Filling up with gas this morning, I watched the Wonder Bread truck pull in to make a delivery to the convenience store. The Wonder Bread driver, a poster boy for freshness, was unshaven with a cigarette hanging out his mouth.
I suppose the bread was fresh, once.
Nothing like a PBT (peanut butter and tobacco) sammy for lunch...
My first reaction was "That's the caliper employee you get for $12/hr." But, upon further reflection, It's the transportation supervisor/manager who is to blame. It's easier to TOLERATE unprofessional appearance and behavior than to discipline or replace workers. So a company spends tens of millions of dollars annually on advertising and image, only to have it subverted at the delivery level.
Posted by: Len | March 22, 2006 at 02:52 PM
Could this be more a reflection of a dying brand? Take a look at the successful brands where there is customer interface and the formula tends to include employee engagement.
The hourly wage at Starbucks is probably similar to the bread delivery guy - but I never get ash in my double tall lattte.
Posted by: Paul Copcutt | May 05, 2006 at 08:51 AM