Love the open letter. I would add how about regularly dusting the shelves as well as better organization in terms of where products are found.

How about belts that can hold more than 8 items and checkout lines that can accommodate a stroller. (My double stroller fits through all handicap-accessible doors but not through their checkout lanes.

There is an awful smell as you pass by the fish stand over to the pork & hamburger. I have noticed this for years as have many I know. Maybe the staff is used to it and does not notice it. They have febreze in the laundry detergent aisle that they could use. On another note, the shelf stock folks are super nice and helpful, especially when I need a box for a big cake or a few cases of butter. Love your letter Kathy!

Is it possible to have a rewards card instead of trying to find coupons?

I guess while I am at it can we improve the quality of the meat and produce available?

Oh, I have one! How about not packaging fruits and vegetables on styrofoam? Horrible! I can't believe things like organic bananas, brussels sprouts, and even summer squash are only available prepackaged on stryofoam. What a waste of resources--styrofoam is so hard to recycle. Makes me shop elsewhere.

How about if you dont like the store go somewhere else.....so full of yourselves....

LOL Ed…. part of the charm of Market Basket is all of it's glorious foibles. It was not designed for today's consumers who are so eco friendly and organic conscious. They are able to keep their prices low because their formula works for them. It is still, in my opinion the most affordable store for keeping your family fed every week. They must be doing something right, new stores are being built all over the place. As a mom of four, I wouldn't have been able to afford food every week without it. Carry On Market Basket… Carry on…. :)

One of the main reasons I stopped shopping at Market Basket was because of their selection. It probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but my son loves Snikiddy Baked Fries & Puffs in his lunchbox everyday. They sell them at Shaw's & Stoppie, but not MB. Most days my kids eat PB&J sandwiches for lunch. MB does not carry Welch's low sugar, but Shaw's, Stoppie & Hannaford carry it. My family recently discoved a snack called Eat Your Vegetables. They taste great & they have a full serving of vegetables in them. I feel like MB will be last retailer to bring them in (if ever). Finally, how about some Boar's Head cold cuts? You'd give Stop & Shop an even bigger run for their money!!!

Nonemployee bathrooms would be nice.

Also fewer dented cans and less sawdust.

It's harder to "just go somewhere else" when they have this predatory practice of occupying the one space another store could have gone. We're stuck with them. The low prices -- the best thing about the current store -- probably won't apply to the new one.

Oh Kathy, this letter is hilarious! Oh wait, what is that Vicky, Kat, Rachel..its not a joke?
So Thurs and Fri afternoons are now the busiest days at a supermarket? Please include the study that was done that proves this one...hahaha.
MB is clearly an older store, build in 1986, so yes I agree the aisles are tight, but just wait til Disney Basket opens in Jan 2012 the aisles will be wider than the new Boston Rd lanes (which open in Dec 2013, that is not a typo)..
People don't get stopped for orange stickers, BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE ORANGE STICKERS ON THEIR MILK etc! Shift and store managers are watching the registers/doors at all times...by camera might I add too..
Please realize that the major food comapanies (Coca-Cola, Kraft, Kellogg's, and so on) PAY supermarkets for specific instore placement of their products, not gonna win that battle ever...
Lowest prices of any supermarket on ALL products, by far = NO REWARDS CARDS!
I personally LOVE Market Basket! Sure it has some quirks, but if it keeps money in my pocket I don't care if there are farm animals in the store, I'm going! ON Thursday AND Friday afternoons! My 2 year old will love the petting zoo!

I like the constructive criticism towards Market Basket and the helpful comments to improve different aspects of the store, however, I disagree with a few of them. For instance, Market Basket is a chain of stores... unless they change the design and layout of each individual store, do not expect the aisles to be any wider. They are carefully laid out and calculated in order to fit enough aisles to accomodate all of the food they need to shelf... and that certainly will not change. The aisles are wide enough for two carts to move side by side, people just need to be more aware and not leave their own cart in the middle of the aisle while other shoppers are trying to go down it. Also... the orange stickers do serve a purpose. The managers at the front of the store are constantly checking to see as you walk by if the bottles have a sticker on them. It would be extremely easy for someone to snag a bottle or two during a busy time when the cashier may be distracted and when there is no sticker on it, a manager would stop them to see the reciept. Lastly, if the baggers continuously over pack your bags to the point where they are squishing food and are simply just too heavy to carry, that should be something you specify when your checking out. BUT.... I agree with everyone else you said! Especially the part where the cashiers cannot even have a bottle of water at their station.. that is just cruel!!

READER:
Unlike Whole Foods, Roche Bros, Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Donelan's ALL MARKET BASKETS KEEP THE EXACT SAME PRICES IN EVERY STORE, OLD, RENNOVATED AND NEW ONES ALIKE. I suggest taking a trip to Chelmsford, I know its all of 6miles away, to get an idea of what the new Disney Basket will be like in early 2012.

Sorry Michelle but you are wrong. Part of my entries are DIRECTLY inspired from a current and long time Market Basket employee, prices are always ALL the same. Week to week prices can differ of course, so if Cheerios are 2 for $5 this week, they are 2 for $5 in every MB that exists, this week. Sales/prices change on Sundays.

I love Market Basket. I love that they don't do rewards cards and track my purchases, but just keep the prices low. Their prices are SO much cheaper than any other local store. Whenever I go to Donelans, Shaws, Stop & Shop, I totally feel like I'm getting price-gouged. Market Basket has organic and natural foods at good prices -- not a huge selection, but enough of the basics. The cage-free eggs that I get at Market Basket cost twice as much everywhere else. I also love that they don't waste tons of marketing funds on a website, Facebook page, shopping app, etc. -- why bother for a grocery store?? It's the prices that keep me coming back. Yep, the selection at the Westford store is small but if I need something unusual, I go to the big MB in Chelmsford. It will all be here soon when the big MB opens in Westford later this year. Things I don't care for: the styrofoam trays the produce is packed on, the nasty and inconvenient bathroom (I'm sure that will be fixed in the new store), and restocking during the busiest hours.

Yes, sale prices are always the same but non-sale items are not. Every chain has its varying prices depending upon location and Market Basket is no exception.

I was at Stop and Shop last week.....never going back! Prices are outrages!!! Market Basket by far has the best prices!! Hannaford has a different variety of things but again.... higher prices! Market Basket by far is the better priced store :)

Hannaford has a better variety and much fresher produce, may be a little high priced, but you get what you pay for.

Im sorry I meant early 2013...'after christmas' is what I have heard...

These are great suggestions Kathy.

I was very surprised to read that MB doesn't allow their cashiers to have a water or juice bottle at their checkout stations! I also think that's pretty inhumane.

I was shopping in a Market Basket store this morning and I asked the cashier if she can have water at her checkout area. She said NO and she didn't like that policy at all. I can't blame her. I know that I like to sip water at least once very ten or fifteen minutes.

I would ask any Market Basket managers who are reading these posts to please pass on this recommendation to whatever level is required to get this NO WATER policy changed.

I was also at COSTCO this morning and noticed that they have drinks at their checkout stations. One reason I shop at COSTCO is because of the great way they treat ALL of their employees. Market Basket should do no less, which would help the entire company in the long run.

A number of my family and friends have worked as Costco & they treat their employees very well, Costco is a very well run ship from top to bottom.

I personally like MB. But in the various places I have lived I've noticed that the quality of the store and it's products vary greatly. The one on the Lowell/Dracut line (on 38) is sub par. Not the place you want to get any fruits or veggies. The one several miles down 38 in Tewksbury is nice, it's like a totally different store. Nashua is beautiful too, very few of the reader's bullet points would apply to those stores. It seems like the quality of the store is proportionate to the wealth of the town.

But then there is Chelmsford, & Westford, which both disprove that theory. Westford is one of the older MB's which contributes to it's shortcomings. I think that is part of what inspired the new one. Hopefully it will meet the expectations of it's critics and rise to a level that makes it a nicer fit here as I think it's too bad they get the bad rap they do here in W yet on the same hand, I can see why, the W store is low rent. They aren't all ilke that.

I agree too that the "no drinks" policy needs to change

I am curious now about the prices at every MB being the same. I could understand the advertised sale items being universal, but every item every day…I would be surprised. It's not impossible so I'm curious.

I suppose when the World War 3 happens we will still be complaining about weird smells by the fish and hamburger sections, narrow aisles, cashiers with NO water bottles to drink from, small checkout lanes that don't fit double strollers and most of all, the orange stickers!

And please clean the plastic jugs of milk. They somehow look like they get a splattering of mud every once in a while.

THE PRICES AT EVERY SINGLE MARKET BASKET ARE EXACTLY THE SAME! Please get this thru your heads. I know it seems impossible when the likes of Shaw's, S&S, Donelan's, etc don't use this same business practice but I assure you it is fact. MB's business philosophy has always been keeping the lowest prices and keeping them the same at every store. Pick up the phone, call 10 MB's, ask them how much Cheerios, a gallon of 2% Milk or Triscuit's are, every store will give you the same answer. This is across the board, store to store on sale items and non sales items. It is just another reason to love MB!

I have noticed some variation in price from MB to MB, but it's not nearly as much as some of their competitors (it's a bit sad that it happens and patch has shown there has been some variation between Chelmsford and Westford stores); it's more in the line of how much variation you'll see in Trader Joe's price in that their pricing may vary from state to state on some items, mainly alcohol and baked goods.

That being said, I think every store has it's own areas of strength and weakness in pricing, even MB. I find HBC and cleaning supplies to be priced high at MB. Also, some of the differences in pricing are due to the size and quality of the item (when you talk produce. Cukes may be $1.99 for 5 at MB and $.50 each at S&S and Hannaford but I see that MB's cukes are 20% smaller. I also find Trader Joe's and Sam's Club (and you can throw Costco in here too) to be about 20% cheaper on comparable items vs MB. Also, I do not shop there that much because from what I hear, workers are treated almost like how Walmart treats them. For a period of time, I had a friend that worked PT at MB and another that worked PT at Walmart and the one that worked at Walmart got about $.75 more per hour; and I know the difference is higher at Hannaford, especially for night crew.

I've been to Stop and Shop too. The Chelmsford one has been better than other locations and the best areas of savings are the stock up sales in which you get $10 off if you buy $25 in certain products.

MB prices are exactly same at every MB location. Please, if there is a god, get this through everyone's head.

Maybe the prices at all Market Baskets are the same, but every week I see the prices on many items up 10 to 15 cents. Rest my case!

There may be less variation in pricing at MB vs their competitors, but there certainly is a wide variation on quality and service; and it depends on how much share MB has in a certain market. As they have more competition and they feel they have more business to gain in doing so, they will step up their game in these areas.

Dear Market Basket,

I thank Kathy for beginning this forum to allow the town to provide information that will hopefully both help you improve the new MB store & help Westford citizens get what they need from it. If you want to win me back as a customer, here are my top 3 nonnegotiable requests (I have personal preferences as well if you are tracking the "vote" of popular opinion on secondary issues)

1. Improve the quality & variety of the PRODUCE.

You can't please all of the people all of the time. We all have VERY VARIED & VERY STRONG preferences about what products we want & which products we pass up. I respect that, for many numbers of reasons, there are things some people "don't eat", but, nuts wheat meat dairy fish simple carbs & sugar aside, none of us can live without vegetables for very long. It is one thing we all have in common.

2. Improve quality of life & respect for the PEOPLE with whom you interact.

In the big picture (wages, benefits, working conditions) and the details (checkout staff being allowed to drink water). I am trying to see this from MB's view & I see liquid next to new, high-tech, expensive, electronics, but this problem can be solved by a policy that water must be in straw top, flip valve or squeeze top, etc. reusable bottle. This is better for the environment anyway -- which brings me to #3.

3. Improve the quality of your relationship to the ENVIRONMENT...

...starting with never wrapping produce in styrofoam & plastic. Then please find a local apple -- I couldn't -- I looked in your store in the heart of apple season. New England and New York produce enough apples to supply the eastern half of the US, yet I could only find apples from asia, south america & other far away places that require high fossil fuel using transport to get to Westford.

4. Hopefully do this with a REASONABLE, but minimally increased COST to the consumer.

Thank you MB for not tweeting & face booking & ESPECIALLY for not having a rewards card!

Sincerely
A former customer who hopes to stop driving to Nashua & Acton for food.

OK here are the extraneous personal requests:

- 1 30 oz. can should cost the same or less than 2 15 oz. cans not vice versa + it's better for the environment.

- While we're on the topic, educate your managers on unit prices (they are after all posted on every tag of every shelf in every aisle). When asking about the price per pound, I had an aisle employee tell me the larger can (30 oz) cost more than twice as much (as the 15 oz can) because I was getting a lot more inside it (at least he was on the right track). The manager then told me, "It's not about the POUNDS the food weighs; it's about the OUNCES you get."

- Please bring back wheat berries.

- Teach your baggers to communicate with the customers. I always request that they pack my canvas bags heavy & pack the groceries in the order that I put them on the belt (so that fridge stuff, freezer stuff, cupboard/pantry stuff (heavy cans), basement stuff & delicate stuff stay grouped). Teaching the baggers to bag my way would cause problems and discomfort for most, but telling your baggers to talk to everyone who goes through the line will accommodate everyone and maybe foster a little community to boot.

I SECOND THAT's go out to:

Kathy - yes water, higher cash back
Vicki – yes love of the letter, yes better produce
Rachel – yes better produce
TK – yes organic, no wasteful packaging
Sally – no wasteful packaging
Ed – for finding a solution: going somewhere else
Mary – for not spending more on “fancy extras”
though I respectfully disagree on some things which do/don't constitute “fancy extras”
Reader – yes bathrooms & stop MBs monopoly
Joseph – yes orange stickers do have a purpose
Nicole – for stepping into MBs shoes
Barbara – no rewards cards, no wasteful packages
Sandra – yes at a certain point you get only what you are willing to pay for
Carmen – yes water, COSTCO = reasonable prices + quality & morals
Alex – pro-COSTCO, yes water
WtF – for seeing the big picture
but please don’t forget to enjoy some of the details
John – yes treat people well

The End -- Promise

I have also noticed a price difference between different MB depending on location. However, MB isn't the only one who does that since even when I lived in NJ the Shop Rite and Pathmark did the same thing.

I would just like to scream from the rooftops that they should STOP the policy of stocking shelves during the daytime, or at the very least during peak hours. Every single aisle has an employee and a giant pallet in the way of getting anywhere, blocking things from view, etc. Stock shelves after hours or early in the morning/late at night when traffic isn't so high.

I've never seen any other store manage restocks as bad as MB does.

MB obviously doesn't train their baggers AT ALL. Don't bag my deli meat with uncooked meat!!!! Don't mix cans and refrigerated. Don't put anything on top of my peaches or tomatos. BTW, if your bread gets squashed, it still tastes okay and is just as fresh, but produce gets damaged. Go into a MB at say 10AM on a weekday, a middle aged woman will usually bag your items perfectly.

Bakery isn't that great of a value or quality. Perhaps compared to their competitors. I want healthier breads, lower priced cookies. Fresh unpreserved items. Pies are decent for what they are.

Seafood is very good. Deli is mediocre. Beef could be better quality.

I personally worked for MB for 6 yrs. If you would truly leave a company for how poorly they treat their employees, you'd better leave now then.
They kept promising me Full-time for 4 yrs, knowing I was a divorced, struggling mother of 3 on assistance. I was even BLOCKED from transferring to another location when full-time opened up because my current supervisor liked the profits I brought into HIS store too much...(I'm a cake decorator).
Those who become managers sell their soul to the company. They OWN you then. Stress levels are through the roof. You are not a person with them. You are a number & you can always be replaced.
They favor men over women & will promote, or give more hours to, the males. That is unless of course you are a Nazi type of woman. Then they will put you in positions of authority. They like to push around the little guy. "This company is built on the backs of the part-timers," I once heard my supervisor say. Yes, the backs of the underpaid, unappreciated, over-worked & uncompensated part-timers.
Very bad company. :(