Word-of-Mouth

I've been thinking a lot about word-of-mouth marketing in the past day or two. Here's a perfect example. Costco, Trader Jo's, and the independent businesses mentioned should be pretty happy. This also frustrates me to no end because I love Trader Jo's -- kid friendliness being just one reason -- but the meat thing means fewer trips there and more trips to Safeway.

I have to believe that TJs knows that it has many advocates (or Promoters in marketing-speak) in parents, hence the kid-sized shopping carts, balloons, and baby cooing by clerks who in some cases don't look like they would be interested in babies. The importance of kid-friendliness hasn't escaped Safeway either. The stores have the car-front shopping carts to entertain (and contain) the kids. And of course there is the obligatory "Do you need help out today, ma'am?" (Hint: no one under the age of 80, that I know, likes to be called "ma'am.") The staff is frinedly enough and my baby gets the occassional coo. So why aren't parents more enthused about Safeway, myself included?

Anyone?