This article does not represent the position of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage. Although I am confident that if this article were to go viral it would increase sales more substantially than Natural Grocer’s last 6 months of advertising . . . why is this? TRANSPARENCY.
(It is important to recognize my intention in writing this article. I am not trying to shame, vilify or antagonize natural grocers. My intention is to inspire this company to strive for it's potential.)
Natural Grocer’s does not sell food or vitamins and supplements or soaps.
NATURAL GROCERS sells information. How to create a better life through nutrition.
We are living in a world where our biggest competition was just bought by an ecommerce company for 13.7 Billion, this is the big leagues.
If you are unaware that every retailer has been competing with the internet for the past 5 years and in another 5 years will be licensing Amazon’s patented technology (AMAZON GO STORE CONCEPT [look it up on YouTube] https://youtu.be/NrmMk1Myrxc) to streamline the customer experience you are delusional. <This technology is coming to Whole Foods.>
That doesn’t mean Natural Grocer’s has to die though, as long as we ADAPT.
I am disheartened by the missed potential of Natural Grocers Vitamin Cottage. We are in danger of losing the vision, but there is still time. Natural Grocers can be a place where, through a
spirit of community, widespread health and nutrition information will be commonplace.
Let’s be real and make this as personal and relatable as I possibly can
I am leaving this company because my creative potential has been systematically suppressed by the store operation model.
This article is a response to Natural Grocer’s “slowing down growth”. This is a warning to the company to inform whoever it may concern that if Natural Grocer’s does not HALT opening of new stores until we have taken the time to refine the customer experience. NGVC WILL DROWN, SUFFOCATE AND SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ALLEGORICAL OCEAN. (continuing the trend of the last five years)
STOP STRATEGIZING and OPENING NEW STORES
Start listening & taking suggestions to heart & CHANGING PROCEDURE. LISTEN!
What are the founding principles of Natural Grocer’s? It’s on the wall at the front of the building.
1. Nutrition Education - We are dedicated to providing Nutrition Education in the communities we serve. Over the years, Natural Grocers has spent literally millions of dollars helping to empower our customers and employees to take charge of their health. This community service is the foundation upon which our business is built. It’s also why we have nutritional health coaches, health and wellness experts, educated and knowledgeable employees and a resource room available at most stores.
It’s nice to have this as an idea but WORK is required to actualize this concept.
How do we implement nutritional information through the customer experience?
Train the wellness coach at each store to train coach and guide employees with weekly one on one meetings on how to build their own health and how to guide others. If that’s too much for one person, hire more wellness coaches.
Wellness coaches should schedule 3-5 classes per day of nutrition and invite health teachers to come give presentations either by allowing them to promote their own business (which creates community) or by paying them to convey information.
2. Highest Quality Products - We are committed to Quality. Every product on our shelves must go through a rigorous screening and approval process. Our standards are second to none and our suppliers are continually evaluated to ensure their dedication to our guidelines. Providing the highest quality groceries and supplements, Natural Grocers branded products and only USDA certified organic fresh produce at the best prices in the industry are part of our mission.
If you claim to be a pioneer in health standards you have to actually be revolutionary.
STOP selling any GMO or non-organic product period. There needs to be a ruthless vetting of product that will follow through on this 2nd principle promise.
STOP selling water with Fluoride. (This should go without stating.)
STOP selling refined sugars. What health benefit does sugar have?
Stop catering to people’s weaknesses and root desires to make a quick buck. Build them up.
Remove the temptation. ZERO REFINED SUGARS
Still waiting on action . . . YOU’RE SCARED.
YOU ARE SCARED OF HAVING TO ANSWER FOR THIS
By carrying GMO ingredients you have sold out TRUST for money.
The TRUST of people, customers and employees is the most valuable resource of any business/brand.
3. Affordable Pricing - We are committed to Every Day Affordable Pricing. We work hard to secure the best possible pricing on all of our products so that everyone can afford to take care of their health.
The best way to keep prices low is to utilize repeatable routine and task sequencing for efficiency. THIS REQUIRES TRAINING YOUR EMPLOYEES, CROSS TRAINING THEM AND CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE OF TEAMWORK AND COACHING FOR MUTUAL SUCCESS.
By training efficiency, less staff is required and it also allows "Natural Grocers" to spend less time fighting problematic POS SYTEMS (bought second hand from king soopers) and waiting on technology which allows them to be productive which saves money and time.
4. Commitment to our Community - We are committed to our Community. From free nutrition education lectures, to bag-free checkouts, to sourcing local products, to our donation programs, we work hard to make sure that we are serving the communities that help shape our world.
You are trying to have multiple one night stands with your customers.
If you want to survive you need to marry your customers, put a ring on it. We may have bag free checkouts but waste pounds of paper on promotional print that most people don't want and throw away.
Social media is community. Investments need to be made in creating brand culture through social media. And not half-assing it like we’ve been doing. Social media is not a distribution center for advertising. Social media is a place to listen to, respond to and interact with our customer base. Creative is the variable that is going to separate the companies that lose in 2020 And the ones that win. One way to do this is to sponsor local artists that create content related to health and nutrition. And the raw food rap video was cute but no one knew about it because it wasn’t promoted. PROMOTE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND CULTURE IN THE STORE THROUGH AESTHETIC GRAPHICS, DESIGNED TO INCENTIVIZE CUSTOMERS TO INTERACT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
GENERATION Z is a huge target market being completely overlooked. Kids are smart, and care about health. And they are the future! Stop just giving them candy so they’ll shut up for five minutes and try actually listening to them. Show them essential oils.
If you give these kids a well designed informative engaging app, then they will teach their parents how to use it this will tighten their family relationship and spread nutritious knowledge.
N-POWER REWARDS is creating bad will with customers. The number of complaints that I receive as a cashier is appalling. It must be scraped and rebuilt from the bottom.
Having to ask people if they are N-Power Rewards members makes me want to vomit on the table at the meeting where it was decided it would be a good idea to have a rewards program that depends on email.
I get that we outsourced N-Power because didn’t have the infrastructure in place. Bad decision. Why? Because We need to prioritize updating with speed. To quote Gary Vaynerchuck, “Speed is 10,000 times more important than perfection and you all are paralyzed by your wanting to ‘get things right’ vs ‘get things done’” N-POWER actually disempowers. Why not have a program like N-RGY X-CHANGE? "Are you an NX Member?" It's cool, it's edgy and it MEANS SOMETHING REAL.
ENERGY EXCHANGE. WE GIVE YOU ENERGY, YOU GIVE US ENERGY BACK. VICE VERSA.
Why is Google so successful? Because when they release a new app and they immediately ask for feedback. Then release version 2.0 before most people have downloaded 1.0. Speed. Efficiency. Design.
5. Commitment to our Employees - We are committed to our Employees. They are what make our company great and we work hard to ensure that they are able to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Supporting them with free nutrition education programs, good pay and excellent benefits is what helps us to ensure satisfied, healthy employees who deliver world-class service to our customers.
Build and empower your employees. This is simple.
There are more ways to exchange value than money.
And it’s cheaper to give us the information to be healthy than it is to pay us enough to find that information on our own.
By making your employees healthy, by caring and actually giving a shit and showing up for them. They appreciate it, reciprocate and give back to helping the company be successful.
This is called the law of reciprocity.
3 incredibly relevant things to DO RIGHT NOW:
REREAD the beginning of the employee handbook and ask yourself how Margaret Isley would feel about the current state the company is in.
READ GARY VAYNERCHUCK’s THANK YOU ECONOMY which goes into how the law of reciprocity can be applied to business & ACTUALLY BEGIN IMPLEMENTING IT.
[https://youtu.be/2UkiM3OaHxw]
You need to provide people value upfront, and they will thank you with their support. GOES BOTH WAYS.
In Boulder there is a place called The Integral Center (attend a circling session) and ask about Authentic Relating Comprehensive training.
[http://integralcenter.org/arc/]
Consider how we can train techniques for authentic relation of staff for better OVERALL customer experience.
Why are companies like starbucks, verizon, google, chipotle and whole foods successful?
THE FELT PRESENCE OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
I’d be happy to meet with any decision making individual to discuss implementation more specifically.
if you are an employee or customer of natural grocers reading this, i would encourage you to write a letter, email, post on social media or call the Lakewood home office (303) 986-4600 and encourage change!
embrace your highest self
Love,Truth,Peace,Freedom, & Justice
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