Responding to yesterday’s piece about how Dorothy Lane Market is being specific in informing customers are why its chickens are superior – and therefore a greater value – MNB reader Jeff Gartner wrote:
Dorothy Lane’s chicken is indeed the best, not only because it’s water-chilled but they also come from local Ohio farms. They’re just tastier, you feel you’re eating real chicken. And the prices are reasonable (bone-in chicken thighs $3.49/lb or a herb seasoned half chicken bone-in breast and leg quarter attached $3.99/lb). Our 12-year and 10-year old grandsons devour a DLM rotisserie chicken between them when we go there between games at volleyball, soccer or basketball tournaments.
We feel fortunate to live just 15 minutes from the new DLM in Mason, it’s my primary weekly store. It’s difficult to imagine very many better stores in the entire US. Before it opened last fall, I would do monthly field trips 30 miles up to their Springboro store.
And the only thing better than the food quality at DLM is the quality of their customer service; they know how to hire, train and retain.
All true.
MNB reader Joe Ciccarelli chimed in:
KC – I agree 100%. We switched to Bell & Evans and the quality is far superior. Their thin sliced chicken is great and perfect for chicken marsala.
And another MNB reader wrote:
In other words, DLM is not just staying abreast of the competition or winging it, they are getting a leg up.
Yup. In other words.
We pointed to a story in the Wall Street Journal about how Publix is invading Kentucky, prepared to do battle with Kroger and challenge its home field advantage. One MNB reader responded:
Your reporting stated “Publix is focused on Service while Kroger is focused on Deals…” and you mentioned Kroger may not entirely agree. The fast is, Kroger is a union shop. Publix is not. This give Publix a huge leg up in service – they can focus on the customer. Kroger must focus on the union rules first.
And another reader offered:
I totally agree with your assessment, price can be undercut while great service is permanent. Let’s take the map. Kroger has two divisions in Texas, HEB service is superior to Kroger. One of Kroger’s largest divisions is in Southern California, you can argue Trader Joe’s has better service. Another premier division is King Soopers, but you can argue that another better service competitor, Sprouts, is favored … The hope is the new leadership sees that there is something here and they develop a plan to stop this customer service erosion?
One footnote. For over one hundred years Kroger became the premier traditional grocer in the US due to the entrepreneurial spirit of the individual division. Is it time for a modified division centric centralization model?
Last week, we took note of a New York Times report saying that “the Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for a Texas couple who claimed that tainted baby food had sickened their son to press ahead with a lawsuit against Whole Foods. In a unanimous decision, the court agreed that the couple should be able to continue to pursue their lawsuit in state court.”
Which led me to comment:
“Meaning, I think, that the US Supreme Court is willing to consider the possibility that retailers can be held culpable when the products they sell cause harm, not just the manufacturer.”
One MNB reader came back at me:
This comment gave me pause, and I feel like it could be pretty significant for food retailers specifically … At the very least, that would potentially raise the bar for retailers that the products they sell are at a minimum of a quality that won’t get them sued. But retailers certainly can’t control all of that. Just feels like a bit of dangerous precedent, unless somehow the retailer knew and sold the product anyway…
On another subject, an MNB reader wrote:
Thought I would share an experience I had this week at Chick-fil-A Bought three meals, cost doesn’t matter, but the cents were $.19. I then said I am paying cash, she then said the cents were $.15, I asked why the difference. She shared with the elimination of pennies Chic-fil-A is rounding down on all transactions.
I found that an incredible gesture in today’s retail environment! Now my millennial daughter shared she uses credit cards almost exclusively, so I guess all us retired people will get the break.
Good to know.
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