C U S T O M E R S U C C E S S S T O R YCUSTOMERGiant Food

CORPORATE PROFILEHeadquartersLandover, MD

Type of BusinessGrocery Retail

Number of EmployeesOver 27,000

DetailsFounded in 1936, the organizationcurrently operates 202 GiantFood and Super G supermarketsin Maryland,Virginia, Delaware,and Washington, DC.

"Quality of life is always the bigissue in grocery retail. DaleCarnegie Training is key in helpingour people to create balance.Youcan see and hear the difference inour stores.The stress level is lower.People are smiling. Customers aretreated well.The improvements toour managers' quality of life makesthem more productive in their jobsand makes us more successful inour industry."

- Nancy CrisafulliManager of Training

Dale Carnegie Training BolstersProductivity and Success at Giant Food

CHALLENGE

Following an intense period of a management merger, many of Giant'slong-term employees had left the company, while additional staff sufferedthe effects of downsizing. The stressand uncertainty diminished the company's performance standards andchallenged the company to find qualified people within the organizationto promote up to managerial positions.

SOLUTIONDale Carnegie Training adjusted thestructure of the Dale Carnegie Courseto adapt to Giant's changing priorities.Alternating classroom study with periods of on-the-job work, the coursechallenged Giant's employees to applythe tools and techniques they learnedto their daily tasks, preparing them toembrace a more balanced and flexiblemanagement approach.

RESULTSThe training had a stabilizing effect onGiant's workforce and helped improvemorale across the company. Whilemanagers have grown in confidence andself-awareness, they have also becomemore productive and more successfulin their relationships, cultivating a common culture based on trust,respect and empowerment.

In the fast-paced world of grocery retail,employee burnout is a common occur-rence. The combination of long hours andintense pressure is wearisome and cantake its toll on even the best managers.The merging and purging taking place inthe industry promises to only increasethe demands placed upon store opera-tors.

As Giant Food merged with corporatesibling Stop & Shop, the company "hadsome excellent operators with greattechnical knowledge but limited leadership experience", according toNancy Crisafulli, Giant's Manager ofTraining. The company was faced with thedaunting challenge of finding qualifiedpeople among its ranks to promote up tomanagement positions.

Dale Carnegie Training adjusted the structure of the Dale Carnegie Course toadapt to Giant's changing priorities.Individuals were also coached to challenge their comfort zones andexplore how to proactively respond tomany different types of real world worksituations within the safety of the classenvironment and their peer group.

Despite an immense amount of change,many of the people who have remained in

positions of responsibility are DaleCarnegie graduates. The thriving DaleCarnegie alumni network has drawn thedifferent aspects of the Giant organizationcloser together and contributed to dissolving communication barriers thatonce existed between the corporate andoperations sides of the business.

The company's dedication to its employ-ees' personal growth and professionaldevelopment has helped maintain a senseof pride during the merger and acquisition. With the help of DaleCarnegie Training, Giant Food created ashared managerial vision and a workplacewhere all employees can be engaged inthe ongoing mission and success of thecompany.