Yesterday, Target Stores ran a very interesting two-page ad in the nation’s major Sunday newspapers. It showed five customer e-mails that were essentially complaints about Target’s customer service and provided five very clear, action-oriented responses. What was most refreshing was that they acknowledged flaws: “You could do a much better job of replenishing your stock, especially in food” and “Can you please have your employees be more friendly and say ‘thank you’?” What’s more, there was no weasel-wording, no equivocation in the responses. It would have been far more common for the company to respond by saying you must have met our only rude clerk. Instead, they described exactly what their customer service expectations are for friendly service and provided the specifics of the behavior they expect from their checkout personnel. They also made it clear that they had provided personal replies to each customer email and provided a link to solicit any ongoing feedback.

So, if they sincerely want one more comment, I do have one small gripe. The ad stated, “On May 31st, we published an invitation in this newspaper: Tell us what more we can do for you. 627 of you e-mailed Target…” When I read that in Newsday I interpreted it to mean 627 people from that readership but then I read the same figure in The New York Times later that day. So, I presume the total national response was only 627 people—how small was this previously published “invitation?”—now I picture it being one of those legal notices and perhaps not such an earnest request for feedback. So, in my opinion, Target came close to a bulls-eye but fell a bit short of the mark.

Irene Etzkorn is the executive director, simplification for the Siegel+Gale New York office.