Meteor Experience with H.E.B.’s Earth Day
Meteor Expereince with H.E.B.'s Earth Day 
I want to commend , give a slight reminder and a tiny tongue lashing for how your community social events can have a failure.
Having been a customer of H.E.B. for over 20 years (they are a Texas owned grocery company that is growing and I would like to see that continue) imagine my surprise and delight when I ran in to get my weekly food after a networking event before I headed back to the desk to work when I read they were giving away reusable shopping bags.
In tiny little print the sign said from 3-7 and I was there at 2. I shopped and thought oh well I am too early, then I walked out door and the table was set up for the giveaway. A lady named Hiram was talking to another customer and I asked “May I have a bag please?” (Yes, our Moma’s still raise us with manners in the south). She then informed me they were exchanging 5 plastic bags for the reusable one at 3pm I ask ” since it was 2:40pm do we have to wait in hot parking lot to exchange for one at 3pm?” She said “no I can do that for you now”. So I went to my car took out groceries from plastic bags and went back to exchange mine. What happened next was the meteor…
The woman proceeded to grumble loudly enough for me to hear her words, that if she gave them out early (a whole 20 minutes) they might not be enough for everyone. Well, I have two bits of news for her…
- ONE, there will not be enough for everyone-that’s unrealistic
- TWO, I am a customer and I am there now and you said you would
Is this how you want your customers to remember your events?
The point was to build awareness for Earth day and build good will for H.E.B.
Here was an opportunity that missed big time and whether business owners realize it, it does have a subconscious effect on your customers when they have a bad experience. What is sad is there was a golden moment for GREAT reinforced feelings for shopping their every week to hand me my bag and confirm my choice to be more conscious to bring a reusable bag every week and wish me Happy Earth Day.
H.E.B. Earth Day Bad Taste in Mouth
Instead I have a bad taste in my mouth for wanting to do a good thing.
How are you handling your community building efforts and events? Are you training your staff to remember it is all about the feeling you give your customers. Put on a BIG SMILE, say thank you for showing that extra step to reuse we love it, come back to H.E.B.
Kroeger do you see a gap you can fill here?
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