Charlie Adams: Lessons in Customer Service

The Square, while in ways has stayed the same, has changed a lot since I was born in Oxford in 1962. There was a day when Jitney Jungle was a stone’s throw from the Courthouse. It was there in the late 1970s that I learned a lasting lesson in customer service.

I was a 10th grader at Lafayette High School and got a job as a grocery sacker for Mr. Paul James at the Jitney Jungle. Mr. James was a strong man of faith, who spoke in measured words and had that presence of authority that demanded respect, yet exuded compassion. At least it did to me. It was my first job and he reminded me of Sheriff Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, which we used to watch every night at 10:30 p.m. after the news on WREG TV Memphis.
Under Mr. James, you didn’t just sack groceries. No, he taught us to engage in conversation with the customer as we sacked, and then – get this – we pushed their cart to their car (especially if they were an elderly lady as my memory serves..) and unload their groceries into their car.
And….we were not done. We opened the door for them. Not the men in pick ups or jeeps, as that would not go over well. But we did so for the elderly ladies.
Can you imagine going to a grocery store today and getting all that service? You would keel over half dead, immediately. Heck, in many of these places they have you checking out yourself.
We worked hard for Mr. James and I always kept his customer service lessons close to me after I graduated from Ole Miss in 1985. I was in the television news business as a sports anchor for years and always made customer service a priority with my version of the Paul James approach. When I left TV news and started delivering motivational seminars, whenever I talked about him I would always have people come up to me afterwards and say how the story stoked the memory of someone like him in their life that had conveyed to them the value of “good ole” sincere, southern customer service.
I would get home bone tired from sacking groceries at The Jitney Jungle, but I embrace what Mr. James taught and yearn for more of that service in today’s world. I remember the feeling I had the first time I saw that the Jitney had been leveled for progress on one of my trips back home to Oxford. I was sad, but I got the direction the Square was going. I still have vivid memories of Mr. James in his big apron, strong shoulders and jawline, teaching us youngsters what customer service was really all about!

---

Charlie Adams was born in Oxford in 1962 and graduated from Lafayette High School in 1980 and Ole Miss in 1985. After an award winning career in television news, he now hosts an inspirational morning show on wkvi.com and delivers inspirational talks. He can be reached at charlie@stokethefirewithin.com.