Company Blog

The Lost Art of Do Unto Others: The Shopping Cart Dilemma

by Adam Zack — May 21, 2025

“If we can’t be bothered to walk a few extra steps to return a cart, what else are we cutting corners on when it comes to kindness and responsibility?”

Scott here, Adam’s oldest friend—not necessarily the best of his friends, but definitely the oldest!There’s a small but telling act of consideration that seems to be disappearing from our daily lives: returning the
shopping cart. It may not seem like a big deal, but it says a lot about where we are as a society.
We’ve all seen it—abandoned carts scattered across parking lots, wedged against curbs, or even worse, blocking
perfectly good parking spots. Some are left just a few feet away from the cart corral, as if those last few steps were
just too much to handle. While some folks may have legitimate reasons for leaving their carts behind—like physical
limitations or wrangling multiple kids—most of the time, it’s just a case of convenience winning over courtesy.
What happened to the simple principle of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?
Returning a cart isn’t just about keeping the lot tidy; it’s about respect. Respect for the next shopper who now has
to maneuver around your abandoned cart. Respect for the employ...

by Adam Zack — May 14, 2025

“What was once a lively gathering place is now an empty parking lot.”

When Customer Service Makes All the Difference: Lessons from Island Life.By Scott, friend of AdamHi, it’s me, Adam. I’m off on a 5+ week sabbatical vacation in Europe with my wife. While I’m gone, I’ve volunteered my best friend of 55+ years, Scott Lawhon, to fill in as the guest blogger. If you like his topics and style, you can vote for him to be the new DW Green full-time blogger. If you pine for my style, I’ll be back with some worldly observations that I will no doubt gather on our travels. Until then (or maybe until never, if you choose Scott), cheers to you!Hello, this is Scott—Adam’s friend from kindergarten. That was 55 years ago, so we’re definitely not in kindergarten anymore! I thought I’d pop in and help Adam out with a blog.I live on a small island in Washington state, where we have a few local stores that we support. While we don’t have a huge selection, the nearest big-name stores are about a half-hour drive away.The other day, I overheard a customer at one of our local stores complaining to the manager about not finding a particular brand of sauce. They mentioned that a big chain store carried...

by Adam Zack — May 7, 2025

“If you’re telling your appreciation, your love and your gratitude to a casket,
it really doesn’t help you, and especially not the guy in the casket. “

Once a year we have a small family gathering at my Uncle Paul’s in Long Beach for brunch and mimosas. It’s a mini reunion, with my daughters, their spouses, my brother John and his wife Uncle Paul and Aunt Mary. It’s a relaxed, fun and very comfortable time. This year Paul said something that got me thinking. In a somewhat whimsical, and somewhat resigned way, he said that we were the only family he had left and how much it meant that we all traveled to see him. The more I thought about it, the more I had a feeling that he was in reckoning with his mortality and the fact that these annual gatherings would not be going on forever.My uncle is 84 and I have two (yes two) dads in their mid 80’s. I had not thought of them in terms of their inevitable exit from this earth sooner rather than later. It weighed heavily on my mind, so I decided to contact a close friend and mentor who is also an octogenarian, albeit much more agile than my uncle. I know I can always be honest with him, and he will never hesitate to tell me when I am irrational or full of crap. I asked him if he had thought about his mortali...

by Adam Zack — April 30, 2025

“If you’re not investing in your store, your marketing, and your people, then you’re not staying in business — you’re just waiting to go out of business.“

Man, investing takes guts. It’s a commitment. It’s scary. It’s risky. It’s expensive. And often, it takes years to see any return. Sometimes you hit the jackpot. Other times, you lose your shirt. When we were younger, my dad always encouraged us to stretch our financial limits to gain assets. “If you want to get ahead,” he’d say, “you’ve got to take a chance — a smart one, with your homework done.” And that advice mostly worked. Except for the times we didn’t do our homework and jumped headfirst into things like the tech bubble… or deals that were just too good to be true. Live and learn. Remember the mistakes, but don’t repeat them. Whatever you do, don’t stop investing.Saving isn’t investing. Saving protects. Investing grows. Saving is like standing still in a bad relationship — you’re technically safe, but you’re missing out on a better life. Investing — in your store, your house, your future — involves risk, yes, but also the chance for real reward. Some people just aren’t built for risk. And that’s OK. There are safe, steady, reliab...

by Adam Zack — April 23, 2025

“A kind word, a small gesture—they relieve stress, lighten the mood, and give us a little peace.“

The other day I was walking through the parking lot of my grocery store in San Diego when I saw an Amazon delivery van parked out front. We’ve got an Amazon locker inside, so drivers are a regular sight. This one was leaning against her open door, cigarette in hand, catching a quick break. She looked up, took a drag, and said, “I love your store.” That was it—simple, unsolicited, and completely genuine. And just like that, my day was made.It reminded me how random words of kindness—short, sincere, and totally unexpected—can carry so much weight. That one moment brought me back to my ongoing soapbox: the little things matter most. They’re what make the biggest impact, and the best part? They’re always within your control. That driver had no clue she was going to shift my whole day until I said, “You just made my day. Thank you.” And isn’t that how it usually goes? The moments that hit hardest often show up unannounced, exactly when we need them. A kind word, a small gesture—they relieve stress, lighten the mood, and give us a little peace.So yeah, forget Clint Eastwood. Be the anti-tough guy. Go ahead—make someone’s day. You...

by Adam Zack — April 16, 2025

“Real friendships can’t be bought or forced. “

“The friends you have will form you as you go through life. Make some good friends, keep them for the rest of your life, but have them be people that you admire as well as like.” – Bill GatesI’ve been blessed to have amazing friends my whole life, or at least since I was 5. People who have been a constant in my life. There have been times when we have gone months, or even years, without talking to each other and then we reconnect and it’s like we never missed a step. Sometimes best friends are family (like my daughters Holly and Alyssa, who are best friends. Who would have thought when they were in their teens?) You know when parents tell you how great your friends are that you have something special. When your parents want to hang out with your friends and your friends want to hang out with your parents, you’ve formed some special bonds. Sometimes your parents want to hang out with your friends and it doesn’t matter if you are there or not. Lifelong friendships are something to cherish and be so thankful for. Last weekend we got to spend some time with friends I’ve known for 42 years. The instant comfort, the mutual respect and admiration, the ease of conversation and genuine tinge...

by Adam Zack — April 9, 2025

“We are now more than a quarter through 2025 and if you haven’t created a plan for this summer and the 2025 holiday season, you are running out of time.”

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren BuffettI was talking to a very good friend a couple months ago about a project that we had done together that resulted in positive sales, employee involvement and customer satisfaction. It was something I was proud of and told her enthusiastically “You gotta love it when a plan comes together!” She said, “Yeah, but first you have to have a plan.” It’s an obvious answer that is easily overlooked. Yesterday I was on the phone with another friend and fellow grocer. We were talking about how easy it is to create a promotional plan for the year, but how hard it is to get it implemented and followed through. It’s very satisfying to analyze a promotion after it’s been executed and see positive results. You want to say to the doubters and people who just didn’t want to do the work “See? I told you! Was that so hard?”We are now more than a quarter through 2025 and if you haven’t created a plan for this summer and the 2025 holiday season, you are running out ...

by Adam Zack — April 2, 2025

“Because whether it’s molars or merchandising, decay doesn’t fix itself.”

I Hate the Dentist (But I Go Anyway)Man, I hate going to the dentist. I’d bet a solid 80% of people feel the same. It’s like a mash-up of waterboarding, construction work, and pure discomfort. Time slows to a crawl—minutes stretch into eternities—and just when you think the end is near, you hear those four dreaded words: “Almost done. Three more minutes.” And yet… I still go every six months. Not because I enjoy it, but because I know that 30 minutes of discomfort now is way better than hours of painful (and expensive) dental construction later. It’s like changing your car’s oil—skip it too long, and you’ll pay the price. Plus, let’s be real: dirty teeth and bad breath are not attractive at all. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Sometimes those routine cleanings reveal a little more—maybe a cracked tooth, or a filling that needs replacing. Maintenance uncovers the stuff that, if ignored, turns into a real mess.So what does this have to do with the grocery business? Glad you asked. Our stores are a lot like teeth. They need regular maintenance—cleaning, organizing, polishing—so they look and smell gre...

by Adam Zack — March 26, 2025

“I am convinced that the smartest leaders are indeed not the smartest
people. The smartest leaders surround themselves with the smartest people.”

Some of the Smartest People I Know Are… Kinda Dumb
(And Some of the Wisest Ones Run Grocery Stores)Some of the smartest guys I’ve ever met are the dumbest. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. Or just a statement from a moron. I’ve known people who can solve complex mathematical problems that stagger my mind but couldn’t microwave a potato for dinner to save their lives. I’ve known brilliant lawyers with knowledge of the law that they can recite at will. These same people make terrible life and business choices that leave them marginally successful at best. I’ve seen computer programmers that can build a network that is amazingly efficient, but when asked to apply it to our industry just flail wildly, leaving everyone to wonder if they have any intelligence at all.I am convinced that the smartest leaders are indeed not the smartest people. The smartest leaders surround themselves with the smartest people. Leaders get the credit for the work of the smart people that he surrounds himself with. But hey! That’s unfair! The smart ones make things happen, right? And he gets all...

by Adam Zack — March 19, 2025

“The key difference is consistency. Service is a business transaction. ..Hospitality is different. It is an art and requires strategy and intent.”

I’ve been thinking about great service a lot recently. I have always measured a great business by the level of service it provides. Great experiences are always led by outstanding service. We all strive to provide the best customer service that we can, right? I’ve never thought about how we can serve our customers better than by providing exceptional service. My wife is always looking for things that she thinks will help our business, or will spark me for a blog topic. Recently she sent me something on the topic of service versus hospitality. The key difference is consistency. Service is a business transaction. We hope to provide outstanding service every time, but in reality we are happy with 90%. Hospitality is different. It is an art and requires strategy and intent. Think of the world’s hospitality leaders – Ritz Carlton, Nordstrom, Shake Shack, In-n-Out and yes, Chick Fil A. In 2001 Shake Shack hired Ritz Carlton to consult with them to build a training and selection program that would deliver the level of hospitality...

1 2 3 … 56 Next »