In order to explain how obsessed specialty retailer BevMo is with customer service, Alan Johnson, chief executive officer of the Concord, Calif.-based chain, recounts an occasion when a customer came in looking for whiskey for her husband’s birthday. After a discussion with a BevMo associate, she decided to purchase a higher-end variety that the store wrapped for her. She took the present home and excitedly encouraged her husband to open it, but inside was the traditional whiskey, not the premium option. Frustrated, the woman filled out an online survey that is printed on every BevMo receipt. Within 15 minutes, Johnson says, there was a knock on her door from the BevMo store manager who had brought the higher-end whiskey.
The customer, who was unaware that the survey inspired the hand-delivery, followed up on this experience with a call to the BevMo headquarters and, to her surprise, ended up retelling the story to Johnson. The anecdote reflects BevMo’s overall business approach.