Company Blog

Relating Is Good, Right?

by Adam Zack — August 19, 2026

“Sometimes “me too” is just “me.”

“Sometimes “me too” is just “me.”

So I’m at this conference and I am talking to this dude who starts telling me about his cruise to Alaska with his wife and what an awesome time they had. “I went on a cruise to Alaska!” I said and proceeded to tell him about the time I went, how great the food was (and the drinks were included!) and how I loved the cities and how beautiful the glaciers were and how I saw whales and bald eagles. Man, it was a

great trip. I could totally relate to that trip! Stop there: He didn’t ask me if I had been to Alaska. He didn’t inquire which towns I liked best. He didn’t even ask if I’d been on any vacation lately. But I could relate, right? Well, by relating I:

• Stopped listening to him to think about what my response would be.
• Made the conversation about me instead of him.
• Diminished his sto
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The Choir

by Adam Zack — August 12, 2026

“Nobody claps for the choir — and they practice anyway.”

“Nobody claps for the choir — and they practice anyway.”

I’ve never given a lot of thought to the church choir. Or any music at church. They get up there, sing or play, and then move offstage. No one claps or yells appreciation. There’s no standing ovation or encore.

The sermon resumes and everyone goes about the rest of their Sunday business. What I didn’t give

any appreciation to was that those church musicians actually have to practice. They practice a lot. The commitment to do something they love for a religion that they are committed to says something very strong about the character church musicians and singers possess. Fac...

Grudgeholder

by Adam Zack — August 5, 2026

“On the Boulder That Only Crushes the Man Carrying It.”

“On the Boulder That Only Crushes the Man Carrying It.”

Recently Dennis, one of our vendors (and a good friend), stopped by to drop off some wine. He

mentioned he’d just run into another vendor in the store — a guy he used to do business with, before their companies parted ways over a difference in direction. The breakup didn’t sit well with the other guy. He won’t speak to Dennis, won’t nod, won’t do anything except deliver a world-class death stare whenever their paths cross. The man could power a small city on that grudge alone.

That got us talking about grudges in general, how some people just won’t let one go. There’s the...

Integrity

by Adam Zack — July 29, 2026

“You lead by the way you live — and it does not stop at your own door. On the integrity that extends to the company you keep.”

“You lead by the way you live — and it does not stop at your own door. On the integrity that extends to the company you keep.”

You lead by the way you live. I love that saying. It’s like the [true] cliche. “You can’t talk the talk if you don’t walk the walk.” As a leader, what you do matters and is closely watched and scrutinized by your peers, employees and associates. You can’t initiate a healthy lifestyle program for your company while you are supersizing your Big Mac combo and burning through a pack of cigarettes a day. Leading by the way you live gives you credibility and integrity. And integrity is inspiring and contagious. We also have to apply that integrity to the companies we do business with. Business

relationships that don’t at least partially align with your core values need to be examined closely. After all, you are partners, and good partners always have an interest in each other’s success. It should always be a...

Who Cares?

by Adam Zack — July 22, 2026

“Everyone will tell you they care. The real question is who cares when there’s nothing in it for them — and whether the people you care about can prove you do.”

“Everyone will tell you they care. The real question is who ...

Behind The Noise

by Adam Zack — July 15, 2026

“Everyone wants to be the rock star. But it’s the bass player — steady, unshowy, easy to miss — who actually drives the song, and the store. On learning to hear your backbeat.”

“Everyone wants to be the rock star. But it’s the bass player — steady, unshowy, easy to miss — who actually drives the song, and the store. On learning to hear your backbeat.”

With all that’s been going on in the world these days, I’ve been thinking a lot about music. That won’t

surprise those that know me. I always have to have some kind of noise on, especially when I am driving or cooking. I don’t like doing things in silence. Well, except reading. So with all these thoughts of music bouncing around in my head, I have been comparing what’s going on in our world and our business with the layers in a great song. All of you have a favorite song. One that has a special meaning or just makes you feel good. It may bring you back to a different time in your life that you were happiest, or it may

just be a band you loved. When we hear our music we think of the singer’s voice, the lyrics, the i...

Be The Comfort Zone

by Adam Zack — July 8, 2026

“Ina Garten on the cookie you cannot be miserable during — and why a grocery store is really in the comfort business, not the food business.”

“Ina Garten on the cookie you cannot be miserable during — and why a grocery store is really in the comfort business, not the food business.”

“I often say that you can be miserable before eating a cookie and you can be miserable after eating a cookie, but you can never be miserable while you’re eating a cookie.” – Ina Garten

Food has the ability to comfort us and make us feel happy, content, or well, just plain comforted in nearly every situation. Milestone birthday celebration? Your favorite cake. Date night at home watching a movie? Martinis and popcorn. Worried? Brownies. Tired? Hot tea. Celebration? Champagne. Food is a common denominator in satisfying our basic emotional needs. It inspires us to be adventurous when we cook and it also can be the easiest in the form of take-out or ready to eat when we are short on time.

Grocery shopping is the conduit to providing that comfort, and we have the unique...

The Dalai Lama and Kindness

by Adam Zack — July 1, 2026

“Kindness wins no trophies and shows up on no balance sheet — yet it may be the realest edge in a people business. On the difference between doing kind things and being a kind person.”

“Kindness wins no trophies and shows up on no balance sheet — yet it may be the realest edge in a people business. On the difference between doing kind things and being a kind person.”

I think kindness is a real underappreciated quality. It’s not flashy, like winners are celebrated and recognized. It’s not monetary, like financial savvy. It’s not beauty, which is prized and awarded. It’s not brilliance, which distances itself from average intelligence. Kindness isn’t selfish, in fact it’s the opposite. The Dalai Lama famously said “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” I don’t even think that kindness can be turned on and off like a switch. Either you are kind, or you are not. Kind gestures, like donating to a need cause, are specific acts of kindness. They don’t anoint the the giver of a that specific kindness as necessarily a kind person. My goal in life is to practice kindness in all the little decisions and acts that I do daily that affect peo...

Drive, Baby, Drive

by Adam Zack — June 24, 2026

“Emerson on closing the books every night — and why letting go isn’t the same as not caring.”

“Emerson on closing the books every night — and why letting go isn’t the same as not caring.”

I read this Emerson passage again last week, and it hit different than it used to. Funny how that happens — the same words, but you’re not the same person reading them.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt, crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

He’s not telling us to be reckless. He’s telling us to close the books. Every night. No exceptions. That’s harder than it sounds in this business. A bad shift sticks to you. A tough...

Help

by Adam Zack — June 17, 2026

“On shortcuts, also-rans, and the road that actually gets you there.”

“The bravest word on any team —

and the one leaders most often forget to use.” 

Help! I need somebody

Help! Not just anybody

Help! You know I need someone

Help!

-John Lennon 

“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said? asked the boy.

‘Help!’ said the horse.

‘Asking for help isn’t giving up,’ said the horse. ‘It’s refusing to give up.”

– Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse 

The longer you work with your team, the stronger you all get. All of our stores have had to endure a business climate that seems to tighten by the week. The challenges we have all faced head on have at times seemed overwhelming. Surrendering has never been an option. Screaming in retreat is not an option. People have to eat, and we have to feed them. Employees need to work, and we are there to pay them. They need security, and we take every step we can think of to pro...