Meijer's new small-store format in Niles, Illinois, could open door into urban neighborhoods | - MLive.com

For those consumers who can’t find what they are looking for, there is a kiosk online where they can order from meijer.com for home delivery.

via mlive.com

Meijer would be wise to consider free ship-to-store as an option. People could order online, have it shipped to the store, pick it up and buy other merchandise while they are there. This would expand the inventory offered without having to carry it on shelf. Consumers will also like saving on shipping costs.

Large items could be shipped direct to consumer to save them the hassle of transporting. This would be especially useful to urban dwellers that use public transportation.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

WHERE DO YOU SHOP FOR GROCERIES?

 

For some people it is about price. For others it is about location. Some people even look for superior service. Each of these is a tactic that may be employed by a retail business to create customers.

Near where I live, Kroger dominates the area with four stores that are closer than any competing [food] store. CVS is a bit closer in two instances. Could one really shop for most groceries at a CVS? If one had very limited needs it is possible. For the 99.999% rest of us, we will probably have a supermarket or supercenter that serves our grocery shopping needs.

Location [access] is the biggest reason I shop Kroger for groceries. Each of the four stores is on a major road all within 1.5 miles of home. No matter which way I am coming from, there is almost always a Kroger to be found on the way home.

Where do you shop for groceries, why?

*THE FINE PRINT

 

On Monday Caribou Coffee has a promotion of coffee for a dollar.

Today I found out it is only for the dark roast. Usually the dark roast is what I order. The past few visits to Caribou have included purchases of dark roast coffee. Probably one of the last three visits was on a Monday for the dollar special.

For whatever reason when asked if I’d like light or dark roast, I selected light. As the transaction was being rung, that’s when I found that the promotion is only for the dark roast.

Instead of paying one dollar, the total with tax came to $2.23. That’s the regular price and I was a bit disappointed to not get the Monday Special.

It’s experiences like these that drive consumer cynicism. When there is a deal, there is almost always a catch. If the actual deal was better communicated, I would not have been less than delighted on this visit. The order would have been for the regular dark roast if getting the deal was that important.

Certainly this is not enough to drive me to exclusively to Starbucks. It will certainly give me pause before I have to make a choice between Caribou and the Starbucks just a few doors down.

QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT

How many customers have had a less than delightful experience at a retail business?

What should a business do to prevent service failures from happening?

How can firms better communicate what the deal is and includes?