Thanks to Online Easy Ordering (OEO) Madness, our stores have really stepped up their games. This head-to-head challenge matched districts against each other in a competition similar to the NCAA basketball tournament.

The game plan was simple: turn more customers into OEO fans. The districts were seeded into brackets, and every four weeks, the districts with the greatest increase in OEO transactions advanced to the next round. The rounds continued until only one district remained. After seven rounds of play, the stores led by Charlotte Division district managers Kris Jonczyk and Walter Laird were crowned OEO Madness champions. 

“I’m so excited for my associates — they really worked hard to make it personal,” said Kris. “It started with our associates seeing the benefit of not standing in line, and they shared those experiences and engaged our customers.”

Each store in Kris’s district hosted a victory celebration for associates, and the district received $5,000 to donate to March of Dimes, the charity of their choice. 

“With our March of Dimes campaign right around the corner, it just seemed appropriate to add this gift to our district’s fundraising total,” said Kris.

In addition, as the top performing store in the district, Store Manager Vicki Parker and Deli Manager Elsie Platt, #360, Anderson, South Carolina, will travel with Kris to the International Dairy-Deli-Bake Association (IDDBA) conference in June. 

“My advice for others is to keep talking to customers, especially during the lunch rush,” said Kris. “Having an order coordinator is vital to oversee the on-time fulfillment of orders and improve service to our customers.”