Posted by
Playful Walrus on Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:13:08 PM
A Brisith company opens a grocery store in Compton, and gets dogged by local agitators.
Cynthia E. Griffin writes in a publication called Our Weekly about the opening of British company Tesco's Fresh and Easy store in Compton.
The Compton Fresh and Easy is built on a 10,000-square site, and features fresh fruits, meats, as well as staples like cereal, bread, juice, and more. It also sells magazines and fresh flowers. According to chief marketing officer Simon Uwins, there are no artificial colors nor artificial flavors added to the Fresh and Easy brand items, nor are there any added transfats. Additionally, only the preservatives needed to keep food fresh are used. Uwins also said about half the items in the store are Fresh and Easy products delivered from the company’s Riverside warehouse, and the other half are national brand products.
Sounds great.
Fresh and Easy officials also vowed to be good neighbors by constructing and operating green stores like the Compton one, which uses 30 percent less energy because of its warehouse-like design with sky lighting and concrete floors, which are easier to keep clean.
Workers are paid an entry level wage of $10 per hour, and work no less than 20 hours per week. Uwins said this entitles them to full benefits, 75 percent of which are paid by the company.
They are also eligible to participate in the company’s 401(k) plan and can earn a bonus of up to 10 percent each quarter.
But beyond the pay, Uwins said the goal was to create an atmosphere where employees were happy.
Sounds great.
While this might sound good, a spokesman from the Alliance for Healthy and Responsible Grocery Stores wants Fresh and Easy to do more than just talk. They want the retailing giant to put the promises in writing in the form of a community benefits agreement, and during the grand opening hand-delivered letters to Prince Andrew and the head of Tesco, Timothy Mason, seeking the support of the prince and urging the CEO to negotiate an agreement.
According to Elliot Petty, a spokesman for the coalition, a signed community benefit agreement will commit Fresh and Easy to do what they say.
What a bunch of annoying, whiny, arrogant leeches. A company brings Compton fresh food for sale, good jobs, and tax revenues, and this "Alliance" greets them with this? Tesco has already dealt with various government agencies to open their store, complying with many different regulations. They have either bought or leased the property from the owner. The “Alliance” is not producing anything themselves – only demanding that others do what they say. It’s none of their business. Exactly how many people are in the Alliance, anyway, and how is that determined?
“There is also the question of where they locate stores,” Petty added. While he said the company is touting its commitment to locating in underserved communities, of the more than 70 liquor licenses Fresh and Easy has applied for, less than 10 percent are in communities that would be considered underserved.
Less than 10 percent? So what? That means almost 10 percent. That’s a whole lot better than NOTHING. Businesses go where they can make a profit. These “underserved” communities would have an easier time attracting and retaining businesses if crime and corruption were not as big of a problem, and if the locals wouldn’t burn down the businesses every 20 years.
In terms of employees, Petty said it is not about unionizing, but about making sure that the jobs are middle-income jobs that allow people a way to get promoted.
NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Don’t like what they offer employees? Don’t work there. Don’t like how they run their business? Don’t shop there. Try opening your own store.