Company Blog

The Freshman

by Adam Zack — June 28, 2017

New jobs and the start of careers are scary endeavors

I remember just before my freshman year in high school my friend, who was a year older and going to be a sophomore, told me harrowing stories of how freshman were despised, ridiculed and stood somewhere between dog crap and an ant’s ass on the high school pecking order. I was warned not to ever sit in “Senior Square”, look an upperclassman in the eye or draw attention to myself in any way. All the girls were out of my league and the guys who had facial hair loved to beat up freshmen. Well it didn’t exactly turn out like that, although it was a little intimidating and more than a little scary. Whenever I went from one school to another or one school level to another there was some fear of the unknown. I think we tend to think about our graduating seniors – especially college – as having made the major accomplishment with the expectation that they are done and ready. In reality, graduating college (and high school for those who choose not to attend college) students are really freshmen in life. New jobs and the start of careers are scary endeavors that are not always put in perspective, especially by parents who have paid for all this schooling and have high expectations. Further...

by Adam Zack — June 21, 2017

It’s not the fish, it’s the story

Some of the greatest stories are fish stories. Tales from your grandpa how he hiked up to 20,000 feet with just a pole and a bag of jerky to fish in this remote lake where the fish were rumored to be six feet long and could swallow your arm if you got too close. Dadgummit if he didn’t land that beauty, which fed the whole family for two winters. There was a lot of exaggeration, but there was a day when grandpa went fishing (5,000 feet, and he drove there) with his pole (and a six pack) and fished all day and caught some nice sized fish (12-14”), which in fact were tasty and did feed the family (one meal, except for baby Matt, who didn’t like fish yet). The point is not the fish, it’s the story. All of our stores have stories – great stories. All they need to get the customers attention is to be told in a way that is interesting and compelling. Recently I was at a presentation by Jim Donald, former CEO of Starbucks, Haggen (he brought it to life and it was sold to the group that wrecked it), Extended Stay America and others. He is known for his ability to turn failing companies around significantly. His first rule is “Have a fish story. Something you can tell your customers that t...

by Adam Zack — June 13, 2017

“How can I give more than 100%?”

110%All that and then someWith whipped cream, a cherry and sprinkles on topWay under par (golf)Raised the barAbove and beyondOver the topAll are terms for over delivering. But with expectations higher than ever, it is harder than ever to over deliver consistently. Maybe too many people over delivered too often. Or maybe the amount of effort to over deliver is just not being expended. I was recently at a food convention where hall of fame basketball player Magic Johnson was a guest speaker. He spoke of how his personal and business goal was always to over deliver. In high school he brought a state championship to a school that had never achieved one. In college he helped Michigan State become national champions over a highly favored, undefeated Indiana team. As a professional basketball he led the Lakers to an NBA championship over Philadelphia after team leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got hurt and was out. He was telling the other players that they could beat Philly, but the important part was over delivering in his role, scoring 42 points in the final game. Most importantly, and most relevant to us, as I don’t see any of you out there leading your basketball tea...

by Adam Zack — June 8, 2017

Mrs. Crabapple got a tough steak.

There are a lot of words and phrases that make you feel great. “Have you lost weight?” “You look fantastic!”; “Man, you’re smart.”; “You just get better looking every day.”; “You’re the nicest person I ever met.” There are lots of them. My favorite though is “I’ve got your back.” The amount of comfort I get from knowing that someone (in fact, more than just one someone) is there for me, no matter what, lets me sleep well at night, be comfortable taking risks and realize that if things get ugly in the trenches some really great people will be right there beside me, fighting my fight with me with as much passion and personal skin in the game as I have. It’s something I don’t take for granted, and know that they know that I’ve got their back too. Every day of every year. It might not be to the extreme of some deeply personal back-watching that you have, but your employees need to know that you have their back. When things get ugly and stressful, their performance will soar if they know that you are there to support their decisions and be on their side. They have to know that just because Mrs. Crabapple got a tough steak or some berries that had mold on them that you won’t be...

by Adam Zack — May 31, 2017

We were taught to be frugal, but not cheap.

My grandparents were raised during the depression, and thus raised my parents while money was always tight. My grandma would drive 15 extra miles to save 10 cents on a head of lettuce. I’m not even kidding one bit. As kids we were taught to spend wisely. Do your research, compare prices, be aware of what you are spending, and don’t go into debt until you buy a house. Pay off your credit cards every month and if you can’t, then don’t buy it. Our dad is a smart spender – always wanting to get the best deal but so generous when it comes to helping others. He likes his fancy neckties, but always gets the best deal on the hotel room. So us kids have paid attention, and taught our kids the same. In fact my brother is so adept at thrifty spending he was the only kid I ever knew who actually came out of college with more money than he went in with. True story. We were taught to be frugal, but not cheap. Cheap is the guy who goes to a party with two 24 ounce beers and drinks a dozen of the ones someone else brought – and leaves with one of the two he did bring. Cheap is the customer who buys the rack of lamb and brings back the bones for a refund– for the 8^th time. Cheap is the guy wh...

by Adam Zack — May 24, 2017

Routine becomes part of the landscape

The people we see most often are the ones we take most 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 appreciation is not met and you’re left scratching your head saying, “What the hell got into her? What did I do?” It’s very similar with our closest customers – the ones who live across the street and around the block. It doe...

by Adam Zack — May 17, 2017

Interaction is mutually satisfying.

PONDER: to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeplyI’m thinking about how hard it is to be a good listener. 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’s not 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 suddenly) slip back into old habits. Becoming a Listening reverts to interrupting, finishing sen...

by Adam Zack — May 10, 2017

Christmas in July

We all know that gift cards sell during the Christmas holiday season. In fact, they sell like crazy, especially if you’re doing Cyber Monday, which if you aren’t then maybe there’s something else that’s crazy. Grocers have done a good job getting into the gift card business with their own gift cards and also selling national brand gift cards. The idea is that you are now a gift choice. And it helps when customers have an incentive to purchase a gift from you. Which is why Cyber Monday is so successful: It’s an incredible incentive to buy your gift cards. $100 gift card for $75 that I can use for groceries? I’d be a damn fool to say no to that, and my momma didn’t raise no fools, except for my brother Frankie, who has always been a little off. So while we’ve got our participating in the holiday season gift mélange, we have totally ignored the rest of the holidays. Graduation, weddings, birthdays, Mother’s Day… I don’t know of one grocer that promotes their gift cards as an alternative to the standard gift. How about Christmas in July for a one day Cyber Monday like sale? Or how about promoting gift cards to the parents of college freshman who are attending that nearby college for the first time? The oppo...

by Adam Zack — May 3, 2017

At the top is a pile of money

So tonight I was talking to my youngest daughter Alyssa, who lives in Los Angeles, and she asked, “What should I have for dinner?” I remember that this is a frequent topic in our conversations (A couple weeks ago my suggestion was crispy chicken tacos – a rotisserie chicken, tortillas, cheese, onion, lettuce tomato – so delicious). Tonight she asked, “What about those pork cutlets you used to make, with a squeeze of lemon?” (And a nice, simple arugula salad, I added). Do you use panko breadcrumbs? Is the order flour-egg-breadcrumbs? Being a lifelong grocer and food (and wine, let’s not forget that) aficionado, we cooked dinner pretty much every night. The older daughter Holly, despite an early love of McDonalds (DeeDonalds!! DeeDonalds!!!!) quickly became anti-fast food, which was comforting to me because I knew most high school boys would not know how to handle that. So we cooked and they learned and grew to be talented and instinctive in the kitchen. What triggered tonight’s conversation into a blog topic (Me: I’m going to write my blog about you. Alyssa: Noooooooo!!!!) was that millennial are mostly beyond fast food for dinner but still are searching for what to eat. And, more frequently, wha...

by Adam Zack — April 26, 2017

Become personally involved

A lot of hullabaloo has been made about “local” in the last 5 years. Buy local, be local, eat local, shop local, don’t hassle me I’m local, locally grown, locally raised, locally sourced, come on baby, do the local motion. Whole Foods has been a big proponent of local, with photos and stories of local farmers and producers in their stores, even though their headquarters are in Austin, Texas, so their only real local stores are in and around there. It’s a great way to brand your store, feature the little producer, and connect with your community in a way the big chains can’t. But there is an aspect of local branding that goes far beyond signs and products and social media. It’s the aspect of actually, personally being involved with local events and causes. You may not want to attend the PTA fundraiser personally. Just writing them a check or donating food is good enough, right? After all, your name is in the program and on the banner and everyone sees it. Well, almost everyone. Well, some people. But actually attend the event and see how much further your $100 donation goes. Customers will be ardently thankful and vocal about your attendance. They won’t bitch about prices or problems they have had. Th...