Today I want to talk about why I stopped shopping at Ingles Supermarkets and to find the lessons in that for entrepreneurs running their own businesses.  Ingles is a large chain of more than 200 grocery stores in six states in the southeastern US.  The corporate headquarters is not thirty miles from where  I live and on occasion I have been disturbed enough at them to consider driving there to give someone a piece of my mind.

I try to eat in a fairly healthy way and this means that I am buying products like low fat cheeses, whole grains and natural foods without lots of additives.  I live in a fairly upscale town where there are many people that are health conscious.  Over the past six months, I have noticed more and more of the healthy foods that I buy disappearing from the shelves at Ingles.  At first, I would ask the stock person about things and he/she would invariably report they “just didn’t carry that any more”.

As time went on, I decided to request an item or two that I buy a lot since I was driving to a different store to purchase them.  When I asked for a form to request a certain product, I was told they didn’t have such a form.  I decided that I had just run into an uninformed employee and went home.  The next time one of my regular purchases vanished from the shelves, I asked again.  This time I was told there was no way to request a product.  Since I am not easily discouraged, I asked to speak to the manager.  What an eye opener that was!  The manager explained that not only could I not request a product, neither could he.  Apparently Ingles store managers no longer decide what products are sold in their stores; someone in corporate headquarters decides what all Ingles stores will carry and it does not matter what the local customer wants to buy.

Ouch.  I do not take lightly the idea that my preferences do not matter.  A company that is not intereted in my being a satisified customer is not interested in having my money.  The ironic point is that the Ingles website boasts “After 40 years, the same customer focus and commitment to quality and convenience on which Bob Ingle founded the business in 1963, continues today throughout the organization.”  Hmmm, I wonder what ole Bob Ingle would say about the “customer focus” they have today in product selection.

As an entrepreneur, I know that the most important marketing tool that I have is understanding my customer and what they truly want.  I ask questions, listen carefully and even do surveys if I need to get opinions from a group.  I am in continual dialogue with my customers in order to keep my business fresh.  I invest time and energy and resources into staying current with what is most helpful to those who have already given me their trust and those who are potential customers.  While a coaching business is vastly different than a grocery store in many ways, we both need loyal customers to have a thriving business.  I truly believe that I may know something more about business than the decision makers at Ingles Supermarkets.  I don’t even mind driving the five extra miles to get the groceries that I really want at Harris Teeter!

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