Dear Grocer,
We need to talk.Like most relationships, ours got off to a great start. But as my family grew (one husband, two kids and three dogs, oh my!), we started spending way too much time together, and then the worst happened we were taking each other for granted.
I saw you as a routine chore and you saw me as an undifferentiated shopper.
One day, I got a seductive email from a start-up brand that wanted me to buy my groceries on the Internet. At first, I was shocked, it was so forward! I was intrigued, and I took them up on their offer.
Once a week I sat down with my laptop and made a few adjustments to my standard weekly online order over a glass of wine while watching The Bachelor and wow, grocery shopping was suddenly a lot more fun. I was so happy but it didnt lastsadly my online grocer went out of business.
So I came back to you. But I changed, my dear grocer. You, however, were exactly the same.
I tried to make it work for a while but I confess, I was so bored. I started shopping all over town, running from specialty retailers to farm stand. And when you still didnt offer online groceries, I found alternatives by ordering directly from my favorite brands or using third-party sites.
But heres my secret: Im tired of spending a big part of my life sourcing food from so many different places online or offline. Its exhausting. I want one-stop shopping from a brand I trustand even after all this time, thats still you.
But there are a few conditions Id like you to meet before we rekindle that flame:
Add click-and-collect. I want my husband or kids to be able to pick up pre-ordered groceries on their way home. Thats why I had kids in the first place, to run my errands for me
Offer better in-store Wi-Fi and mobile. Dont make me go outside so I can get a signal to access my Pinterest accountyou know I cant grocery shop without Pinterest.
Get to know me better. Figure out when to text me with relevant in-store offers or when its better to email me. Whatever you do, dont ignore me. Ignoring me makes me cranky, and I think you dont care about me anymore!
Surprise me from time to time. Include a free product sample with my online delivery order, invite me to an in-store event or create a promo bundle just for me.
Remove all the candy and gum from the checkout aisle and replace it with healthy snack options. OK, OK, I doubt this will happen but you cant blame a mom for trying, can you? Dentists are expensive.
Im not asking you to change completely. I want you to keep doing all the amazing things you do, like always standing by your products, sponsoring our towns Little League and hiring some of the friendliest people on the planet. Im optimistic we can make this work.
Yours Truly,
Theresa
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