I go to both types of shops, one is corner anna tea shop and the other is multichain branded coffee/tea shop.

First Type

Once I reach the Anna Shop, I am welcomed by a pleasant smile as he knows all his regular customers and even before he takes orders, they know each regular customer preferences by heart 🙂

You feel special when he prepares the tea just the way you like – strong, super hot, low on sugar and with lof of foam 🙂
Our Anna can take complex menu preferences for over 10 people at the same time, which makes me adore the smartness.

And when we leave we pay through Gpay and exit with whatever candies we like of our choice at the billing, reminding me of how our childhood habits don’t change much.

We leave with a smile and a refreshing chai taste to keep the long day going. Myself and the anna both know we will meet again tomorrow and eventually we create a bond. He becomes our go-to phone book for all types of contacts required around the area and he is smart enough to go the extra mile to helps his customers.

Experience – I feel “special & delighted” by both their product and services. In small business, the owners and emploeyers are the brand as they are known as Tea-Kada Anna and not by their actual shop name.

Second Type

We walk-in and find ourselves number 7 or 8 on a queue to get the lattes. I wait and observe everything including the rich environment which markets their brand at every glance. My turn comes and I place my order to a new half smile face with a branded logo t-shirt, with the same preferences as that of Tea-Kada anna only difference being they do not know my preferences even if I am a regular 😛

Once its done, we wait for them to call my name to get the orders. The product is just the same taste everytime I order and once in a while there are chances of not getting my order right but that’s okay 🙂
We leave the store feeling privileged and loved by the brand by the look of their brand colors everywhere.

Experience – Product never fails to impress with the same taste we love which makes us go there in the first place but I don’t feel like going there everyday, it can be once in a while thing but definitely does not bring a smile to my face when leaving the store.

The resson for the long post is that, once companies lose the sight of classifying themselves as product oriented brands whilst being in service industry, the customer feels he is not special anymore as the stores feel more special. How nice it would be if the experiences are same at both these shops?

Handdown, I would prefer a small business anyday to make myself feel pampered 🙂
This applies for any business, evaluate based on your needs and choose where you are understood and felt special.