Given the difference between standard customer care, surprise customer care and delight customer care (refer earlier blog on Customer Care: Surprise and Delight), here is a real time experience during the week:

I need to buy some garments. I go to Woolworths, and being rushed, quickly make a selection. Why Woolworths: I enjoy the displays and frequent changes that Woolworths makes in its stores - it is bright, clean and interesting. I expect that of Woolworths, it is the standard for me.

The surprise was that the garment was priced in range with competitors, and in addition, the queue to the cashier was less than 30 seconds wait, and the cashier was friendly when I presented my purchase.

And here is the delight: when the cashier took the garment of the hanger, she looked at me, then at the garment, and most diplomatically asked: Ma’am, are you sure this size is correct. “Yes”, I said, “it is my size”. She discreetly put the garment on the counter and again said, “I am not so sure”. I had to agree, it looked way too big even though it was the size I usually take. She called the supervisor, who offered to fetch a smaller size, and when the latter arrived, it certainly looked “more my fit”.

Why was this delight: she cared enough not to make me go home, find the garment too big, and either donating it or returning it, only to receive the value from my buy much later or not at all. Well done Woolworths on excellent staff and great training.