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| Whole Foods Founder John Mackey http://cookaholics.org/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2909 |
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| Author: | jim262 [ Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | Whole Foods Founder John Mackey |
on Morning Edition promoting his book, Conscious Capitalism. He gives a concise and illuminating description of the challenges of being in business today. "Customers want lower prices and higher quality;employees want higher wages, better benefits, and better working conditions; suppliers want to give fewer discounts and want you to pick up more of their products; communities want more donations, governments want higher taxes; investors want higher dividends and higher stock prices. Every one of the stakeholders wants more. They always want more." In a restaurant, it might be spelled "steakholders", but power of the customer cannot be underestimated. For the most part, bad food that is is not healthy is something that is done FOR the customer and not TO the customer. It is clear that more food education is needed to help consumers make better choices. It is not being done in public schools most of us attend and not even a corporation with a conscience will do it. Now it is left to the government to post calorie charts in all chain restaurants. I am not sure we have seen the end of the problem. |
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| Author: | TheFuzzy [ Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Whole Foods Founder John Mackey |
Hypocritical much? It's different elsewhere, obviously, but in the Bay Area Whole Foods is notorious for moving into neighborhoods where there is already a thriving independant market and driving it out of business, Wal-Mart style. While they do a nice job of bringing gourmet ingredients and healthful foods to suburban communities which didn't have them before, WF's actions in the big cities are downright predatory. This is like Howard Schultz, isn't it? Mackey would like to see himself as altruistic and an asset to society, but he's really no different from Larry Ellison. |
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| Author: | Darcie [ Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Whole Foods Founder John Mackey |
I agree with Jim in part, but disagree that it's all on the consumer. Companies aren't just listening to the consumer, they are shaping the consumer's desires. They create new products that customers wouldn't come up with on their own, then listen to the customers' feedback to shape the marketing efforts for the new products. My cousin is the Consumer Insights Manager for the grocery part of Starbucks (and formerly worked at General Mills in a similar capacity). It's interesting to listen to her describe how it all works. Edit to add: I can't stand Mackey after his comments on the ACA. |
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| Author: | pepperhead212 [ Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Whole Foods Founder John Mackey |
I agree with you, Darcie, and nowhere is there a better example of the consumer not really responsible for what's out there than in the advertising designed to mold children's minds. Are they really telling these companies these are the things they want? |
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