Occupy Giant and Safeway

2013 is just around the corner

occupygiantandsafeway — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:41:03 +0000

We’ve spent the greater part of the Summer and early Fall with an increased focus on enforcing the contract that we secured earlier this year. As a result, we’ve been a little quiet on our blog. Now we are close to the 12-month mark from the expiration of our contract in 2013. Please keep an eye on this blog for updates because we’ve got plenty of them.

Our ACT!ivism didn’t end after we ratified our contract–in fact, we’re stronger than ever!

Stay tuned in for more soon…

Safeway’s “Just 4 U” program might not be for us

occupygiantandsafeway — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:00:47 +0000

During their investor call last Thursday, Safeway announced that their profits had dropped in the 2nd quarter of 2012. They said that advertising and the newly launched Just 4 U rewards program were to blame for the sudden decline. The company is optimistic though that the customer loyalty program will increase profits for Safeway in the long-run. CEO Steve Burd even estimated that 35% of Safeway’s business will come from customers using the loyalty program.

We certainly hope that Safeway doesn’t have all of its eggs in the proverbial basket when it comes to this loyalty program. While we think anything that builds customer loyalty is great, nothing can replace the face-to-face interaction that we provide on the shop floor. Customers come back to stores not only because of great prices but because of the superior customer service that we provide every day. They enjoy being able to have a particular meatcutter assist them with that steak cut just so. They even prefer to have the same cashier ring them up each time they shop.

We’re curious to know what impact Safeway’s aggressive approach that they’ve been taking with UFCW Locals all over the country have had on their bottom line. Perhaps if they were more willing to bargain in good faith from the start of each negotiation, they wouldn’t find themselves in a situation where they have to bolster the identity of the company so much. We think reputations are not only built on the shop floor but at the top of the company as well. Customers still talk about how negatively the company behaved during our negotiations and we know that’s not a legacy that Safeway wants to be remembered in the community.

Let’s hope our negotiations in 2013 will be much smoother and that the company comes to the table willing to bargain in good faith from the start. That’s the way you build a positive image and we’re more than happy to help you continue to do that.

Ahold USA fills open marketing position, merchandising is still vacant.

occupygiantandsafeway — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:30:08 +0000

Ahold announced yesterday that they’ve filled their EVP slot in marketing with an existing employee from…you guessed it, Giant of Carlisle. Erik Keptner will be taking over one portion of the job held by Jeff Martin, who suddenly resigned in early June 2012. We ran a piece on that back in June and the company still hasn’t given an explanation for the Martin suddenly vacating the seat. Just before his resignation, Martin received an award as “Marketer of the Year” from industry-publication Supermarket News. While this may still be a mystery, the one thing that’s crystal clear to us is that Giant of Landover is often forgotten in organizational decision-making. We are rarely mentioned by Ahold in their shareholder’s meetings or quarterly reports yet we remain one of the most profitable banners in the U.S.

Martin’s position was split into two EVP roles, perhaps to prevent the crippling effect that likely occurred earlier this year when he left the company. The company has yet to fill their open EVP position for merchandising but we are interested to see who they choose.

We wish EVP Keptner luck in his new role. He certainly has his work cut out for him and let’s hope he keeps the identity of Giant of Landover in mind as he packages the Ahold USA brand.

Ahold pushes for curbside service, at what cost?

occupygiantandsafeway — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:11:36 +0000

Several retail grocers have been pushing initiatives all over the U.S. that include a curbside pickup option for customers to receive their groceries. This sort of “convenience” shopping is nothing new for Ahold, the parent company of Peapod, a grocery delivery service. According to this article from Supermarket News, one Stop & Shop location in Mass. is testing out the service to see how many customers take advantage of it. Stop & Shop is also operated under the Ahold banner as is Giant of Carlisle which offers the curbside service at two stores in Pa.

Ahold CEO Dick Boer says that they will continue to test this curbside model and that they may consider charging a service fee to customers that use the service. We wonder how many of our customers in DC, Northern Va., and Md. would take advantage of this service. We already recognize that the use of self-scans and apps that enable customers to scan their items result in reduced workforces on the shop floor. As with other initiatives that are launched by our employers, we’ll be watching closely for the outcome and staying alert in case they try to move something like this into our area.

As always, please alert us if you see something going on in your local Giant or Safeway store that we should pay attention to and research more. You can reach us at occupygiantandsafeway@gmail.com. Please be advised that this email address cannot be used to address individual issues that might be handled by Local 400 staff reps through the grievance process.