"Occasionally your hard work pays off"

I went to RIS pharmacy* (really incompetent staff) where the customer service is deplorable.    I purchased a candy bar and a coffee and then I handed them my food stamp card. "You do take food stamps, don't you?"

"I don't know, let me ask Barb*, my co-worker!"

"Barb, do we take food stamps?"

"I don't know let me ask the shift supervisor!"

"No, we don't take food stamps she told me"

This doesn't sound right to me. I call 18005551212.

"I need the # for RIS pharmacy*" I said

"Did you say qpm farms?"

"No"

"OK, let's try again. Did you say walmart?"

"NO"

"I call 411" They give me the wrong phone # for RIS. I call 411 back again because I have no phone directory. I tell them which pharm I need, and they said there is no "RIS" in that town.

"Oh, I can assure you there is" "Why don't you just give me the # for any RIS in Baltimore"

They give me the # for the RIS in Baltimore City.

Me-"May I speak to a manager please?"

"He's unloading, can you hold?"

Yes. I waited about 4 minutes.

"This is the manager"

"Hi, I'm a customer of RIS, and I have a question. It's my understanding that all of the RIS's in America take food stamps, is that correct?"

"Yes, maam"

Elana-"That's what I thought, but the one in my neighborhood wouldn't take my food stamps.

"Maam, you need to complain to their district manager"

I didn't have a business card so I drove over there. There were no clerks at the register as usual. I hunted down two clerks in the aisles.

E_"Hi, Is the manager in?"

"No"

E-"I need a phone # for the manager please"

"oh, I don't know that phone number but she'll be in later."

E-"I need a phone # of some sort. How about a d.m."

"we don't have the phone # for the d.m."

This arguing back and forth went on for a while. they called someone else over. I told her very patiently that I need a phone # for the manager or the d.m. "Oh, well, we have lots of phone # 's here, let me see if i can find the right one. Here's the one for the manager"

I call the manager and she's not in. I call and talk to someone specifically in the pharmacy to get the # for d.m. They give me the # for the fire hall. This results in 3 more calls.

Next day I reach the d.m. She's very professional. She explains that there are only 2 ris's in carroll county that take food stamps, but would I like her to get the ball rolling and get my store specifically to take food stamps?

I said yes, that would be terrific!

She said, it will take a couple of months, but I will start the paperwork so your specific store will take food stamps. I'll call you back.

"No need to call me back, just pop me an email when my store starts taking food stamps and it would be appreciated."

Wow! All the red tape doesn't normally lead to any positive change, but for today at least I feel like I've made a difference.