Sad Day In Coupon Land

Hmpf! I am not a happy camper right now. I try to keep this blog about deals only, but something is in the works that will directly affect my future shopping experiences. My beloved CVS manager, Nate, is being pulled to another store. This is a sad, sad day in my little coupon land. :(

I know what you are thinking... Who is this Nate and why the long face, Staci?

Nate came to the CVS in Donelson back April of this year. I had previously loathed entering that store because the staff was practically unbearable. I only went for the deals and if it wasn't a super duper deal, I would just skip CVS altogether. Nate arrived and totally changed my attitude about CVS. In my very first conversation with him, he admitted that he loves coupon shoppers! WOW! I have heard a lot of things said by management about coupon shoppers, but no one had ever been this receptive before. He held true to his word. He always made me aware of upcoming deals and he even knew about coupon matchups for certain products. Checking out was never a problem anymore. He actually welcomed my coupons! He went out of his way to find products for me and he always greeted me and made sure I found what I was looking for. Sometimes, he was even curious just to see what was in my basket because he knew it would be a steal of a deal. Even if our conversation was a quick "what's up," he made a point to speak to me if we passed in the store. This just doesn't happen in the everyday retail world! I'm used to employees walking right past me with their head down and zero eye contact.

The most surprising change of all was the attitudes of the other employees in the store. I just thought they were all mean and cranky. After Nate arrived, every one seemed to come around. The cashier that had previously intimidated me despite my efforts to always be kind, was now extremely conversational and nice. I realized that their grumpiness was due to the manager who was there previously. The previous manager was Mr. Walk Right By - No Eye Contact - No Can I Help You - NOTHING.

For five months I have consistently enjoyed pleasant shopping experiences at CVS. Nathan made CVS personal to me. I now know all of the employees in the front of the store (even some pharmacy peeps) and I also know bits and pieces of their lives. They know the same about me. I actually look forward to my CVS shopping because it's usually a bright spot in my week. Not only do I get GREAT deals but I have an overly pleasant experience in a retail setting. For me, that is like a dream come true! It's not the norm and it's a very nice change. I adore Nate. He's a good guy and a great manager! I am sad to see him go but I wish him all the best with his future career. I will be admittedly jealous of his next set of customers. :)

Guess who's coming back to the Donelson CVS? You guessed it... Mr. Walk Right By - No Eye Contact - No Can I Help You - NOTHING. UGH!!!!!! I'm thinking I might take a CVS hiatus. Boo! :(

Have you also had a great experience with Nate or another retail employee? Please leave me a comment and tell me about it. I need some happy stories to perk me up.