Home Maryanne's Tales Empty No More! About Uchumi Supermarket

Empty No More! About Uchumi Supermarket

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Fred, customer care attendant at Uchumi Nairobi West.

Hi guys, how are your holidays coming along? Hope great! We just got back  from the village in Kakamega, I’ll soon be sharing a video of our #KakamegaTales, so be sure to check that out.

Now recently, I received these text messages from Uchumi supermarket:

So as I was doing my usual ‘out and about’ rounds yesterday, I happened by Uchumi Nairobi West. And since there were some little little household things that I needed to buy, I got right in.

Now, many times I’ve been to Uchumi Nairobi West and many times my heart has ached for the whole Uchumi enterprise. The shelves have been empty, and for the few products that were there, they were filled with layers of dust. Plus the staff looked demoralized and pitiful.

You see, me and Uchumi supermarket we go way back. Let me tell you a little tale 🙂

When we were young, supermarkets were few and far between. So when my mum did the house hold monthly shopping, she’d do it at Uchumi Jogoo Road -mostly in the evening after she and my dad had picked us up from school (school was along Mamlaka rd, home was Buru Buru, so Jogoo Road was the route used).

So whenever we’d see dad begin signaling on the road, indicating he was just about to turn into the road leading to Uchumi, our hearts would start beating fast. In the back seat, my two brothers and I would hold our hands tight together, giggling, flapping our elbows and shuffling our feet, so happy because we knew what that meant.

Mum preferred doing the shopping alone because, I guess getting into a supermarket with three kids can be quite… well… quite something. I know it myself because whenever I want to get things done fast and without much ado, I usually leave my boys behind. And that’s what mum would do – she’d leave us in the car in the company of dad then go do the shopping –fast and without much ado 🙂

My boys, out and about.

While in the car, dad would regal us with funny tales of his childhood, his years growing up in Nyeri. I also remember the car stereo would always be tuned to Sundowner on KBC and we’d all enjoy and sing along to the Jim Reeves, Abba, Kenny Rogers and all those other nice peoples. I still religiously listen to Sundowner to date by the way.

So anyway, the BIG moment that we’d all been waiting for would finally arrive when we’d see mum returning with the shopping. Seeing her would be like seeing a majestic angel, dressed in white, resplendent, walking towards us. Hallelujah!

She would then pull out three packets of crisps from the shopping bag, one for each of us. What joy! That moment would always feel like an out-of-this-world experience. And that’s why I grew to love Uchumi because Uchumi meant giggling with my brothers, receiving a packet of crisps from mum, Sundowner on KBC and enjoying my dad’s Nyeri tales 🙂

How the shelves at Uchumi Nairobi West look like now.

So, back to yesterday. When I checked into Uchumi Nairobi West, I began getting happy with what I was seeing. The shelves were full! There was a wide range of products, not just one product occupying three entire shelves. And the products were clean, not dusty!

At one aisle, I needed to get me some Brookside Dairy Fresh packs, but they were too high up for my reach. So one customer care guy/supermarket attendant by the name Fred quickly came to my rescue and assisted me. Fred went on to welcome me, telling me to enjoy my shopping at the store. I said thank you, and continued filling my cart.

Some holiday treats for the boys.

After going round for about 10 minutes, Fred found me again and asked me if I was OK, and if there was anything I was looking for that I hadn’t found. I told him in fact I was very okay and very happy because I had managed to find like 90% of the stuff that I was looking for –and in my preferred brands, which has been a rare thing for Uchumi in recent years to be honest.

I told him though that I hadn’t found my favorite tissue paper brand, some spices, plus some self-raising flour. Fred told me that they were restocking stuff and in a few days, I would find all that I was looking for. In fact, he told me that I should come and do all the back-to-school shopping there because by next week, they will be fully stocked!

@Uchumi Nairobi West
@Uchumi Nairobi West
@Uchumi Nairobi West
@Uchumi Nairobi West
@Uchumi Nairobi West
@Uchumi Nairobi West

Fred, customer care attendant at Uchumi Nairobi West.

I left Uchumi very happy because I’ve always rooted for it, always had a soft spot for it and I’m genuinely glad it’s getting back on its feet again. I hope it’s for keeps this time. And kudos to Fred for the wonderful Customer Care service that he accorded me. Uchumi Nairobi West – you have a gem right there in Fred!

So guys, lets help good old Uchumi get back to its feet again. Have you visited other Uchumi branches since they started sending out SMS’s? What branch did you visit and did you find it stocked with stuff? Let us know below in the comments section.

You May also like to Read: How to Add Dependents to your NHIFFollow Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK l YOU TUBEINSTAGRAM l TWITTER 

 

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Maryanne W. Waweru is a Kenyan mum raising her two sons in Nairobi. A journalist, Maryanne is passionate about telling stories and hopes that through her writing, her readers learn something new, feel encouraged, inspired, and appreciative of what they have in their lives. Maryanne's writing focuses on motherhood, women and lifestyle. "Telling stories is the only thing I know how to do," she says.

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