Damage Control at Office Depot

Last Friday afternoon, the manager of an Office Depot store in Portage, Mich., reportedly refused to print posters for a vigil for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, telling the customer involved the chain does not print “propaganda,” according to a variety of news sources. Video of that exchange found its way to the internet, which set off an instant fire storm.

At just before midnight the next day, Office Depot issued a statement on the incident which said, in part, “The behavior displayed by our associate is completely unacceptable and insensitive, violates our company policies and does not reflect the values we uphold at Office Depot. On behalf of the company, we sincerely apologize for this regrettable situation.

“Upon learning of the incident, we immediately reached out to the customer to address their concerns and seek to fulfill their order to their satisfaction. We also launched an immediate internal review and, as a result, the associate involved is no longer with the organization. We continue to aggressively investigate the matter and will take action where appropriate.”

The chain also said it is “committed to reinforcing training with all team members to ensure our standards of respect, integrity, and customer service are upheld at every location. Our customers and communities deserve nothing less.”

While lauding Office Depot for its speedy response, especially on a weekend, a variety of industry observers said the event also served as a reminder that retailers must be constantly vigilant in reinforcing guidelines that ensure their front-line workers treat customers with courtesy and respect under virtually all circumstances.

For instance, in its coverage of the Office Depot situation, Business-News-Today.com noted the events “mirrored similar situations faced by other large retailers in recent years, where service failures or discriminatory behavior led to public apologies, staff dismissals and renewed training campaigns.

“Companies such as Starbucks, Target, and even Walmart have all had to navigate store-level controversies with corporate-level interventions. The common thread, according to retail strategy consultants, is that frontline training and cultural enforcement often lag behind top-down brand promises unless periodically reinforced [italics added for emphasis].”

Click here for the full Office Depot statement.