As I walked into the managers’ booth at Trader Joe’s, a national grocery chain, I received a warm smile from a store manager who handed me a rye bread with a tiny yellow Post-it on top.
On the Post-it, it simply read, “Dick.”
I thanked her, walked several steps to the checkout counter and a few moments later was out the door, the rye bread named “Dick,” snuggled under my arm.
And I realized what a great time saving method this is. One quick phone call to this manager, and the bread had been set aside, awaiting pickup at my convenience. If I wanted more items they too would have been waiting there.
Meanwhile, at a nearby Yogurt Shop, one quick phone call and several big containers of yogurt were filled and frozen, awaiting my pickup.
No standing around in the store, no line of people irritated by having to wait while my large order was filled, which the shop’s people leisurely did during slow periods.
For you and me and others, time is valuable and a few quick phone calls can free up so much of it for us.
One swift phone call to an Albertson’s store manager got her to check the shelf where she found she’d run out of my favorite soup. That call saved me a trip. She reordered the soup and two days later, I picked it up along with other groceries.
If you’d like to save your valuable time, think of “a rye bread named Dick,” and call ahead. You’ll be glad you did.
