I've been reading about creating value for customers and it got me thinking about a place that was a fixture of my youth. How many kids do you know who are excited to go to the grocery store? Probably none. But every kid where I grew up was.
I grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is a medium-sized Southern city with deeply traditional roots and a modern, creative future. During the Civil War, as the North approached the Confederate capital, Richmonders burned the city to the ground rather than let it be taken by them Yankees. Needless to say, we can hold a serious grudge and expect an exceptionally high level of decency and courtesy.
I grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is a medium-sized Southern city with deeply traditional roots and a modern, creative future. During the Civil War, as the North approached the Confederate capital, Richmonders burned the city to the ground rather than let it be taken by them Yankees. Needless to say, we can hold a serious grudge and expect an exceptionally high level of decency and courtesy.
Now, back to those grocery shopping kids. Why did I and all my friends happily join in the weekly chore of buying food? Two words: Free cookies. Happy kids are certainly valuable to a parent in need of dinner supplies...but a free cookie is probably not enough to get a busy mom to pull that minivan into the parking lot, especially considering Ukrop's is in no way an inexpensive grocery store. Cheaper options existed...Food Lion, Safeway, etc. But I can't say I know anyone who shopped there. Ukrop's even had a few deeply inconvenient quirks...such as no alcohol was sold and stores were closed on Sunday. So how did Ukrop's corner the grocery market in Richmond so absolutely? I have a couple of ideas...all of which are based on a company-wide dedication to customer service.
1) The Ukrop family. Ukrop's was family-owned and operated. We all felt we knew the family. The patriarch, Joe Ukrop, infused the store with his personality and the entire Ukrop clan followed suit. Granddaughters Nancy and Jacquelin worked every job in the store--from operating the check out to restocking food to slicing deli meat. Grandson Rob was a local hero. He played soccer for the Richmond Kickers, gave motivational speeches at local high schools, and was (in?)famous for whistling and skipping. Ukrop's sponsored local Race for the Cure events and made an effort to hire as baggers folks who might otherwise have trouble finding work. They were everywhere and always in a positive, community-focused way.. Which brings me to point 2...
2) The checkout. I know; you're thinking, "really...the checkout?" It's easy to be skeptical, but I have to say, one of life's secret luxuries was the Ukrop's checkout process. You placed your purchases on the conveyor belt...and then you didn't touch them again until you got home. While the cashier scanned, the bagger carefully loaded your items in the signature brown Ukrop's bag (with extra strong handles and the logo, of course) and placed them on his or her cart. There are NO stray shopping carts in the Ukrop's parking lot. Why? Because your kindly bagger will not allow you to bear the weight of your own grocery bags. He or she will walk you to your car, load up your trunk, and wish you a great day...all with a smile. And you will head happily on your way, complete with the calm certainty that comes from never having had an egg broken or a banana bruised in transit in a grocery bag.
3) The pharmacy. Nicest. Pharmacists. Ever. Everyone was nice at Ukrop's. But it is hard to find a great pharmacist these days, so the exceptionally helpful folks at Ukrop's were particularly memorable.
4) UVC cards. Valued customer cards are common now, but when I was a kid this was pretty big news. My mom was particularly fond of the UVC perk that allowed you to accumulate a gas discount at a local service station based on how much money you spent each month on groceries.
5) Ready made dinners. Right by the checkout there was a case that contained every parent's last stop...that night's dinner. Each bag was identified by number of people it would feed and main dish. Each day of the week had a special. Wednesday was rotisserie chicken, I believe. One of my favorites, alongside London broil. You could buy the components separately (corn pudding, rolls, Rainbow Cookies). But that pre-organized bag was like mana from heaven after a long day.
6) Let's get back to cookies. I love Ukrop's Rainbow Cookies. My mom used to buy the biggest box of Rainbow Cookies that Ukrop's had to offer for me to take back to college every time I was home visiting. Unlike at some stores now, where you can sometimes find a self-serve stash of free cookies in a container somewhere, we kids actually had to talk to the bakery worker to get our cookie. But it was sooooo worth it. Any kind of cookie you wanted. All you had to do was ask politely, and it was yours.
The Ukrop's bakery was so popular, that when, in 2009, the family finally sold the chain of local stores to a multi-national (Ahold...make sure you pronounce the "d." You know we made some serious jokes about that one...I'm sure it's not as funny in Dutch), the buyer insisted on getting the family bakery recipes in the deal. While the stores have been renamed Martens, the bakery remains the Ukrop's Bakery, complete with info sign on the family tradition we all miss so much.
So Ukrop's is now Martens. A great tragedy. Had Martens kept the beloved Ukrop's traditions, I think we'd be talking about Martens with the same loyalty and joy we now reserve only for our beloved, bygone Ukrop's. The Rainbow Cookie recipe may be the same....but the employees don't have the same delight in their eyes when they see you, the bags don't make their way to your car under the careful watch of retirees, and the London broil is just not as good. If I could give Ahold one piece of advice on how to get its customers back from the new Krogers and Whole Foods that have appeared in Richmond since the buyout, it would be the same two words I've heard all my life from countless Southerners....Do Right. Doing right by your employees, your customers, and your community goes a long way anywhere, not just in the American South.
