Last updated on June 12th, 2015 at 08:32 am
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) presented Cheryl Macik, director of consumer affairs for Wakefern Food Corp., with its Esther Peterson Consumer Service Award, recognizing her dedication as a shopper advocate and her influence in serving and retaining Wakefern’s customer base across its ShopRite and Price Rite banners.
Wakefern President and COO Joe Sheridan described Macik as, “my wing person whenever there’s a time of crisis…Cheryl makes sure that our policies reflect the current state of the consumer dynamic.”
Macik started at Wakefern more than 30 years ago as a frontline representative in what was then a fledgling consumer affairs department. Today, she serves as director of the department, overseeing a staff of 30, including ShopRite’s Customer Care Center and consumer research team. Under Macik’s direction, Wakefern’s Customer Care Center responds to nearly 200,000 customer contacts annually.
“In the nearly three decades that Cheryl has worked for Wakefern, her commitment to providing an exceptional level of customer service has never waned. In everything she does she is committed to delighting our customers. It’s her passion and resilience that is an inspiration to her team,” said Karen Meleta, Wakefern’s VP of consumer and corporate communications.
According to the company, Macik has played a pivotal part in advancing consumer-centric programs over the last three decades, with a constant focus on consumer education, advocacy and health and wellness. Notably, Macik was instrumental in developing a protocol that utilized ShopRite’s loyalty card database to notify customers of a product recall, a procedure that has become an industry standard.
Leslie G. Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, remarked on Macik’s award: “True to the spirit of Esther Peterson, Cheryl works tirelessly to ensure the customer’s voice is heard clearly by the industry and that the industry responds in an open, understandable and friendly fashion.”
Macik is a former YWCA Tribute to Women in Industry award winner, and in 2014, she received Griffin Report’s Food Industry Women of Influence award. She is a member of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals and formerly served as Chair of FMI’s Consumer Affairs Committee.
