Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Post

This was an ongoing concern. Improvements allow adding/linking specials to card/number. The issue has been phones, phone capabilities, households. People recommend doing from computer. Not all have computer. Online delivery orders and curbside present challenges. Order changes involve another service. Payment method card access is accessible to temporary help. Multiple “hand held” and mobile devices retain information. Cross sharing. I asked why all coupons and specials are unable to be linked to Kroger Card number, instead of selected coupons? I didn’t receive a response. I’ve noticed modifications and improvements on a monthly basis. Sometimes, improvement is reversed after a short period? Some locations, have admitted to customers, they are targeting “younger” shoppers. Other locations, intentionally, stocked and set up for families, with children. I’ve noticed, some efforts, in grocery to sell smaller portions and packaging for singles, couples and elderly. Prices were more expensive, in some cases. Same in others. Self serve, allowing personalized quantity selection, were/are difficult to manage. Remodels have been in progress for Walmart, Kroger and Meijer. Store designs and products are based on statistical, demographics captured by rewards cards and local agencies. Scan check out areas have gone through, several, revisions in “software” and processing, in recent 2+ years. Sometimes, new systems were changed, again, within a short period of time.

This was/is an ongoing concern. Improvements allow adding/linking specials to card/number. The issue has been phones, phone capabilities, households. People recommend doing from computer. Not all have computer. Online delivery orders and curbside present challenges. Order changes involve another service. Payment method card is accessible to 3rd parties & temporary help. Multiple “hand held” and mobile devices retain information. Cross sharing. I asked why all coupons and specials are unable to be linked to Kroger Card number? Instead of, manually, selected coupons? I didn’t receive a response. I’ve noticed modifications and improvements on monthly basis. Sometimes, improvement is reversed after a short period? Locations, admitted to customers they were targeting “younger” shoppers. Other locations, intentionally, stocked and set up for families, with children. This was shared in, some, town meetings. Noticed, efforts in grocery, to sell smaller portions and packaging for singles, couples and elderly. Prices were more expensive, in some cases. Same, in others. Self serve, allowing personalized quantity selection, were/are difficult to manage. Remodels have been in progress for Walmart, Kroger and Meijer. Store designs and products are based on statistical, demographics captured by rewards cards and local agencies. Scan check out areas have gone through, several, revisions in “software” and processing, in recent 2+ years. Sometimes, new systems were changed, again, within a short period of time.

Last week my wife and I went to go see a small collegiate summer baseball team based in Montpelier, Vermont. These are kids. The playing isn't major league. But there is something about watching baseball with an overpriced hotdog and a coke on a beautiful summer evening that is so wonderful. In CPG I think we don't consider environment as much as we should. We think "another door, cool". But do we think where is this door? What part of town is it in? What kind of door is it? (Walmart and Whole Foods are very different and not every Walmart or Whole Foods doors are the same). Who shops at this door? When do people shop? And many other questions. This is why I am an advocate for starting out local/regional first. Know where and in what environment you sell best in. You don't always pay $10 for a hotdog your 7 year old niece makes, but when you do it's on a summer evening, in a ball park, singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" at the bottom of the 7th, and it's just magical. Do you, CPG Founder, know what and where your summer baseball game equivalent is? #cpg #environment #retail #summer

A feel-good story of succession   Before you begin to think I’ve forgotten to capitalise succession, I’m not referring to the fictional and fabulously wealthy Roy family that kept many guessing at whom they were based on in real life.   Instead, this is a very short note about leadership and the example being set at that retail shopper nirvana place where one can get a corpulent, juicy hot dog and a bottomless assortment of Pepsi Cola brands at the soda fountain for a dollar fifty: COSTCO.   It is a story of humble beginnings and learning the building blocks to success that make one’s career at a company viable.   Too many of us get our expectations set very high in childhood and college and believe our success is merited based on Woody Allen’s famous bon mot of just showing up. One which may have affected more than one of us in our early or mid career.   When joining McCann-Erickson as a trainee fresh out of uni in 1975, I thought I was the bee's knees and my confidence could have floated a Zeppelin. Until my boss, thoroughly unimpressed at my first-day eagerness, growled at me to go away and organize the files as he had to go to the weekly Monday morning management meeting. Smiling outwardly while seething inwardly at his umbrage at dismissing his newly assigned boy genius so peremptorily, I did so. And learned a lot about what he and the company were doing. While I perhaps foolishly left McCann’s after he retired, the lesson in imparting humility he gave me never left, or at least served as a reminder whenever cockiness struck, which admittedly still happened every so often when one begins to think we know everything, that painful arrogance born of shallow youthful confidence.   That’s why the news about Costco’s CEO announcing his departure and successor is refreshing. No surprise, no drama, no fishing around outside the company for a whiz kid to straighten out what is essentially an extremely well-run business. A succession lesson to chew over while wolfing down one of their hot dog specials, or carting off one of their fabulous rotissary chickens after being served by people who, as the article points out, seem genuinely happy to work there. #leadership #strategyconsulting #marketing #advertising #management #retail https://lnkd.in/eR7BMm-s

Here's a fun one that I reckon we will NOT get a definitive answer for... but let's take a crack anyway. What do you call the different retail businesses owned by a single entity when referring down from that entity? JD Sports, for example, on their corporate site call JD, Size?, Finish Line etc: Brands. Kroger call King Soopers, Ralphs, etc: Banners. Kingfisher appear to call their businesses: Retail Banners. I was brought up to call them 'facias'. I've even heard 'marquees' regularly. Banner has always 'felt' American (though as is often the way, it is a pure old English word, where facia is Latin). #retail

When I came into the CPG game, I wondered why anyone would use a broker… 🤷♂️ After 2 years of trying to pitch Publix Super Markets on my own and not getting any traction, I stumbled upon this guy. With a LinkedIn following of 60k+, I thought to myself, “there’s no way in hell the buyer doesn’t know this cat.” We signed the dotted line with SMB Sales & Marketing and next thing I knew, we had a meeting with Publix on the calendar. This past weekend, Shawn calls me while I’m sitting at the dinner table. “Yeah, I’m that kinda broker… we got all stores.” Little did he know, my whole family was sitting at the table cheering and celebrating with us. These are the moments ya can’t just recreate. Shawn, we love ya buddy and can’t wait to grow this account with you!!! Moral of the story: no matter how great a salesperson you are, brokers are essential to growing your CPG brand. Period. #brokerlife #sales #strategy #partnership

Get ready for a whirlwind adventure - Walmart Associates / Shareholder Week in NWA! A time when success and struggle stories from the retail front lines echo through every corridor. It's not just a grand gala for Walmart associates, but a chance for local professionals and the community to reflect on the driving force that fuels our locality. Walmart isn't just a company; it's the heartbeat of our community. With NWA recently weathering tornadoes and severe storms, and the influx of visitors this week, expect a hustle and bustle at every turn. But in the midst of the chaos, let's take a moment to appreciate the resilience. Let's acknowledge the power of Walmart, a company that stands tall in our part of the world. As you navigate through the busy streets this week, I challenge you to not just rush by, but to pause, observe, and appreciate the remarkable influence of Walmart in our lives. Walmart Associates / Shareholder Week – it's more than just a corporate event, it's a testament to our community's tenacity and spirit.

At Walmart and Sam’s Club, there’s a career path for everyone.   Dasha Long’s story exhibits what’s possible with vision, commitment, and mentorship.   A Merchandise Compliance Manager at Sam’s Club in Moore, Oklahoma, Dasha shares, “I had multiple managers give me exposure throughout the company. I realized Sam’s Club has a lot to offer career and growth wise.”    Check out the video below to learn more about Dasha’s inspiring story!

Today, I was able to speak with a group of students within the University of South Carolina College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to give back to a college that has supported so much of my career. Professors who truly care about the wellbeing of every student and their contribution to their field. The focus today was once again on networking and the impact of a Global Supply Chain. As once a student in the college, the importance of networking was not only highlighted but put into action by many networking events with industry leaders and alum. A practice that at its core is about relationships. Businesses don’t just increase profit margin by being robots, they are able to increase sales and margins from the building of relationships. From a supply chain/ purchasing perspective, networking is part of the negotiation process. Understanding the culture of a company that you are going to partner with and having a relationship with them that one can trust and build. As a graduate of the University and an alumni board member for HRSM it reiterates the importance of these conversations. Whether you work in a restaurant or work in a manufacturing facility, the foundation of the business improving is based on the relationships internally and externally. As always, a special thanks to cliff arthur Tina Weeks Weaver Kevin Ayres Mike Watson, Ed.D Who’s in your Network?!

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