Food City

On April 6, 2022, approx 4:30pm I was checking out after spending an hour shopping at 741 Dolly Parton Parkway, Sevierville, TN. Cashier asked if I had a Discount Card. I said YES, but it's in the car (key ring) with my wife & dog, enjoying the a/c while they waited for me. I asked cashier to use the "courtesy" card that normally is kept at each register & he replied that it wasn't available at this store. I was instructed to provide phone number. For unexplained reason(s), your system did not recognize the three phone numbers I provided. I then asked for assistance to resolve the issue, to which he replied there was none other than the phone number. I said I wasn't paying for groceries & started walking out. As I passed self-checkout lanes I asked that employee if he had a courtesy card & he said YES. He provided the card at my register.

I spoke to the front-end manager & he said his store catered to locals & not tourists, and that's why they had no courtesy cards. Well. I'm a local & your policy failed me.

Customer Service in that store is non-existent. If your system failed to recognize my phone number, why not use my name to locate, rather than say, "too bad, so sad for you"? Those words were not said, but that's how I felt.

Please explain to me how letting me walk out the store frustrated is beneficial to anyone. It's a LOSE... LOSE scenario. You lose me & possibly others I know as a customer. You also lose $ paying your employees to restock the groceries I would have left behind.

I have spent (27) years of my adult life in Customer Service management. What I experienced today is not even remotely close to what customer service is about. Please send your management staff to school, classes, seminars, or anything that has to do with customer service. I will take all my food business to Walmart where these unnecessary Discount Cards are not required.