Upset Shopper

For people who love shopping, any kind of shopping can bring happiness. And in most cases for shopaholics it does not matter what they are going to buy: a car or a bar of chocolate. That is why small grocery stores can also bring a lot of happiness and lot of positive vibes. The most important thing is not to make a mistake while choosing a retail grocery store. There are some places that can spoil you even an innocent process of buying a candy. That is why you have to choose any store attentively and do not let you get into some places where the employees would treat you badly. Kroeger, for example, is a great grocery chain. But…

Company profile. Kroger is an American retail grocery chain. The company was founded in 1883. At the present time, Kroger is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company operates more than three thousand supermarkets all over the country. It also operates multi-department stores under such local banners as Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Dillons, and many others. Kroger is considered to be one of the largest retail grocery chains in the United States. Ralphs is among the most famous Kroger department stores. There is a special Ralphs Club for Ralphs customers. There is a special Ralphs Card that allows customers to save on Ralphs private labels.

Kroger complaints. Many incidents have been reported by individual customers who described less than satisfying experience with Kroger’s customer services. There were a lot of examples. Some customers spent hours on the phone trying in vain to fix simple problems. And finally there was no one who could help them. Some people even wrote about Kroger’s customer service quality in their blogs and websites. In the past years, American Customer Satisfaction Index survey found that Kroger had rather bad customer satisfaction rating, including the Internal Revenue Service. And the company’s customer service has not improved since the surveys began several years ago. Analysis of the surveys states that Kroger is one of the lowest scoring companies in American Customer Satisfaction Index. Why does it happen? Maybe this company is already strong enough and it does not need its customers to be satisfied with products and services provided by Kroger. Even without this satisfaction, the company can do well financially. On the other side, grocery retail is a business that reflects the moods of consumers. If the company was really that bad at customer services, they would get broke.

Publix Super Markets is well known as a chain of large self-service stores selling foods and household goods. The company operates in five states only, but in these states it compete with such a giant of retail as Wal-Mart. And the customers love to shop for groceries there. From the very beginning, Publix stores were built to satisfy the customer and the founder made his best to make his stores offer the best services to the customers. That is why Publix Super Markets overcame all the troubles all keeps on thriving. This article is dedicated to the company.

Company overview. Publix Super Markets, Inc. is a chain of American supermarkets. The company is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Publix Super Markets was founded by George W. Jenkins in 1930. At the present time Publix is an employee-owned corporation. Publix Super Markets was named as one of the largest private companies in the United States. The company operates in five states that include Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Publix Super Markets owns its own brand manufacturing facilities. These facilities produce dairy, deli, bakery, and some other products. The tagline of the company is: It has been our pleasure.

Short history of Publix Super Markets. The very first Publix was opened by George W. Jenkins in Winter Haven, Florida. It was in 1930. Five years late, Jenkins opened his second market in Winter Haven. His strores were successful even during the Great Depression. In 1940, the founder of Publix decided to open a supermarket, the first in Florida. To make the supermarket very popular among the customers, it was equipped with air conditioning, cold cases for frozen food, in-store donut and flower shops, and electric-eye automatic doors. The company flourished and Jenkins bought All American food store chain. In 2001, Publix Direct was launched to enter online grocery market but it failed and in 2003 Publix Direct was shut down.

Publix controversies. Notwithstanding a very strong position on the market, the company has experienced some problems with the customers and employees. In 1997, there was a class action suit filed by female employees of the company. It concerned gender discrimination. After the lawsuit has been settled, the company paid millions of dollars in damages to its female employees. Besides, there was a lawsuit filed against the company that alleged that Publix Super Markets polluted the property of the other company by dry cleaning chemicals.