Executive summary
Best Food Superstores is one of the major groceries in Ontario. It has been successful in the market for several years. Recently, it has undergone a tremendous change. The customers are dissatisfied due to overcharging, segregation and mishandling. On the other hand, employees are incompetent.
According to the situation analysis, the grocery strengths are good reputation, many clients and production of diverse products at one stop while the weaknesses are poor marketing strategies and strenuous relationship between customers and employees.
Additionally, the opportunity is the existing client base while the threats are poor management, market demands and incompetent employees. As a result, Best Food Superstores need to increase its production, improve marketing strategies, train employees and implement good management practices.
Background of Best Food Superstores
Best Food Superstores is one of the major groceries located at Garden Place in Ontario. It has been in business for more than thirty years and it is highly reputable for the sale of products like onions and olive oil. As a result, it has a large market share in Ontario.
Many people enjoy shopping there because of the good services as well as the products that they receive. Nonetheless, Best Food Superstores has recently undergone a tremendous change in the business. Customers are dissatisfied with the kind of services that they receive.
On the other hand, employees are incompetent, thus, they provide ineffective and inefficient services. Therefore, Best Food Superstores need to attempt to retain its market share in order to remain competitive in the business environment.
Statement of problems
Best Food Superstores need to concentrate on a number of issues and set ways of addressing them. Customer satisfaction is the core issue. This is because customers play a vital role in the growth of an organization. They not only purchase products but also market them by words of mouth.
At Best Food Superstores, customer dissatisfaction is at a higher level. This is evident in a number of ways. The first one is overcharging. Best Food Superstores has started a habit of charging customers more than the set prices. For instance, the cashier charged Brenda an extra dollar on olive oil.
The second problem is customer segregation. Best Food Superstores apply policies to those customers who know there rights while letting the others suffer for their ignorance. This is evident in a situation where one of the employees told Brenda that the manager said that the overcharging policy should only apply to those customers who know it.
This incident happened after an overcharge took place and Brenda insisted for a refund. Lastly, mishandling of customers is part of Best Food Superstores habits. They advertise a product and put the notice on a different shelf with almost the same product but of a higher price.
As a result, many customers fall in the trap and end up purchasing an expensive product. For instance, Brenda purchased an expensive Spanish onion instead of a white one because the advertisement notice was on that shelf.
Another problem that Best Food Superstores is experiencing relate to employees competency. Some of the employees do not have public relation knowledge and experience; as a result, they do not know how to relate with the customers.
For instance, when the cashier requested one of the employees to confirm the price, she was displeased and she went chatting with another cashier and a shopper. On returning after approximately ten minutes, she called Brenda “missus”.
This shows disrespect to customers. Additionally, some employees are not familiar with Best Food Superstores policies. This came out clearly when one of the cashiers wanted to adjust the price after Brenda informed him that it was higher than the advertised one.
Moreover, another employee had a similar opinion that price adjustment should take place. The final issue concerning employees relate to the working environment. Employees despise each other.
For instance, an employee was not happy when the cashier sent her to confirm the price of a certain product. Besides, the manager reprimands employees publicly. For example, Brenda saw the manager reprimanding two employees for not abiding by the Best Food Superstores policies.
Situation Analysis
In analyzing Best Food Superstores, various strengths emerge. They include a good reputation, many clients and production of diverse products at one stop. To begin with, Brenda shops at major groceries. Since Best Food Superstores is one of them, it shows that it has a good reputation. Moreover, the fact that she has been shopping at Best Food Superstores for more than thirty years show that it is a good grocery.
Secondly, Best Food Superstores has many clients because it has been on the market for many years. Furthermore, on one occasion, Brenda found the service desk busy. This is a characteristic of an organization with many clients. Finally, Best Food Superstores offer a variety of products. They include products like olive oil and onions.
On the other hand, Best Food Superstores has a number of weaknesses. A poor marketing strategy is the first weakness of Best Food Superstores. The store markets its products via advertisements that confuse customers. Additionally, Best Food Superstores use price tags that show a lower price than the checkout charges.
Secondly, inefficient and ineffective relationship between the customers and employees put the grocery at risk of collapse. Employees are not ready to serve customers and they despise each other. Furthermore, they are rude to the customers.
Best Food Superstores has some opportunities. The existing client base makes it have a better place in the competitive business environment. Additionally, the existing policy is attractive to many customers. On the contrary, Best Food Superstores has several threats. It has a poor management practice.
The manager reprimand employees publicly. Secondly, the market demand is a threat to Best Food Superstores. Customers demand quality services because they know the policy of Best Food Superstores. Finally, incompetent employees are a threat to Best Food Superstores.
Analysis of alternatives
According to analysis of alternatives, Best Food Superstores has the option of maximizing on the strengths and opportunities while minimizing or alleviating weaknesses and threats. Best Food Superstores can increase the production of diverse goods. This will facilitate customer retention because they will receive all services at one stop.
Lastly, Best Food Superstores can develop a process that ensures the grocery policy applies to every customer regardless of his or her knowledge about them. This will lead to customer satisfaction hence an increase in sale.
Additionally, Best Food Superstores can improve its marketing strategies by proper advertisement. This will increase the customers trust because they will not worry about any deception. As a result, the grocery will have many clients hence a rise in the profit margin. Moreover, Best Food Superstores can empower its employees with public relation knowledge.
This will lead to an improvement in the relationship between the employees and the customers hence client satisfaction. Lastly, Best Food Superstores can implement a good management practice that concentrate on achieving employees as well as customers’ satisfaction.
This is important because satisfied employees always work hard to achieve the organization vision and mission. On the other hand, satisfied customers always increase the sales of an organization because of the purchases and words of mouth advertisements.
Recommendation
The analysis of alternative shows that good management practices is suitable for Best Food Superstores. This is because the customers, the employees and Best Food Superstores will benefit from good management. To begin with, the customers will benefit because they will receive quality products and services.
Secondly, the employees will benefit from a good management because they will receive the required training. Additionally, a good management is a motivating factor because it ensures that the working environment is conducive. Finally, Best Food Superstores will benefit from a good management because of the increase in sales.
Implementation
The implementation of a good management practice will take place after every person in the organization accepts that problems exist. A thorough analysis of existing problems will follow. Thereafter, the employees and the manager will suggest solutions that can address management issues.
The selection and implementation of appropriate solutions will take place. Finally, monitoring of the processes will be a continuous event to ensure that the selected solutions lead to improvement in the management of Best Food Superstores. As a result, Best Food Superstores will survive in the competitive business environment.