“Whenever a #customer comes to me here at Pick n Pay, it is like Mr Ackerman is sitting on my shoulder asking me what I am going to do to help. And I do what Mr Ackerman would have done for any customer; I make sure they are looked after and happy.”
Eddie Beukes has worked for Pick ‘n Pay for nearly fifty years after making his start with his brother in a small Pick ‘n Pay in Millbank Road, Wynberg, all those years ago.
Now, Eddie has been the Store Manager at Pick ‘n Pay Constantia Village Shopping Centre for decades. He is well known and loved by all his customers, and should be recognised as a Customer Experience Superstar.
As I chatted with Eddie in the busy store, we were constantly interrupted by customers greeting him, and Eddie welcomed them and greeted them back by name. “You see, when a customer comes into this store, they need to feel safe and know that I will look after them.”
Having been mentored by the late Raymond Ackerman, Eddie says he is sometimes compared to Mr Ackerman (as Eddie so fondly calls him), but he will quickly remind them that he is not Mr Ackerman; he just learned from him.
“Mr Ackerman taught me how to care for customers over the years. When you see a customer with a baby standing in the queue to pay, unpack their trolley and take their groceries to the car.”
Eddie treats customers like family. “If a customer gets to the till and suddenly realises that they have left their wallet at home, or they can’t find their bank card – I will step in and pay for them. That is because that is what Mr Ackerman would have done.”
While chatting with Eddie, it soon became evident that I had had my own personal moment of customer service magic with Eddie 27 years ago.
Picture this: It was Christmas day, and an 11-year-old boy opened the gift his mom had purchased at Eddie’s Pick ‘n Pay. A pair of brand new rollerblades (yes, this was the 90s, after all), but there was a problem – they were both left skates. His mom called Pick ‘n Pay the next day to ask if she could return them, and within an hour, one of the managers arrived at their home with a brand new pair as well as a massive set of Legos to say sorry.
Eddie remembered this well and said, “Of course, I would have solved that problem for you.”
Eddie will always go out of his way for his customers. Many years ago, while he was still a floor manager and had no driver’s license, he took three trains from Tokai to Brackenfell to collect a Potjiekos Pot for Mr Elliott because his store was out of stock, and he wanted to make sure Mr Elliot would be looked after.
Eddie is adamant, “I watched Mr Ackerman closely and how he cared for customers. It is all about making people feel looked after. I just want to see happy customers. That is why I am in this business.”
He gave us his secret to his renowned customer experience and why the shoppers love him; “You have to love what you do. It has to come from the heart. You must have a passion for customers and this work. You need to get up in the morning and get excited to go and excite and delight all your customers. For me, coming here is like coming to the gym- it energises me! All I want to do is to keep making sure that people are happy, looked after, and loved.”
Words and Main Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Secondary Photo: Supplied
This article was commissioned by nlightencx and first appeared on their LinkedIn page in October 2023
