Secretary of State and Meijer
announce partnership
SOS puts self-serve license tab stations in two Meijer stores
as part of pilot project
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Think of it as “one-stop shopping” Secretary of State style. A new pilot program will offer Meijer customers in two stores the chance to get bread, milk, peanut butter and their new license plate tabs in a single trip, announced Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today.
Johnson made the announcement from one of the stores, located in Grand Rapids. The other store with the new self-service station is in Lincoln Park. Johnson was joined by Meijer Co-CEO and Vice Chairman Mark Murray at today’s announcement.
“We’re very excited about this new partnership with Meijer, a Michigan-based company that has led the way nationally with their supercenter and ‘one-stop shopping’ approach,” said Johnson. “This marks the first time ever that our self-service stations will be located in a retail store setting. At Meijer, they’ll be available to customers at night, on weekends, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.”
“Meijer is always looking for new, and innovative ways to make shopping more convenient for our customers,” Mark Murray said. “Meijer is proud to partner with the Secretary of State and to the one-stop shopping experience.”
All told, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office has 77 self-service stations across the state, most located in branch offices, government buildings or community centers. The ATM-style machine is easy to use. Customers follow touch-screen directions and scan the bar code on their license plate renewal notice. Customers can use credit cards or debit cards carrying the MasterCard or Visa logos to use the self-service kiosk.
Once the information and credit card are confirmed, the station prints out a vehicle tab and receipt for the customer. Transactions can usually be accomplished in less than two minutes.
The self-service stations are located in the following Meijer stores:
-
Meijer
3710 Dix Highway
Lincoln Park, MI 48146
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Meijer
1540 28th Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49508
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Johnson said the pilot program is the latest in her department’s efforts to streamline operations, shorten lines and improve customer service at 131 Secretary of State branch offices around the state. After she was elected, she organized a “secret shopper” program to initially assess operations in the branch offices. In 2011, the Secretary of State’s office launched www.ExpressSOS.com, tripling the department’s online services. To date, more than 2.5 million transactions have been successfully handled on www.ExpressSOS.com, which is called the “online, no-wait Secretary of State.”
Meijer, which began as a single family-operated grocery store in 1934, has grown to nearly 200 stores across the Midwest today.
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For media questions, please contact
Gisgie Dávila Gendreau, MDOS, at 517-373 2520, or
Christina Fecher, Meijer, at 616-735-7968.
For more about the Secretary of State's Office:
To find Secretary of State office locations and services, visit www.michigan.gov/sos. Sign up for the official Secretary of State Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/michsos and Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/michigansos. Online services are available at www.expresssos.com.
Customers also may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).
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