Props to Giant’s Customer Service

A reader sends a great experience he shared with yelp about the Columbia Heights Giant:

Look, you’re not on yelp to look for a review of this grocery store, because you know what to expect when you go into any chain supermarket; that’s how these stores are designed. The effusive purple and yellow of Giant is ubiquitous; it permeates the aisles, the uniforms, and the signs throughout the store. You know where to find jelly, magazines, and the occasional rib-eye (but only if it’s on sale). You have your Giant card memorized and can probably find seven different means of egress in the event of a fire. Sure, each individual store is different: longer lines in some places, uninformed staff in another, but if you need groceries, and this joint is within walking distance, you’re going here, because the entire neighborhood does. Now, this isn’t the best stocked Giant I’ve ever been to, nor are the deli workers particularly fast about their meat slicing, but I am writing this post specifically to relay a story of customer service done right.

Continues after the jump.

I recently moved to Columbia Heights after a four-year stint in Dupont, and had been sleeping on a full-size mattress that was about as comfortable as steel coils covered in gossamer strands of cat hair and spiderwebs. After four months of tossing, turning, and maneuvering myself between two springs, I broke down and bought a mattress at Sleepy’s – its proximity to my new residence being a huge factor. I was waiting for a friend to help me carry it to my place (now, before you ask “Why didn’t you just get it delivered to your door?” keep in mind that home delivery is $99 and showroom delivery is $29) when I received a text that he would not be able to make it. My best Ultimate Warrior impressions failed when the mattress dropped directly on the top of my head. The four-block walk would be nigh impossible, so, I went to search for a dolly.

I went into Giant and explained my situation to the manager. After asking me why I just didn’t get it delivered to my house, he called over an employee stocking strawberries in the front of the store and had him fetch a U-Cart (those dollies with the handles that look similar to the ones porters use in high-class hotels like The Radisson). This employee walked with me to Sleepy’s, helped me load my mattresses, brought my mattresses to my stoop, and helped me carry them into my place. All the while, I thought back to what the manager had said moments after I explained my peculiar predicament to him, “Well… we’re understaffed tonight, but let me see what I can do…”

Sure, there will always something to complain about, because this is a grocery store, and customers don’t always treat everything with care, but this situation not only made my day, but was a great example of how communal Columbia Heights is, and what good customer service can do for a store’s image.