Mr. George Gold Coin Award: Alfred Greer

At Publix, we have a recognition program for our Associates who provide premier customer service and go above and beyond their everyday duties, the Mr. George Gold Coin Award. As we enter the new year, we’re excited to bring you exciting new Gold Coin Award stories. If this is your first time hearing about this award, you can find more stories here.

To start the new year with a bang, we spoke with our latest Gold Coin Award recipient in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Store Manager Alfred Greer at Store #1478 joined Publix in 1998 and has been living his dream of serving people every day since then. Alfred is a sports enthusiast and often uses sports analogies to help his associates perform at their very best. Associates and friends often describe Alfred as a caring and calm person. He credits this to his time on the golf course, the newest hobby he’s picked up.

When we asked Alfred to describe the feeling he got when he received the Gold Coin Award, he shared that he was very honored. During his career, Alfred has always tried to leave a positive impression on every person that he comes in contact with. He says, “When I learned of this coin and what it represented, I thought there was no way I would ever get this at my level. What we do as Store Managers is expected, so to be recognized with the Gold Coin Award adds to the burning desire I have inside of me to help serve people. I’m greatly humbled and honored!”

The Story

It was summer in Pawleys Island, South Carolina which is the busiest time of the year for Alfred and his team. The summer brings a lot of tourism to the area, which means a lot of new faces come into Publix. Meeting new people is one of his favorite parts about working at this location. He shared, “With so many new faces every day, we only get one chance to “Wow” the customer. I strive to make sure that our customers leave feeling like someone genuinely cared about them during their time in our store and that they were able to find exactly what they were looking for.”

It was a Wednesday afternoon and Alfred was speaking with the meat department in the back when a family of four entered the store. Upon entering, the gentleman in the family immediately passed out in the front lobby. He fell into a display of beach hats and shoes and was unconscious. Alfred recalled, “I received a frantic page to come to the lobby and when I arrived the gentleman was laying on the floor unconscious.” There were already a couple of trained managers trying to help the gentleman and the customer service staff had already called the ambulance. When Alfred began assessing and helping, he noticed the wife and daughters in shock and tears. He expressed words of comfort to the wife and daughters in between talking to the gentleman, hoping that he would hear Alfred while they were waiting for the EMS to arrive.

After several minutes, he gasped for air and was responsive. While the EMS was helping the customer, Alfred talked with his family to comfort them. “I found out they were only coming in for sub sandwiches so I quickly had an associate prepare some subs for them before they left,” Alfred told us.

The next day, the gentleman and his family made their way back to Publix. When we asked Alfred about that visit, he said, “It truly made my day to see him. It’s always an honor to help someone. I learned this gentleman was a retired Police Chief who had protected and taken care of others during his career.” This day, however, it was Alfred’s time to help and take care of him. We know how much Alfred likes sports analogies and think we started the year off with a home run! We are so proud to have him serve as such an inspiration to his teammates.

Have you ever witnessed an associate going above and beyond at your local Publix? Share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter, via our Contact Us page, or give our Customer Care team a call at (800) 242-1227. To read the stories of other recipients of the Mr. George Gold Coin Award, check them out here.