The 7th Top 10 List from #301-#350
We’ve eclipsed the 1/3rd mark in the Purple Goldfish Project on our way to 1,001. The Purple Goldfish Movement is starting to gain steam.
It was hard to choose the 10, but here are the ones that were left standing:
10. Zappos (#349. Submitted by Anne Perschel) “The other HUGE purple goldfish is Zappos, which as you know is one for my favorite Corporate Souls. They often “unexpectedly” upgrade a customer’s order to next day shipping at no extra charge. Surprise. Delight. Delivering Happiness.”
9. Trader Joe’s (#320 from Jody Padar of Matouske Consulting) “The stuffed whale that hides at Trader Joe’s. If you find him, your child gets a treat out of a treasure box. Then you get to rehide him. My kids love to go to Trader Joe’s to find the stuffed animal. It keeps them entertained while shopping. Hint: He spends a lot of time in the snack food isle.”
#8. Busse Automotive (#331 from Mindy Luebke) “My local car repair, Busse Automotive in Mt Prospect, IL. washes my van for free after any work is done.”
[Footnote: This evening, I mentioned to my husband that I submitted ideas to your project. He reminded me that not only does Busse Automotive wash my filthy suburbanite mom mini-van but Mark Busse, the owner, personally sends a hand-written thank you for our business]
7. Sea World (#345 submitted by Kami Huyse) “For stranded European passengers in Orlando due to the Ash cloud, they are offering one free admission per stranded passenger”
6. Wawa (#317 from Mary Ann Baehr) “WAWA (after the Canadian bird…..not a baby crying) It’s a regional convenience store (570 stores), sells 195 MILLION cups of coffee sales per year. HERE’S why I like it and visit it so much….. NO ATM FEE. I ALWAYS avoid ATM fees by using theirs…..they are consistently clean and quick.”
5. Wilsons (#333 submitted by Jody Padar) “At my favorite ice cream store in Door County Wisconsin. They put a jelly bean at the bottom of the ice cream cone. So it doesn’t drip. They also give the biggest scoop ever. It’s tradition. The girls who scoop the ice cream live upstairs. There is never a night in the summer where the line is short and everyone happily stands on the porch waiting. They were featured on the Travel Channel. And were sold for a few million dollars a few years ago. Not bad for a ice cream store.”
4. Sons of Maxwell (#340 from Dave Carroll of ‘United Breaks Guitars‘) “Dave was a keynote speaker at the 2010 NewComm Forum. I had a chance to catch up with him to discuss customer experience. He shared a great story about his Mom Sharon who manages all of the mail order sales of his CD’s. Dave talked about how his Mom would knit a dishcloth for fans who bought 3 CD’s. This wasn’t advertised. Imagine the surprise when a fan receive that in the mail with their CD order.”
3. HUB (#324 by Donna Cutting) “John Wood, CEO of HUB Plumbing and Mechanical in Boston, MA realizes that people don’t want to open their front door to strangers, and so he sends an email to every customer with a photograph of the plumber who’ll be coming to their house.”
2. Thai Basil (#306 by Jack Campisi) “Thai Basil in Greenwich, CT is a Purple Goldfish. Not only do they have great Thai food, but excellent service as well. But their lagniappe is the curbside pick-up. They are located on a busy and crowed stretch of road in downtown Greenwich. Parking at dinner time can be a nightmare, and could prevent you from even attempting take-out. Well, have no fear. You can give them your credit card number when you place your order and then give them a call when you are pulling up to the restaurant. You pullover and they will run out, hand you your food through your window and let you sign your receipt right in your car. And they always do it with a big smile. In no time you are back home, enjoying a nice meal.” (If you go and you like some heat, try the Spicy Fried Rice)
. . . and the #1 on the sixth Top Ten List:
1. Gumba’s on Murphy Street in Sunnyvale, CA
#336. From Marty Desmond who left a comment on Kelly Ketelboeter’s post, ‘What is Your Purple Goldfish’
“I went for breakfast, with friends, at one of our favorite places Saturday. We sat outdoors for the first time since street construction began months ago. As we were served, I watched how much fun the employees were having. I told my friends that it was great seeing the restaurant busy again and that I knew the construction hurt much of the business on that block.
I went back Tuesday evening for a quick dinner. As I was eating, the owner came up, patted me on the back and thanked me for my business Saturday morning. Then, he told me how happy he was to see my friends and inquired about them. He asked if the dad had found another job, knowing that he was laid off months ago.
We talked for a few moments more, and then he patted me on the back again, thanked me once more and walked off. I watched him walk away and thought about why I enjoyed that restaurant so much. The food is great, but it’s the experience that makes it worth going back. I realize that no fewer than 4 of his employees approached my friend to tell them how much they had missed his family. The culture of that business includes personal relationships whenever possible. I think that is a missing ingredient in so many businesses today.
This restaurant has endured 6 months of lagging sales, due to people wanting to stay away during construction. Yet, they were genuinely concerned about the lives of the people who walked through their doors. To me, every question of “how is your friend” is a purple goldfish.”
Click here for the first Top 10 list from the first 50 examples of marketing lagniappe.
Click here for the second Top 10 list from #51 to #100 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the third Top 10 list from #101 to #150 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the fourth Top 10 list from #151 to #200 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the fifth Top 10 list from #201 to #250 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the sixth Top 10 list from #251 to #300 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the entire list from The Purple Goldfish Project.
