On the day of Christmas Eve, my co-worker Brian Sumpter informed me that I had a headlight out on my car. It was pouring rain and I had a three-hour drive ahead of me after work to join my children for the holiday.
I was grateful to see a Lakeport auto parts store open and without hassle was able to purchase a front driver”s side headlamp for reasonable cost.
There were a few odd shaped screws that I was not equipped to remove to replace the part.
“Sorry Ma”am, our insurance doesn”t allow us to change those,” the employee said. He was quite kind and said that if I were around when he got off of work, he”d be glad to change it on his own time, free-of-charge. I thanked him and drove down the street in hopes of finding a shop open.
Airport Auto service department showed some signs of life so I pulled in. I explained that I needed the part installed. He asked why I didn”t ask them to do it at the store where I purchased the part. I explained the insurance quandary. Without any fanfare another man stepped out into the rain and quickly had the light in place.
“You should clean your battery cables too,” he advised me without looking up from under hood of my car. He said that my car may not start if I didn”t do that soon. I approached the counter to pay. The man said “no” and simply motioned for me to be on my way.
It was then that I realized the insignificance of icons and logos meant to gain consumer trust.
Back in the day I would see the Craftsman sign and feel a warm fuzzy security that assured me, “If this breaks, they”ll replace it immediately.”
I remember how disheartened I was when the company started adding exceptions, to the point that I simply walked away as a customer.
As Jim Croce sang, “Your silver tongue has turned to clay and golden rule to rust.”
Once large chain businesses saw this formula and insisted that customer service was at the heart of the success or failure of any business. There are a number of reasons for the philosophy failing. The plastered smiles often seem contrived. Rehearsed monotone dialogue is insincere.
People who work for low wages and have employers who don”t know or care about them are understandably not too vested in the formula that is created to make the rich more rich.
The difference is genuine folks do the right thing because they are well ? genuine.
I would not want to imply that once a business reaches a certain level of success that it should not expand and grow. Ben & Jerry”s was a small operation once. Ben & Jerry”s is huge now but offers employees a progressive benefits package “that includes the usual stuff plus paid family leave, health club memberships and three free pints of Vermont”s Finest super premium ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbets every day! Ben & Jerry”s Homemade, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to the policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin.”
So here”s a corporation that cares for the many employed with them as well as the world Aside from the ice cream as a cool refreshing treat, here”s a cool and refreshing fact about Ben & Jerry”s: The company “signed on to the CERES Principles, affirming our belief that business has a responsibility to the environment and should uphold a set of aspirational principles. Whether it”s in sourcing ingredients, supporting non-profit organizations, or using our ice cream to help better the environment, we think it”s important to lead with our values.”
Ben & Jerry”s is a company that an employee could feel good about on many levels, including personal.
There”s not a bundle of that good feeling going around right now.
With the rise and fall of the economy big business changes how business is done.
But big business will never comprehend what it means when Sumpter and I have had a long day at the office and after work step into the Clear Lake Club for a red wine for me, a Corona for him and Ellen has it set out already with snacks and a smile.
Mandy Feder is assistant managing editor/night desk for the Record-Bee. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 ext. 32. Opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lake County Record-Bee or its management.
