Talk:Market Basket (New England)

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)

"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.

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.

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

Nice Spin

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.

Rambling, disorganized

I've just made some effeort 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 factelets 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.