GET VARIETY
We hear from our customers, year-round and summer residents as well as vacationers that they just can’t find the variety we have at Cronig’s Markets, anywhere else. Why is that?
Understanding our variety begins with a walk around the grocery store. How many square feet of our store are used for the sales floor compared to storage? We are approximate 40/60%, while the industry average is probably closer to 85/15%. The data would suggest that we would have less variety, not more. But yet we keep hearing the same thing from our customers: They can’t find Cronig’s selection anywhere else.
So, why is that… attitude and philosophy? No, We think it’s much simpler.
If you’re answering to shareholders and are chasing the profit paradigm, you focus on increasing sales per item and lowering operating costs. These two points, over time, reduce variety by their nature. In addition, warehouse fees and selling shelf space to large manufacturers, both common practices, are designed to reduce competition within the store and increase profits. Therefore, less variety.
At Cronig’s Markets, we answers to our Customers, not shareholders. We have to be profitable and we have to earn that profit from working hard and smart for our customers, not selling our souls and shelves to the manufacturers, just their products to our customers.
We need our customers, to stay in business and we sell what it is they want to buy. Our attitude and philosophy supports that and the variety follows, naturally!
GET LOCAL
Local is procuring something as geographically close to you as possible. Why does that matter? Here are a few points to ponder. The local food store is the storefront for the farmers and purveyors. This provides them with support and provides us with fresh food, so we eat less processed food. As Michael Pollen stated in one of his books, then we have the pleasure of eating that beautiful view.
How do local produce and products fit into the Cronig’s Markets equation? Perfectly!
Our customers have a connection with the island farming community, but it’s not always convenient for them to get to the farm or multiple farms they need to. A customer-centric
business model allows for a variety of local produce, foods, and other products to be accessed easily at both Cronig’s Markets and Healthy Additions.
As an independent retailer, we support this position by paying the local farmer more and applying less profit margin to the cost. This helps the selling price stay reasonable for our customer.
Local food supplies the freshness, taste, and quality the customer looks for in determining value for their food dollar. Agriculture is a way of life in our Martha’s Vineyard community. Supporting that lifestyle and the jobs that come with it, is just the right thing to do. The conversation continues with growth hormones, GMO’s, pesticides, antibiotics, and chemicals being used at an alarming pace. One more argument for local. Know your farmer – know your food.
Remember, our farmer is our supplier and our customer, and we say, “What goes around… comes around!”