It's heartbreaking when a brand and business you like and trust lets you down. Twice. So here I am, heartbroken. I've been a fan and loyal customer of Trader Jo's for a long time. In the past 3 years or so, I've done most of my weekly grocery shopping there, with only an occasional trip to Safeway for brand-specific items and items TJ's doesn't carry, like diapers.
However, twice now I've bought meat there (well, the first time it was fish -- just to be precise), gotten it home, only to discover it has gone bad before it's "sell by" or "use or freeze by" dates. The first time, I was willing to forgive and forget. No one is perfect. But not this second time. I will no longer buy meat or fish products there, and that's bad news for both of us: more trips to other grocery stores for me, which takes more time; and TJs will lose some of my business.
In reflecting on this episode, I was surprised and how truly disappointed I was that this happened. It's not the money (I'm sure I'd get a refund if I bothered to ask), it's being let down by a brand with which I have had a long-term relationship. I know some people have deep affections for their cars or their iPhones or other cool products. But a grocery store? Who knew!!
As a Product Manager, my take-aways from this episode are:
1) Quality control cannot be short-changed. I'm not sure what went wrong with TJ's meat handling operations, but given that we haven't heard of any large-scale food poisoning news stories, I suspect there are issues at the local store whereby some process isn't being followed correctly. Does anyone randomly test the meat (and other perishable items for that matter) to make sure it's still fresh while on the shelf?
In my previous jobs, I was fortunate in that the management teams understood the critical nature of QA and so we had a QA team. I know there are web and small software companies that do not. I've interviewed at places where the Product Manager is expected to QA the software. From a customer retention standpoint, that's taking your life in your hands. And is that really the best use of a Product Manager's time? Even if it's one lowly intern, someone needs to do QA - in software, at grocery stores, with any product.
2) The importance of having feedback loops for times when something goes amiss. In this case, I'm not likely to complain. So how would TJ's find out that that the was a problem and that they're about to lose a big chunk of a loyal customer's weekly budget (and have the opportunity to try to win it back, if they should care to try). Unless someone who reads this blog happens to work there or knows someone who does, they won't.
This one is a challenge. No one I know calls the 800 numbers on packages to complain when they have a problem with a product. Unless it's a larges-scale problem, it's unlikely to make the news (a relief to consumer product makes and sellers everywhere.) Other than returning clothing and shoes I've bought online, I cannot remember the last time I complained about any product or service with which I was dissatisfied. I simply took my business elsewhere. And how many consumers have blogs where they publish their frustrations, even if the producers or service providers are savvy enough to watch online chatter for feedback from their customers?
So how do you gather customer feedback when there's an issues with your product?
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I've never had any luck with TJs meats-- once I got a steak there that was literally green on the underside. Safeway's meat is not great either. I get ours at Costco-- the rate of turnover there is super-quick and the product is consistently high-quality.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar problem with the Whole Foods in Berkeley. Nearly every time I buy one of their containers of fresh fruit — the ones that are packaged in-store and sold at hefty mark-up for the "convenience" of being able to get something ready to eat, for example a container of pineapple chunks rather than having to buy an entire pineapple — I get home and discover that half the container is soured and fermented and bruised and gross. The watermelon chunks are a good example: half of them have turned gooey and even the ones that haven't have turned so badly they taste like a cross between a lemon and sour milk.
ReplyDeleteI also used to frequently get cartons of milk home and find they were bad. On one occasion, I found that the carton I'd bought had expired the month before! Was it my fault for not checking the date in the store? Perhaps. But why was that container still on the shelf at all? When I went back two days later to get a replacement carton, an employee walked back with me to get one (and to check the cartons in the case himself) and sure enough, there were several still sitting there that were well past their expiration dates.
I don't buy milk any more. And any other "fresh" food I get there is a total craps shoot.
i have complained. directly to someone holding a clipboard in front of the meat section. she listened, i ended by saying 'you know how scary it can be when meat is bad, right?' she said, 'yea, but i wouldn't know, i am a vegetarian!'
ReplyDelete-Julie