Marketing in an Ice Storm

I had just finished watching the Jeff Bezos video and was in the process of updating my blog when the power went out.  Even now, two days later, I’m posting this blog using someone else’s electricity and internet service since a severe ice storm has downed power lines all over the place. 

I live in rural western Arkansas in a small town with only two grocery stores, Wal-Mart and a local non-chain grocer called James’ Super Foods.  The Friday morning after the big ice storm James’ was about the only place in town open.  Even mighty Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world, couldn’t open their doors.  It was at the small grocery store where I saw Bezos’ number one thing that he knows, you must focus on the customer, in action.  The owner of James’ was there (I know it was him because his shirt had “James” embroidered on it) coordinating deliveries, ensuring the linemen working to fix the power lines were fed from the deli, allowing people to write checks despite their system being down, helping people find batteries, and passing out fresh brewed coffee to customers standing in line to check out. 

As the only place in town open yesterday morning, James’ was for a short time a monopoly and the products he sold were essentials that people needed to survive.  The lines were guaranteed to be long.  James the man didn’t need to be in the front of the store handing out free coffee for the shelves to be emptied, but he was seeing to his customers and their needs.  I don’t know anything about his business background, whether he has studied marketing or worked his whole life in retail, but he seemed to have a sense of what was important and for taking care of the customer.  I think it can best be described by the couple that was leaving as I went into the store.  They were pushing a cart full of groceries and holding steaming cups of coffee.  As I walked past, the man said to the woman, “James is my hero.”