Company Blog

Harmonizing

by Adam Zack — January 29, 2025

“Our success … comes from showing up, working together, and putting our customers first every single day.”

I spend a lot of time preaching that teamwork is the backbone of success in the grocery business, especially for independent stores. We’ve got to have each other’s backs, right? There’s no “I” in team—or so they say. But let’s be real: we’re not just a team. We’re a band, and if we want to make great music (or, you know, run a great store), we’ve got to harmonize. Speaking of bands, I’ve been listening to the Beach Boys lately—“Surfer Girl,” “Wendy,” you name it. And wow, those harmonies are next-level brilliant. Complex, perfectly in sync… you’d think they were the poster children for teamwork. Spoiler alert: nope. Turns out the Beach Boys were three brothers, a cousin, and a couple of close friends who, for most of their careers, couldn’t stand each other. In-fighting, jealousy, and clashing lifestyles (one group was all about drugs and partying, the other… not so much). They basically needed referees at band practice. And yet, they gave us Pet Sounds, one of the greatest albums ever made. How? They managed to hold it together just long enough to record pure genius before going back to their regularly scheduled drama. Then there’s the Ramones, punk rock legends who shaped music forever. They toured non-stop, wore matching outfits, and even shared the same (fake) last name. A family, right? Well… no. For most of their 22 years together, singer Joey and guitarist Johnny refused to speak to each other. Like, not a single word. Imagine running a department and refusing to talk to your assistant manager for two decades. It’s wild to think about, but maybe that’s why I’m in the grocery business and not a rock band. I need teamwork. I hate dysfunction. Our success doesn’t come from a genius album dropped every couple of decades—it comes from showing up, working together, and putting our customers first every single day. So while rock bands might thrive on chaos, I think the real winners in the grocery industry know the value of harmony—and the only matching outfits we need are our uniforms.