Thursday 5 March 2009

Suggestion Box

The local coffeehouse that I most often go to has been under new management for a while - although there haven't been huge changes that I can tell. (Except they now sell homemade brownies instead of from some company, but manage to charge more!)

But on the way out this evening I noticed that they had a customer suggestion box on the counter. Suggestion boxes are a little odd I think. Slightly cruel. They seem to invite negative comments that are probably directed at people who probably never suggested having a suggestion box in the first place.

So I am facing a dilemma. Because, as it happens, this evening I did think to myself, there was way too much foam on my latte. Probably more that you should put on a cappuccino. I also noticed on the way out that the steam arm on the coffee machine wasn't getting cleaned right after it was used. Plus, (oh boy, I'm on a roll now) I think it would be worth their while grinding coffeebeans just before they are used - but that's starting to get technical and I'm not sure it is the kind of suggestion that they want. (But they do have the equipment to do it!)

The other dilemma is the placement of the box. You know full well that once you've paid for your coffee, dropped a note in the box and left that they will get it out straight away. There's no sense of anonymity.

Of course there's the question of would it make any difference anyway!?

Do you ever put notes in a suggestions box? Was it followed up?