Corporate Debacle - If It Ain't Broke
Don't Fix It!
by April Shenandoah
August 8, 2002
Since everything is in an automatic state of flux, obviously, nothing remains
the same. This change either produces improvement or deterioration. My vote
is for certain things to never change. For instance, when hometown landmarks
are destroyed, orange groves uprooted, and neighborhood businesses pushed out
for the "big guys -- of course someone will invariably say, "that's progress."
Sadly, these progressive moves do not produce happy people in their various
communities.
A perfect example are the tears that I almost shed when I came out of Trader Joe's the other day. Shopping at Trader Joe's in the past has always been a comforting experience, remembering when life's pace was a little slower. When everything going on around me seems crazy I always had good old-fashioned reliable Trader Joe's - the one place that I thought I could count on to remain constant - but noooooo -- someone had to come along and twist their arm to conform. A twinge of corporate evil ran up and down my spine as I noticed the "cold" changes that have been made (Where corporate lurks you rarely find anything displayed that will warm the human spirit).
Food products used to be in bins and randomly stacked in-your-face. Everything is now so tightly and neatly stacked there is no buying appeal -- and -- scanners are being installed. And those new display cases have to go. One may just as well go to a regular grocery store.
Trader Joe's began in 1958 as Pronto Markets, similar to the familiar 7-Eleven's. In 1966, founder Joe Coulombe, MBA `54, restructured the stores and gave them a name inspired by the novel Trader Horn. There are now almost 200 stores in 15 states. Because of unique quality foods, healthy snacks and wines at low prices, plus Aloha-shirt-clad salespeople, the store gained customer loyalty and enthusiasm. Some cities have gone as far as letter writing campaigns to get a store in their area.
Hopefully, Trader Joe's commitment to not sell genetically engineered* food will remain their policy. They ended selling GE foods in November of 2001. The specialty grocery chain has responded to pressure from consumers and environmental groups who would rather not eat foods made from genetically engineered crops (Leave it to man to make a mockery out of God's natural fruits and vegetables). The position of the U.S. government during both the Clinton and Bush administrations has been in favor of genetic engineering of food crops. GE foods are all in the name of corporate greed!
Will this be another case where we will soon be saying, "I remember when Trader Joe's was such a great place? I used to shop there all the time but now I rarely go." It was the same with the Good Earth restaurant. Their food was the best! Especially their multi-grain pancakes (if anyone has the recipe for the original Good Earth pancakes please let me know). After years of enjoying the Good Earth they were bought out by the General Mills Corporation and soon the menu began to change, cut backs were obvious in the taste of the food. Slowly but surely and one by one the restaurants began to close. There are very few left and the food cannot even compare to what it once was.
This is a pattern with most everything that starts out great - it ends up defunct! Why doesn't the corporate mentality get it? They push their way into successful businesses where they are not invited, and then ultimately destroy it. When it ain't broke why do they try to fix it? ***
*A genetically engineered organism has been modified by altering one or more genes by transferring a gene of interest from one organism to another. A gene of interest might be one that provides greater resistance to pests, diseases, or chemicals used to destroy weeds in the field, or one that allows a fruit to grow larger and have longer shelf life.
© 2002 April Shenandoah
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COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.