Does anyone know why this grocery store refuses to allow poeple who work normal business hours to shop at their store? The only time I can shop at this sorry excuse for a business is on the weekend (but not Sunday because they are closed then too). I would spend thousands of dollars at this establishment annually as I drive home from the train station, but unfortunatley neither I nor my wife are stay-at-home moms, who appear to be their only target deomgraphic. I wish they would just sell this place to someone who actually wants to run a for-profit business and really start serving the entire constituency of Glen Ellyn.

I am buying the place from Billy...he just doesn't know this yet.

M&Miller Website....look around

And Clamato - you would be great at running that joint.

Do it Clamato...do it, do it, do it. Glen Ellyn won't know what hit them if you take over...

They're finally open late on Fridays.

IMO, being open late one day a week only works for doctor's offices or other places where you make an appointment.

I don't have room in my head for who's open "late" on Thursday and who's open "late" on Friday and who's not open late at all. I also don't plan nearly far enough ahead to try to take advantage of the later evenings.

Either stay open "late" or don't.

I agree, who has the time and inclination to remember a food establishment's schedule. We know your favorite places are open 24 hours AND they have drive thru windows.

Exactly!

If McChesney & Miller were open 24 hours and had a drive through, I would go there a lot more than I do now.


Why oh why are there no Taco Bells in the Loop? It's an outrage!

I agree! I do most of my shopping in the late evening (after 7pm)

After all the talk of Valli Produce et al, would you really make more time to shop at M & M? I love to shop at that store, even if it is only once in a while.

quote:

Originally posted by soxfan1:
Does anyone know why this grocery store refuses to allow poeple who work normal business hours to shop at their store?

Do they own the land? Do they own the building? Do they want to be open different hours? Do they even care? Maybe they have optimized what they want out of the space and want no more.

Like many people, I can be inherently lazy, especially when I want to get home from work quickly. So, to answer an earlier question, yes, I know I would stop there at least 2-3 times a week to pick up whatever essentials were needed that day. Over the course of a year, those $10-$15 trips would easily put way more money into M&M's pocket than I'm contributing now with an occasional Saturday visit every few weeks. I can't believe that I am the only one in this scenario. The comment about them owning the land and maybe not caring just speaks even louder to my point about the store needing to be run by folks that care more about there customers than themselves. I know that comment will rile some people that know and love the M&M folks, but I just find it arrogant that they support such banker's hours for a universlly appealing store like a grocery. They are nice, courteous people, and I like their products, but I really dislike their policy on store hours. Just my opinion.

At the risk of sounding mean, look at the stores interior and it will tell you volumes about the investment in serving their customers. Their hours are more like a boutique business, than a modern day grocery.

quote:

Originally posted by lupechennel:
They're finally open late on Fridays.

Where did you grow up. It has been open late Fridays since Christ was a kid.

quote:

Originally posted by Yossarian:
At the risk of sounding mean, look at the stores interior and it will tell you volumes about the investment in serving their customers. Their hours are more like a boutique business, than a modern day grocery.

Yoss, the store exterior and interior says volumes about the type of businesses that we crave in this town. Good family owned, old world values.

SoxFan - The folks at M&M care more about the people and this town than you give credit for in your talk about business hours. Bill contributes more to this community than you know. To develope a business plan increasing hours and costs to show no real change in profits would be stupid, much like your comments.

It's funny you mention this - I didn't grow up here and I swear - and I probably missed this these past 15 years, but I thought they were 9-6 Monday through Friday and it escapes me the hours on Saturdays. Thanks for the point-out! I thought this was a new day-extended hours added ho-boy - I'm not that observant.

Unfortunately, soxfan, you'll find that our CBD simply does not cater to "working families". [I hate that Edwards-Clintonian, demagogic phrase so much, I take an evil delight in applying it to me].

I've come to the belief that it simply must not be worth the expense/effort of keeping the stores open for us poor slobs who don't work traders' hours.....I find it hard to believe, even at a grocery store's low margins, but its the only explanation I can think of.

I also believe that store owners who fail and then whine about the decay of Main Street USA businesses should get no pity from those of us who can't fit ourselves into their 9-5 business model.

McChesney and Miller was founded in 1862. It's been around for 146 years, if my math is correct. What does it have to do with businesses in Glen Ellyn that have failed?

M&M's hours are ridiculously short.

Perhaps they have all the business they want or need, but they are alienating my household by their hours, and are, I have to believe, alienating many additional households in this town.

They can be the most caring and philantropic business owners in town, but their hours are still barely conducive to working Glen Ellynites.

I certainly don't crave businesses in town that I could frequent approximately 1.5 hours out of a 6 day period.

I guess it comes down to what the majority finds appealing and useful. I may find M&M's appealing, but its usefulness for me is quite lacking.

I do some of my shopping at M & M, but though I do have flexible hours, I often am there on Saturday with my husband for weekend cookout/grilling supplies. I make an effort to shop locally.

There are a lot of fundraising organizations and events in this town. Some of the long-time businesses, including McChesney & Miller are always there to support the local schools, Boy Scouts, and M & M helps the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry by having a collection bin at the store. People may complain about Barone's decor, but they provide highly discounted food for many local groups, and have for years. The little Busy Bee Barber shop on Main has been donating to West since I was high school age. The list goes on.

Some new businesses are following this community supporting model - Gearhead Garage and Tap House Grill are two that come to mind.

I'm not saying the M & M hours are perfect - and maybe they should consider changing them to reflect today's families' schedules - but they have been an anchor in Glen Ellyn's downtown for years and I hope that remains true. Wheaton has no downtown grocery store for all of those new condos and townhouses being built. We do and the employees are always friendly and helpful there.