Wild Oats

"Oh my God!" That is how blown away we were by the service - and the tangelos - at Wild Oats. As of this writing, Wild Oats is home of the most impressive customer service we have received here in Naples. Yes, it's that good.

Friend and fellow customer service expert Suzanne Willis recommended we give this store a try for this blog. Thanks Suzanne!

Now, there is nobody on Earth who knows more about the Supermarket industry than Jane Coine; our second book, "Spoil 'em Rotten!" takes place in the fictional Walsh's Supermarkets. Two of the 10 winners of this year's Coine Awards for Customer Service Excellence were grocers: Wegmans and Roche Bros. So Wild Oats had to work pretty hard to impress us.

...And it did. We walked in, and I turned to Jane, asking "Is this place organic?" Before she could answer, uber-associate Tommy answered for her.* Then he asked, "Is this your first visit?" It was, so he gave us a run-down of the store, recommending items we'd especially enjoy (for example, the warm soup - "But it'll be too hot for your girls, so let it cool off first.")

Every single employee we met was friendly and very, very helpful. Cashier Heather is another associate who impressed us, taking the time to explain some of why she left her previous employer to join the Wild Oats team.

Where do they find these people?!

Actually, we know perfectly well: Wild Oats follows the Platinum Rule ("Treat your employees the way you want them to treat your customers") and they live by our HIT maxim: they Hire for attitude, Inspire through pride in the company, and only then do they Train in skills. That's the easy part when you get the first two right.

Wild Oats gives the best of what Naples has to offer. Its prices on many items are completely in line with its lower-brow competitors. We think you owe it to yourself to check it out first-hand.

Located at the ridiculously-named Naples Centre shopping plaza, on Airport and Naples Blvd, right behind another favorite, Chick-Fil-A (see below).

www.wildoats.com. 239-513-1053


*Yes they're organic, but not exclusively - just like Whole Foods, which bought Wild Oats just recently.

Note: We'll be watching this store closely. While we're rooting for them enthusiastically, they have two issues that may affect the quality of their service. First is their novelty: this branch just opened, and morale - and service - is bound to be higher when that is the case. Second, the merger with Whole Foods may detract from this brand's excellence. Whole Foods is itself a terrific company, though, so that may prove not to be a factor.