How much pain do we have?

By: Jim Gandolf, January 6, 2012

I was in one of our major accounts this morning. I was looking over the shelf space and pricing. I walked by the pain pills section of this store. I just did not realize how many different kind of pain medicine there is; out there. I stood at that spot in the store and started to look over the brands, size, shape, and prices! I just can’t believe that we here in America that we are in that much pain? Major Drug Company brands in this section of the store; and with private labeling; with all kinds of claims that their product, is going to be the cure; for your pain. I then looked at the sales data for pain pills or your headache quick fix pill (Sales are down from last years numbers). Then I looked it up the word ache in Webster: Ache: to suffer a usually dull persistent pain b: to become distressed or disturbed (as with anxiety or regret) c: to feel compassion Then I looked up what to do is you have pain in the Bible. The one Bible verse came to my mind that sticks heart is: Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; (James 5:14 NASB). Now I know that can cover a head ache too! Or is life just easer to put a pill down your throat? Is your elders in tune with this Bible Verse (James 5:14)? My suggestion to you is; maybe the Lord is getting to America and starting to move through millions of consumers sales in this category of pain pills had dropped dramatically from last year. I pray to the Lord that these types of medicines are being used only when needed. Or the Lord is moving through your Church elders and making the elders more available for what that title is to stands for. When you see people; in your Church starting to get healed of problems that doctors can’t fix, without prescribing something that the patients saw on a television commercial last night. Look I know some medical devises are needed. Some medications are need in some people. If you are a believer in Christ; all you do need is him. I went to church seven years ago. I was distracted in life at the time. I was a smoker; and that was troubling me very strong for my son’s health that had compactions with a medical problem. At the end of the service the minster asked if there was any one that needs prayer. I never thought I would ever need to go up to the front of a Church to receive prayer from anyone. I left my little son at the chair at Church and for some reason (I have never went to the front of a Church for anything at this point in my life). This person I did not know at all put his hands on my stomach and started to pray. I thought it was over some personal issue with a female friend, that I was going through. I felt a calm come over me. A tear started to come down my cheek and I could not control what was happening to me. I felt great after that experience. But as I used to do; while leaving Church; I would light up a smoke stick as I would drive away from Church. I started to do this action. When; I lit up the cigarette; I just didn’t feel that I needed that at all anymore at all. I flipped the cigarette out the window and never toughed one again. I felt as that I never need a cigarette ever again. I went to a friend’s house to explain what happened at that Church; and they laughed at me. That friend made fun of me for many years for what I experienced. I still pray for that friend every time I can think about him. My point is I was going to find the Lord after that experience I went through seven years ago. I have found the Lord in every way I can while I ask the Lord in prayer. The Lord is the now in all of our lives. Some people pray to lose weight. The Lord will not only help you lose weight; but change your eating habits.

I have seen people healed of cancer with the Lord, since seven years ago. I have seen people get out of wheel chairs. I have seen a man fall on the ground because he can’t walk. Then after the elders laid there hand on this feisty man. Two week later playing volley ball with me and winning that match. I was moved and scared when my doctor diagnosed me with diabetes and started to lose my eye site so bad. I could not even see that well to get to church. My sugar levels were at 498, and then I started to take pill and change my diet, and pray. My sugar dropped down to 158 and lost my eye site over that. My eyes were all over focusing. I was a mess. It was Wednesday night, a few years ago, a Bible study group; that I watched these elders of this Church I belong to heal everything with the Lords guidance. I told my wife I was going to go to Church that night. I put two pair of glasses on my face so I could see at night that well. It was dark February was the time of year. I have not been to Bible study group for a few weeks while I was going through this life experience. I would cry for no reason at all (Really that’s not me). I did not know that much about this diabetes drama or that much information at all. All I was reading was not good for me. No hope or anything at all. You just don’t get rid of this mess at all, from what I was reading. I did get to Church that night and everyone was happy to see me; and I started to confess what I was going through. These elders just stopped what they were doing and one elder put oil on my forehead and all of these wonderful men were working through the Lord. The prayers were being shouted loud and strong and mild end to the prayers. That oil that that one elder put on my forehead tingled like witch hazel would (a natural herb used in many positive ways). Now this lasted for days. I just could not wash that off at all. By Friday my eyes changed so dramatically I got a new eye glass prescription and could see, much better. That Saturday night before bed; I started to cry out to the Lord with thanks. Three months after that, with a great change in my diet and praying from a whole mess of people my doctor took me off medication said he has not seen such a great transformation. He said jokingly; “Jim, I want you to take something so; take a baby aspirin, one a day!” I got in the car with my wife and said, “Thank you Lord for this healing to ourselves, with the his help.” Yes; America we have had free health care all along. Just go to Church and worship the Lord. Communities will heal, the sick, and the dead will be raised in the Lords name. Our country will be healing if we all pray together. Now some people say I have lost my mind and none of these things ever happened to me at all. My children and wife have gone through a healing by elder’s praying over them. Now at the end of my little note for today; their will not be any notification of side effects at all. No disclaimers; on any do not do processes. You can even go to Church if your pregnant women! Men you can even go to Church if you have high blood pressure! Children can even go to Church if they took a cookie when they were told not to. The word of the Lord is for everyone on this earth to hear and experience. We are alive now; not in the past! We learn from that past, that is what the entire past if for; education. Now go; and get fixed with the Lords help today, for we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow, you are alive now!

Jim Gandolf

Exclusive Retailer Spotlight: Kroger Goes Hog Wild for PL Pork

Kroger has been going hog wild for private label pork promotions, heavily promoting private label pork in its weekly advertisements, according to an analysis of weekly print ads for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 10, 2011, provided exclusively to PLBuyer’s eReport by Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM).

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based retailer saw private label pork account for 82 percent of its overall pork advertisements for the current period. Private label accounted for 63 percent of Kroger’s pork advertisements in the prior 52-week period. Pork products were featured in 1.98 percent of Kroger’s ads in the latest 52-week period.

Private label frozen prepared food saw the biggest decreases in promotions during the current 52-weeks at Kroger. The frozen prepared food category dropped 6 points, accounting for 12 percent of Kroger’s overall frozen prepared food print advertisements in the latest 52-week period. Private label accounted for 18 percent of Kroger’s frozen prepared food advertisements in the prior 52-week period. The category was featured in 3.55 percent of Kroger’s ads in the latest 52-week period.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Yield: 36 bars
Prep: 25 mins Bake: 350°F 20 mins to 22 mins




Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 tea spoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (12) ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces

3 table spoons butter

1/4 cup hot strong coffee

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar




Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan or line the pan with foil or parchment; set aside. For cookie base, in large mixing bowl beat the 3/4 cup butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg, vanilla, and salt until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Evenly spread dough in prepared pan.

2. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until edges are golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes 36 bars.

3. For frosting, in small saucepan combine chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Transfer chocolate mixture to a medium bowl. Whisk in coffee and peanut butter until combined. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread on cookie base. Let stand until frosting is set.



Nutrition Facts (Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars) Calories 164,
Protein (gm) 1,
Carbohydrate (gm) 18,
Fat, total (gm) 9,
Cholesterol (mg) 19,
Saturated fat (gm) 5,
Monosaturated fat (gm) 2,
Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 2,
Sugar, total (gm) 9,
Vitamin A (IU) 146,
Thiamin (mg) 0,
Riboflavin (mg) 0,
Niacin (mg) 1,
Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,
Folate (µg) 16,
Sodium (mg) 78,
Potassium (mg) 32,
Calcium (DV %) 10,
Iron (DV %) 0,
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

The Journey through the Countryside

2,000 some odd years ago a man and his wife started a journey.
This journey placed our hope onto another platform. I say this because
The only hope of the minute in time was laws of so many.
The laws were only to be for one kind of people to experience.
The new hope was in the womb of a woman on the back of a donkey.
The man put his pride aside and guided this wonderful bundle of hope to Bethlehem.
The world at this wonderful time did not understand the balance of the love of God was getting ready to change. That one child in three more days was going to be born. Yes a new king. Nothing was going to change our destiny with this wonderful love of the Lord. The mother was on the back of an animal in a desert being guided by a man that was not the father of this child. There was not much to eat on this journey. God protected these two, on this great journey through a land of uncertainty. Courage; through a land of people that will see a major star in the sky starting to burn bright in the nightly sky.
The Lord our God; was getting ready to experience more of the pain of love our ancestors. A jealous king was just visited by three wise men from the east on this day. This jealous king starts a plot to try to insure his family dynasty. This king was so nervous of this new child to come he plans the most unbelievable pain of young children in that area but just does not even know where to start. This jealous king asks the wise men to please inform him of this great new child’s whereabouts so he can bare gifts as well. Our hope was going to Bethlehem to be born in three more days from that minute in time. Love was on its way for us all to endure forever.

Jim Gandolf

FOX6 rates the best burger in Milwaukee

FOX6 rates the best burger in Milwaukee

Dollar General’s Plan to Open 40 New DG Markets Smart Plan, Experts Say

Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General Corp’s announcement earlier this week that it plans to open 40 new Dollar General Markets in 2012 is a smart move, experts agree.

“I think it’s a really smart move”, says Jim Hertel, managing partner at Barrington, Ill.-based consulting firm Willard Bishop. “Food in dollar stores helps those retailers drive trip frequency and basket size, and it turns much faster than general merchandise and HBC which tend to dominate in most dollar store merchandising plans. I think any hesitancy in the dollar channel to be more aggressive with food traces to margins: food margins tend to be lower than their current mix and that doesn’t sit well with analysts even if gross profit dollars go up. PL food in the channel would be on strategy with their extreme value positioning and could help build loyalty too.”

Agrees Paula Rosenblum, managing partner at Miami-based Retail Systems Research (RSR Research), “One thing I’ll say is it’s an interesting blocking move against the Walmart neighborhood market. I actually don’t see them doing a lot of private label because the short-term goal is to catch the customer’s eye. Later, I expect they’ll fold in more private label just like everyone else does.”

The company operates a total of 62 Dollar General Markets.

Mariano’s Fresh Foray

Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc. is emphasizing perishables with its new Mariano’s Fresh Market chain.
By Rich Mitchell
Fresh perishables are becoming an increasingly potent supermarket differentiator.

Seeking to leverage growing shopper interest in health and wellness, taste and convenience—and to provide a distinct alternative to the traditional grocery and big box stores—more operators are giving greater merchandising emphasis to produce, prepared foods and proteins.

Perhaps the most prominent poster child for perishables marketing is Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc.’s new Mariano’s Fresh Market chain.

While the vast majority of Roundy’s approximately 160 outlets are traditional supermarkets that operate in Wisconsin and Minnesota under the Pick ’n Save, Copps Food Center, Metro Market and Rainbow Foods banners, the company last year entered the Chicago market with Mariano’s Fresh Market and its perishables focus.

The first Mariano’s opened in Arlington Heights, Ill., and two additional outlets were launched in 2011. A fourth store is planned for later this year.

Named after Robert Mariano, Roundy’s chairman and chief executive officer, the company reports that Mariano’s Fresh Market “is unlike any other store” and that it offers “the freshest high-quality foods from just about everywhere in the world” with “compelling” prices.

Indeed, Mariano’s Fresh Market has the appearance of two stores within a single building. In the Vernon Hills, Ill. location there is a vibrant fresh perishables section on one end, and traditional frozen, refrigerated and center store aisles on the other.

The perishables corridor features a large produce department, expansive bakery, hot food stations, service deli, sushi bar, seafood case and meat counter, and a host of self-service buffets.

Elements include a wood stone pizza oven; a rotisserie case containing whole chickens, baby back ribs, meatloaf and pork roast; an olive bar and fresh salad bar that are priced at $4.99 a pound; a hot soup bar with about a dozen varieties; and hot food bar selections that rotate daily for $5.99 a pound.

On Thursdays, for instance, the hot food bar has a “Taste of Mediterranean” theme with such selections as Baked Chicken Vesuvius, Chicken Teriyaki, Pasta and Sauce of the Day, Batter Fried Eggplant, Lasagna, Wisconsin Artisan Macaroni & Cheese, Sausage & Peppers, Chicken Tenders, Fried Chicken, Green Beans, Red Grains & Couscous, and Redskin Mashed Potatoes.

Other daily themes include “Far East Feast,” “Latin Fiesta,” “Backyard Barbecue,” “Famous Fish Fry,” and “Home Cooked Cooking.”

Indeed, such prepared foods are a key perishables focus.

The full-service deli counter—in an effort to compete with fast-food and fast-casual restaurants—offers $6 meals featuring an entrée and two side dishes that also are sold a la carte in the case.

Entrées include Chicken Milanese, Sicilian Meatballs, Roasted Salmon Filet Teriyaki, Grass-Fed Beef Meatloaf, Frenched Rack of Pork, Pulled Pork with Chicken Sweet Sauce, Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, and Italian-Style Grilled Chicken Breast.

Among the side dishes are Red Grains and Pearl Couscous, Vegetable Cake with Tomato Concassè, Ratatouille with Crumbled Goat Cheese, Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Steamed Asparagus, BBQ Cajun Waffle Sweet Potatoes, Au Gratin Potatoes, BBQ Baked Beans, Redskin Mashed Potatoes, and Stuffed Shells Marinara.

The meals can be eaten at the outlet’s in-store dining section.

Steven Petusevsky, Roundy’s former director of culinary innovation, says he created the original foodservice program and prepared foods menu for Mariano’s with a balance of store-level kitchen-made recipes, commissary-produced items and signature dishes.

The goal, he notes, was to create points of distinction from traditional supermarkets.

All the selections were made from personal proprietary recipes that were distributed to select vendors for replication, Petusevsky reports.

Prepared items also are prominent in other perishables departments.

The full-service meat counter, for instance, contains a host of value-added selections.

They include Chicken Shish Kabobs, Beef on a Stick with Black Peppers, Stuffed Bell Peppers and Beef Pinwheels Greek Style.

There also are a host of boneless chicken breast recipes for $4.99 a pound: Cajun, Teriyaki, Sundried Tomato, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Stuffed Spinach Feta, Stuffed Asparagus Swiss, Lemon Garlic, and Italian Flavor.

David Livingston, managing partner at DJL Research, a Waukesha, Wis.-based supermarket site analysis firm, says such offerings are helping to position Mariano’s Fresh Market as an attractive alternative to traditional supermarkets, including the two largest chains in the Chicago area—Jewel-Osco and Dominick’s Finer Foods.

Jewel-Osco is operated by Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Supervalu Inc. Dominick’s is owned by Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc. Robert Mariano is a former Dominick’s executive.

“Mariano’s enhances perishables much more than its major competitors which are plain, sterile, old grocery stores,” Livingston says. “While some retailers might do a better job then Mariano’s in specific areas, such as the salad bar or seafood department, none has better perishables as a whole. And Mariano’s is very price competitive.”

Still, while an attractive perishables department can serve as a powerful shopper magnet, it does not guarantee that visitors will do all their food shopping in the outlet.

Indeed, Ben Ball, senior vice president of Dechert-Hampe & Co., a Northbrook, Ill.-based sales and marketing consulting firm, says Mariano’s risks having consumers just stay within the perishables areas and not venture to other store departments.

During a recent weekday afternoon, for instance, the perishables areas of the Vernon Hills Marino’s were bustling with shoppers, while the remainder of the store—and particularly the frozen aisles—had sparse traffic.

“Outside of perishables, most of Mariano’s resembles Pick ’n Save [a traditional supermarket] and it even has the same private-label Roundy’s-branded items,” Ball says. “Even though there are huge gross margins in perishables, there also are high operating costs from shrink, labor, electronics and ingredients, which often results in net losses. The true profitability comes from the center store packaged goods items, such as soft drinks, snacks and bread.”

Wade Hanson, director of research and consulting for Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based foodservice consulting firm, agrees that minimizing waste remains a major operating challenge for perishables-oriented retailers.

That can be particularly burdensome for Mariano’s and other operators that carry large varieties of fresh foods.

Mariano’s reports, for instance, that it is merchandising more than 700 produce items that are sourced from across the country and world.

Among its offerings are 10 varieties of fresh mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes, 350 types of natural and organic yogurt, and 350 kinds of cheese.

“While variety is important and viewed as a positive by consumers, there is the delicate balance of giving customers what they want while also having the right product turn, which is tricky,” Hanson notes. “Carrying too many products and SKUs and trying to be all things to all people creates waste.”