Just In A record crowd packed the aisles for the AFPD Save the date for S.E. Michigan Holiday Beverage Show! AFPD’s 93rd Annual Trade Dinner and Ball! AFPD's 93rd Annual Trade Dinner and Ball is set for Friday, February 6 2009 and we are heading for the beautiful Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield. This year our theme is “CIRCUS CIRCUS!" Step right up to a night of dining, dancing and a host of carnival activities! Join Michigan and Ohio leaders in the food, beverage and petroleum industries al this one-and-only, industry-wide annual black tie event. We guarantee it will be the “Greatest Show on Earth!" Held September 23 and 24 at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, a record crowd of over 2,300 attendees were treated to a huge array of new Invitations and detailed sponsorship products, holiday packaged gift sets and show specials. Please see pages 16 and 17 for more photos and details of this event. information will be mailed soon. Information is also available online at wwAAFPDonline.org or call Michele Spartan Stores to acquire VG’s MacWilliams at 1-800-666-6233. Spartan Stores, with headquarters $310 million, and boost overall bring VG’s, a premier Michigan in Grand Rapids, announced that it consolidated sales by $160 million. grocery operator, further into the has agreed to acquire VG’s Food The company expects the Spartan Stores family,” said Craig Center and VG’s Pharmacy, a 17- acquisition to have a neutral effect Sturken, chairman of Spartan, in a Resident’s R e p o rt..................... 3 store operator based in Fenton, on earnings per share in the current prepared statement. year, and to become accretive to Halting the most of your business.. 6 Michigan, that is Spartan’s largest According to Supermarket News, distribution customer. Terms were earnings next year. a Spartan spokesperson said that Heet Ohio Senator Mark W agoner.. 8 not disclosed. Spartan currently operates 84 the company would preserve the Sherwood Food D istributors invests Spartan said the purchase, supermarkets under the D&W VG’s Food and Pharmacy banner better serve its c u s to m e rs ...... 10 scheduled to close near the Fresh Market, Family Fare, Glen’s and would set up a regional end of the company’s current Market and Felpausch Food headquarters in VG’s current Value Center M arket has fiscal quarter, would boost its Center banners. Fenton offices. ” ow" factor........................... 12 annual retail division sales by “We are very enthused to Associated Food & Petroleum Dealers PRSRTSTD 30415 W. 13 Mile Road U S. Postage Farmington Hills, Ml 48334 COOL raises questions PAID DETROIT, Ml Ct,ange Service Requested P E R M IT #36 AFPD has received numerous calls from members regarding the new Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules that began on September 30, 2008. In order to provide you with the most information, we have included a list of the most common questions and their answers beginning on page 19. COLA INVIGORATED 2 I AFPD Food & PetroleumREPORT www.AFPDonline.org President'sMESSAGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chris Zebari Chairman New Hudson Food Market The customer is always right, right? John Oenha Food & Beverage Wee Chair Government & Legislative Affairs By Jane Shallal wants and needs, and always go above product or service, they would rather 8 Mile Foodland President and beyond. Research on grocery shop at the place that offers a safe, Pat LaVecchia shoppers (Progressive Grocer) shows clean, and orderly environment. You Petroleum/Auto Repair My brother, that 69 percent stop shopping at a have to capitalize on this and make Wee Chair Government & Legislative Affairs who owned a Pat's Auto Service particular store because they are sure that you are better than your supermarket, Joe Bellino, Jr. dissatisfied with its service or employee competitor in this regard. Don’t just i would always Food & Beverage Vice Chair Membership attitudes. Rather than discussing the concentrate on basic service. Focus Broadway Market. Region 2 i preach these problem with a store manager or clerk, on the entire customer experience. Dennis Sidorski I words to me 98 percent of dissatisfied customers Store layout, music, and other Petroleum/Auto Repair Vice Chair Membership j while I waited on Maple & Miller Marathon simply go to a competitor's store. To environmental factors at the store r customers in the Jim Garmo make things worse, a customer who are critical components toward a r store. It seemed Vice Chair Long Range Planning encounters an unpleasant incident will customer total experience and greater Shoppers Valley Market r that this concept then tell four or five other people about customer satisfaction. was his playbook for Al Chittaro it. Now, in the days of blogs and e- Vice Chair Community Relations a successful business, as ■ Right here waiting for you. Long Faygo Beverages. Inc mail, it’s safe to say that this extends to he believed that good customer service wait times can erode satisfaction. Jim Hooks an even larger number. This negative would bring big financial returns. The cut-off period for most retail Treasurer word of mouth can be very damaging Metro Foodland categories is four minutes, according It looked as if satisfying customers to a business’ reputation and goodwill. Bobby Hesano was a no-brainer, but the methods to a new report. Shoppers get Secretary Always try to improve your customer exasperated enough to leave a D & B Grocers Wholesale and psychology behind securing a service. Customer-centered businesses loyal following took more than just checkout line if the wait is too EMERITUS DIRECTORS have a strong sense of mission and lengthy. The study showed that 43 good manners. I learned quickly that are constantly reinforcing the mission. FrMt Dally Medicine Chest customer satisfaction doesn’t start with percent of consumers said long lines Ronnie Jamil Mug & Jug Liquor Stores Now I know why my brother was so would affect their decision to shop a Twy Farida Value Center Markets the customer at all. It actually started repetitive in his statement above. particular retailer in the future - and Sam Dado................................... In N'Out Foods with me. You can achieve success in your ' BiVMano House of Prime out of those consumers, 3 percent So, what’s an employer to do? business by developing a strong action said they'd stop visiting the store You should train every employee plan. Remember the following: altogether. A retailer should focus Pud Elhindi Lyndhurst Valero, Region 8 (customer-facing or back office) to ■ Quality is key. If you have lousy JtaGohaman Spartan Foods, Region 3 on keeping customer wait times Adda Hobbs............... Whitehall Shell, Region 7 interact with your customers as if products or service, good luck selling under four minutes, with the negative •WadnJonna . Vinotecca/Vinology, Region 1 the customer was right. Empower it. No amount of aggressive PR or impact of even one minute more. ink Shamoun Country Acres Market, Region 4 employees. Allow them to perform marketing can save a product or Tom Waller CROSSMARK Sales Agency ■ Hold on to what you’ve got. in ways that will accommodate the service that is just plain bad. Region 5 Repetition, when it comes to customer's wishes. Successful customer Porey Wells ............Coca-Cola, Region 6 ■ At face value. When a product or customers, is a good thing. When service companies do a superior job service costs more, but is worth it, a business keeps a customer, it is ■■ BEVERAGE RETAIL DIRECTORS of ensuring that their employees’ its value becomes acceptable to the more profitable than finding a new NfcAdeha Indian Village Market top priority is to satisfy customers. Crete Ideal Party Store customer. When a customer always one. It’s been said that that it is five Employees at these types of businesses PMKatea ............Saturn Food Center shops at a particular store rather times more expensive to win a new NHMaimi . Thrifty Scot Supermarket go out of their way to fulfill customer T'WB,Atteh ..........Hollywood Super Markets than the one closer to customer than to keep an existing Wen Yaldoo Park Place Liquor home, this shows that one. That’s a major windfall for a the attributes of the business. Apple and Starbucks have Xu IS Xu llJjffl farther store outweigh shown that a strong bond to products ............................. Prairie Farms The Grocery Zone the cost of going to the Sherwood Food Distributors results in long-lasting customer General Wine & Liquor Co By David Coverly one closer to her/him. loyalty. ■ Diageo People are happy to Think of it as relationship marketing. pay more if necessary Is the customer always right? Of to have great customer Blissfield BP course not. Do we need to treat them service. People think BraUchl Lake Lansing Mobil as if they are? We sure do. And if we ..................Yorkshire Tire & Auto that great customer don’t, those customers are going to let •MtaHrfou ............................. Lyndhurst Valero service is rare these you know just how unhappy, and right, days. For these they really are, by no longer shopping at people, they will drive your store. Customer service is exactly ^ Walla I President farther to a particular I*0*** ^•#VM Executive VP Food & Beverage that ‘service’...and the customer really location to go C0"«Qlan Executive VP Petroleum does have the last word. They write R«i« *K im shopping even though ................Vice President the checks and pay your tab, so they're ***'•*• MicWilliams VP of Communications there may be several really the ones in charge. tSl Twigg Controller stores just within "•"'iDivii I hope that you are emphasizing Coupon Manager minutes of their house.