It is clear that you have made a lot of effort to get your local
product into Whole Foods without success yet. I just have one
suggetion, and that is that you *write* your request, rather than
phone it again. It is my experience that businesses take letters much
more seriously, always respond to them, and in so doing you get a
paper trail going. If this does reach 60 Minutes-20/20 proportions
(and I hope you weren't just blowing off steam with the mention of
these programs!) you will definately want a paper trail. I mean, I
hope it doesn't need to get there, but if a well-written,
well-thought out letter doesn't get results in plan A (shelf space),
it might in plan B (air time)!
In fact, I hope that eveyone who is having such difficulties will
start to write letters (it's easy, just push the "print" button
instead of the "send" button) and then keep copies of these letters
and the responses they illicit.
Anita
> It is high time someone calls them on their marketing gimmick. Because its
> too often the case that they don't even buy products that are
> natural/organic/or anything. They are conventional, non-local, and a huge
> premium. Its a joke. I'd be willing to forward my phone bill on to anyone
> that would like to see documentation. I've left at least one message a
> week to the Meat buyer for Wild Oats stores since March. I did get one
> return call and got explained how it was often too difficult to work with
> local farmers on meat and how they can't effectively distribute products.
> I already go by their stores! I've even left a message for their CEO. My
> next call is to 20/20, 60 minutes, or 48 hours. I'm drawing very near to
> making that call. I go by several of their stores on my Chicago delivery
> route and quite often I have boneless butterfly chops left over. It is too
> convenient for them to get their pork from Premium Standard Farms I guess.
> Yes, they are the third largest confinement operation in the country and
> the largest environmental polluter in the Midwest. I too have set in on
> their "speech" about buying local. Its a load of crap.
> Best wishes,
> Greg Gunthorp
> Free Range Hog Farmer
>
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