. If ever I look puzzled about something it seems an employee always notices and asks if they can help me.
6. If I no longer have room in my cart for such things as bottled water or large packages of drinks, someone carries them to the front, watches for me to come to the registers and carries them over to my lane with my other groceries.
7. There is always someone to greet me at the register, help unload my groceries, speak politely to me, talk to my children and help carry out my groceries to the car.
8. They do all of the above without expecting me to tip them when they load the groceries into my trunk. In fact, even if you do offer to tip they will not accept it. It is their rule that Customer Service is #1.

Unfortunately, you have lost a customer who, up until today, spent a lot of money at your store. I am sure you receive letters like this all the time and could care less about my experience. One family taking their business somewhere else is pocket change to a corporation like Kroger. However, if you continue to treat customers with such disrespect we will not be the only family taking our business down the road.

Regards,
Mommy Womble
Proud wife of one, mother of two and previously loyal Kroger customer (who will be sure to tell all her friends about this experience)

(I don't think I have ever done this before so today was my first official complaint with a business--letter submitted to Kroger corporate this afternoon---I have much more to say about it but I have a million things to do--this serves as "telling all my friends about this experience"--more about the idiot who yelled at my child later)