Dear Large Retail Supermarket

Dear Large Retail Supermarket

By 'you', I am not referring to any one retail store in particular, these are general observations across various stores.

As a mother of two tiny tots, I have no issue with you providing me with Stikeez, knife sets or any other 'free' promotional item. There are a few other things that I would like you to consider (pretty please, with a Stikee on top).

I am sure you had the best of intentions when adding those super cool trolleys with the steering wheels that look like cars. My kids love them. Here's a few things though. I loathe them because they are bulky, heavy and nearly impossible to maneuver down your narrow isles where your workers are busy unpacking stock on a busy Saturday morning. If you are going to introduce them, please put more than two per store, there are usually more than two kids in your store at a time. Also, please maintain them so they still have their steering wheels attached, children tend to burst into tears when you give them a car with no steering wheel. Oh, and just a heads up- they should fit through all your till points.

Speaking of the till points, how do you expect your cashiers (many of which have sizable derrieres) to fit in those tiny gaps, wedged between trolleys and the till? I have had many a cashier move my trolley inadvertently because she shifted backwards just an inch. 

Another thing, why do you only have two tills open when there are thirty-five till points? Here's a thought- maybe you could build just half that number of till points to begin with, have them wide enough for customers and your cashiers to fit through and actually have them all operating simultaneously!

I must thank you for providing those trolleys with the baby seats at the top- they  were a lifesaver when I had a toddler and a newborn. Just a suggestion- is it possible to move the baby seats a little lower? I can't see over the top of them and I am sure my fellow shoppers are not impressed when I ram into them because I cannot see them. I am a little bit on the short side, but not unusually so. While we are on that topic, please could you place all your items within reach of all your shoppers of a reasonable adult height?

Now, can I have a word with you about those horrific isles of sweets as you queue for the till point? Now I have to listen to incessant nagging, begging and pleading for bags of licorice and gums. Then, when I tell my husband he can have some sweets the kids want some too.

One last thing... and this is a biggie. The items listed until now were minor inconveniences but this one irks me.  Do not mislead your customers. As a customer, I do not think that honesty and transparency are too much to ask for. 

When you lure in customers by advertising a huge special and then remove all stock of that item from your shelf, people are going to be a little bit peeved. When your 'special' price is the same, or even higher than your regular price, you are not fooling anyone. When you put stickers over packaging information relating to the questionable source of an item or the fact that items are genetically modified, you are losing the trust of your clientele. We are not idiots. Well, most of us, most of the time.

Thank you large corporate for listening to my mini rant.

Regards,

Jozi WAHM