JoJo's Store

[MarkinNH]

Originally Posted by gus62

As someone who is in a position to address your concern, I do take constuctive criticism as a way to improve the business. This concern will be addressed and no excuses will be given for having poor quality produce. One thing to consider when shopping at either store is that Heath`s is locally owned and has been a long time supporter of the local community. Heath`s buys and offers more local products than any other store in the area. Heath`s pays fair market value to your local farmers and understands their needs. Heath`s is buying JoJo`s not for the desire to control the local competition but to continue to keep a well established business local and continue to contribute to our local community.

I would love to do more of my shopping with local business's, but I like many others have other bills to pay. Therefore we need to shop where our dollar will go the furthest and for the most part I can't do that at E M Heaths. That may change as gas prices continue to climb and it won't make economic sense to travel to competing stores with their better values. Unfortunatly as gas prices rise so won't the price's in all the stores including Heath's.
I would be very intersted to know who now owns E M Heath Super Market that is a local resident. I was under the belief that the Heath family sold off their controlling interest years ago and the store is now run by a board of directors. Maybe I am wrong and the Heath family still own the store or that the BOD's live locally.
Dont get me wrong. I still spend a fair amount of Money at Heaths Supermarket and don't plan on stopping, for the spur of the moment items, the milk, bread, cheese, the Hey, what do you want for dinner tonight stuff etc. and the meat sales are usually a good deal. (I'll be there this Wednesday)
I have given up buying most all my produce at Heaths due to the price and quality. One example that sticks clearly in my mind was only last summer. Strawberrys at a local compeitor were $4.99 a package the same package at Heaths was $7.99, half the strawberrys in the bottom of the packages at Heath's that I looked at were already fuzzy with mold. Needless to say I stopped at the competitor for my strawberrys.
E M Heaths IMO could take some lessons form the competitors on how they stock and handle their produce. A local competitor constantly monitors their produce and restocks as many times a day as needed to keep the supply fresh and easy to select. Heaths shove cases of produce into their cooler where it may sit for days and then half of it goes bad before it can get sold. That doesn't help the store or the customer.
One of the best things Heaths used to have was the little freezer next to the meat Dept. that had discounted items in it. Then they got rid of it. Why ? Now in it's place is a recipe dispenser that I know I have never used. If I want a recipe for something I just look it up on the internet.
I don't expect that owning or running a grocery store is easy and I am not purposly trying to bash Heaths, I am just expressing some observations that I and many others I talk to have experienced over the last several years.