What Is Your Word?

Every now and then I do something rare in my life. I step outside my tried and true shopping routines and I go someplace different for my supplies.

This week it was time to venture beyond my trusted Ukrops and go to Walmart for groceries. Now, you have to understand, I have a philosophical dislike of Walmart and all it does to local communities and suppliers. I believe in capitalism and Walmart’s right to do business as they see fit but I also believe in my right to object to their business practices by spending dollars elsewhere.

Having said that, I wanted to see if the Walmart experience has changed in the time since I’ve shopped in one. One way for me to value a buying experience is to describe in one word how a place makes me feel. My one word for Walmart this time was…..

“poor.” That’s how it made me feel to shop there.

The only reason I could see for shopping at Walmart was that perception that prices were low and that low prices were driving factor in making a shopping decision. Nothing about the store, its goods, its people or its environment made me feel comfortable, cared for or anything more than a commodity. I felt like I was just a nameless, faceless drone going from overcrowded, messy aisle to aisle, picking the least objectionable choice of produce and canned goods. I never saw a worker cleaning up the clutter or removing the questionably-fresh produce.

Contrast that to my normal grocery store, Ukrops, where I feel like I’m a successful person who has numerous choices of quality foods, a customer who is noticed and valued by the staff and an environment that feels welcoming and appealing. The produce is locally grown and fresh. The aisles are wide and well-lit and there are numerous service providers to keep things nice and offer assistance. They even carry my groceries to the car for me so I don’t have to worry about carts banging my fenders while I’m in the store.

In one word, Ukrops makes me feel pampered. And I’ll go back unfailingly, regardless of the prices.

So, what one word do your customers use to describe the feeling they get from you? If you’re not sure, maybe you should start asking.