Company Blog

Listening Backslider

by Adam Zack — April 20, 2022

You make that effort, see results, and then gradually (or sometimes suddenly) slip back into old habits.

PONDER: to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeplyI’m thinking about how hard it is to be a good listener. I think about it every day. I can kind of relate it to the person who wants to eat healthier. You do it for a while, focus and start to see results. Conversations are clearer and more meaningful. Interaction is mutually satisfying. The weight of having to speak and anticipate what your answer should be starts to drop off. You’re feeling good about yourself and those you interact with daily. You’re getting to be a good listener. That wasn’t so hard, right? Then when you’re getting comfortable, the unexpected double cheeseburger is before you. Just one, right? You listen to the guy explain what’s in the smoothie for breakfast, then you add ice cream (because it’s so delicious). A bag of chips here, Fettuccine Alfredo instead of grilled chicken and salad. Two cookies and a Bailey’s instead of no dessert. Your good intentions, initial success and great feelings are back the way they were not long ago. It’s the same with listening. You make that effort, see results, and then gradually (or sometimes sudd...

by Adam Zack — April 13, 2022

Promise fair prices and a convenient way to keep our customers’ families fed and healthy.

Remember two years ago when the president promised that the Covid pandemic would be over by Easter? It was something that everyone wanted to hear and believe, but as you know it just wasn’t true. More than any other holiday, Easter is based on belief and faith. Belief in resurrection and afterlife. Belief in forgiveness and redemption. Belief that hollow chocolate bunnies and dyed eggs are delicious and fun. OK, that last one is more provable than any of the other beliefs surrounding Easter. Like that promise two years ago, as retailers we have to promise to deliver what we can actually do. We promise clean stores and friendly service. We promise freshness and selection. We promise fair prices and a convenient way to keep our customers’ families fed and healthy. Unlike promises that can only be verified after death or science, our promises are easily fulfilled. And when we fail to live up to them, our customers start looking for another store that will. Or another president.

Read More – Accurate Self Assessment

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by Adam Zack — April 6, 2022

The people we see most often are the ones we most take for granted.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
– Eckhart TolleThe people we see most often are the ones we most take for granted. The little things that happen every day – from that customer who buys a coffee and a muffin every single morning to your spouse who makes sure your work shirts are clean and looks you over to make sure you have no boogers showing before you head to the store. Proximity and familiarity are the easiest thing to take for granted because they’re, well, they’re just there, everyday. Routine becomes part of the landscape and you don’t miss that routine until it’s not there anymore. Just like real listening takes effort and thought, your appreciation level needs a kick in the ass every now and then too. It’s the spouse who one day thinks “I’ve been making his coffee every single day for 20 years and he hasn’t even said thanks for at least five. In fact, when’s the last time he even made me a cup of tea?” And the next thing you know the routine is interrupted because the need for ap...

by Adam Zack — March 30, 2022

The chance to deeply, permanently impact someone’s life is the rare reward that only happens occasionally.

“A good mentor hopes you will move on. A great mentor knows you will.” – Leslie Higgins “Ted Lasso”A lot of people, in fact most, love that show Ted Lasso. Being of limited patience and deeply rooted in “Oh, come on, be serious, that’d never happen” vision, I am not one of them. I only gave it a one episode audition, so I’m clearly not a good judge. I do get regular updates from my wife on how sweet the show is, how optimistic it is, and how it really inspires with its combination of innocence, hope and perseverance. Mentoring is a privilege and an extraordinary responsibility. The chance to deeply, permanently impact someone’s life is the rare reward that only happens occasionally. Some people never get the opportunity to mentor anyone. Many people never get mentored. It’s an extremely unselfish undertaking that requires an abundance of time and patience. More than that, it takes a deep, authentic sense of caring about the success and g...

by Adam Zack — March 23, 2022

Authentic speaks of honesty, reliability, transparency and trustworthiness.

I’ve been thinking a lot about authenticity lately. I don’t know why, but in personal encounters I find myself thinking about not only my authenticity, but more closely about the person I am conversing with. Am I getting the truth about who this person really is and what their values are, or am I getting some kind of glossed over People magazine version of them telling me what they think I want to hear. Authentic speaks of honesty, reliability, transparency and trustworthiness. Authentic people display their true values in their actions and words. It’s the real thing and is verified by what we do everyday. But there are some people that are authentic a-holes. Their true character is one of deceit, selfishness and dishonesty. Keeping authenticity at the top of your mind will automatically direct you to relationships that share your values. Our relationships with the businesses we deal with share a similar authentic relationship. Once a store promises to deliver something you want, then fails repeatedly to deliver, you start to see that their authenticity is not what was initially represented. It’s like People Magazine or Instagram and ...

by Adam Zack — March 16, 2022

Is your advertising distinctive or does it look and sound like any other vanilla market that’s out there?

1-877-CARS-FOR-KIDS, 1-877-CARS-FOR-KIDS. K-A-R-S CARS FOR KIDS, DONATE YOUR CAR TODAY…Is there a more irritating and abrasive jingle on the radio. It gets into your head, and for me at least, activates my reflex to immediately change the radio station. I remember being in another city across the country in a rental car and on came the jingle.. 1-877-CARS-4… Aaagh! It’s not just in Southern California! I don’t know anyone who likes it or has donated their car because of it, but I sure do know a lot of people who can remember the number because of that stupid radio ad. Various versions of the ad have been on for nearly 20 years. As much as it makes most of us want to punch the radio, they must be effective. Radio airtime is not cheap, and it’s got to be paid by these donated cars. So who donates their car? And how does that come up? I imagine something like “Grandpa died and his piece of crap old car is in the garage and won’t start. How do we get rid of it? Who should we call? [Thought bubble pops up] 1-877-kars….” So the point is, is your marketin...

by Adam Zack — March 8, 2022

“Agh! I’m human Wagyu!!”

I was watching The Simpsons last night and Homer said one of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard in a while as he was being chased in the forest by a wolverine. “Agh! I’m human Wagyu!!” referring to the ultimate Japanese steak, which is so richly marbled with fat. But that has absolutely nothing to do with this week’s blog, I just thought of it when I was trying to remember what I was watching when I heard the line “You only get to start from where you are.” It was so impactful I made note of it right away. Throughout the pandemic, how many times have you heard the phrase “When things get back to normal.” Projects and initiatives have been delayed or cancelled. Action has halted. Progress has stalled. I thought of it in the bigger, longer picture of waiting to take action because “the time is not quite right”, or “I’m not ready yet”, or “When I’m in a better place.” Wait for sometime in the future, and you’ll still be starting from where you are. You don’t get to start from a better position, place, or time. You only get to start from where you are, so get going.

It is what it is

by Adam Zack — March 2, 2022

“You just lost a customer due to consistent mediocrity.”

Several years back I worked with a guy who frequently said “It is what it is.” It always kind of bugged me the way he said it, as it implied “Those idiots running the company are going to do what they want, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I am resigned to just passively make generalized, broad comments about my inability to affect any type of positive change.” And since I was one of those idiots running the company, I took some offense to it. It’s a pretty stupid comment anyway. Of course it is what it is. That’s the definition of it. It IS what IT is. It’s NOT what IT is not.” Duh. It made me think of a much more meaningful, actionable and thoughtful saying: “If we keep on doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep on getting what we’re getting.” Yes there is the need for consistency in most of our procedures, services and operations. Consistency in producing uniform quality. Consistency on operations that positively differentiate you from competition. Consistency of marketing and conveying your brand message. But consistency of mediocre quality and so-so operations and products results in consistent mediocrity. And y...

by Adam Zack — February 23, 2022

It’s harder than ever to attract and retain quality employees.

The surge in grocery buying as we have slogged through the pandemic for the last two years has helped the grocery industry financially. We have paid for it with stress, added expense and higher labor costs. Nonetheless, many stores that were marginally profitable, or even losers who were on the cusp of closing, have been able to maintain good profitability and stay in business. It was predicted in 2018 that 30% of independent, conventional grocery stores would close within 5-10 years. 30%!!! So what are the stores doing with their new abundant cash? Some owners are keeping it for themselves, justifying that they have lost money or been barely profitable for the last several years. Some with a longer vision see the opportunity to retain the new customers by remodeling and updating their tired stores with new offerings and fixtures. Some paid off debt. The smartest ones see the new profits as an opportunity to invest, and the really smart ones are investing it in their employees. New bonus program incentives, and what I think is more important, education and training. It’s harder than ever to attract and retain quality employees, but when they see that ...

by Adam Zack — February 16, 2022

“Those wines are terrible!” whines the wine clerk snob.

I was talking to this guy who is a grocery manager today and I told him that I found a distributor who would supply him with these tortilla chips that I thought would really sell. He said “But I thought you didn’t like those chips. They changed the type of tortilla they use for them.” I said “Hey guy, it’s true that I don’t like them.” (and I really used to until they changed recipes), “But it’s not about what I like, it’s what the customer wants.” Sounds pretty damn wise and insightful, doesn’t it? Nothing to make you feel old like being wise. Anyway, it struck me that so many of our business decisions are based on what we like, and not what might best suit the needs of the customer. Wine guys are notorious for it. “I don’t like buttery chardonnays.” So no displays are built around buttery Chardonnays, even though it’s the most popular style, and most consumers are not into the “no-oak, minerally” chardonnays. They want something that is like the profile of their Kendall Jackson or Rombauer. It’s good business. But “Those wines are terrible!” whines the wine clerk snob. “I want to educate them on something better!...