Faceless Corporation vs. Local Supermarket
By TheIrishClog
@TheIrishClog (985)
Ireland
March 10, 2012 5:11am CST
Here in our town, we used to have 2 main supermarkets, two of which are franchises (SuperValu and Mace) which have been around for as long as I can remember. Mace was family owned and run and we used to shop there when I was younger, but after a few years we started to shop in SuperValu as there was simply better value and more selection available.
In the last few years, Tesco has showed up in the town. Tesco is the faceless corporation. It's big, bright, clean, cheap and stocks almost everything you can think of. SuperValu is still there and going strong, but Mace has shut down this week, which is very sad.
With my work, we recently booked an inside table in Tesco to hand out leaflets and take bookings for our computer courses. They eventually put us half inside, half outside at the entrance where a sharp wind whipped around, blowing our leaflets everywhere and leaving us shivering, we didn't get a very warm welcome either.
A week later, yesterday, we got a table at SuperValu, the franchise supermarket owned by a woman we know personally. She gave us a warm reception, showed us where the canteen was and told us to make ourselves a coffee there. She refused to put us at the door as it was too cold "the wind would cut you out of it there". She put us at the end of the tills, nice and warm, even moved some of the displays to give us more room and better placement. The staff were very friendly and they did their best to point their customers in our direction.
It's convinced me to do more of my shopping in SuperValu when I can. They're more expensive but have good offers and their meat is better than Tesco. I will definitely make more of an effort for this local business, though I cannot afford to do my main shopping there.
How about you - have you had differing experiences between smaller franchise supermarkets and those that are seemingly faceless corporations? Where do you shop?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
12 Mar 12
Locally we have a FoodLion which is a corporate chain and we have a Carlie C's IGA which is a locally owned chain that covers a few counties. I always buy my meat from Carlie C's and I shop their specials as often as I can. I usually get a few odds and ends at the FoodLion when they go on sale cheaper but it is not too often.
@god_is_good (683)
• Philippines
10 Mar 12
It is wonderful when people show us some respect and warmth in how they deal with us. We feel that we are valued as humans and not just one of those customers whom they make money with. I am glad to know you've been accommodated and treated well in the supervalu supermarket. It means that they offer a super better value than the tesco you've been in.
In our dearly beloved city, we have a supermall which everything can be found. The stores have different owners and varying ways of treating customers. I found it good. The same with the other smaller supermarkets. What I don't like about these smaller supermarkets is the long lines going to the cashier. It takes more time before exiting because of the long lines compared to the super mall.
@TheIrishClog (985)
• Ireland
11 Mar 12
Thanks for your input god_is_good. SuperValu offers a better all round experience..
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
10 Mar 12
What an awful experience. That probably felt is wasn't worth even setting up your booth in the store if you were going to be uncomfortable, cold, and your literature blown everywhere every time the door opened. Reminds me of how Sam's club double books the Girl Scout troop last week so the kids had to be outside in snow suits and parents ran their cars by the enterance so the kids could hop in and get warm. (how they could afford wasting the gas I don't know) But it makes you wonder did they still feel like they were doing a good deed for the troop at that point?
I will say in your experience also to spend more money at SuperValu and tell people your experience of how the owner there went out of the way and you were not an inconvience on her unlike at other places.
1 person likes this
@TheIrishClog (985)
• Ireland
10 Mar 12
I definitely will be spreading the good word about the owner of the shop, we were touched by the warm reception we got.
The shop does have good special offers so I will certainly be making more of an effort to do a larger portion of my shopping there.
As for the scouts, that's terrible! I would have written a complaint and would find somewhere new to do it, that's an awful thing to do to a bunch of kids.
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