Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

Kroger Makes it Right.

I received a call this afternoon that I was unable to get to. When I checked the *69, it was a number I didn't recognize. As I was dialing the number, my email alert let me know I had received mail from Kroger regarding my complaint.

I opened the email, and it was from the manager of the store where I had experienced the poor customer service. The manager, Jodi, stated that she would like to discuss the incident with me, and to call her at (lo and behold) the number I had just taken from my *69.

She was very unhappy with the incident that caused my complaint, explaining that she had been the manager at this particular store for only a few months and that this was not a type of behavior that she found acceptable. Between the two of us, me giving a description and her going through her employees on the clock at the time of the incident, we tried to determine who it might have been.

She apologized for the incident, and told me that she would mail a gift card to me, or if I preferred to have one at the customer service counter in my name. I opted for the customer service counter, because the hams I had originally wanted were still on sale, but would not be when the card would arrive.

So, I bundled the family into the car and drove up to Kroger. True to her word, the gift card was at the counter, and Jodi was busily sacking groceries for one of her cashiers. I introduced myself, we spoke for a few minutes, and I went off in hunt of my ham.

As I was making my selection, Jodi approached me to ask if I had found what I wanted, and to ask me if the young man who took my ham to slice it was the one from the prior incident. He was not, as he was much younger than the man I remembered.

We stood and talked a few minutes. I told her about Kroger's online comment page being down, and that I had used PlanetFeedback to make my complaint. She was curious about that site, and I believe that she will take a look at it. She also stated that she had read my post, since I had referenced it in my letter through PlanetFeedback.

As she was leaving to go take care of other issues in the store, she said that there were a couple additional people who may have come over from the deli that day to help out in meats. I agreed to go see if one of them may have been the one, but on "hanging out" at the deli counter, I never saw either one of them. Apparently they were busy in the back, or on break, as they never stepped out to the front.

Well, my ham looks great. The young man who sliced it for me cut it just as I wanted it and even wrapped it in three packages so that I can freeze two and leave one down for the next few days sandwiches or beans. He was very courteous and even endeared himself to Anna by offering her the trimmed off ends of the ham to nibble on while we waited.

Considering this must be the busiest day of a grocer's year, I was very impressed with the time Jodi took to talk to me, both on the phone and in the store, to resolve this and to make me satisfied with her handling of the incident. I truly believe that she will continue to work to find out who this person was and either re-train him in customer service, or take some sort of action, depending on his prior history as an employee.

I will certainly give the Kroger at 86th Street and Township Line Road another chance. I am certain that if I have any further disappointment with the service or quality in this store, I will be able to approach Jodi or her other managers and reach a suitable resolution.

Thank you, Jodi, for your time and for your dedication to providing a good experience in your store. I appreciate it greatly.

Posted by Mamamontezz at November 24, 2004 10:55 PM