Safeway manager keeps promise with ballet performance
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 6 months AGO
Tom and his winning team. (left to right) Audrey Telford, Tom Kitchenmaster, Debi Young, Letisha Williams, Tina Bright and Kenny Judkins.
A friendly challenge aimed at boosting customer service turned into a pink-tutu moment the Bonners Ferry community won’t soon forget.
Safeway front-end manager Tom Kitchenmaster agreed a few months ago to don a crown, a wand, and a tutu, and perform a ballet, if front-end staff could push the local Safeway to the top of customer satisfaction rankings in the company’s Seattle division.
They did.
“Tom is dedicated to Safeway’s customer service and is always willing to go the extra mile to inspire all of us to do the same,” cashier Debi Young said. “He did a great job.”
The lighthearted wager began when lead cashier Letisha “Tish” Williams suggested an incentive to rally the team around customer surveys. At the time, Kitchenmaster focused on improving store feedback metrics and encouraging stronger participation from both employees and customers.
“He was telling us that he wanted to get the numbers up,” Williams said. “We talked about incentives … and it just kind of grew from there. I like to be challenged.”
Once the challenge was announced, front-end staff quickly embraced the goal, and customers soon joined in the fun.
Williams said shoppers became increasingly engaged after cashiers explained the friendly competition at checkout, with some customers even asking to receive the surveys.
The effort paid off. According to store staff, the Bonners Ferry location has led the Seattle division in customer satisfaction for several consecutive months.
Kitchenmaster has indicated he may raise the stakes even further if the store finishes the year in the top position. Plans are already in motion for a formal ballet recital on May 9, where he is supposed to perform again after taking lessons.
Customers gathered in the store to watch Kitchenmaster follow through on his original promise, cheering him on as he took the floor in full costume.
Williams said the challenge has had a noticeable impact on the workplace atmosphere.
“The morale and camaraderie are up,” she said.
Staff says the fun competition strengthened teamwork, reinforced the store’s focus on customer service, and proved that sometimes leadership comes with a little sparkle.