Pomegranate Supermarket had its grand opening this week, amongst lots of buzz.  Some of the local papers weighed in. Here is what one blogger’s response was.

Would I shop here? Yes. But you must be very careful about the prices and about the "sales" items which may be much more expensive than the other neighborhood stores. 

I strolled in last night and I must say the place is stunning. The fact that they were quite crowded at 9:15 on a Summer weeknight is also a good sign, although it might just be the novelty of something new and buzzworthy that is bringing in people. As far as the prices, I would say that some are pretty reasonable while other items are about 15-25% higher than the other stores in the area.

The challenge will be whether they can sustain a steady flow of customers who want high-end, fancy cheese and willing to spend $25-50 more per shopping trip. A year ago, when the store first started undergoing its metamorphosis, Whole Foods was the all the rage and people were demanding higher end stuff. Now with the economy putting the squeeze on grocery shoppers, and with Whole Foods feeling it too, Pomegranate might be hard pressed to win back the market share that was lost and the money that was invested in their 14 month closing of its doors.

OCNM Spin

Here is what I like about what they are doing.

Presentation is a major portion of shopping experience and they certainly score big points in that area.

The personnel are very clearly distinguishable with uniforms. I can’t tell you how many times I had difficulty finding a store employee when I needed one in the past. There are area managers for each of the sections. I was hoping to grab a chat with Mayer Gold, the head manager, but he was quite busy as you can imagine. If they can provide stellar service, I think that they will really develop a loyal base.

Free parking lot with parking attendant.

 I was hoping that they would have a website where you can shop online, but one of the owners informed me that they rejected the idea as too much trouble. I wonder how it is working out for Glatt Mart. Pomegranate hopes to have a website up soon, but I am guessing that it will just have information and specials.

 
 

CRISIS!!!

Yesterday my wife was looking at a brochure she had designed for a company that sells dental supplies. All of a sudden, her jaw dropped as her eyes noticed something. The piece, which had already been printed (thousands, that is) was missing a late change that had been requested...a change that could spell big time embarrassment for the company if not corrected. And this was a new client!

Panic, followed by frustration, and then despondency.

"What do we do now?" she cried out. The issue arose because a short power outage had undone the change she had made. To pay the re-printing cost out of pocket would have been quite a difficulty for our design and marketing company. One person's advice was that she just leave it, as the company possibly would not notice it. My concern was that if they do notice it and get upset, it would put us on the defensive and the explanation of what happened would sound like an excuse. I decided that she should contact the company outright, explain what happened and ask them what they feel the direction should be. Come out and be candid; let them know our concern is for their image, not our bottom line.

You know what? In the end they downplayed the whole thing and dismissed the possibility of us incurring the re-printing charge. At this point, the decision hasn't been made as to what they will do, but they are happy to have been alerted to the issue and have options.

I have a feeling that we will have a long relationship with this client.