Barbarians at the checkout counter

I want my favorite cashier back.

Every day I go to the same grocery store for lunch.

It’s across the street.

There’s a buffet in the back I like, not just for the food but the ability to freely “build” my own lunch.

Over the past few months, drama has slowly played out at the checkout counters.

It started when the store introduced a new promotion:

Buy ten lunches, get one free.

You’d think I’d join.

But I hate keeping track of small things, like the flimsy stamp cards the cashiers were offering.

When the first cashier offered me one, I said, “No thanks.”

The next day, it was the same thing but with a different cashier.

This went on for weeks.

Until one afternoon one of the cashiers said, “I see you here everyday. Why don’t you get one? You’ll save.”

I explained my problem with “small things,” then promised to join if the store tracked each lunch, instead of me.

She said her point-of-sales software tracks purchases, not shoppers, then gave me my lunch for free.

“Wow. Thanks,” I said.

As I left the checkout area, I thought about how irrational I must have seemed to her before our conversation.

She repeatedly watched me walk away from $15.

Have you ever felt in-the-dark about what your customers really want?

Ever struggled to know why shoppers don’t join, subscribe, or buy more, like the cashier?

People resist all kinds of things that appear to benefit them.  

• Diets & exercise

• Software updates

• Safety demonstrations

• Family gatherings

But sometimes what seems “irrational” to others is just a personal preference.

I go to the buffet everyday because I like the control.

Instead of standing in a line, listing out ingredients from behind a glass divider, I serve myself.

We can’t travel in time like Quantum Leap or Scrooge to understand exactly what people want and why.

But we can ask them questions in a way that reveals their preferences.

My conversation with the cashier is a good example of what you’ll get from booking a $45 Survey Roast: insights and opportunities you can profit from.

Click the link below, and we’ll get going.
 

https://www.sammcnerney.com/45-dollar-survey-roast
 

I’d love to help,
Sam

P.S: There’s a sad ending to my story. After that conversation, I got a free lunch every 10 days or so. Then the cashier (who turned out to be the owner) left to manage their other store…