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A New ‘Neighbour’ with a new attitude!

Written by: Holly | April 2007

Hark! A light shines in the distance. Could it be…is it really…a new large corporate business with a classic approach to real customer service?

The first time I set foot into the new Neighbours store after gassing up the car, I couldn’t believe what I was walking into. I had never been into a gas station store that was so wonderfully lit, perfectly merchandised, decorated and that featured such amazingly fresh food items.

The coffee bar was complete with different brews, flavour shots, cappuccinos, lattés, etc. and they were all made to order (not the mix kind). They had a fantastic assortment of fresh salads to choose from and a complete sandwich bar where you could order from a wide selection of ingredients and they would make the sandwich right in front of you.

But what struck me the most in my visit to Neighbours wasn’t all of the wonderful things listed above, it was the extraordinarily friendly service. Every one of the staff members in the store was superbly trained to ensure the best customer service practices were upheld with their clientele.

I was so intrigued by this anomaly that I had to approach the owner. I met Anna DiDuca and the level of excitement that she had for her franchise was hitting the Richter Scale. I also spoke with the Assistant Manager, Matt Paton and a few other staff members and was so impressed with the positive and cheery vibe that was running through the place.

I asked Anna why Neighbours decided to do things differently and she said, “We wanted to create a shopping experience that was different than any other retail business.” “The focus is on the quality of food, Fresh Your Way, with an environment that makes the Guest feel welcomed. We refer to our customers as Guests, since we want them to feel as though they are a guest in our home.”

I asked Matt what he thinks of working with a company like Neighbours and he replied, “I love the innovative feel , there is nothing better than working for an organization that strives for excellence every day. The element of family and teamwork that we have created is truly exceptional and I enjoy coming to work each day.”

To top it all off, the staff of Neighbours always see you off with a “See you tomorrow” which just reinforces how important every customer is to the Neighbours team.

My hat goes off to these fine folks and I hope that they are an inspiration to businesses everywhere.

Let me know about your favourite shopping discoveries by e-mailing me at Holly@ShopAware.com.