Hy-Vee, Inc. Chairman, CEO and President Randy Edeker recently presented four Hy-Vee stores out of nearly 250 stores in the company with a 2018 Customer Experience Award, one of them being Austin’s.

“For 88 years, Hy-Vee has built its reputation on being helpful, friendly and doing whatever it takes to ensure great customer experiences,” said Donna Tweeten, executive vice president, chief marketing officer and chief customer officer of Hy-Vee. “The Customer Experience Award winners go above and beyond on customer service and store appearance and serve as excellent examples for every other store in the company.”

The stores that were recognized had the highest ranking in their store category on customer experience surveys. Stores were divided into four size categories such as smaller than 35,000 square feet, 35,000 to 64,999 square feet, 65,000 to 79,999 square feet and larger than 80,000 square feet.

Full- and part-time employees from each of the top-rated stores will receive a bonus for them helping their store excel in overall customer experience.

The company’s Customer Experience Program started in fiscal year 2014, and was designed to evaluate customers’ shopping experiences.

Stores are rated by trained customer experience analysts several times a month in areas like conditions, employee image and customer satisfaction.

The program was created to provide stores with constant analytical feedback on how they are performing, and can make improvements throughout the year.