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It’s a sunny fall morning when a new email pops up in the inbox of NORMA Group’s communications department. Nothing unusual so far – if it weren’t for the sender’s question about when their 4-in-1 gas-powered multi-garden tool would finally be delivered.
There is a brief moment of confusion – we do after all offer irrigation solutions for urban green spaces, but the missing garden tool is not part of our product range. It quickly becomes clear that we have once again been confused with our namesake, the German discount grocery store NORMA.
And if you think this is just a random, one-time error, you might want to think again. We routinely receive questions in our inbox that are actually intended for the supermarket sector. Needless to say, we always politely point out that this is a case of mistaken identity and that we are an international industrial company that specializes in joining technology.
And it is not only customers who fall victim to this confusion, journalists are also far from immune. For example, we received an inquiry from a public broadcaster that wanted to report on the falling prices of butter and coffee in its business news ticker. A topic of great urgency no doubt – after all, we enjoy drinking coffee too – but not our area of expertise.
Local daily newspapers also come to us for advice. They want to know, for example, whether a market in a southern German town is in need of renovation, whether customers in supermarkets are allowed to simply put the groceries in their own pockets before paying, or they want permission to film a report on processed food in one of the stores. Topics such as abandoned shopping carts in the big city are just as interesting as the product presentation of bread rolls. Again, not part of our product range.
Unfortunately, we are also unable to explain why the four packs of cat litter that were ordered have not yet been delivered. And no, we do not carry a pet food brand and therefore cannot comment on the development of pet supplies.
Of course, we are always available to answer any questions you may have. Even if we don’t know when the frozen pizza will be on sale again, why the lawnmower was already sold out at eight o’clock in the morning or why your order hasn’t arrived yet – we still have an open ear for you.
And by the way, we don’t produce bracelets in the shape of a hose clamp for a French luxury fashion company. Even if some inspiration from the automotive world may have flowed into the design.