Text 4243, 61 rader
Skriven 2010-11-27 21:11:49 av Nancy Backus (1:261/1381.0)
   Kommentar till text 4180 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: Re: health, economic 793
================================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Nancy Backus on 25 Nov 10  08:30:04 <=-

 NB>> I'm still a bit skeptical of that...  It would take the upscale
 NB>> sectors starting to increase salaries of those in the lower levels..
 NB>> and rehiring, etc...

 ML> But they've discovered that one doesn't have to increase salaries
 ML> at the lower levels, as labor is pretty commoditized, and there's
 ML> pressure from new (legal as well as illegal) immigrants and the
 ML> young for whom higher education has again become a pipedream.
 
Precisely my problem with the scenario. 

 NB>> To some extent they do do some of that.  They have their Wegmans brand
 NB>> of canned (and other) goods... and then their Italian Classics version
 NB>> of some of those same foods, for example tomatoes, pasta & pasta sauce

 ML> Is there a substantive difference between Wegmans and Italian
 ML> Classics products of the same sort, for example, crushed tomatoes?
 ML> Or is it merely another case of self-cannibalization.

I haven't actually done a side-by-side comparison of the same product
differently labled.  There are some more upscale variants in the Italian
Classics line, and the things there that I've been interested in have
all been at least a small cut above what one might expect.  Some of
them, like the canned quartered artichoke hearts, are even reasonably
priced.  The fancier pastas are under the IC label, the more interesting
sauces, also.  And the refrigerated pasta and sauces are all also in the
IC line.  The basic pastas and sauces on the shelves are the Wegmans,
much less expensive usually, line.
 
 NB>> The interesting factor is that in many ways they still are a
 NB>> local family-owned and operated company, despite their expansion...
 NB>> their analysts may not be quite so to-the-penny yet. (Grand)father
 NB>> Robert, who only died a few years ago, still had held to the idea that
 NB>> having the range of stores (both in size of store and in the offerings
 NB>> there) was a good idea, and that the modest shopper was to be catered
 NB>> to every bit as much as the upscale one.  It's not totally lost yet,

 ML> Admirable, but it often happens that heirs have other ideas.
 
 NB>> but his granddaughters seem to not understand that concept as well as
 NB>> one would have liked...

 ML> Beware ... the Rabinowitz family had Stop & Shop, but a younger
 ML> generation sold out to KKR, which unloaded it to Royal Ahold,
 ML> and what started as a quite acceptable chain of slightly funky
 ML> but friendly smallish stores became a mighty musclebound
 ML> behemoth with high prices and unhappy employees.

Yes, indeed, I know that is a major risk..  One hopes that the girls'
stated devotion to the company, despite their shift in direction, will
keep things family-owned for at least a few more generations...  So far,
Wegmans does seem to keep winning top honors in the best company to work
for lists... we can but hope... :)

ttyl        neb

... Something is wrong....this thing is working fine!
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