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Cultural capitalism sucks

Deacon923 said:
I would say that companies like Costco and TJs prove that you can hit that balance relatively successfully, at least in the retail industry. The problem hits when maximizing shareholder return is fetishized - it is really, really hard to make your Wall Street analysts happy while still doing right by the employees and consumers.
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Doing some research so we're not just speaking completely anecdotally here. Wegman's seems to really be the absolute peak here, and Publix #2. Wegman's is tops in both customer satisfaction and #12 in employee satisfaction (Forbes top 100).

Customer satisfaction is also very good at Trader Joes and Costco. The whole list and methodology is here. Whole Foods gets docked big time for prices, though ranks better than most of the top 10 for cleanliness, perishables, and service.

In terms of where food comes from, the data is generally proprietary, and therefore not easy to get rankings or conglomerated data for. In fact, TJs and Costco specifically decline to give out the information publicly on the national scale, whereas Whole Foods releases that information, as well as even offering local food loans to producers to keep their sourcing as local and sustainable as possible.

Much of TJs and WF's success in responsible practices come from listening to customers suggestions and concerns. It's why TJs signed on to the Fair Food Act, after getting a lot of heat. It's why they have stepped up commitment to local food and to supporting good farming practices. Trader Joe's has had a harder time sourcing locally while keeping prices as low as they are. Whole Foods has had a hard time keeping prices down to consumers and the bottom line up for shareholders. Wegman's and Publix seem to benefit from starting stores in smart locations, from offering a healthy mix of price points, and from generally trying to keep this balance in mind altogether.

But with all this, that's why I find comments like ITC's annoying, because while there are obviously people who wear their grocery shopping on their sleeves, there are also large contingents of middle America who want better grocery options. I know I'm not trying to impress anyone or change anyone's mind. It's why I started the thread with a question of "Thoughts?" and why we've gotten 4 pages of good discussion. It's incredibly lazy to just label everyone who does care a yuppie or hipster or yoga mom or whatever you want to use, but whatever.
 
TownieDeac said:
Doing some research so we're not just speaking completely anecdotally here. Wegman's seems to really be the absolute peak here, and Publix #2. Wegman's is tops in both customer satisfaction and #12 in employee satisfaction (Forbes top 100).

Customer satisfaction is also very good at Trader Joes and Costco. The whole list and methodology is here. Whole Foods gets docked big time for prices, though ranks better than most of the top 10 for cleanliness, perishables, and service.

In terms of where food comes from, the data is generally proprietary, and therefore not easy to get rankings or conglomerated data for. In fact, TJs and Costco specifically decline to give out the information publicly on the national scale, whereas Whole Foods releases that information, as well as even offering local food loans to producers to keep their sourcing as local and sustainable as possible.

Much of TJs and WF's success in responsible practices come from listening to customers suggestions and concerns. It's why TJs signed on to the Fair Food Act, after getting a lot of heat. It's why they have stepped up commitment to local food and to supporting good farming practices. Trader Joe's has had a harder time sourcing locally while keeping prices as low as they are. Whole Foods has had a hard time keeping prices down to consumers and the bottom line up for shareholders. Wegman's and Publix seem to benefit from starting stores in smart locations, from offering a healthy mix of price points, and from generally trying to keep this balance in mind altogether.

But with all this, that's why I find comments like ITC's annoying, because while there are obviously people who wear their grocery shopping on their sleeves, there are also large contingents of middle America who want better grocery options. I know I'm not trying to impress anyone or change anyone's mind. It's why I started the thread with a question of "Thoughts?" and why we've gotten 4 pages of good discussion. It's incredibly lazy to just label everyone who does care a yuppie or hipster or yoga mom or whatever you want to use, but whatever.
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i don't know which of my comments are annoying but I haven't taken this tack.

Caring is great, shop at your farmer markets instead; I don't think anyone should be ostracized for. That's like making fun of fat people at a gym. I think it's stupid, though, to call people hypocrites and wring hands about a system where we indulge in some "bad" things and support some good things. We all live in the real world and I'd love to shop at solely at WF or buy only sustainable, local/organic foods, but A) i don't even have access to a reliable quality source, B) no whole foods or trader joes and c) I couldn't' afford it if I did. Maybe i'm just cynical but I blame companies like Whole Foods for selling the lifestyle marketing dream.
 
ImTheCaptain said:
i don't know which of my comments are annoying but I haven't taken this tack.

Caring is great, shop at your farmer markets instead; I don't think anyone should be ostracized for. That's like making fun of fat people at a gym. I think it's stupid, though, to call people hypocrites and wring hands about a system where we indulge in some "bad" things and support some good things. We all live in the real world and I'd love to shop at solely at WF or buy only sustainable, local/organic foods, but A) i don't even have access to a reliable quality source, B) no whole foods or trader joes and c) I couldn't' afford it if I did. Maybe i'm just cynical but I blame companies like Whole Foods for selling the lifestyle marketing dream.
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All perfectly fine. I was solely annoyed at "maybe people are lying about caring about where they shop."
 
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