No one is excited to go to Discount Tire.
You end up there either out of necessity—a puncture, a flat—or out of mere maintenance—rotating tires, season tire exchange.
The waiting room of a Discount Tire feels more like a doctor’s office than anything else: no customer is bright-eyed with excitement.
The amazing thing is, I’ve been to Discount Tire some two dozen times—and I’ve never had a bad experience.
Why?
The employees are unfailingly polite.
They smile, engage in cheery conversational patter, and they hold the door open for you.
It’s a small gesture, of course—but I’ve realized it’s a key part of their strategy to manage the emotions and bad feelings of their customers.
What’s the best way to make these frustrated customers feel better? To take care of them. To be hospitable.
Even when—as today—there is a frustrated customer, the discord never spreads to the other folks in the waiting room. The team did their best to explain the situation to her and, when she stormed out, they (amazingly!) just continued to go about their busy, parrying nary an eye roll between the three of them.
Taylor Coe 