I sometimes miss the great competition that is the grocery industry of the west coast. Among other things, innovation and customer service are pushed to the limits when there are more people vying for your basic dollar. In Cleveland, we have seen very little of this. With the closing of Tops, and other smaller chains, there is little incentive for companies to give back or to be invested in their communities. Last year, Giant Eagle built a nice big store on 117th, but I believe they went just over the line into Lakewood, leaving two empty stores in the wake of this move. No commitment to the community. What will fill these big empty storefronts remains to be seen. Perhaps we could beg a company like Safeway to show Cleveland how it is done. Check out their Corporate Social Responsibility video below. In all fairness and full disclosure, I want to say that we have done some work for Safeway. That being said, it has little to do with the great things that they are doing.
Part of the problem with the world is that we put too much emphasis on profits and not people. Safeway is one of the largest retailers in the world. They are an example of how you can both make money and do good things.
Tags: CSR, Green Policies, shopping
