Task 5. Read the text about a controversial customer service programme at Safeway, a major American supermarket chain

Choose the best sentence (A – I) from the box to complete each gap.

A.Safeway officials said they were not aware of any employee who had resigned because of the program. В. The majority of customers seem to be very happy with the improved service. C. Some cynical workers call it smile school; others call it clown school. D. Some shoppers seem to enjoy directing workers around the store. E. The sampling policy is being abused by some shoppers. F. They believe the program has resulted in increased sales. G. They grade workers on a 19-point scorecard, and the results affect the performance evaluations of the worker and his/her managers. H. There have been debates on the Internet and among customers about false and genuine friendliness. I. It also includes thanking shoppers by name at the checkout by using information from their credit, debit or Safeway card.

A US Grocer’s Embrace of Customer Service

Safeway launched its Superior Service Program about five years ago. Among its rules: Make eye contact with the customer, smile, greet him or her, offer samples of products, make suggestions about other possible purchases that could go with the items being bought, and accompany them to locate items they cannot find. ¹_________.

To encourage staff to follow the rules, Safeway employs an undisclosed number of «mystery shoppers» whose job is to act like regular customers. ²__________. Workers who do well earn a chance at winning $500 worth of company stock, and managers whose workers are extremely friendly can receive additional bonuses.

Those who are graded as having poor customer service skills are sent to a training program to learn how to be friendlier. ^3________.

Corporate efforts to brighten shopping experience – such as yellow happy-face stickers and «have-a-nice- day» slogans – have typically drawn mixed reactions. But few have caused as much angst* among the sales staff as Safeway's has. It has also had some unexpected side effects. ⁴________.

There have been complaints by female workers in California who say that male customers have misinterpreted their friendliness and, according to some Safeway workers, the whole program is соntributing to growing morale problems among the staff. In recent interviews, half a dozen Safeway workers said the rigid implementation of the Superior Service Program has left some workers feeling so overstressed that they quit. ⁵__________.

Some workers said they had been penalized for not smiling even though they felt they could not. One woman said she was marked down by mystery shoppers when she was going through a painful divorce.

The policy of leading customers to a product they cannot find also causes some problems, workers said. ⁶__________. Lonely elderly people in particular, they said, sometimes seek to be accompanied for an extended period, even through their entire shopping list.

International Herald Tribune (adapted)

BrE programme	* angst = anxiety, unhappiness
AmE program

Read the story again and answer the following questions:

When did Safeway launch its Superior Service Program?

What are the key rules of the program?

How does the company encourage staff to follow the rules?

What is the job of «mystery shoppers»?

How are those who do well rewarded?

What happens it the results of the performance evaluation are low?

How do the sales people react?

What side effects are described in the article?

What morale problems among the staff have resulted from the implementation of the programme?

What other things may cause problems? Why?