Talk:DeMoulas/Market Basket

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Contents 1 Store list 2 Advertisement 3 POV 4 A rambling, disorganized article 5 Pharmacy? 6 What addresses for email are there for Market Basket? 7 Fair use rationale for Image:Mkt-basket.jpg 8 I think MB is a great store

[edit] Store list

I don't think the list of stores belongs here. Unless someone demonstrates that it's particularly relevant to this topic, it's just a waste of space. -Grick 03:11, Mar 3, 2005 (UTC)

A list of stores was exactly what I was looking for. I also disagree with the (subjective) claim that produce quality is lower at DeMoulas and Market Basket than at other Boston-area supermarkets. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.106.93.177 (talk • contribs) 23:38, 13 January 2006 (UTC).

I'm going to change the statement about lower quality meat and produce if no one else does -- based on weekly comparison, this statement is POV at best, doubtful at worst. It's my opinion that both are at or above the level of quality of Shaw's/Star. Given the debatable nature of this statement, it's not appropriate for inclusion in an encyclopedia article. It was also relevant/useful to mention the lack of loyalty card program, unusual in this market at this time. 65.96.180.86 01:56, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

It's presentation that seems to affect MB's perception among casual shoppers. I think regulars would tend not to agree that quality is lower. I changed the line to reflect that, also added the loyalty bit. Hopefully all will be semi-satisfied with this. 18.173.1.42 18:21, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

I added a list of stores on Nov 7, but it was deleted. I thought since Market Basket doesn't have its own website, this would be a good place for some basic current information, i.e. addresses and tel nbrs. Demoulas' history is certainly interesting, but I think help locating a store would make this wiki useful. (gergev - my first post and edit - sorry if I did not follow protocol). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Gergever (talk • contribs) 21:45, 29 November 2006 (UTC).

I'm going to disagree with that, though it wasn't me that removed the info. It's an encyclopedia article, not a directory. What goes in here should be based on whether it fits, not because there's not currently a better place on the internet to put it.

The external links section does contain (only) a site with a list of stores, by the way.

And sign your posts with four tildes (~), please. 18.173.1.42 22:16, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

There is no "External Links" section. Perhaps it was deleted since that comment was posted. I think a list of store locations would be very useful and appropriate in this article. Perhaps not the addresses and phone numbers, as per the comments above. 76.19.147.79 19:27, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

How about a link to the stores' website? That's what I came here for. And maybe other people did so as well. It's not marketbasket.com. So it's not obvious or trivial. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.69.127.120 (talk) 19:01, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Market Basket, for some reason, doesn't maintain a website, although WHOIS for www.demoulasmarketbasket.com shows that they own and pay for the domain. Perhaps they're planning on making one? In any case, they have one website, www.supportmarketbasket.org, to support the construction of a store in Gloucester, Mass. Pmo22 (talk) 19:45, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Advertisement

"Demoulas Supermarkets Inc. employees have the best retirement plan and structure in the country" and "Market Basket and DeMoulas shows that professionalism and traditional dress make the perfect work environment" are very biased statements, IMHO. This page shouldn't be an advertisement written by the front office. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by RabidGreenMonkey (talk • contribs) 21:11, 12 April 2005 (UTC).

[edit] POV

It's funny how this article presents everything that's wrong with Market Basket stores in a positive light.

• "Fiercly resisted Industry trends"- I'd call it neglect. The stores are hopelessly stuck in 1975, they are generally dimly lit, dumpy. They won't even invest in non-slip floors, instead they dump gobs of kitty litter on the floors on bad weather days. It's amazing that they even have price scanners. The only time a Market Basket gets anything approaching a renovation is when a competitor moves into its area. These renovations bring the store into about 1980.
• "Market Basket stores usually offer a wider variety of many foods" - as long as they are strawberry flavored.
• "Understandably customer loyalty is intense"- Only because they are the only grocery chain in town.
• "high employee morale is typically noticeable"- Where? Employees generally don't seem to want to be there. Department managers often allow items to be out of stock for weeks at a time.
• "and stores are usually quite crowded with a hustle and bustle feel" - is that what they call it? The stores are too small, aisles are too tight, and you can't turn a corner without getting mowed down by a typically oblivious shopper.
• "only stores of the national, upscale image chains Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets come close to Market Basket's sales per square foot" - again, chalk that up to cramped stores that lack competitors in their neighborhoods.

I'd accuse this article of having been written by Market Basket's PR department, except I doubt they even have one. Nor do I get the feeling they have even heard of Wikipedia, let alone the Internet (in 2006 they STILL have no website!).

The only saving grace of this chain is their low prices, which somehow they manage despite not having the volumes of other competing chains.

Yes, I'm not a happy Market Basket customer. There are three MB's in my town, and no competitors. Shopping at any of them is a generally frustrating experience. If I want to shop somewhere else, I have to drive miles to a neighboring town.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 208.204.155.241 (talk • contribs) 19:15, 16 August 2006 (UTC).

Perhaps the article could use a more neutral tone, but the above comments present a biased POV and in some cases are factually inaccurate. 76.19.147.79 19:36, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

The POV on this article should be changed, but probably not by 208.204.155.241, as their comments seem even more POV in the other extreme. Mentioning Sales per square foot is NPOV, but having it there would probably require citation, if one can be found. Stores, with few exceptions, are within a mile of Shaw's, S&S or Hannaford Markets, and are not 'the only grocery chain in town' in any situation. An effort to completely revise the article should be undertaken, while taking care to maintain Neutral view on all aspects Pmo22 03:45, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

• I am the author of the comments by 208.204.155.241. I admit I'm biased on this so I haven't touched the article. But I would just like to say 'the only grocery chain in town' is quite true in some cases. For example, in Haverhill, there are 3 full-sized grocery stores, all Market Baskets. Some other towns have gotten competition only in the past couple of years. I've gotten word from the mayor's office that Market Basket uses their real-estate arm to block out potential competitors. For instance the former K-mart in Westgate plaza, Haverhill, has remained empty for years because MB has vetoed every interested tenant so far. --Asm71 18:06, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

I've worked for the company for a few years now, and I can tell you that RMD Inc. (Market Basket's real-estate arm you mentioned) owns and leases out Westgate Plaza. To put another grocery store in that spot would be a terrible decision both for Market Basket and for whatever competitor would want to move in. Pmo22 (talk) 19:45, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] A rambling, disorganized article

I've just made some effort at turning this into an encyclopedia article, but it's got a long way to go. Some important points:

• Every time a "fact" occurs to you about Market Basket, don't just sitck a new sentence, paragraph, etc. in to reflect this. Rather, think about where in the logical order of the article (order that, frankly, doesn't quite exist yet) that "fact" should go.
• I put "fact" in quotes because an awful lot has been postulated here with no supporting citation. This is a key element of Wikipedia or any publishing. If the assertions in this article aren't backed up with their sources, they will be deleted. Wikipedia is not a place for original research. Because you say you know something, that's not enough. Cite it.
• That said, not *every* little detail about Market Basket is pertinent. There have been many, many little factlets stuck in here, I can't imagine by whom or why, that are more distraction than solid substance. I still can't figure out why it's useful or relevant that the PA's went silent when Mike Demoulas died. Get the basic article down, then figure out if your trivia is worth including. And if you do include it, cite it.
• Style, please. So much here needs rewriting that it's hard to know where to start. I've triend and will continue, but for pete's sake, there's a one-hundred-six-word-long-sentence in this article. I wish I were an English teacher and had a red pen to write "see me" so I could explain why that's not alright. 18.173.1.42 17:20, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pharmacy?

Where is there a Market Basket with a pharmacy in it? I'm pretty sure that's wrong. RabidGreenMonkey 04:26, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

I don't know, and I've been in quite a few (mainly MA stores). I've compiled a list of Market Baskets from various sources on the internet

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvqW21GBJDtEkA3i4UU98Ug&output=html

Gergever 16:40, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

This list is very useful and should be cited in the article. I will add it to an "Exxternal Link" section. 76.19.147.79 19:41, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

None of the Market Basket stores have pharmacies. Though they usually have a pharmacy chain near them, if not within the same plaza.WIZARD Racing 22:15, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What addresses for email are there for Market Basket?

What addresses for email are there for Market Basket? --dsaklad@zurich.csail.mit.edu 08:05, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Absolutely none other than inter-store communication adresses that aren't made public. The store doesn't even run a website, when chains a third its size do. 72.71.206.17 02:32, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

All right then, how does one send snail-mail (suggestions, comments etc.) about Market Basket stores to management? Since Market Basket seems to have zero web presence, this should be an option, and perhaps listed in the infobar. There should be other options for communicating with Market Basket other than to stop in store and speak to the customer service desk. Mail to East Street in Tewksbury perhaps? Midtempo-abg 15:11, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Demoulas and Market Basket stores use an intranet system for stores to contact each other and the main office in Tewksbury. Stores have no outside internet access. Mail would be the only way really to contact them. Pmo22 (talk) 19:45, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Mkt-basket.jpg

Image:Mkt-basket.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 03:10, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

I have added fair-use rationale to the image page MrZeebo 13:41, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

I am a disabled person living in Manchester MA and have been shopping at the Danvers, Market Basket for some time as the local COA runs a shuttle from Manchester to Danvers for the elderly and people with disabilities. When the electric cart broke down in the rear of the store I asked for assistance since the cart was full and I can"t walk for great distances. Not only was I rudely treated by employees,I was forced to leave my groceries in the isle-left the store and never to return. This companyonly cares about your money! Employees and managers are rude and uncompansionate. Disabled people be warned-you will get no assistance from this store. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.233.7.201 (talk) 16:15, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

Did you write to the Market Basket in Tewksbury about this experience? You should have. Although I agree they do treat people rudely sometimes. Especially their employees. I worked for them bagging groceries for 4 years. I know many disgusted former employees of this place. I remember asking one what the worst part about working there was and he said that it was putting up with everyone's crap. I got treated real bad sometimes myself. One time I was told about my schedule (my regular schedule was 8-3 and I was scheduled to work 8-4 "If you can't read you should have someone else do it for you" The snare (talk) 09:36, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] I think MB is a great store

My husband and I have shopped around at other stores, and still prefer our "local" MB which is roughly 45 minutes away. The produce is not as good as at other stores, but price for price, I save quite a bit on my total bill. As for customer service, the people at "our" store are always helpful and I have never experienced one rude person. Personally, I have experienced rudeness at Shaw's and Hannaford's and believe it can happen in any store. Our store is always clean, although it is probably only 15 years old, which is relatively new for some of their stores. I have been in older stores which do seem kind of dumpy and dirty, and I don't shop there if I can avoid it. All in all, I would have to say that in my area, MB is the choice for probably 85% of families. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.19.201.72 (talk) 23:26, 17 April 2008 (UTC)