Do you remember your time B.C.? That is, before convenience? Before you became part of this industry of quick, friendly service and impulse buying? That once-naïve time comes into focus for me when I find myself explaining to an “outsider” why a store’s placement of the soda fountain might encourage (or discourage) a customer to also purchase a packaged drink vs. ordering foodservice. It’s that blank stare and dismissive reaction anyone gets when they repeat what the listener feels is the mundane details of their job.
I also find myself reflecting on my time B.C. each time we prepare our annual mystery-shop report. No doubt, any mystery shopper receives a level of training that makes them more informed than the typical shopper, but these folks aren’t trained in the details of conducting retail.
Were you given a pleasant parting remark when leaving the store? Was the merchandise clean and free of dust? These observational measures play to any customers interest in having a pleasant shopping experience.
Then there’s the store audit: Were all flavors on the fountain drink machine operational? Was the temperature in the dairy cooler within the range of 32-degrees to 41-degrees Fahrenheit? These are measurable questions that the typical customer takes for granted. If a preferred drink is out, if poorly kept sandwiches make a customer ill, you’ve just lost a customer, probably forever.
I remember an independent retailer who once spoke about the broken refrigeration in his cold vault with boastful pride. “I don’t know why, but beer sales have actually gone up since it broke!” he told me. Asked if he had a repairman coming out to fix it, he responded, “Do you know what that would cost me? No, I’m thinking I’ll just leave it for a while.”
Call it bad-apple syndrome, because this kind of attitude can spoil a consumer’s appetite for the entire convenience retail landscape.
Moving the Goal Line
Luckily, the retailers in our annual Mystery Shop survey, conducted by Intouch Insight, have always performed quite well. Yes, we court top c-store retailers to take part in the survey, and yes, they typically only agree to take part when they have a pretty good idea that they’ll perform well. But we offer them as benchmarks, something for the entire industry to aspire to.
This year, the results were so close, we actually had to extend the survey period a week or so to reach a statistical conclusion. And yes, our winner has taken home our Customer Experience Award multiple times. With such strong and consistent results, we’re talking about boosting the criteria of the survey next year to put a greater challenge to our participants.
It’s about always improving: us on our editorial output, to provide you the reader a stepped up level of retailing excellence to strive for.
And if you think your chain is ready for our annual Mystery Shop, let us know. We’re always happy to add a new participant to shake up the results.
Click here to read our complete Mystery Shop report.