To the Editor: Central Market saves Thanksgiving

The writer of this letter has asked to remain anonymous.

Hi, Shoreline News;

I had a great experience with a local business today and thought I'd share it: it was Central Market, off Aurora Avenue near 155th.

I subscribe to Central Market's email distribution list, and I always check it for upcoming events and sales. I received a copy of it this morning, and reading through the events, saw that Central was offering pre-made Thanksgiving dinners. "Let us do the cooking for your holiday!" it said.

Now, this idea came at the perfect time for me. My husband is scheduled for surgery just before Thanksgiving; nothing life-threatening, but important enough that we were both a little nervous and wondering if we'd have time to do very much for our dinner on Thursday. I envisioned roasting a couple of chicken breasts...or maybe just ordering a pizza. But when I realized that I could actually have a real turkey day dinner, cooked by the staff at Central, I was excited and called the store to reserve ours.

But unfortunately, my excitement was short-lived, as I spoke to someone in the deli who told me that all of the turkey dinners had already been reserved. I couldn't believe it; I called within a half an hour of receiving the email and they were all gone. Of course, people had known about Central's turkey meals already, and had made their arrangements well in advance. Disappointed, I asked to talk to the manager, to see if he had any suggestions as to other options for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Joel, the store manager, came on the line immediately and I explained my situation to him. Was there anything he could do? I thought he might know of other stores in the area also preparing dinners, or have an idea about what else we could get at the store for that evening.

What he said amazed and delighted me. Yes, he admitted, it was poor timing that they had sent out the email about the dinners after they were all reserved. But he wanted to make it right. He said he would call the Mill Creek Central Market and see if they might have any dinners still available.

And, he said, he would deliver the dinner. Personally. To our house.

I was astonished. This was unexpected and wonderful. I accepted with many thanks, and after a quick discussion about side dishes, finalized the order. I ended the conversation with a new fondness for what has always been my favorite grocery store; I have never seen that level of customer service from any other business. Central Market has ensured that we will be customers for as long as we live within driving distance. We are truly thankful to have them as part of our community.

Photo by SaCaSeA