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Exceptional service is rare, but not extinct

During a recent trip to Lakeshore Learning Store in Lone Tree, Colorado, I debated which set of Giant Soft & Safe Dinosaurs to buy my preschooler for Christmas. I chose the set containing a pterodactyl. As I laid the package on the counter, the cashier, Pete, affirmed my choice, exclaiming,

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Service quality is high at Lowe’s

On Monday of this week I attempted to return a Price Pfister kitchen faucet purchased last year to Lowe’s Home Improvement store. The cashier, Karen, understandably denied my request citing Lowe’s 90-day return policy and the manufacturer’s 12-month warranty. (Although I no longer had the receipt, I estimated that 19

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Nordstrom is on the “Knotty” List

My local Nordstrom recently sponsored a Kids Shoe Tying Class where children worked one-on-one with a shoe department associate to learn the “secret trick” to tying a shoe. Afterward, children received a “Real Knotty Behavior” certificate and a balloon to recognize their newly acquired skill. This event illustrates seven simple

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Outliers are interesting

A blog reader recently shared this story: My family recently moved, but our kitchen was not completely finished. Making meals was difficult so we ordered take-out from a local New York Butcher Shoppe that offered a Wednesday meal special: basically $22 to feed a family of four to six, making

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Stop it!

In relationships that you have with important people in your life, if you routinely ignore complaints and devalue feedback, most therapists would label your behavior as dysfunctional—abnormal or impaired functioning. And they would prescribe interventions intended to influence behavior positively and reinforce healthy relationships. If this type of neglectful behavior

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If you want better customers, provide better service.

Earlier this month, I received the infographic below titled Customer Service from the Service Point of View from its creator with a request to provide feedback, which I did. I rarely appreciate articles that are written from the perspective of employees who feel entitled to deliver less than 100 percent—under

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Selling is serving

My 11-year-old son, Coleton, approached me about a fundraiser for his middle school. The students have two weeks to sell magazine subscriptions in order to raise money for the school and qualify for a variety of prizes themselves. Sensing that I may be receptive to a magazine subscription for his

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Unconditional service

Yesterday, while channel surfing for a college football game, I stumbled upon the reality show Undercover Boss. The episode featured Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s Chief Talent Officer, Lynne Zappone, going undercover at several Popeyes locations. At one restaurant, viewers meet a Popeyes maintenance employee named Doug who’s responsible for the location’s

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Poor service. Sound familiar?

Recently, I was approached by an employee of a community bank that has a branch inside my local Albertsons supermarket. He decided that it would be a good idea to use the 30-roll package of Charmin toilet tissue visible in my cart as a conversation starter, saying, “I can see

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