It's night time. We're talking about the tenth anniversary of the the battle over market Basket. I'm sure those of you who are from the area will remember this pitched battle between two cousins, rd T and RDS de Mulis, And it turned out that one of them prevailed, largely in part because of his loyalty to the To the members who worked at market market Basket, They're not there was a non unit. I still believe it's a non union,
a group of workers, but they were very loyal. They walked out when he was dethroned from the board of directors as the president of the company by his cousin. Uh. And we're looking back at have what made what is made market Basket so successful and should other American companies follow suit? Basically, treat customers like they're valued. I mean it's pretty simple. Uh. You can get good service in a lot of you know, smaller stores, okay, and in
certain smaller restaurants. But I don't think there's any grocery chain in Massachusetts that treats its customers not only from a from the price point of view, but also from just the shopping experience point of view as well as market Basket and feel free. If you want to stick up for another grocery chain, feel feel free. But ten years on, market Basket is still going strong. Where we're going to go next, let us go to a Dave in Barrington, New Hampshire. Dave, you are next on nightside.
Welcome, Hi Dan, thanks for taking my.
Call, Thanks for calling in.
Go right ahead, so well.
I am.
I live in Barrington, New Hampshire now and we do have a local mind Basket and I continue to go there. At the time of the situation ten years ago, I lived in Massachusetts, a little bit west of Boston, out in Bolton, and we shopped at Mark Cabasket and enjoyed our experience there. But I was absolutely amazed when that whole situation happened and I saw the loyalty of the employees that they would go on strike for their CEO.
I remember thinking, wow, I mean, that place must be a fantastic place to work to have that kind of loyalty from your employees. And unfortunately I didn't hear your whole discussion with the professor from MIT. I'm actually an alumni from Sloan from more years ago than I care to admit. But I remember saying to my wife at the time what that was going on. I said, this is going to be a Sloan in Harvard business case.
There's no doubt in my mind that they're going to many articles and business cases about this kind of employee loyalty.
So uh.
The professors from Sloan was named Professor Thomas K. H A n H. And he did do the case studies quoted in the in the Globe today. So you don't know if he was teaching there when you were there. He's an emeritus at this point, professor professor.
Yes he was. He was, he was a professor I had. I don't have any you know, close connection to him at this point. I'm sure he wouldn't know who I am. But yes, he was there at the time, and uh when I was there. So uh, like I said, it's more years ago than I care to admit, but uh, you know so, so I thought about your question. I said, why do I still go to market basket? What is it about it that I see from a customer standpoint? And I think, you know, certainly, the selection of food
is good, the quality is good, the produce is good. Uh, And so I'm always and the prices are are are certain competitive. I'm not always looking for the cheapest thing ever, but they're certainly competitive. But I have to admit the the just the atmosphere in the store is positive, is always positive. My experience has always been great. And like several of your other college have said, you know, if you ask somebody for help, they will go out of their way to walk you right to the item you're
looking for. And I'd just tell you, yeah, I think it's an aisle six. They will take it to you and show you where it is. And it's just that kind of an attitude that that comes from, you know, how how they're treated and how they're treated directly goes, you know, cascades down to how they treat the customers.
It's a happy employee.
Uh.
And if you're proud of the place you work and you're proud of the way you're being treated, you're going to pass it on. I mean that's and that was what the professor emphasized that and why more companies don't inculcate that attitude with their employees.
Yeah, I was. I was extremely impressed with and so you know, once once that situation happened ten years ago. You know when when the you know, they reinstated Arthur t and and and the employees came back and the customers went back. Because I also didn't go to the store while that was going on. Uh, in support of the CEO and support of the employees. UH, I started paying attention to you know, Okay, what is it about
this place that makes it different? And you know some of the things that I've just said, as well as the others, I think we're are part of that that that lesson. But I agree, you know, other many of the stores, and not just grocery stores, should be seeking to understand how the culture there and trying to replicate that in their businesses because they certainly have the loyalty of the employees and their customer base.
All Right, I appreciate you taking the time to call in, Dave, Thanks for listening, UH.
Call your question all right, Thank you, good night.
Let me get Beverly in here from Revere. Beverly you were next time nights. I go right ahead. You have thoughts on market Basket or on growth market Basket or grocery stores generally, I.
Can I gotta tell you, I'm an old Demolis person nineteen trifty six and haybro.
Wow, Well, dems can't correct me if I'm wrong. But Demolis became market Basket, right.
That's right. I moved out to Chelsea Ebett Rebem nineteen fifty six. There was no Demolas, no market Basket. I was lost. When market Basket came to redeem Ebert Mauldon, I was, I was so happy.
Oh that's great, that's it's it's amazing how you get comfortable with a store and uh and the way you're treated in that in.
That store, they were good in nineteen fifty six when they had the problem what ten years ago?
Two? Yeah, no, I know, but guess what, they survived and they are now prospering and they're they are back in the game.
It's just they were previous.
Carla said it all.
There, Cala, Yes, David from Barrington, New Hampshire. Okay, then we'll let you Okay, all right, Beverly, thank you for your call, and thank you for checking in from Revere with us tonight, talk soon, Okay, bye, thank you, Beverly, good night. UH we can continue this. I enjoy talking about your consumer experiences because I'm a consumer as well, and I always like to kind of figure out if my audience is on the same wavelength as I am.
So if you want to tell me that you've had great experiences, said some other supermarket, you can do that. I think that as I've said that, I think that Shaws and Star Market are now overly reliant on their app Now again, they have been bought by a company called Albertson's, which is out of the Northwest. I think they're out of from Idaho or Washington State. But it's not market basket, and as a matter of fact, it
is so confusing, at least for me. You don't have as many choices where I spend the summer as you do where I spend the balance of the year. So feel free join the conversation left to hear from you. It's ten years ago. It seems like yesterday. Well it doesn't seem like ten years It seems like maybe if someone said to me, when was the market basket problems that big, big, big story, I would have said five
years ago, maybe six at most ten years ago. Time fivees six, one seven, two, five four ten thirty six one seven nine three. Coming right back.
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World Night Side studios on w b Z News Radio.
Okay, back to the phones, talking a little bit about Market Basket. Jeff is in Lenox, out in the Berkshires. Hey, Jeff, welcome to night Side.
Hey, how are you doing?
Dan?
Good? Good, good, good good. Listen. I'm I'm on my way back home, my way back home now. But I just left Market Basket. I stopped there cat in groceries and I'm bringing them back home.
How far back? How far is home from Lenox? Jeff?
If I could ask, two and a half hours one way.
So you live in Massachusets.
Thirty miles from I'm thirty miles with already in New York.
Yeah, right, that's that's where Lenox is. So where are you headed? Where's home?
I'm hitting I'm hitting back there now. I just came into Boston. I just came in the Boston. I was in the North Shore. I was I was in Uh. I was in Uh. Actually I was in Woburn.
So I'm confused. Home is Lennox. You're not calling from Lenox. Home is Lennox.
No, no, no, no, no, I'm on my way back to Lenox now from from Woburn.
No, no, I get that. But what I'm saying, is you're you're saying you're driving home. You're driving home to Lenox, correct, got you? Okay, that's all I thought.
I said, right, yes, all right, I got it.
So you flipped this on and you you just uh did you.
Whenever you come this way on the way home. And I'm saying, I've got to call. I've got to call because I remember during during the strength, these people were out there. And one thing is my family from my in laws are from Chelsea. Okay, And and that's you know that. You know the joke that and Chelsea is you can get in the store, but you can't get out. It is so crowded all the time, doesn't matter what
time could should be. Yeah, but the way, but the way, the way that this just like the other caller said, there's a vibe when you go in your store. When I went into the one into the one in the Revere, because I used to live in Salt, I mean, uh in Saugets. I know thee I know the workers there. And I had a lesson with my daughter because I told her, listen, go and bag the go help them bag the groceries. And she says, oh no, they got people to do that. I'm saying you never. There are
three people that you don't mess with. The ones to fix your food, the one that fixes your car, and the one that that bags your groceries. They'll put the hot chicken on top of the ice cream. They'll put the ten pounds of potatoes on top of your potato chips, and the bread and the eggs.
Let me tell you something. Let me tell you first of all, I bag my own groceries when I go to store to the stores because I like the geometry of it, the idea of, you know, packing a bag so that all the space is used. You don't make it too heavy, you don't make it too light. If you need two bags, you need two bags. So yeah, I'm with I'm with you on that. Jeff and I worked.
Listen, it's a skill. It is a skill to pack grocer properly.
Yes, sir, Yes, sir. And I did it as a young kid. When I was fifteen or sixteen, I worked as a bag boy at stopping shop. It's probably the first job, real job that I had where I got a paycheck in my hand, as opposed to a few bucks for cutting someone's lawn. So look, have a safe ride back to Lenox. We'll keep your company all the way. Okay, you've got it.
Good enough, Dan, great show, good stuff.
Thanks Jeff, talk to you soon. Okay, I'm gonna keep rolling. He're gonna go to Helen in Canton, Massachusetts. Hey, Helen, how are you tonight?
Hi?
Hi?
Hi Dan.
I haven't called for a while, have you been.
I've been great. Welcome back a stranger.
I know, I know, thank you. It's just hard for me. I told you I work overnight, so I run into work. Sometimes I want to call, but I don't have time to wait.
Well, we've got you now. So what's your experience with market basks?
I was, I love Market Based. We have a family history with them. We're he've been friends with the family for years. Uh, not myself, but my father was like really good friends with the owner of the senior.
So.
But when when I went in there a couple like a few months ago, I asked one of the kids there working at the register, I said, how do you like working here? I said, he said he loved it, And I said how's it pay? Because I was going to try to get my son a job there, And he goes it's okay, it's fine, he goes. But it's not bad. It's just they treat us so well. Here, that's what he loved about it. They the owner owners like treat them like human beings.
You know.
Well, sometimes that more owners of businesses should understand that and realize that their workers are their representatives to the public. When you go to the store, you're never going to meet the owner, or you might one day out of the year, but you're going to meet an employee two or three occasions as you walk through that store. And those are the people that are going to represent your own store. Yep.
And that's what does the dedicated employees, I mean, you know.
And and a paycheck's a nice thing, but a patter on the back, a word of encouragement will do more to inspire an employee to work harder and to do better, I think than than just about anything. The fact that someone recognizes that, hey, you're out there trying to represent the organization.
Well, couldn't agree exactly.
Well, I love the subject. I'm glad you had it on so well.
Yeah, I just figured tenth anniversary it might be a nice fun topic. On a late August Thursday night, to talk about it. You heading in work.
I am actually I'm waiting outside to go park in the garage.
Well, thank you, thank you for waiting and being patient for us.
Okay, thanks Dan, and I love listening to you every night.
Well, I appreciate it so much, hell and I really do. There are a lot of people out there. There are a lot of Helen's out there, and uh no, but there's a lot of Helen's, and there's a lot of Maureen's, and a lot of Joe's, and a lot of rich and a lot of everybody. Uh And I'm absolutely truly honored to think that you would actually turn my show on whether you're at home or in the car, because that's a choice. And I really think.
You make my night every night.
Thank you.
That's that's the ultimate compliment. Thanks so much. We'll talk again, have a good night too.
Bye.
I got to tell you, I mean that honestly from the from the bottom of my heart. The fact that you have so many entertainment options and you stick with us on Night Side, it blows me. Way. Let me go next to Maureen in Brockton. Maureene, welcome back to Nightside.
How are you hi?
Dan? Good thank you, and thank you for taking my call. I'm going to make this real quick because I don't want to I want everybody to get the chance. So you had originally talked about what you had mentioned like grocery store loyalty, et cetera. My late mother was probably a She really enjoyed stopping shop. So for years you would get a good bargain, you would get the price, the food, the value. I was living in Brighton before I moved to Brockton, and now that I live in Brockton,
they're closing the stopping shop. But the quality and what it's not the same the stopping shop.
So but.
I do find the value at market basket. There is one over in the Westgate Mall. It is a little further than where I'm you know, to go past stocking shop. But but I but again, like everyone else has said, I show up the value. I'll shop the flyers if something is on sale at door a and there's something, I mean, and I'm not going that many that farm, you know, that far to travel. But and that was something that my mother instilled in me many many years ago.
As far as you know, uge she raised seven children, so she only had so much money to be able to stretch, you know, to be able to get the groceries. So I think that's what was instilled in me. So you really have to you know, I've always had good good luck.
Well, here's what I like it. And here's what I like about. One of the things I like about Market Basket a lot of the other grocery chains. Uh, they said, get your loyalty card. Okay, And so you've filled out a form and you've got a loyalty card and you put it on your key chain. I'm sure you've done that with some groceries, right right. Okay. Then they it wasn't enough to have a grocery a card, a loyalty card. Then they said you got to download the app. So yeah,
you download the app, which is impossible to navigate. Okay. So now you go through the store and you realize, oh, I can get it that that's on sale, but with the digital coupon. But I kind of get the digital coupon because the app is so confusing. It just leads, it leads you in circles. So what they have done is a lot of these stores and they're not listening to me. And if they were giving them million dollars. Advice, get rid of the loyalty get rid of the apps.
Stick with the loyalty card. So if if if a customer is willing to carry your stupid plastic card around on their keychain, that will make them more like and you give them a little bit of a break every time they go to the store. You're going to have them coming in the store frequently. You don't need to to make them go to an app to figure out
what's on sale this week and what they use. And you got to you've got to go through if you're lucky enough to get to it, you got to go through one hundred and seventy five different items, ninety five percent of which you've never bought in your life.
And it's and it's and it's funny you mentioned that. And I'll make this quick because I know there's other folks that want to call, they want to speak with you. But I had a conversation and again, you know that we've got wonderful employees at the stopping shop that's closing on Montella Street in Brockton, and my hot breaks for them, especially the ones that live close by that they can walk to the store. And now right now now they have to depend on traveling. I spoke to a gentleman
who used to work. They used to have a store in Holbrook and then they closed Holbork and then they were opening Brockton. And I talked to this gentleman.
I said, I.
Remember you from Holbrook. Now you're in Brockden and he and we're talking about the digital coupons, and he he just rolled his eyes and he said, he goes, why don't they just he goes, coupons, get rid of them because there's more, Like you said, there's more problems even if you downloaded. Yeah, I had, I had, but the people there were so nice at Stop and Shop that they would say, oh, I can give you the adjustment. I'll give you the sale price, you've got the coup
you've got the receipt. So but again I I do. I do like market Basket. I like all the because market Basket and all the and brock in Are you know, they're in the same Westgate mall, so it's very convenient. But but market Basket, you know, that's that's that's going to be my store.
Yeah, it's I wish there was one. I'm you know, out of pocket during the summertime, so I don't have one really near me. But during the rest of the year, I will drive to walk to the store and Wallfan, which is about fifteen miles from where I live. Uh you know, maybe maybe once every two weeks, and I will load up on a lot of items that I know I can get with substantial savings at at market Basket.
So that's that's my store. And I just wish that someone from Shaw's uh in Star would listen to my advice, which is have loyalty cards, but forget the stupid digital app and the coupons and the QR codes because a big majority of your customers have no idea what's what to do with them? Okay, and you're driving people away, but that's you know. They're they're owned by a big groceries chain called Albertson out of somewhere in the Great Northwest.
I'm not sure if it's the state of Washington or Idaho, but they have no clue what's going on here in Massachusetts.
Maureen, is all I agree with you.
You don't need to have a loyalty cad Tonight's that. But you're one of my most loyal listeners, and I can't tell you much.
I appreciate you well, thank you so much. I appreciate listening. And I'm going to let the next person go on. Thank you.
Have a great night.
Dan, thanks Marian. Okay, well we'll get to the next person. But after the news at the bottom of the arts. Now ten thirty two, six one seven two. Those lines are now awful. However, there's two lines open at six seven. I think it's great. We've talked about Market Basket and some of the other stores. I'm trying to help Shaws in Star but they they don't they don't get it. They don't get it. And if you're a big fan of Shaws or Star Market, feel free to join the conversation.
If you're a big fan of any of the other stores, I think market Basket, at least with my audience, is the leader of the pack. Back on Nightside after this.
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
All right, let's keep rolling here, all of us. A couple of folks dropped off. We're talking about your grocery store shopping. Obviously, with inflation as high as it is, there's nowhere where inflation is more obvious than inside a grocery store these days, because items that a year ago were are now three seventy nine and you think to yourself, well, you know it's only eighty cents more. Well, yeah, that's
a that's a that's a twenty five percent increase. Or items that were two point fifty now are three eightyen I mean it, just it you. If you shop in any grocery store, any grocery store, you're going to feel the bite of inflation. Let's go to joe In Lynn. Joe, you are next on Nightside.
Thanks Dan for taking my call. This is an unusual show and I like it tonight especially. My favorite store is Market Basket is you know, I can't see and they helped me out. I don't know whether you have a cafe in Waltham or not, but I sit there and get ice coffee and I do shopping with them. They help me bag. I'm not as good as you.
You have to give us some bagging lessons. But one thing I want to say with the Market Basket people, I left a toilet paper at the store by accident, and they brought it to me and I complimented them, and the CEO and I guess you've read the book about market Basket called me and sang to me, and you don't get many calls from CEOs because I've read the book. It's a horrible what he went through was his family, mister Dumuz and he called me and sang.
Really was was that relatively recently.
Last year or the year before?
But that's what all I'm saying is he survived again. There was this whole corporate board of director's fight which which he ended up getting tossed out on his ear.
And he he eventually bar his cousin out. But their their enemies, that they're hatred in the family and the shop.
And show what I was trying to say, Joe, let me finish if I could. What I was trying to say was that he was the top dog, and all of a sudden his cousin, who was also on the board, was able to convince some other board members. So it was like this, there was an inter family squabble and it was a board takeover. So Arthur T, the guy
who eventually prevailed, prevailed. He got, you know, shown the door, shown the door, which is why all the employees walked out, and then the customer stayed away, and eventually, after six weeks, the cousin who had won had to basically, you know, give it up. An amazing story, an amazing.
Sir Arthur T bought him out and I read the book.
It's horrible.
There's hatred of the family now, but that's the way it is like in my family. But mister T was very nice. I hope to meet him someday. He comes to different stories.
You got to give us a.
Bag lesson and tell me does your one in Waltham have a nice cafe with a TV?
I was going to respond, I was going to respond to that. I have seen it. I've never been in it. It looks it doesn't look what you call to be luxurious. But there's a coffee stand and you can buy you know, some some sort of a muffin or some sort of a breakfast item. I think it's ninety nine cents. So it's very convenient and it's not all that expensive. And so people if they want to spend twenty minutes and have a cup of coffee and the muffin of some sort,
they get their day going. It would be wonderful. Joe the one time Lin and be able to do that on an occasional basis.
One quickie. The one in Linn has a kitchen. You can have meatloaw, salad, pizza, hamburgers. It's a little bigger, but they're very nice people there.
Absolutely. Joe will talk one brief.
I only had trouble once I could someone couldn't speaking as they got someone else for me.
But they're extremely nice.
Thanks, take care, Thanks.
Joe, talk to you by body. All right, let's keep rolling. You're going to go to Rick and Bill, Rick and Heyrick. Welcome back.
How yeah, Dan, how are you? This is a subject that doesn't grind my gears like Tamala, you know what I'm saying. But yeah, no, yeah, seriously, I grew up going to Demula's as a kid. I grew up in Burlington. A family of my parents are gone now, but there was there's there's still six of us left. There's a total of eight. Yeah, and that's my dad headed there. I remember going in the seventies to Demula's. I am seven hundred Plaza and I live close to there now.
But it's still good. You know, it's going to be the best prices around with inflation. Obviously, meat has gone up at the tea. Can't do can't roll up. You know, he can only do the best he can. But they try to keep their prices low. And I just wanted to say that I boycotted in twenty fourteen. I would go in the store just to take pictures of the shelves, just to get a little document. You know, I've got it, probably a half a dozen of them.
Yeah, that's okay. And look, it's so great when there is what people perceive to be an injustice and they gather and they form a bond and they stick together and they get a result that they wanted, which was to get one man, Arthur t back in charge. He stayed there and he apparently has brought the store out of some really bad financial straits, which is going to happen to a growth free store when and when it's not operational for six weeks. I think it's an inspiring story.
Did you listen to the Harvard of the MIT Business School professor we had on last hour?
Yeah? Oh no, no, it was fantastic. Uh your interview with him, and uh, you know it's he I'm not surprised that it's a big case study. I will tell you that it's I was moved by by the loyalty back then, and I was moved myself, and so I would I would go to Shaws.
Now.
I used to work at Shaws in Burlington a couple of years two thousand and four to two thousand and six. Albertson's bought them in probably oh five or possibly oh six, it's one of one of those years. But but uh, yeah's an enormous company. And they never had the prices as good as as market basket good stuff at Shaws, but you're paying way more. But I had to bite the bullet because I got a principle. Yeah you know, I don't can't. I just had to do it.
And it was so The thing that bothers me about Shaws and I have shopped in Shaws and Star Market is not only well do you have to have like your loyalty card or whatever, but now they make you download an app and you will see if you are able to download the app successfully and navigate around this app, which is impossible to utilize, then you can get items
at a reduced rate. It is insane. It is insane if you want to treat your customers that way, that they have to go through some sort of your gymnastics, mental gymnastics to get a fifty cent break on an item. You're just going to drive customers away. It's as simple as that. And exactly, I go into grocery stores all the time, and the fact of the matter is that most people in grocery stores are people who are older, people who are shopping for themselves, shopping for their families.
I don't see many twenty somethings pushing a grocery CA card. They're they're all ordering, you know, online, or they're having an uber driver pick up there. That's fine for them, But Shaw's and Starr owned now by Albertson, will eventually put themselves out of business if they don't smart enough.
I think you're right, No, I do think. And those stupid little car gets stick on your keychain as there was a car, do you put one on your keychain that was fullish? Anyway? Market Baskets stayed clear of that. They never did that.
And well, the better no, the better solution is no card. Just get the best prices you can to every customer. That's number one. But if you're going to do a card and say and try to make incent people to come back to the store because they think they're getting
a little bit of an additional break. That's fine, But when you incorporate the idea of some sort of an app that you have to pull down from the internet, and then you have to figure out a way to to to navigate the app, and they keep changing the app every two or three weeks, it is mind boggling. It is frustrating, and it is it makes you dislike
the store. You no longer feel neutral about it, you feel positive towards to It's a store like Demulas, which is giving the best prices they can under the circumstances. And now in order to even try to replicate come close to market Basket, you've got to download an app and figure the app out, and they're going to change the app every two or three weeks. It's like they're playing a game of cat and mouse with you, and you're the mouse and the other cat.
Right. No, it's punishment, like the extra four percent over every million you make. I mean, that's a bigger issue, but not really when you're talking middle class and fixed incomes, but it is, you know, it's more money, but that's ridiculous. You know it should be the same. Five percent is going to add up when you get into the millions. I just wanted to say one thing before you go that I was very impressive during COVID lockdown. Those young
kids were amazing. It's almost like their military service. I don't mean because you're a veteran and I appreciate your service, but those young kids, they had to wear masks, people holding toilet paper. At that time, you know that'd taken too much. They had to put limits on. You remember it all. It was a few years ago, but those kids worked so hard. I felt bad from Ice talked to me, I've been on. They'd be like, I've been on eight hours now and young kids, and I'm just
saying it. I was impressed. I totally I was impressed at the time.
All right, Rick Is always appreciate your calls.
We'll talk soon day, you bet.
Thanks quick break. We got three to we'll probably wrap it up, and I think we're going to go to our last topic of the night, which will be if you had a chance to ask Vice President Harris a question about her presidential candidacy. What would it be that's going to be after eleven don't call on that. Now we got Geene and Rockland, Brad and Marlborough and Barry in Norwell coming up on the other side of the break here on Nightside.
Now back to Dan ray Mine from the window World Nightside Studios.
On w b Z the News. Sorry we were going next. Let's go to Gene in Rockland. Gene, welcome back to night How are you, Jane.
I am very good.
Dan.
I am so glad that you have talked about this.
I have been.
Waiting a long time for somebody to bring this up about their lousy app in Shaws, and not only in Shaws, but a few other supermarkets too that have trailed behind Shaws. I've called your phone many times on other issues, but this one is really you really hit it on this one. I'm going to tell you that is the worst app that they could do at Shaws. It's cost them a
lot of business. They don't know it. And I can remember when Big White opened in Norwell and they had you sit down and fill out a cod and everything. Guess what they're doing the same thing. You know, everybody's following this pace and they don't realize how much money they're costing themselves. You're talking to somebody that has twenty two years in retail with one company in twenty eight
years with retail in another company. So I know what I'm talking about, and I'm going to tell you a few other things that are going to kill them too. You take Walmart and you have all those people standing in line. They have no registers open, and everybody's going through and scan it. And I can't even tell you the theft that's going on there. I see it with my own two wives, and I'm like, I can't believe it. So I so appreciate you bringing this up and market
basket they open one up and hear and over. I'm in there twice a week. I listen to you on my way down when I go grocery shop, and I hit there around eight thirty. I'm telling you, that's the greatest, the greatest steward that you can imagine. I see the kids there, and when you're in retail, you notice things, and the people there are unbelievable and the store is immaculate. I can't say that for other retailers. You know, it's just really sad.
That I'm in this period.
Of the country and they do things and all of a sudden. You know, here for a year and a half, the prices go way up. They don't have restrooms. Different things like that. You should do a show on how bad we have, how some retailers and how bad they are, because we have a few in our local areas, in good sized ones too. And I went in one and they don't even have restrooms, have been broken down for a year and a half and it's in a well known plaza. Okay, so it's really all right.
You may have given me another idea, so you keep listening, Gena.
Next, do another show on how bad they are some of these retailers and they're coming in and they're making oodles of money and then they say see you later.
All right, all right, thank you very much. Jean. Let me go next to Barry in Norwell. Barry, we're down on the south shore a lot tonight.
How are you.
I'm doing great?
Yeah, I'm the bookstore guy. But before I owe a books shre, I worked in market Basket.
Yeah, okay, bore the bookstore guy in Newton who I still haven't gone to visit yet, but I will.
Cover the uh. The reason why I worked there was all during COVID. UH we waited and waited for it to open, and they partially built it and finally when it was winding down there, uh, it wasn't opening, and they were saying people said, Oh, it's because they can't find enough people. Says, I'll go down there and work myself. I walked in, I got a job. We wanted to work to open because, Uh, I don't want to say
anything bad about Shaws. These are the nice people, but there were problems there and so we were anxious this board. We wanted a new store. So I walked in and got a job in the meat department one day. And the people worked there, Yeah, really fun, really nice people. And the meat they have prime rib and everything prime.
And what what town are you talking about now, nor Nover Hanover? Okay, that's close to know all right?
When that opened?
Uh was that a period of time when the closed that while you were no.
I created the bookstore while I was working at markets.
Okay, you that was your side hustle. Now's your full time.
Yes, that's right. And Uh, the story I wanted to tell is when we first got there, when I first worked there, the CEO came by to tour it and he had his entourage and he went from station to station. He came to the meat department and he shook my hand and he asked me what I did before. I said, I drove a cab in Boston, and uh. He was very you know, geice and uh. Then he came back several weeks, maybe a month later again for a tour, and he came by and he remembered who I was.
He's a story like a like a seasoned politician, very warm feeling you get when somebody remembers you like that. Yeah, So I just wanted to say the camaraderie there I think started as a top a feeling of it.
Has it has to Yeah, And he said, if you are the CEO of some company, you set the example of how you carry yourself, your demeanor. Do you look through people, do you look past people? Or do you look at people and engage with them and ask them, what's your name? My name is Arthur T or whatever that person's name is. You put them on the same level as you. They're working for the same company. You're making a heck of a lot money, much more money than they make.
But and but, like you said, the simplicity of it, you know, stupid apps or cupidon. Just pay it and then you don't have to buy four cases of coke to get a six pack.
Or you know, well that's the other thing now particularly uh if you buy your five cases, you'll get five free. Who buys five cases? Who buys four cases? Ef you're going to do that? Yeah, fill up your refrigerator and everybody can drink orange juice until it goes bad. Hey, Barry is a close early.
I liked it when I worked there, but not now I work late.
I wish it was.
Like records of books.
Tweet I will, I will, I promise that I'll be there doing Brad and Marlborough. Brad, you were next to.
Night side Dan.
How you doing.
I'm doing fine tonight, Brad. What's going? What's on your mind?
Yeah?
I just want to share my personal experience. Uh as gen z Uh, I'm pretty savvy with the technology and the apps that they got these days. And when we were on maternity leave last year when my daughter was born, we had to use the instacart to order groceries. The first couple of weeks we got home from the hospital and we actually ended up getting something from Shaw's probably
about a week's worth of grocer trees. And when it got to our house I got to live in, and it was from Shaws and the chicken was two weeks old. Tho it was past two.
Oh that's why I never have done that I and I never will. My daughter does some things like that. But I like to go and pick out my vegetables, pick out my fruit, make sure that that they're not spoiled. And oh, that's a that's a horrible story. How old your daughter, Barry Brad.
Excuse Yeah, she's one years old?
Now, Wow, so you're you You said your gen z. Is that what you are?
Yeah?
I was born in nineteen ninety seven, which is the first year at gen Z.
Wow, you're a young So you're a dad at twenty seven years of age.
That's right.
Well, congratulations. What's your daughter's first name? Will give her a big shout out here all over the country.
Yeah, her name is Charlotte.
Charlotte. Well, Charlotte's going to be a beauty. I'm sure she is a beautiful child. And you're gonna have so much fun with Charlotte. Uh and uh, eventually you'll you'll, you'll, you'll, you'll say to her, any guy you're going to date, you got to bring him home first and meet me. I can just see that happen.
And Okay, you got that right.
Hey, Brat, thanks man. I so appreciate you all. And uh again, congratulations to you and your wife on Charlotte.
Hey, uh, I don't mind answering your next question too, if you've still got a couple of seconds there.
Okay, sure, what question would you want to ask the vice president if you had a chance to Yes.
So, if I got a chance to ask the Vice president of question, I'd ask her what gave her the right as Attorney General of California to send people inmates who are convicted of mind their possession charges of marijuana to the front lines of the forest fires to be condemned to death.
That's a great question. That's a great question. We won't be interviewing her here on nightside, but uh, that starts us off for the next hour. Brad, I love the question. That's a good one. I forgot that one, actually, Thank you so much.
Thank you, Dan.
Talk to you soon, all right, Brian and East Boston. You stay there, we'll take you on the other side. I think we're gonna I love this topic, but I think we're going to switch to our other topic, which is and by the way, vice President had her first interview and it was softball, after softball, after softball, So I want to I want to make the questions a
little tougher. What would you ask the Vice president if you had been in Dana Bash's shoes tonight softball after softball, after softball, as far as I could see back on nightside, right after the eleven