Company Blog

Idea of the month: Have your cake and extra sales too.

by Adam Zack — June 15, 2016

Cake Parfaits with fresh fruit.

Grocers have had to find ways to turn spoils into something sellable pretty much since the beginning of our industry. Damaged tomatoes, over-ripe avocados and past-their-prime tomatoes become guacamole. Dark steaks become “Our secret marinade”. Stale baguettes transform into garlic crisps and croutons. Bruised melons morph into ready-to-eat cut fruit. It goes on and on. Without managing our shrink (also known as spoils, but spoils doesn’t sound like anything you’d want to eat, no matter what the form, so let’s call it shrink), prices would have to rise and profits would become even smaller. It’s one of the basic tenets of retailing. So leave it to the genius of the grocer to utilize bakery shrink in a way that blew me away. Karen McMullen, Human Resource Manager/Bakery Director of Jensen’s Foods www.jensensfoods.com (how’s that for a wide swath of job responsibilities?) takes her retail bakery managers to see other store bakeries and brainstorm ideas every six months. On one recent trip one of the managers came up with the idea of “Cake Cups” or “Cake Parfaits”. The idea was to utilize leftover cakes scraps and t...

by Adam Zack — June 8, 2016

It’s definitely not all about the money.

I was thinking about how many times I’ve said, or it’s been said to me “It’s not about the money.” Yeah, it is. Think about the barrage of messages that are conveyed every single day: Sale! Save! Buy! Earn! Reward! Redeem! Payday! Pay now! Pay later! Low payments! No interest! Value! Shop now! Bottom line! Profit’s up! Profits down! Cash flow. Cash cow. And the list goes on and on. So our free market economy and nearly every part of our business interactions really is about the money. It’s why we work. It’s why we start a business. We have to have it to live. It kind of depressed me when I thought about it, because it sounds oppressive and one-dimensional. But then I started of thinking of things I do, and people I know do, that really are not all about the money. A better way to say it would be “It’s not all about the money.” The little kindnesses, encouraging words, expressions of gratitude and appreciation, monetary sacrifices made in the name of love, family and friendship. I started to feel a lot better. And while I know it’s all of our jobs to produce results that profit for our companies and our bosses, it’s reassuring to know that for many business leaders, in fact the ...

by Adam Zack — June 1, 2016

“Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself” – Harriet Nelson

Last week the subject came up about how many families have fights that go on for months, years – even lifetimes. We discussed how many times the wronged are completely justified in their feelings of betrayal and hurt. There is often no justifying what someone has done to you. It’s just plain wrong – hence you are the wronged. But once the deed is done, how can it be put in the past and forgotten. Most wrongs are never forgotten. Sure, they dull with time and the details become fuzzy with the help of good wine and better times, but deep hurt and resentment still lie deep. The common belief we have is that to forgive someone, we have to somehow reconcile the circumstances that what they did to us was somehow okay, that it was forgivable. I thought that for about 50 years. But even a stubborn old dude can learn, because forgiveness isn’t about making the wrong-er feel better, it’s about making me feel better. The anger and negativity I may feel towards someone else (or towards myself if I have deep feelings of guilt) are like one of those old fashioned barbells that weigh me down. Sure, I may get stronger, but that 50 pounds of hate that I refuse to let go of st...

by Adam Zack — May 25, 2016

Business owners often get blinded by the mask of family

“Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.”-Unknown I started work in the family grocery business when I was 15, the store had a rule that family members couldn’t work in the same department. Members of the family working in the same store was seriously frowned upon. (And fraternization between employees was so frowned upon there was actually a non-fraternization policy). How the heck did I even get hired?Over the years policies and thought have changed, and since 90% of small businesses are family owned, the way that family members – especially second and third generation – are treated and interact with non-family employees is worthy of discussion. On one hand, having family members participate in the operations of the business gives feelings of trust, caring and the personal touch that owners give themselves. After all, if I can’t trust Junior to lock up and turn off the lights, whom can I trust? It’s natural to want to take care of your kids, brothers, sisters, and parents. Most of the time it works out, but business owners often get blinded ...

by Adam Zack — May 17, 2016

You have the ability to make people feel like VIPs

“Come right this way sir, through the VIP entrance.” V.I.P. Veee Eye fricken’ P! Very Important Person, indeed! Are there three letters that can make you feel more special, more appreciated, more, well, awesome? Sure, some people say VIP is no BFD. Some might even say the VIPS are all a bunch of privileged, suck up a-holes. I’m not talking about that kind of VIP. I’m talking about the everyday schmos like you and me. The working types who, through work, a connection, luck or just good karma get to experience some aspect of life in a way that is extraordinary. Like when you are in the food and wine business and you visit Napa and get behind the scenes tours and tastings. Maybe lunch. Maybe even some winery swag?! Or when you get invited to watch an NFL game from one of the suites, with food and beer and TV screens and special parking, and it’s all FREE because you are a good customer of some vendor. It’s like “Wow! This is how the other half lives!” Those special treats always make me feel alive, energized, lucky and appreciative. Always.So where is this going? Sorry to say, I don’t have bac...

by Adam Zack — May 11, 2016

Wow! I’m really part of the company now!

Bob LaBonne, owner of LaBonne’s in Connecticut emailed me after last week’s blog with ideas on how he is constantly striving to improve the employee experience at his stores. Part of what he sent was a chart comparing the top 10 things that employees want from their jobs compared to what managers most want. It is a great topic for another blog and is both eye opening and not surprising (how’s that for a contradicting statement?). The number one thing that is most important to employees is full appreciation for work done – nothing more than recognition and thank you – so easy and costs nothing. The second is a feeling of being “in on things” – keeping them informed.So that got me thinking of a very affordable and effective way to make employees feel important, empowered and an integral part of the team. The Business Card: a typical business card for every key carrier, supervisor and higher up with their name’s printed on it, and an atypical business card for all other employees with a blank space for them to write in their name. These cards should be part of everyone’s uniform. The c...

by Adam Zack — May 4, 2016

People quit their bosses, not their jobs

I was thinking about what lengths we go to try and recruit good employees. It seems that especially in the grocery industry it’s a constant battle to find quality people to work in our delis, meat departments, grocery aisles and checkstands. But instead of concentrating on how to find good employees, let’s change the focus to why you need new employees. Expansions and new store openings excluded, the number one reason we need new workers is because someone quit. Few retailers, especially the big chains choose to actually find out why someone is quitting. Sure there are the usual reasons “I’m moving.” “I have to take care of my sick mother.” “I’m joining the Foreign Legion.” “I’m pregnant.” You know the reasonable reasons. But a large number of people are leaving for another job, and the reason why your company has caused them to even look for another job is what the focus should be. I came across a great Forbes article on why people leave their jobs. 2.5 million people per month (30 million per year if you don’t want to do the math) quit their jobs. That’s much higher than I would have guessed. The quote �...

by Adam Zack — April 27, 2016

Does anyone ever like a know-it-all?

Listening is one of the greatest attributes that anyone can have. Check out this video: Listen to me! But we are notoriously bad listeners. Pretty much all of us. It takes considerable effort to just shut your trap, be present in the conversation and let the other person finish talking without thinking in advance what you are going to say in response. But that’s a topic for another blog. Besides “ya know”, “ummmm” and “anyway…”, the response that is both dismissive and a put-down at the same time is “Yeah, I know.” And it’s such an automatic response that it’s an excruciatingly hard habit to break. Think of it in context: “I built an end display cross merchandising the new organic oatmeal with these cool new bowls we got in and I think they will really sell well.” “Yeah, I know.” Translated: “You told me something I previously knew, so therefore you wasted my time by telling me something I had, (or pretended to have) prior knowledge of.” Now I know that is not what most people mean when they answer someone’s statement with “I know.”, but when you think about it, isn’t th...

by Adam Zack — April 20, 2016

Their fans chant Raaiiiddddders!

The challenge facing grocers (and pretty much every retailer) today is developing, maintaining and nurturing the emotional connection and relationship with our customers. It’s the combination of everything you stand for and how deeply your customer commits to you. In the book “Firms of Endearment” (Rajendra Sisodia, David Wolfe, Jngdish Sheth) the authors make what I think is the perfect analogy, comparing companies that have a strong emotional connection to your favorite sports team.“What we call a humanistic company is run in such a way that its stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers, business partners, society, and many investors – develop an emotional connection with it, an affectionate regard not unlike the way many people feel about their favorite sports teams.”As much as I can’t stand the Raiders or the Yankees, their fans are some of the most loyal around, not just when they win. Think about the Raiders, who haven’t had a season better than 8-8 since 2004! Their fans chant Raaiiiddddders! They wear the hats and shirts and have the stickers on their cars. Yeah, they’re nut jobs, but you have to appreciate their dedication. The Pit...

by Adam Zack — April 13, 2016

Gossip is everywhere in our culture

Come here, you’re not going to believe this! Last night Tim was supposed to take Yolanda out. I know managers aren’t supposed to date employees, but he really likes her. I heard that just before he was going to pick her up – oh, and he was taking her to this super fancy restaurant – she called him and said she couldn’t go because she had to stay in and wash her cat! I hear Tim is super pissed, but Becky in floral told me that he sent – get this – two dozen roses to her house with a fancy card and a box of Godiva chocolates. I heard that she thinks he’s sweet, but she thinks he walks funny and doesn’t like that mole with the hair sticking out of it on his elbow…. I’ll let you know when I hear more!Could be pretty much any store, or any business for that matter. Gossip gone wild is one of the most unproductive, divisive and harmful activities any company can have. But it’s human nature! Everyone does it! I wasn’t hurting anyone! I didn’t tell anyone! I was only listening! So what can you do about it in your store? It is NOT easy, and it takes a commitment from leadership to take a stand against gossip. �...