Regarding WinCo’s move into Las Vegas, one MNB user wrote:
WinCo will succeed in Las Vegas and anywhere else they choose to go because their niche is low price and low price alone. They do not carry many organic or "green" products because that is not their customer. They are slow to add new items as they only want winners. They are employee owned and treat their owners well. They are consistent in how they deal with all manufacturers. They do not accept credit cards...
On another subject (albeit one that is regular fodder in this space), one MNB user wrote:
As a former 15 year employee of Supervalu, I’m shocked that no one talks about the white elephant in the room (or maybe they have and I missed it).
The reason Walmart and Target can compete on price is quite simple, it's labor in the stores. They are not that much better at supply chain than Supervalu is (SV is actually pretty good at this). The real problem is the price of labor in the stores. When you look at the largely union labor work force that exists in most of Supervalu’s stores, then compare that with what Walmart and Target pays their mostly part time staff, I think you will find the answer.
Just like the airline industry had to come to grips with this years ago resulting in lower pilot and flight attendant pay, the grocery industry (and the unions) needs to come to grips with this as well. It’s a matter of do you staff and pay accordingly for what the job market is and what your competitors are doing, or do you continue to pay higher salaries that cost you the ability to compete, ultimately leading to your downfall and then employees having no jobs at all.
On Friday, in our Eye-Opener (which was not an April Fool’s joke - MNB did not have one this year because April 1 fell on a Sunday) we had an Eye-Opener about new uses for bacon. Which prompted one MNB user to write:
Kevin - you are with increasing frequency becoming like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition - -sometimes it's not the editorial, it's the letters that follow that are the most entertaining.
SO…I'm looking forward to responses to your gentle pun at the end of the Bacon bit (pun intended there), IF you are bold enough to show them...
If you’ve read MNB for any period of time, you know that not only am I bold enough to post emails the criticize me for my opinions, story choices, jokes and even occasional lapses in taste, but I love it when I get those emails.
I hate to disappoint you, however ... because I did not get a single email suggesting that I had crossed the line on Friday.
Not one.
Which makes me think that either I have to get more outrageous, or that the MNB audience has just gotten used to me.
Finally, on another subject from Friday:
You certainly must have felt like stirring the pot this morning by choosing to the publish the user letter regarding a woman's place. While the views expressed are so extreme and archaic that they are laughable, those views are unfortunately shared by too many who are in political office and at least one candidate for president. This has lead to many alarming pieces of legislation - including some that have actually become law - that directly attack women's rights. I personally do not care that much what others believe, and support their rights to whatever belief system they are comfortable with (although in some cases I believe a lot more fact based research is in order). I do, however, definitely care very much when those same people want to impose their belief system on others and limit the rights and freedom of me, my family, an entire gender and others I care about deeply.
I’ve always said here that if I have a belief system, it can be encapsulated in the title of the old John Lennon song: Whatever gets you through the night.
To which I would add a New Testament admonition:
“Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
(Though there probably would be a number of priests, brothers and nuns who would find the idea of me quoting the Bible ironic, if not downright hilarious....)
There I go, stirring that damned pot again...
WinCo will succeed in Las Vegas and anywhere else they choose to go because their niche is low price and low price alone. They do not carry many organic or "green" products because that is not their customer. They are slow to add new items as they only want winners. They are employee owned and treat their owners well. They are consistent in how they deal with all manufacturers. They do not accept credit cards...
On another subject (albeit one that is regular fodder in this space), one MNB user wrote:
As a former 15 year employee of Supervalu, I’m shocked that no one talks about the white elephant in the room (or maybe they have and I missed it).
The reason Walmart and Target can compete on price is quite simple, it's labor in the stores. They are not that much better at supply chain than Supervalu is (SV is actually pretty good at this). The real problem is the price of labor in the stores. When you look at the largely union labor work force that exists in most of Supervalu’s stores, then compare that with what Walmart and Target pays their mostly part time staff, I think you will find the answer.
Just like the airline industry had to come to grips with this years ago resulting in lower pilot and flight attendant pay, the grocery industry (and the unions) needs to come to grips with this as well. It’s a matter of do you staff and pay accordingly for what the job market is and what your competitors are doing, or do you continue to pay higher salaries that cost you the ability to compete, ultimately leading to your downfall and then employees having no jobs at all.
On Friday, in our Eye-Opener (which was not an April Fool’s joke - MNB did not have one this year because April 1 fell on a Sunday) we had an Eye-Opener about new uses for bacon. Which prompted one MNB user to write:
Kevin - you are with increasing frequency becoming like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition - -sometimes it's not the editorial, it's the letters that follow that are the most entertaining.
SO…I'm looking forward to responses to your gentle pun at the end of the Bacon bit (pun intended there), IF you are bold enough to show them...
If you’ve read MNB for any period of time, you know that not only am I bold enough to post emails the criticize me for my opinions, story choices, jokes and even occasional lapses in taste, but I love it when I get those emails.
I hate to disappoint you, however ... because I did not get a single email suggesting that I had crossed the line on Friday.
Not one.
Which makes me think that either I have to get more outrageous, or that the MNB audience has just gotten used to me.
Finally, on another subject from Friday:
You certainly must have felt like stirring the pot this morning by choosing to the publish the user letter regarding a woman's place. While the views expressed are so extreme and archaic that they are laughable, those views are unfortunately shared by too many who are in political office and at least one candidate for president. This has lead to many alarming pieces of legislation - including some that have actually become law - that directly attack women's rights. I personally do not care that much what others believe, and support their rights to whatever belief system they are comfortable with (although in some cases I believe a lot more fact based research is in order). I do, however, definitely care very much when those same people want to impose their belief system on others and limit the rights and freedom of me, my family, an entire gender and others I care about deeply.
I’ve always said here that if I have a belief system, it can be encapsulated in the title of the old John Lennon song: Whatever gets you through the night.
To which I would add a New Testament admonition:
“Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
(Though there probably would be a number of priests, brothers and nuns who would find the idea of me quoting the Bible ironic, if not downright hilarious....)
There I go, stirring that damned pot again...
- KC's View:
