David Blair
When a customer was missing a large fish order the day before Good Friday, David did what he knew was right: he personally delivered the order to the store. Making sure the order was refrigerated properly, David had it loaded into the back of a pickup truck and drove about an hour and 45 minutes to deliver it to the store. “The seafood manager did not expect that level of service,” says David, who adds, laughing, that he can’t guarantee that level of service all the time. Exceeding customer expectations is nothing new for David’s team. “I am always proud when our team succeeds and meets the challenges that are required,” says David. “It’s not an easy business, it’s dynamic. It takes a lot of work and a lot of commitment and when you succeed, it just makes it that much better.”
Cynthia Bishop
When a customer calmly walked into the pharmacy asking for some Benadryl one day last March, Cynthia struck up a conversation. She quickly discovered that the woman was having an allergic reaction to something she had eaten before coming to the store. “She was having difficulty swallowing the Benedryl but she didn’t want the attention and was telling me she was fine.” But Cynthia suspected otherwise. “It was progressing quickly and I realized I was going to have to do something about this.” Cynthia took the woman to a private area, grabbed an EpiPen from the pharmacy and then administered it. Immediately, the customer began to feel better and by the time the ambulance arrived, she was alert, responsive and in good spirits. “She had been visiting from Prince Edward Island and had walked to the store,” says Cynthia. “I’m very thankful it happened where it did and not on the sidewalk. Who knows what could have happened. It was pretty scary.”
Andrew Baxter
Andy, who started with Safeway 39 years ago, has worked in 29 stores in communities across British Columbia but it is in Richmond that he arguably made the biggest impact. After a regular customer named Norma failed to show up and fellow employees had tracked her down to a local hospital, Andy stepped in when it was discovered that the customer had been living alone in an apartment that was in terrible shape. “Norma had lived there since 1974 and nothing had been done to the apartment in that length of time.” Andy contacted a friend and local MLA who arranged to replace the flooring throughout the space. He then helped his co-workers with painting, replacing cabinets and generally making it a better place to live. “The staff here are more than willing to help customers in any way that we can do it,” says Andy. “The sense of community is huge.”
Christopher Bartucci
Chris has proven himself as a leader many times over but it was during a tragic loss this past spring that he truly stepped up. When a fellow Sobeys employee suddenly became ill and passed away, leaving friends, family and co-workers in shock, Chris worked quietly and mostly behind the scenes to do what needed to be done during that extremely difficult time. “We worked through that together,” says Chris, struggling for words. “There were a lot of people who worked hard during that time.” While Chris is grateful that he was able to help, being rewarded for it makes him uncomfortable and he prefers instead to talk about his friend and co-worker. “Chris Petrie was one of the best on-site trainer merchandising specialists that we had in produce,” Chris says. “He loved what he was doing and people loved him. He was just a good person and had a really kind heart.”
Cynthia Barr
When you arrive at Sobeys West head office for the first time, you needn’t worry about a thing – Cindy is armed and ready with knowledge, warmth and, yes, even candy. Making people feel comfortable and welcome is simply what Cindy does. “I like to meet people and find out a little something about them,” she says. “I can tell if someone is down or having a bad day and try and turn it around for them. It’s about making that connection.” Cindy, who takes it upon herself to make others feel special, was treated to that feeling herself last year when she won a prize at an awards ceremony. “When my name was called, everyone stood and the whole room was clapping,” says Cindy. “I felt really special. I felt like this is where I really belong.”
Sarah Armstrong
Sarah’s motto? Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. According to Sarah’s co-workers, that’s exactly what she does every day. In particular, Sarah has taken it upon herself to assist a customer and her brother, both of whom are visually impaired. “Marie first started coming into our store shortly after we opened,” says Sarah, who eventually learned that the entire family is affected by the same degenerative disease. “It takes some time to serve Marie because I have to describe things and give samples because she always wants to discover something new,” says Sarah, who is determined that Marie knows about all the products, just like other customers. “I am always trying to give her that opportunity to know what we have in the store.” But helping Marie is more than just duty. “I enjoy Marie’s company. She’s an active member of our community and we discuss those things,” says Sarah. “It’s amazing what this woman does and has learned to do since she became blind.”
Terry Allen
Now that Terry has taken the Seafood Passion Training, the glass on her seafood counter never stays smudge-free for long. “At the end of every shift, I’m wiping off a series of … fingerprints and nose prints,” laughs Terry. “I call it Canmore’s answer to the Vancouver Aquarium.” The Seafood Passion Training has changed the shopping experience for customers. “Things used to be ungarnished, in straight lines,” says Terry. “Now it’s so much more organic and fluid that it’s really generated a lot of excitement and that’s reflected in the sales of the department.” It’s also reflected in the department’s elevated profile, including a brush with Hollywood fame. “I got a call asking if I carry any whole fish. I said Absolutely.’ They said We’ll take them all.'” It turns out the fish were destined for the filming of the blockbuster The Revenant. “I like to say The Academy Award for the best trout goes to Canmore Safeway.'”
Chelsea Allen
For Chelsea, the best part of her job with Sobeys Pharmacy is being in a position to educate customers. “My Sobeys is a classroom,” says Chelsea. “There’s a missing piece in healthcare: teaching people not only what to eat but how to pick out and prepare healthy food. I fill that role.” Chelsea provides nutrition classes that are popular, successful and educational. She also embraced the expansion of her role to include individual consults and was the first member of the Ontario team to reach 10 consults. Reaching even just one Canadian demonstrates how worthwhile the role is, says Chelsea, who talks about one patient in particular who has been coming to class for more than a year. “Her health has improved quite a bit as indicated by cutting in half one of her medications and she’s just feeling better,” says Chelsea. “It’s been really great to watch her transformation.”
