Rules are for whose benefit anyway ! Retailer or Customer ?

I was in South Bombay, and was having lunch at a small restaurant Smoking Lee when I noticed this sign on the door.

On enquiring I was told, they were servicing a combo offer of a noodle/ rice dish and a side dish at a very competitive rate of Rs. 150 . It was so popular that on weekends, the store would be so packed with people, that  customers who wanted to order a la carte from the menu had some times no place to sit while it was occupied by the Combo customers ! A la carte menu is single dish, priced separately and hence much more profitable than combo offers.

Guess what the store did ! They put up a sign, that the combo offer is not longer available for in house dining and they can only do door delivery orders.

Now, at this restaurant on a working day, I was the only guest and one more guest , who was a regular came to ask for the combo offer, (he did not  even look  at the menu) . He was then told, that they have stopped offering the combo offer and it was only available on a door delivery!

Reluctantly, the customer ordered the combo offer and asked to be delivered at his home a few buildings away !

Surely, with a  little more thought, the “ combo offer” can be made available on all days, except perhaps week ends . The restaurant is otherwise empty most of the days and yet this simple thing does not seem to have occurred.

When I enquired, I was told only about the rush on week ends and no answer as to why this needs to be applied on working days as well !

Learnings :-

While we all have our challenges in operating a retail store, before new “rules” are applied, some thought should also be given to how the rule should be applied .Like I said in the past, the owners no longer sit in the business these days, especially in chain stores and once a rule is applied, it will take a applied in full and it will take a long time and customer understanding or complaints to change it again !

Have you come across any such customer un friendly rule in a retail environment . Do share . The best such example will get a prize !

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Posted in: Customer Service, Retail, Rules, Satisfaction