Lack of Signage Hinders Customer Service Experience

I make a killer King Ranch Casserole. As you can see by the recipe below, it calls for 12 corn tortillas, shredded. In the grocery store I found all the ingredients except for the tortillas. The tortillas were located next to the bread section and they had all kinds of different flavors except for corn. There was an empty spot on the shelf where I suspected the tortillas had been. With a full cart of groceries, I wasn’t looking forward to having to go by another grocery store to pick them up.

Then I noticed an employee in the bakery who didn’t look busy. I walked up to him and asked if there were any corn tortillas in the back that hadn’t been put out yet. He checked with a co-worker and then came out and told me that there were more tortillas on aisle 13 all the way across the store. We walked over there and, sure enough, there were four shelves of tortillas, including corn, on the end cap facing the back of the store. I thanked the employee profusely, paid for my groceries, and went home to make the casserole.

Question: How difficult would it have been to put a sign on the first display of tortillas that said, “Additional tortillas may be found at the end of aisle 13 facing the dairy case.”

I came really close to leaving the store with a bad experience. It wouldn’t have taken that much effort to add signage that would have directed me to the other side of the store.

How’s your point-of-sale advertising and signage? Does it add to the customer service experience?

King Ranch Casserole

Note: I use low sodium soups and low-fat cheese.

1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup

1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups chicken broth

10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chiles

12 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces

3-4 lbs of chicken or turkey, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, chopped (I like the purple onions)

2 cups grated Cheddar or American cheese

(Optional: I add about half a cup of Pace Medium Picante Sauce to give it a little spice.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soups, broth, and tomatoes and set aside.  Chop the onion. Tear apart the tortillas. Take a 3-quart casserole dish; spray it with Pam. Add half the tortilla pieces. Add half the soup/broth mix, half the chicken, half the onion, and half the cheese. Then repeat. Cover and cook for one hour or until done. Let sit for 10 minutes.

To further reduce sodium, steam fresh chicken in a covered skillet rather than using canned chicken. Then cut into bite-sized pieces. You should have plenty for leftovers. It’s great comfort food for cold weather.