Friday, August 26, 2011

Fry's Food Stores - Baseline and 48th Street Tempe, AZ - Response

So, the newest general manager of this store calls me today after I called their corporate headquarters yesterday. All the lady told me yesterday was that since everyone had gone home, she would forward it to the "right" individual to respond and that would be that. I pretty much expected to be reverted back to the store's manager.

This is my second "conversation" with her. The first one was through email and was questioning the deplorable condition of the parking lot with trash laying, literally, EVERYWHERE.

I explained what had happened yesterday with the old lady arguing with the customer service lady and the fact that she sent that lady to traipse around the store, finding whatever else she wanted to get and NOT taking care of any more customers during that interim.

This manager gave me an a-typical response, certainly unexpected and rather refreshing, actually. She went straight into how she had "empowered" ALL of her employees to deal with this stuff and not to let it hold up lines, that it wasn't more than $0.75 cents worth of stuff. In other words, that customer service rep should have, in that manager's mind, simply given her the sale price without having to go get the other 2 items and get the freaking line moving.

She went on about how she had had meetings with all of her staff and head trained them to simply give the customer whatever the sale price is versus holding up a line and making other customers made and potentially losing customers over 25 cents. I have NEVER heard this from ANY of the managers that have been shoved through that store in a 1 or 2 year training "program".

I then went on about how her assistant - they bring them to that store in 2's - a general manager and that person's assistant - had downplayed my statement that that customer service rep was glancing over at me, giggling and making fun of the entire situation. I simply stated that I thought it childish for that lady to be acting like that - the general manager agreed.

So, we'll see what happens.

Weekend is here. Still trying to get those rooms rented!.........though I am at least hopeful the one dude that said he was moving in today around 5ish is still a go. That's about an hour and a half from now...........

G'day.

ben

Friday 8/26/2011

Friday

This hurricane Irene situation is spelling out doom and gloom for a lot of folks. One would be my dad, who is in North Carolina right now for a reunion with his brothers and other family members.

The move-in date for the young guy was moved from yesterday to today. Whether that actually happens or not - who knows, it's Craigslist and people don't always do what they say they are going to do coming from that particular venue.

Had a guy over yesterday to look at the other room. He has too much baggage and I can't help him. Baggage as in 2 young boys and 2 dogs. Yikes!! From a business perspective, the rent would have to be high enough to cover the loss of other tenants because undoubtedly, the remaining one would be out the door and it would be terribly difficult to get any new tenants in. The guy has his own place, he can't afford it, apparently.

I am placing ads 1 or 2 times per day until the room is rented.

Friday is here, but the work week didn't seem that bad or that long.

Phoenix is going to start using a new system for voting. They are calling them voting centers. It "used" to be that you had to go to the right voting location for your address. If you didn't go to the right one, you would be directed to go to that facility, cause' you couldn't vote at any other facility.

Now, they have eliminated a lot of those facilities and opened up these voting centers throughout the city. You can go to any of these facilities and vote, you don't have to go to a certain one.

Sounds great, right? Big, big problem: the nearest facility to my house is 4-1/2 miles away. The voting facility I used to have to go to was a church only a few blocks away. The problem? How many people that don't have their own transportation are going to go that much out of their way to vote? What about people that simply think it's too far and not worth it. On and on. This will, undoubtedly, wipe out some percentage of the voting public that may have voted in the past - out of the picture.

What percentage? Who knows. The numbers will undoubtedly come out after the election is over. I have my doubts about this new system is all I can say about it. You don't want LESS people voting, you want as many people as you can get to the voting centers as possible if you want an election that has a majority of people speaking their mind through the ballot versus a small sector of the public doing it for everyone else.

Whatever. Company party tomorrow. Starts at 3:00. I'm going but won't stay long. Just show up, make the appearance and leave. I would take Caleb - I am sure he would love to play the games there and since they are free.......but he has to work. Of course and as always, the party is a 20 mile drive from my house. Only once has one of the parties been even reasonably close, even then it was still 15 miles away. The last one was some 40 miles away. lol.

G'day.

ben

 Sunday - early 20 minutes until departure time.  I don't much care for delivery on Sundays for it takes a while to get security to the ...