Produce Specialist Anyone?
Shopping at Faddoul’s Market for dinner a couple of nights ago reminded me of how pleasant it is to have the assistance of a specialist at various points throughout the day. In the States, most specialists assist me with things like my network connectivity, or my cell phone plan. That is all nice and well - but imagine having someone to assist us with things like shopping. Yes, yes, the rich and wealthy may have personal shoppers, and maybe some of us have refrigerators that order us additional food supplies when we are running low, but how many of us (outside of the deli or baked goods section) have ever received personal assistance when selecting food items from the neighborhood grocer?
That’s right - at Faddoul’s market in Jounieh four nights ago, there was a produce specialist. And by specialist, I mean Specialist, with a capital S. This guy was fluent in three languages (Arabic, French, and English). Not only did he carefully select the ripest, most tender vegetables from the varieties I indicated, but he also suggested complimentary selections (”Perhaps leeks might go well with vine ripened tomatos”). He then bagged and weighed my veggies. Talk about service. Most sommeliers don’t even treat me that well - and at only 750 LL to boot (less than 50 cents US), I walked away a happy happy customer.
Now, if only the Lebanese could apply this level of quality to the customer service in their telecommunications industry. Produce Specialist anyone?