On Customer Service

[ttraub]

March 4, 2003

Today, I visited a Vitamin Shoppe in downtown Boston to pick up some of my favorite low carb Atkins bars and other goodies. I spent about five minutes studying the low carb food bar shelves, and then I went to the front counter and inquired of the clerk whether there were any more of a particularly luscious looking Carbolite chocolate caramel candy bar. The clerk, who was glaring at his computer terminal as though his dead great-grandfather were staring back at him from the screen, looked up and said, "If it's not on the shelf, then we don't have any."

This is the sort of answer that I have come to expect from the average under-motivated store clerk. Note his choice of words. He did not say that the store did not have any. He did not simply admit that he did not know. He attempted to put the ball back in my court by assigning me the task of thoroughly searching said shelf, thus absolving himself of any responsibility to assist me. He might as well have said, "Go to the low carb section and pull out all the boxes and look behind them. Look on the floor and behind the counter. After that, come over here and search for the item on this terminal to see if more are on order."

I replied, somewhat tersely, "I don't know if there are any on the shelf; I just didn't see any. I'm wondering if I missed them somehow, or maybe they're behind the other merchandise."

He then accompanied me to the shelf in question, which had many double-stacked boxes stored behind. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any of those delicious bars. "We don't have any more of those," he declared with a tone of finality. I had the impression he was relieved; this meant one less sale he would need to ring up.

"You mean, forever?" I pressed him. "Or are more coming in?" I'm one of those annoying types who don't give up easily when they have the serious munchies.

"More are coming in," he conceded. "They might even be here, just not unpacked yet." He did not volunteer a time estimate.

I purchased my other items and left.

March 6, 2003

Today I stopped at a General Nutrition Center and purchased several boxes of those fantastic Carbolite bars. I did not feel any particular desire to return to the Vitamin Shoppe, even to compare prices. Thus, they lost a bit of business. I am not saying I'll never go back, but I simply have no loyalty.