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Article: Wal-Mart lesson: Smiling service won't win Germans; The retailer closed two stores in Germany this summer, its first shutdowns in Europe.(WORLD)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- October 17, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Isabelle de Pommereau Special to The Christian Science Monitor
FRANKFURT -- Nina Shokrol squeezes through the cramped store's narrow aisles, discarding empty boxes before picking some nectarines off a warehouse pallet. The gantlet at the cash register is even more daunting: lengthy lines and surly cashiers.
But like other customers at the Aldi discount store, Mrs. Shokrol doesn't mind. "I'm getting the best deal, and that's what counts," the young mother says. "It's OK if the cashiers are a bit stressed."
This preference for price over pleasantry is among the hitches slowing the German campaign of US vendor Wal-Mart, known for its ...