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It could not have happened at a worse time. A major snowstorm was howling outside. Whole Foods supermarket at Bishops Corner in West Hartford was jammed with shoppers anxious to get home for dinner.

Suddenly, the computer crashed. None of the cash registers could function. Ted Donoghue, the assistant manager running the store on the afternoon of Dec. 13, consulted associates and made a snap decision:

All customers passing through the registers would get their food for free until the computers were working again.

The complete article is here.

Now obviously this isn’t possible in every situation, but this does show an amazing institutional commitment to customer service. In total the decision cost the store about $4,000. A chain the size of Whole Foods can clearly absorb that cost, and I guarantee that each of those customers will not only be a customer for life, but will tell several friends about their good experience.

The best way to market yourself is by being remarkable.