Collection made easy: Heindl butcher's drive-in makes it possible
The Heindl butcher's shop in Untergriesbach has been in existence since 1889 and has thus been in business for over 130 years. The family business is run by Hans Heindl and Carmen Heindl, now in the fourth and even fifth generation, and with 23 gold national awards, the company proves time and again that it is at the forefront when it comes to quality. In addition to sales in the seven branches, the Heindl butcher's shop also offers a catering and party service, which - as with all other businesses - is unfortunately not currently generating much revenue. (Note: picture was taken before the corona pandemic)
However, the company can benefit from increased purchases by end consumers. People who are unable to work from home and who, due to the closure of restaurants, are currently unable to take advantage of lunch offers, for example, are increasingly using the opportunity to purchase snacks from the butcher's shop during their lunch break. However, general awareness of regional products has also increased.
In this context, Heindl is pursuing a special strategy with its butcher's drive-in. Customers can easily pre-order goods via a wide variety of channels: Traditionally via fax and telephone, but also via WhatsApp and other social media channels, such as Facebook. After placing their order, customers receive feedback on which products are available and how much their purchase will cost. Care is also taken to avoid any contact during the payment process. For example, customers indicate the size of banknote they are using to pay for the goods before picking them up, enabling the butcher's shop to enclose the appropriate change in an envelope with their purchase.
The collection itself is also a contactless process: the customer drives up to the branch and honks the horn once to alert the staff. The money for payment is placed in an envelope on the passenger seat. The sales staff then simply exchange this envelope for the wrapped purchase. - In this way, any unnecessary contact is avoided and the necessary safety distance from other people is maintained.
The butcher's drive-in primarily helps at-risk patients whose purchases cannot be taken over by assistants; but the Heindl butcher's measure is also gaining popularity with other customer groups.
It is therefore not surprising that this "corona strategy" serves as a prime example of solution-oriented action during the crisis and is already being successfully implemented by other butchers due to its easy imitability.
A concept that clearly reflects the idea behind our Trüffeljagd : Learning from each other in order to benefit from each other - an increasingly important aspect, especially in such difficult times!