Was I really chased down for my cart Publix?

That's kind of creepy. With people dressing as cops and whatnot to
mug people in some places, who knows if someone is dressing up when
they say they will follow you to your car for a cart or something.

Someone else told the OP to let it go, but I think she did a good
thing letting the store know if that bothered her that much. I'd be a
little bothered too if I was walking with my kid to my car and someone
said they were going to walk with me to my car just for a cart someone
else wanted. You never really hear a cart person or cashier say that
so it sounds kinda strange.

I feel sorry for the store employee. I think she was trying to please
a customer but unintentionally displeased another in the process. I
think the OP should just let it go.

Did the employee actually run you down, or did they approach you at
your car? I'm just curious.

On a seperate note, how old is your child that you are comfortable
leaving him/her in the car as you stroll the cart back to the store? I
have cousins that are 5, and I don't leave them alone in the car to
take the cart back to the store, far too many things can go wrong.
Which leads me to another point, how long does it take you to put your
purchases in the car? The longer you are in the parking lot,
preoccupied with loading the more are risk you are for mugging, etc. I
always rearrange my bags inside the store, tying some shut if need be,
load quickly as I possibly can, and get on my way.I am not a paranoid
freak, but that is the times we live in. Where I live parking lot
muggings are becoming more and more common, broad daylight, good
neighborhood, doesn't matter. The "better" stores in "better"
neighborhoods are where the theives are hitting. If I were shopping
alone with a small child, I'd gladly accept a walk to my car and
assistance, just for the safety of it, not to mention the convience of
not leaving kiddo unattended in the car while returning a cart.

I think all the employee was trying to do was provide the excellent
service you say you like for the customer waiting for the special
cart. I don't think it was their intention to bother you. To each
their own but this would have not bothered me.

If this becomes a repeated issue maybe drop a comment card or speak to
the store managment about possibly purchasing more of the special
carts since they seem to have a high demand for them.

Off topic, but what does bother me is the people that wait while you
are loading stuff into your car so they can have your parking space
when you leave. Lets just say I take my time :)

First off, these novelty carts can't be cheap. If lost, the cost hits
the bottom line and translates to higher prices passed on to the
customer. Although, I would have been perturbed I think the worker
handled it with a sense of professionalism to the best of her ability
without suggesting an ulterior motive.

I've been looking at this for what seems like days (even though it's
only been one), and I can't make up my mind. It's a good letter, but
I'm not sure about writing a complaint.

The one thing I agree on is that I don't like when a cart collector
follows me to my car. I put the bags on the back seat, and if I don't
arrange them properly, the contents are all over the floor by the time
I get home. So I don't want to be rushed or have someone standing
over me. I don't complain about it though because I know they're just
trying to be helpful. If an employee actually chased me to my car
asking for the cart, I think I would tell them that I would leave it
in the cart return when I was finished, and they could pick it up
there. I would ask them to please not stand next to my car and wait
because it would make me feel rushed. I think a rational person would
understand and back off.

In this case, I think it was probably a one-time thing and not
something that happens all the time. The employee probably wanted to
grab the cart before someone else did. It's too bad she didn't look
around first to see if there were any other carts available. I'm
surprised she didn't think of that.

While feedback is good, and this letter is certainly well written, I
don't think I would have sent it. If something like this happened
again, then I would be more motivated to complain. But, Casmly, I
don't see anything wrong with writing the letter, especially the way
it was written. It's been a long time since I went shopping with a
child, so I also want to say that if I had to deal with that too, I
might feel differently. In fact, I would definitely be more annoyed.

This has actually happened to me, but with regular carts, not just the
special ones. There are a couple of baggers/cart collectors that are
challenged, and though they mean well, they will sometimes stand
behind me while I unload my groceries and ask if they can have my
cart. I always tell them that I will put the cart away after I am
done, that I will be a minute putting in my groceries and my kids.
Sometimes they leave me alone, sometimes they still hover. I just go
about my business. If they are still around when I am done, I pass the
cart over to them.

You shouldn't have rushed. I would have told the girl "Fine, but I am
going to be a minute", and then just taken your sweet time putting the
groceries in at your lesiure. She can't make you hurry up. You allowed
your self to feel rushed.
Had she continued to badger you for the cart, then you could have told
her to go look for another one.

Be glad they aren't like one of my local grocery stores. They don't
let you take the car carts out of the store, so when you are done
shopping the put your groceries in a regular cart and you have to
transfer your kid into the other cart.

I would find this irritating as well, not letter writing irritating,
but speak to the manager irritating. However, it's certainly your
choice to handle this as you see fit which, in this cases is writing a
letter.

From your replies, it seems they are taking this complaint seriously,
as they should. Even if it just results in a short talk with the
employee about why this was not the best way to handle this
situation.

I had a problem at my local supermarket. When gathering up the carts
in the lot, this one employee would "stage" them in the handicapped
parking spots thus eliminating a spot when there are only 4 to begin
with. I spoke to the manager about this and the practice stopped.

As was pointed out by PlanetFeedback below, yes, I've had time to
"cool down". It's been almost exactly a day now and I'm still as
annoyed with what happened as I was yesterday. Obviously I realized
this wasn't something to make a scene over, I didn't say anything to
the employee as I knew she had a customer waiting. But, as I left in
my car I became more and more annoyed with the fact that I had chosen
to go into Publix and spend my money there. There is absolutely no
reason I should have been chased out the door by an employee for my
cart and I should most certainly not have been told that there was
another customer waiting on the cart. I felt that this situation was
much the same as a waiter handing me dessert then immediately telling
me he'd clear the table so the next customer could have it.

If my letter had been written in anger as many of you suggest, I would
not have taken the time to compliment them on all of the good
experiences I've had with them. I would not have acknowledged the
fact that I believe the employee thought she was doing the right
thing. Believe me, I've seen plenty of letters on here that were
written in anger and mine isn't one of them.

I was called by Corporate yesterday and they called back this morning
to ask for a local number so that the manager here could call me. I
politely declined to have him call me and explained to the woman that
my intent was to simply make them aware of the situation. I do not
believe it was ok to make a customer feel as if they are being rushed
out the door to make way for a new customer.

Why didn't you point out the available car cart to the employee who
followed you to your car? Perhaps she didn't notice it because she
was worried about the customer who wanted your cart so badly. My
guess is the customer who wanted your cart was very demanding, and
rather than have a scene in the store, the employee said she would
wait on you to finish with your cart. I have had to follow people out
to their cars many times for those electric wheelchairs because people
get so nasty when there are none available. Sure, the employee could
have told the other customer to make do with what was available, but I
imagine that would have become an ugly scene, just like it would be if
I told people to make do and use the regular wheelchair we had
available instead of the electric ones.

Maybe you should be glad the employee took it upon herself to go out
there. If she had not, maybe that customer would have followed you
out and then you would have really felt rushed and annoyed.

I have customers that come in my store everyday and complain about
something trivial.

The top two best ones are:

The store is too big.
The shelves are too tall.

If the store shelves werent that tall, the store would be even
larger.

Sometimes you just let them go in one ear and out the other, and laugh
about them later.


Good Day

I think you are correct in your assumption that the employee thought
she was doing the right thing. She was trying to be helpful to another
customer who wanted the cart, and it would also have saved you the
trouble of returning it. I can also see how it might have been a
little annoying (I don't think it would have annoyed me, but that's
just me). But couldn't you have simply told the employee "I'll bring
it back when I'm done?" It would have (hopefully) given her a cue to
back off, and saved you the annoyance of having her stand over you
waiting for the cart.

Sometimes we really need to wait to write a letter of complaint...this
is one of them.

Had you waited and written this a few days afterward you would see
that you over reacted to this incident.

This employee did two things for two customers...she was going to take
the cart back for you and then give it to another customer waiting for
it.
If anything I would be thanking her for what she did as it saved you a
trip to the cart corral.
Instead you acted as if she was stalking you throughout the store and
then pounced on your cart before you could get your groceries out of
it.

I would think seriously about recinding this complaint and instead
write a letter saying you over reacted and realized that this employee
was instead giving good customer service.

I read your letter three times trying to see what made you upset
enough to write. I'm still looking for the answer.
I shop at Publix in Boynton Beach. I have never found another
supermarket that treated their customers as well. Every employee I
have encountered, has been friendly, helpful and courteous.
Did the employee tell you to hurry up? Did they physically chase you
out? Did they stand over you in an intimidating manner? It sounds to
me like they were simply helping a customer who asked for assistance.
You are totally over reacting. Hopefully the party receiving your
letter will not try to change the wonderful qualities of Publix
employees.

My first reaction when I read this letter was "Oh for the love
of...why is this such a big deal?" But then I re-read the letter and
your responses, and I see where you're coming from.

And I think this would've bothered me too. If it had been just me, I
probably wouldn't have cared that much. But if I had my son with me, I
wouldn't necessarily want someone hovering over me while I tried to
unstrap Mr. Toddler from the cart then tried to strap him into the car
seat, unload my groceries without all my junk tumbling around in the
trunk, etc.

I think there was probably better way to go about this then chasing
you down the parking lot (like a stalker).

she hadn't have run out of the store at me, then told me there was a
customer waiting. Sorry, but in my mind I envision the customer
inside looking at her watch, tapping her foot, waiting for the cart.

I know that shopping and unloading groceries with kids can be a pain
in the butt sometimes which is why I changed my viewpoint on your
letter. I would've felt pressured to hurry, and hurrying is hard
sometimes with kids.

Just a general question: had you been by yourself, would you have been
as annoyed?

Those things are filthy. Do you really trust that they clean them?
They are germ magnets for little kids.

I hate those stupid "kiddie carts" They are always broken somewhere
(seats, belts, etc.) or they are outright filthy and to be honest,
they are a pain to try and manuver in the aisles because they are so
enormous!

But regardless, I know it was annoying, esp. given the other cart you
came across in the lot, but I don't that she really meant anything by
it and was just trying to ensure that a customer got the cart they
wanted and she knew where yours was.

I honestly don't think it was intentionally rude or malicious.

Honestly, I can't believe you wrote this letter. You must know that
there are plenty of people who do abandon those kids' carts in the
parking lot. Parents with little kids don't want to leave their kid
unattended in the car, so they just leave the cart wherever they are.


I don't find any problem at all with the store employee wanting to get
the cart from you when you were done.

I just can't imagine someone having a complaint over this store
employee doing what she did. The mind, it is boggled.

If they usually ask you if you need help, it is a natural extension to
be on the lookout for a cart that a new shopper may be able to use.
To me the intention was only a good one and consistent with their
effort to provide excellent customer service.

It also seems the store was very busy. There is no way they can keep
the lot clean of carts during such a period.

And is the perfect example of a situation where an employee is trying
to do something which benefits customers but completely wrecks any
goodwill due to the tone deaf nature of the interaction.

Thanks for using PlanetFeedback!

Maranda B.,

You are correct. Little did he know his effort would be
misinterpreted.

The employee thought he was helping you as well as the next shopper. I
hope the next shopper saw this act as it was intended.

BillR.