Toys R Us vs. The Grocery Store

Saturday Afternoon in NYC

For anyone who has ever visited Times Square and in particular, Toys R Us Times Square on a Saturday afternoon, I am sure you can fully appreciate the experience I had this past Saturday. We had friends in town and their kids wanted to hit the tourist spots of NYC. Even though I have lived in NYC and the surrounding area for 13 years, I absolutely love to see this amazing city through the eyes of a child. You just can't beat it! So with 4 children, 2 strollers and 2 very hungry men, we set out to visit mid-town Manhattan on a Saturday afternoon with all the other NYC visitors. When you live or work in NYC, you do your absolute best to avoid these places because it is just pure mayhem with the crowds, street performers and of course, traffic. However, as a tourist, this is the center of it all and you must mentally prepare for the experience. 

Our excursion included an up front view of the Empire State Building, a walk through Times Square, a 2 hour luncheon at Smith's Bar and Grill Times Square on 44th and 8th Avenue and then one final stop at Toys R Us for the kids. After stopping into this amazing store, the adults were wiped out and had little desire to add Rockefeller Center to the day. 

So what does this have to do with customer experience? 

Although it is free to walk around New York City, I absolutely see this as an experience designed by storefronts, architects and government officials. This was in my mind, welcome chaos and exciting. NYC knows how to entertain their guests and design a plethora of new ideas such that every time you come, you discover something new. 

Overall, NYC ... I rate you an A+.

I mentioned we stopped for lunch at Smith's Bar and Grill which was not overwhelming for a large group of customers including 4 children and 2 strollers. It was nothing spectacular and felt less like a tourist spot and more of a local hangout which is always nice for a Saturday afternoon. The food itself was pretty standard, nothing to complain about and nothing to write home about. The waitress was pleasant but the service was slow and the food came out in 4 different stages. By the time I had my food, I was completely over it. 

So overall .... I rate Smith’s Bar and Grill a C+.

Lessons Learned

• Fulfill on the promise. Being nice isn't good service. Good service is as simple as making sure everyone gets what they ordered when they want it. 
• When no one is complaining, that doesn't mean you should not make a goodwill gesture to overcome a service disruption. (i.e. The waitress could have offered a free drink or simply took the charge off of the bill for one food item.)

We ended our visit at Toys R Us in Time Square and all I can say is WOW! Walking into this place, we were greeted by photographers, a giant Ferris wheel and 100% pure chaos. The fact was that it was pretty organized chaos and our group had to rethink their strategy about how to procure a few simple toys. At this point, we split up and my husband and I and our 2 strollers attempted to take the elevator upstairs. We were met by a bevy of what seemed like the Hells Angels with strollers. A simple task of getting upstairs took a little strategy on our part but when the door opened; I soon realized it was totally worth it. 

Walking through the tight aisles, are toy magicians, showcasing a flying or spinning out of control object which they do this as if they were in the circus. Looking around at the toys, I soon realized that this store was full of products made exclusively for this store which made the experience a bit more entertaining vs. shopping at my local Toys R Us.

Toys R Us NYC: Jurassic Park Dino

Our three year old son was on a mission for either Buzz Light Year or Spiderman. While my husband was focused on the task, I focused my eyes on the amazement of the ceiling and the giant toys up in the air. I was so impressed and not at all concerned with getting tackled by exhausted and stressed out parents eager to get over to the check out line. 

When my son finally settled on Spiderman, my husband took the risk of getting into this line with the stroller but the cashier pointed to him and told him to cut the line. She explained that she wanted to make it easier since the physical space was tight. I thought this simple gesture was an extraordinary service moment and for any parent driving a stroller in a crowded store, you can attest to the significance of this moment.

Waiting in Line

So overall .. I rate Toys R Us NYC an A.

Lessons Learned

• Service Recovery is great but preventing a stressful or an unpleasant moment is even better. To do this, your service professionals need to open their eyes at every chance and be on it. They must be taught to look out for specific signs but also to think about moments of truth, where customers will define their entire experience in just one moment. Our visit to this store was described as chaos but the cashier did something to make the experience less chaotic.

My Average Grocery Store Visit at Shop Rite

Growing up in upstate NY, I was exposed to great grocery store experiences and most famous of these is Wegmans. Anyone who has ever stepped into one of their stores can tell you what is great about the shopping experience. Typically, when you walk into their stores you are greeted by their produce section which resembles a scene from a Broadway show depicting the farm life. The physical produce looks like it just finished a photo shoot for Bon Appetite. Hugging this section is an eclectic mix of specialty shops and of course an enticing bakery.

I could go on and on but what is worth noting is the fact the aisles are very large, the space is clean, the people that work there are very happy and will do whatever it takes to help you. In addition, they have what seems like 100 different check-out aisles and, did I mention the nice, smiling people behind them? It isn’t a mystery then, that Wegmans has been noticed for being a great place to work and for providing excellent customer experiences.

Living in NJ, I find that it is impossible to find anything close to this at my local grocery stores. I currently shop at Shop Rite and I have been to at least 3 different stores and they are all pretty bad. The only store I find close to the Wegman’s experience is Whole Foods, which of course has limited inventory.

So what is the issue with Shop Rite:

þ    Carts are either too big or too small and are always filthy

þ    Aisles are tight and products always seem to be scattered in random places.

þ    Stores seem dirty and overall the style is out-dated

þ    They need to open up more check-out aisles and introduce self-service

þ    The people can barely toss a smile your way

þ    You have to bag your own groceries otherwise you will be there forever

What I find even worse than this is that the customers, themselves, create a horrible experience. What we are talking about are grumpy people eager to run you over at every opportunity they get. This is very much unlike the Toys R Us experience, where the customers, albeit chaotic, were happy to be there and made the experience fun. This grocery store and many others in the area, must recognize that making their stores inviting will create happy customers who will be enjoyable to shop alongside of. The nicer the customers are, the more I am willing to shop there.

So overall ... I rate NJ Grocery Stores a D.

Lessons Learned

• Good energy can invite more business so invest in the aesthetics of your shops. Raise the bar on an average service experience by making it a destination where customers look forward to returning. Customers have choices, including shopping online, therefore to be ahead of the competition, you need to stand out. Price alone is not good enough.
• Happy employees make a routine shopping trip pleasant and inviting. To make employees happy, you have to reward happy behaviors and compensate employees to do so. This means investing in the employee infrastructure which means meaningful salary, benefits and awesome perks.