Harry and David store. Medford, Oregon
I was vaguely familiar with Harry and David before I visited their main store in Medford. However, by the time we left Oregon, we were in love with the store and its hyperactive customer service.
We pulled into Harry and David’s parking lot about 11:30 a.m. It was already about 85 degrees, but the parking lot’s asphalt added another 10 degrees to the heat. The unbearable conditions made us want to get into the store as quickly as possible. But, if the heat didn’t want to make us go inside, the attractive merchandise outside the store was an equally strong incentive. There were a number of carefully arranged fruit trees and rose bushes available for sale in the store’s front patio. Additionally, a trolley style shuttle bus sat near the front door to take tourists to Harry and David’s main factory. While we were tempted to take advantage of its air conditioned comfort, we instead went into the store.
The goal was to spend a few minutes buying a couple of gifts for family and friends. However, that plan was thwarted immediately after we entered the door. To our left was a small table with several bottles of wine. A lady behind the table asked, “Would you like to try some?” I don’t usually drink until 12:30 p.m, but I figured I could have some since I was on vacation. The wine turned out to be very good. She then explained that it was bottled at a local winery. She went on to say that if we bought a bottle, the vintner who made it would autograph our purchase. That kind of gimmick made the wine a perfect gift for my brother. So, we took a bottle. The vintner wasn’t there at the moment, but the lady behind the desk told us to come back after we finished shopping and he would autograph it.
We proceeded to the rest of the store. It was filled with gourmet foods and organic produce. Everything looked delicious. But, amidst the aisles of food were several people wearing Harry and David aprons and carrying small trays of food. I figured that these people were roving salespeople who were providing samples in the hopes of enticing a person to buy the product they were sampling. I knew I was too sophisticated to fall for a ruse like that.
We had picked out one item each when a middle aged woman wearing a Harry and David apron approached. “Excuse me, would you like to try some chipotle trail mix?” I didn’t see the harm in trying it, but I resolved to myself that I wouldn’t buy it. Still, the mix tasted great. I thought, “Well, maybe one bag won’t hurt. We could use it on our hikes.” So, I asked her to direct me to the aisle where the mix was located. She gave me the answer with a knowing smile.
After picking up another three items (including the trail mix), the same clerk appeared. This time, she offered us some jelly candies. They were just as good as the trail mix. After seeing our quickly filling hands, she offered to get us a shopping cart. “Oh, no thanks”, we protested. “We’re only going to pick up one more thing.” She again gave us that knowing smile.
We grabbed a couple of boxes of the jelly candies and started moving to the checkout aisle. As we moved toward the aisle, we noticed a basket filled with a product called “Moose Munch.” It looked like chocolate covered popcorn. We decided to try a sample. It wasn’t just simply chocolate covered popcorn…it was instead everything Cracker Jack should be. Imagine Cracker Jack with large chocolate balls in it and you have Moose Munch. Of course, we couldn’t leave without getting some Moose Munch to take home. However, our hands (and arms were full). We went to get the shopping cart.
By the time we got back to the Moose Munch table with our cart, our shopping assistant was waiting. “I thought you said you didn’t need a cart”, she said in mock astonishment. We sheepishly said that we couldn’t leave without some Moose Munch. She smiled with a grin that indicated that she knew we were hooked. “Well, if you like that, then you’ll have to try some of our fruit butters. Here, have a sample of the cherry butter.” It was fantastic. By now, we knew better than to protest. We just asked, “Which aisle are these in?” She led us to them like the Pied Piper led rats to water.
We weren’t entirely pawns in her hands. We did manage to say no to the cheesecake sampler. But, that was mostly the result of the fact that we had no place to store it for three days than any reflection on the quality of the cheesecake (which was superb). After picking up some jellies and some fresh fruit, we staggered to the checkout line. We thought we were free of our assistant, when she suddenly appeared next to us in line. “You two have been so much fun, that I thought I’d leave you with one more item. Have a sample of our latest product: the Moose Munch Bar.” Yes, it was Moose Munch, shaped into a bar, and covered (entirely) in chocolate. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was ready to buy a case; but, Dianne had hurriedly paid for all our other items while I was savoring the bar.
As we started to exit, Dianne remembered that we still didn’t have our wine bottle signed. We went back to the vintner’s table to see if he had returned. The lady at the table told us that he hadn’t come back from lunch yet. Then, she exclaimed with a yell while pointing to the parking lot, “There he is!” She grabbed our bottle and ran into the parking lot. We hurried behind her. She caught up to the vintner and explained that we had bought one of his bottles of wine and wanted his signature on the bottle. He pulled out a gold pen that he had in his pocket, and signed the bottle. He returned it to us with thanks for buying his wine.
This final event typified the incredible customer service we had at Harry and David. While the food and produce was excellent, we would’ve thought the store was another overpriced food boutique had it not been for the monumental customer service we received. That customer service alone makes a stop at Harry and David a must for anyone traveling in the Medford area.
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