When The Circus (My Kids) Enters Your Store

Have you ever taken your children on a shopping trip that turned into a bit of a circus?  Did the employees at that establishment leave you feeling unwelcome?  As a parent, I know this feeling all too well.  A simple ten minute stop and go trip turns into a flurry of dancing and spinning in the aisles and grabbing and touching everything in sight.  Forty minutes later it looks more like a hair pulling, mind draining errand.

It is during those times when I notice the type of customer service a store is providing.  Sometimes, it only takes a friendly smile or a pleasant conversation directed towards my children to satisfy me as a customer.  Knowing that the employees of that establishment acknowledge their presence in a good way instead of casting disapproving glances makes all the difference.  All the stress of what might go wrong during the outing melts away when I know my children are a welcomed guest/customer.  For this reason alone I have shopped at the same grocery store for the past three years.  The employees that work in our store’s produce department have come to recognize my family and instead of irritation over the tiny hands grabbing fruits and veggies, I am only met with smiles and pleasant conversation.

Today I spoke to one of our customers while she was Christmas shopping.  In the background I could hear children screaming and laughing.  Instead of being annoyed with the background noise, I laughed and continued our entire conversation with a smile.  She may never know this, but the sounds of her children brightened my day and my acceptance of their noise and craziness may have set the stones in place to build a long lasting customer relationship.

This is a guest post by Danielle Lopez