STEW OR SQUAWK

There is a one-of-a-kind grocery store near Fairfax, VA called Wegmans.
They are headquartered in Rochester, NY, and several Wegmans are located on the East Coast. In all of my food shopping days, I have never experienced a store such as this. So, I wrote a letter to the owner in Rochester and told her how much I enjoyed my shopping experience. I added, “Rochester is so cold in the winter. Why don’t you move to Tucson? And, please bring your store with you!”

It’s a good thing to send compliments when kudos are deserved. However, I have also been known to express  complaints, but when I do, I go right to the top. Never mess with the middlemen!

Companies can ill-afford to turn a deaf ear to complaints. According to A.C. Nielsen Company data, that for every written complaint  one company received about its product, another 16 unhappy customers returned the merchandise directly to the store where it was purchased. Another 33 suffered in silence. However, when the customer was satisfied with the response to his complaint, twice as many bought the product again, compared to those who didn’t voice their grievances.

Companies can also uncover customers who use great latitude in interpreting  product directions. Rectal suppositories are not to be swallowed, powdered sugar is to be sprinkled on cookies after they are baked, and the plastic bag with turkey innards should be removed before the turkey is cooked. As Robin Williams said, “At Thanksgiving, my mother used to ask, ‘You want dark meat, white meat or plastic dip?”’

Although most people would rather stew than squawk, even the most reluctant among us are driven to action when it affects our pocketbooks. The decibel level of tax grumbling crescendos to epic proportions on April 15, and most gripes are leveled at the Internal Revenue Service. Of course, this is misdirected. The IRS doesn’t take our money—-Congress does!

So the next time you complain, to a dinner companion, at a restaurant, “My soup is cold!” Send it back!  

And, the next time members of  Congress promise to fix a problem, and they do not do so—-
Send them packing!

Esther Blumenfeld  (“Dogs bark, but the caravan moves) Arab proverb