Hello, world.
As promised, here is a transcript and photo of the letter from Shoppers Drug Mart. Again, our name is not really “Canadaland”, but it sure does look good on paper. We’re actually sending these out under a real name, but secret identities are cool.
So read, and enjoy. How could you not, really?
February 2, 2010
Hello Mr. Canadaland,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your comments with respect to our store layout. It is not our intention to frustrate or upset our customers.
At Shoppers Drug Mart our entire philosophy is based on the understanding of care and concern for our customers. Rest assured it is certainly not our intent to adversely affect the health or well-being of anyone who comes through our doors.
This type of layout, which features the cosmetics department at the main entrance, has been implemented in some of our stores. Rest assured your comments and concerns are extremely important to our company’s continued success and we have forwarded your concern to our Store Concepts department. We will continue to monitor this concern for future consideration.
Thank you once again for brining this matter to our attention and allowing us the opportunity to improve our services to our customers.
Regards,
Sandra
Customer Service 
Frankly, this response is not that bad. The
cookie letter basically told us that their cookies were awesome and that the name they had used was the best ever. That letter had lots of “thank you” and “your concern is important” nonsense in it, but they didn’t really mean it. 98% of that response was a form letter they send out to any customer complaints.
Maybe 50% of this one is. It still has the hallmarks of consumer-response letter – phrases like “rest assured” and “continued success”, but it actually speaks, albeit in a small amount, to the issue at hand.
Sure, they’re going to forward our concern on to “Store Concepts” which may mean “the metal bin in the corner with crumpled paper in it”, but at least they’re giving some hope that the issue will be looked at.
It won’t, of course, but that’s not the point.
Perhaps the best part of the letter from our perspective is the part where Sandra states that “it is certainly not our intent to adversely affect the health or well-being of anyone who comes through our doors”
We couldn’t have said it better. That make-up counter as the public’s only entrance and the dismal air of overly primped and primed makeup techs is certainly affecting both my health and well-being, but Shoppers obviously doesn’t see it that way.
We’ve received a great deal of feedback about the original letter, almost all of it from people who have noticed this very same problem.
Is anything going to get done? Probably not.
But good on you, Shoppers, for reading our original letter and sending a reply that wasn’t complete junk. That’s the best we can really hope for, these days.
