A Rochester, NY woman was fired from her accounting firm in apparent retribution for her work in a group called “Compassionate Consumers” which “outed” the areas largest grocery chain, Wegmans, by infiltrating their egg production “factory” and documenting abuses of animals and violations of law. Story link in Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050715/NEWS01/507150383/1002/NEWS
Please show support to whistleblower consumer groups who are trying to keep not only the animals safe and well-treated, but also looking out for consumer safety. Animals that live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions breed diseases that can affect the quality of their by-products.
Please contact Compassionate Consumers to show your support for Jodi, the person fired, and their efforts.
Important story! Thanks for posting this. I got an e-mail alert about Wegmans yesterday, but we won’t have that chain anywhere in the Northwest that I know of.
But, it’s SO EASY these days to buy eggs from those who care for chickens humanely. Even Safeway sells several brands of “cruelty-free” eggs. … although, since I’m not sure their claims are legit, I usually buy from a co-op or an independent grocery store.
WONDERFUL NEWS for us: One of our strongest Howard Dean supporters and his wife have opened a brand-new organic grocery here that has EVERYTHING we’d usually have to drive 15+ miles to get. It’s also a lovely, charming grocery store. They’ve clearly “taste tested” everything. … the hummus we bought was extremely good, etc.
and is based in Rochester, NY. So I was surprised to find the story on their website and in the paper…it’s also been covered on TV.
Usually Wegmans gets nothing but free publicity from the media, but lately people are being more critical. A la Walmart they are building huge grocery shopping emporiums that are ticking some people off because of the space they take up and try to drive out smaller, family-owned grocery stores…
A la Walmart they are building huge grocery shopping emporiums that are ticking some people off because of the space they take up and try to drive out smaller, family-owned grocery stores…
The animal rights thing is one issue. Painting Wegmans as some sort of insatiable grocery Wal-Mart is another. Wegmans is the dominant grocery chain in upstate NY and has been for decades, and only recently started expanding in “upscale” areas of the DC area. Just because a chain is successful and growing doesn’t mean it’s another Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart has succeeded by peddling cheap crap sold by employees who are treated like scum. This is not the appeal of Wegmans (for one thing, their meat prices are atrocious) and it’s not how their employees are treated, from everything I’ve heard.
Wegmans is a rather easy target for animal rights activists because the notion of “animal cruelty” is very at odds with the perception of the Wegmans brand as being “upscale, customer-friendly, community oriented.” Wegmans is virtually an institution in upstate NY. I’ve known people who have moved back home (to our crappy economy) to be near a Wegmans. So, I’m hopeful that the Wegmans home base public will take interest in these allegations and the company will respond.
Another article on this controversy:
Yes, it’s true that Wegman’s is not Walmart, but it’s not true that they don’t share the same aggressive drive to expand, neighbors be damned, and drive out the competition. A sampling of articles:
http://www.rochester-citynews.com/gbase/Gyrosite/Content?oid=oid%3A2808
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/biznews/0806LP55D02_business.shtml
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2004/02/02/story2.html
http://www.rochester-citynews.com/gbase/Gyrosite/Content?oid=oid%3A2597
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1432606/posts
Yes, but… there’s a bright line between being a Wal-Mart, and just being a very successful grocery chain.
Are we to resent every chain store that becomes successful enough to expand into new markets? Wegmans is not exactly squeezing out Mom and Pops by offering things at lower prices, or by paying their employees peanuts. They are offering services and fancy foods that customers seem to want and are willing to pay for. Things that are beyond the reach of most Mom and Pops.
I think expansion of a chain like Wegmans is worth paying attention to, to make sure their quality standards hold up and that they keep treating their employees well and keep up with the times on benefits and such. And the chicken farm story is worth paying attention to — in the understanding that the chicken farm industry EVERYWHERE is bad and the public doesn’t know that much about it, but that Wegmans is not particularly an egregious offender.
However, it’s very possible that Wegmans’ new success exposes holes in their underwear. That’s to be monitored. But I don’t think you’re reading these stories:
Some of the Rochester stories you cite are about how locals are worried that Wegmans won’t listen to their suggestions, but this story (http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2004/02/02/story2.html?page=2) really is about nothing other than Wegmans building a big new center; there’s nothing in it about displaced mom and pop stores. From the Washington Post story:
I don’t live in a particularly upscale or exclusive area, and our local Wegmans has offered these services for years. People like this and are willing to pay more for it. There’s a reason the chain has become very successful; and it’s not because they’re Wal-Mart.
The real story about this should be: Is Wegmans getting too big for its britches? Should Wegmans consumers start demanding the chain to be more sensitive than it is on issues of animal cruelty? I think that’s a good story to tell.
What I really can’t stand is the implication that this chain is a grocery version of Wal-Mart. It just isn’t. Implying that it is, is dishonest and obscures the important issues about this story.
Compassion over Killing has this website: eggscam.com. They write the following:
Thanks for the news-I’m in that neck of the woods and luckily have access to free range alternatives near by.
I’ll contact CC too, I’ve heard good things about them.