Return Of The Automat
“To have your own stack of nickels placed in your tiny hands; to be able to choose your own food, richly on display like museum pieces; to make quick and final decisions at the age of eight; this was a lesson in financial dealings that not even two years at the Wharton School could buy […]
Champion In The Bakery
One of the reasons for maintaining service departments is that it puts real people in the store in contact with the customers. But how many of us really do a good job of taking advantage of the enormous range of talent those people bring to our operations? Here is a shot of Melissa Carville of […]
Fresh Foods vs. Perishables
The Pundit’s mailbox overflows with nice notes, well wishers, constructive criticism and extravagant presents… Much appreciation to all for taking the time to help launch this project and, as I was taught by Momma Pundit, I promise to catch up on my thank you notes as soon as possible. But special thanks to Bryan Silbermann, […]
Lieberman And Lobbying
The defeat of Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary tells us a number of things. That the bi-partisan post-9/11 consensus on the war on terror has broken down, that incumbents who become big players on the national stage and neglect the local game are vulnerable, and that the growth of the blogosphere and […]
Live Long And Keep Praying
As all the food groups jostle for position as the healthiest of all, it is interesting to hear what centenarians credit for their longevity. In a survey of 100 people between 100 and 104 years of age, faith is the Number One attribute credited for their longevity. This is followed up by genes and good […]
Kudos To Costco And U.S. Beef
Although surveys indicate significant concern regarding the safety of U.S. beef following its reintroduction to Japan, Japanese consumers snapped up the five metric tons of U.S. beef sold at three Costco stores. The United States Meat Export Federation has been working on the re-introduction of U.S. beef to Japan, basically since the day it was […]
Health Benefits Of Fish
The National Fisheries Institute is looking to make sure that seafood consumption gets its place when the consumer thinks of healthy eating. So they’ve announced the availability of a new information card that pinpoints areas on the body that can benefit from a diet rich in fish and shelfish. It is a great card. Of […]
Thinking Beyond The Borders
Whether you are going to travel with the cheese people or not, it is becoming more imperative that Americans should be traveling to shows outside of the United States and preferably to some shows not so tightly focused on your specific business segment. Of course, you have to go to U.S. trade shows and conferences. […]
Say Cheese
We launched the Pundit with a discussion of the importance of specialty cheese and focused on the vibrancy of the market for USA-produced specialty cheese. Well if you are expanding or establishing a specialty cheese department, a much older and extremely crucial segment is imported cheeses. And a useful ally in this field is the […]
Housekeeping Announcements
If you were wondering why I didn’t link to The Wall Street Journal article in the previous story, it is the Pundit’s policy — in order to create as seamless an experience as possible for readers — to eschew links with sites that require payment or registration. I won’t say I will never, ever, ever […]
