NOT ALL PUBLIX MARKETS ARE ALIKE - ONE NEEDS NEW STAFF
I'd like to offer my sincere apology to the three Publix employees at the Preserve Marketplace store (2175 Sembler Dr., Odessa) whose morning conversation I so inconsiderately interrupted by asking where the sweetened condensed milk was located. I was told, "It's probably on aisle three." Since aisle three was directly in front of where the three of you were standing, I assumed that when it became obvious I still couldn't find it, someone might actually do that old-fashioned customer service thing and help. Silly me. Instead, the conversation remained the top priority while I wandered the aisle looking for an item that apparently wasn't important enough to warrant thirty seconds of anyone's attention. This was around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, and the store was nearly empty, so being overwhelmed with customers wasn't exactly the issue. Rather than interrupt the conversation a second time, I simply walked past, shook my head, and left. I then drove to the Publix at Sunlake, where I found the sweetened condensed milk immediately and was reminded why I usually shop there. The employees there consistently understand that customers come before conversations. As an 82-year-old customer, I appreciate people who are willing to help instead of pointing vaguely toward an aisle and returning to their chat. Same Publix name. Completely different attitude. I only stopped at the Preserve Marketplace location because I happened to be in the area and thought it would save me time. Instead, I got a lesson in how easy it is to lose a customer. Congratulations, you succeeded. I'll gladly drive the extra miles to the Sunlake store from now on.