It's no longer a grocery store, the new ones seem like they have less selection for groceries and more ******** like the bathbombs and clothing store. (South ankeny one). As others have said they expanded into other areas way to fast.
Yep. And I looked good with that feather duster hanging out of my back pocket....Did you provide a helpful smile in every aisle?
It's no longer a grocery store, the new ones seem like they have less selection for groceries and more ******** like the bathbombs and clothing store. (South ankeny one). As others have said they expanded into other areas way to fast.
One thing to keep in mind, is that all that weird stuff they carry like bath bombs have very high profit margins. The actual food items (non frozen) you buy have very little profit margin. At least that was the case 20+ years ago. Hy-Vee profits come from those outside departments like non-food, produce, meat, bakery, deli, etc.
This may be totally off but I'm wondering if they are trying to actually get less people doing their Aisles program. When you use their Aisles program you are a lot less likely to buy things from those high profit areas.
One thing to keep in mind, is that all that weird stuff they carry like bath bombs have very high profit margins. The actual food items (non frozen) you buy have very little profit margin. At least that was the case 20+ years ago. Hy-Vee profits come from those outside departments like non-food, produce, meat, bakery, deli, etc.
This may be totally off but I'm wondering if they are trying to actually get less people doing their Aisles program. When you use their Aisles program you are a lot less likely to buy things from those high profit areas.
I worked at Hyvee in high school and remember being reprimanded by the front end manager on my first day because I didn’t say hello to a customer in passing. Fast forward ten years, I go into Hyvee and see kids, the same age I was when I worked there, grouped up standing around on their phones in the produce section talking crap about customers who they had to deal with earlier in their shift.And maybe I’m just an old man now, but I started working there at age 14 through high school, went back after the military as a college job and back then (not THAT long ago) it was a freaking grocery store that emphasized customer service over all else. Now try finding an employee in an aisle that knows where a specific item you’re looking for is. Try finding an empty and open check out lane. Try finding a shift manager that’s not more worried about their phone or chatting with other workers. In my day you’d get written up for not greeting a customer in the aisle. Now it’s not so much a grocery store as they want it to be a lifestyle thing. Dumb.
Yes, I’m right there with you. However, one bad customer service blunder can affect a customers decision to return. Main reason it’s effecting changed? Likely not, but there has been a downfall in customer service from them in the stores I’ve been in within the last decade.For the people mentioning "the lack of helpful smile in every isle" is this really a issue. When we go to the grocery store we know what we want/need and can find it relatively easy without assistance. In fact if we can manage to not see any employees in an isle that's a huge bonus.
Ok snowflakeHave boomers blamed this on millennials yet?
1 - It's hard to find anything but high school or college kids that will work in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Those helpful smiles largely went away when they could no longer bring in the necessary numbers of less young workers.
2 - They overplayed some of their cards; i.e. Market Grille.
3 - They tried to do too many things all in a 5-10 year period (Hy-Vee Gas, Market Grille, huge store changes, Fast & Fresh, etc).
But, let's not pretend they have some huge competition either and are at risk of going under. Fareway isn't going to take that many shoppers because there isn't the variety or volume of items, regardless of what Hy-Vee gets wrong.
If they were smart, they'd stop with the things like the bath bomb crap, simplify and change their eating options, double down on their core, and stick to just the grocery stores and gas stations. They'd likely get back to greatness pretty easily and quickly.
I think it’s a departure from what made them successful. They built a loyal base and it’s cornerstone was customer service. I don’t need it every time I go, but when I do need it, I want it. I’ll sacrifice lower prices for a better experience, even at the grocery store, but remove that better experience and I’m headed to the no frills but lower prices of FarewayFor the people mentioning "the lack of helpful smile in every isle" is this really a issue. When we go to the grocery store we know what we want/need and can find it relatively easy without assistance. In fact if we can manage to not see any employees in an isle that's a huge bonus.
1 - It's hard to find anything but high school or college kids that will work in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Those helpful smiles largely went away when they could no longer bring in the necessary numbers of less young workers.
2 - They overplayed some of their cards; i.e. Market Grille.
3 - They tried to do too many things all in a 5-10 year period (Hy-Vee Gas, Market Grille, huge store changes, Fast & Fresh, etc).
But, let's not pretend they have some huge competition either and are at risk of going under. Fareway isn't going to take that many shoppers because there isn't the variety or volume of items, regardless of what Hy-Vee gets wrong.
If they were smart, they'd stop with the things like the bath bomb crap, simplify and change their eating options, double down on their core, and stick to just the grocery stores and gas stations. They'd likely get back to greatness pretty easily and quickly.
AllegedlyDosry is why they had to implement that policy
I think it’s a departure from what made them successful. They built a loyal base and it’s cornerstone was customer service. I don’t need it every time I go, but when I do need it, I want it. I’ll sacrifice lower prices for a better experience, even at the grocery store, but remove that better experience and I’m headed to the no frills but lower prices of Fareway
HyVee has definitely made some poor business decisions but come out to CBus sometime and hit up a Kroger or a Giant Eagle and you will be fapping to a picture of the Waukee HyVee on a Sunday afternoon because you miss it so much.