quote:

Also, when you take shots (business model or otherwise) at such a fine store as M&M, you have to be ready to back up your opinions. I just don't think you have any argument here.

Oh and one more thing. As Rob suggested, I did some leg work to backup my opinion, and shockingly, I couldn't find even one grocery store in the region that closes earlier than M&M. Thanks for helping me solidfy my compelling argument Rob.

quote:

Originally posted by soxfan1:
I find is unbelievable that there is such opposition to suggesting a grocery store should stay open later than 6:00 pm.

I guess what I find a little bothersome is your apparent consternation over the fact that not everything is set up for your personal convenience. For many of us, M&M harkens back to a time when people did not situate themselves such that they were so rushed, and that service was a value rivaling convenience. Great - you and wifey both choose to work full-time. There are all kinds of businesses and services set up to accommodate you. If you want to shop somewhere that accomodates your particular schedule, by all means do so.

If you want to know the economic basis for the hours this store keeps, why don't you ask the management? If you want 24-hour convenience, you have plenty of options. I suspect their profit from your occasional visit on your way home from the train wouldn't justify the costs of keeping the store open an hour later every night.

Instead of griping about this store's hours, how about reconsidering your habits that require you to make last-minute grocery runs 2-3 times a week?

Agree w/ GER. Agree w/ soxfan1.

I think the hours allow for a full shift reducing the need for extra staffing headaches. I think this is what their long time workers are accustomed to, as well.

I do not oppose having the store stay open a little longer, but it is not my store.

GER - I am not an alum. Chris at M & M was showing me some old (1982) ads she had in the office and the Busy Bee caught my eye.

This is a classic market segmentation, not a conspiracy against Soxfan.

Well said by Dinsdale. Soxfan can change shopping habits or continue to enjoy more selection, inferior meats, a drugstore, etc. at the 24-hour megastore.

soxfan -

I'm with you 100%.

quote:

I guess what I find a little bothersome is your apparent consternation over the fact that not everything is set up for your personal convenience. For many of us, M&M harkens back to a time when people did not situate themselves such that they were so rushed, and that service was a value rivaling convenience. Great - you and wifey both choose to work full-time. There are all kinds of businesses and services set up to accommodate you. If you want to shop somewhere that accomodates your particular schedule, by all means do so.

This is the type of attiude that has contributed to our retail environment in Glen Ellyn crumbling to its foundation. Some of you naysayers amaze me. Do you really think that we are here for McChesney & Miller and not the other way around? They are a place of business for heaven's sake. Just for kicks, I called Mr. Z's in Lombard. This is a grocery I would consider "in the ballpark" with McChesney and Miller (i.e. smallish store; not on a major throughfare; been around a long time; a town treasure; big town philanthropist yadda, yadda, yadda). The big difference is that they actually are serving all of their constintuency. Their hours are 7-9 Mon through Fri; 8-8 on Saturday; and 9-7 on SUNDAY. Surprisinigly, they seem to be able to turn a profit even with those "outside the box" operating hours and ample overtime (I'm sure). I'm totally through talking about this. I think I've made my point. I will now take the naysayers advice and will stop going out of my way to shop at McChesney & Miller and instead go exclusively to those who meet my crazy schedule.

quote:

Originally posted by soxfan1:
This is the type of attiude that has contributed to our retail environment in Glen Ellyn crumbling to its foundation.

Sorry. You are just wrong. You refuse to listen to what is being said. It is the business' choice to run their business as they do. For example, one of the most successful fast food restaurants is Chik-Fil-A. Closed on Sundays. Hobby Lobby is also closed on Sundays. It's a choice of the retailer. Do you think Trader Joe's would make more money by being open at 7:00 a.m. or until 11:00 p.m.? Of course. But there are so many factors that go into the choice of hours that have nothing to do with whether some sales will be made. No doubt there is the potential for more business for M&M. It's not what they want to do. Now, if that is crumbling the foundation of retail in Glen Ellyn, the question remains: Why have they remained in business for this long?

I guess it boils down to this. It's just a store and if it doesn't meet anyone's schedule, it is best to just pretend it isn't there. That isn't a good thing or a bad thing. It's just a thing.

M&M has a good meat counter with courteous, helpful employees. I'm not sure they're better than Wheaton Meat, but they close at 6 too so its a sort of moot point.

But other than the meat counter, customer/community service, and nostalgia, there aren't many redeeming features to this place. I mean given the collective boner the GEBB has had over Valli produce, and the collective crap many posters heap on Dominick's prices, I'm surprised that a store that offers such little selection and so-so pricing gets so much love here.

Is it nice to have local stores open when we want to use them? Yes.
Is it hard when one works a normal full-time job and stores are not open late enough? Yes.

SF1, it's not that any of us don't understand your plight but the tone in your original post was that of indignation and entitlement. I don't know you - you might be a completely wonderful human being but your post doesn't paint you that way. Unfortunately, that tone set off a cascade of responses that probably seemed unsympathetic.

We have generally been a household with two working adults so I do understand what you mean by hours. It's the same reason I couldn't patronize Craig's as much as I would have liked and now that business is gone. I doubt the same will happen to M&M. If they weren't getting enough business, I'm sure they would adjust their hours. But, apparently, they are doing OK and so, their work hourse haven't changed. When I'm in there, it's always pretty busy. The meat department is really great and the butchers certainly have an interesting sense of humor (When I was in there with my teenage daughter and a few of her friends, one of the butchers made a point of showing off the pig's head they had in the back - the girls were not amused but the butchers sure were!).

Whoever made the suggestion that you go speak with the management about your desire to patronize their business more is right on the mark. Go talk to Bill - obviously on a Saturday since that's the only time you probably could - and perhaps he can give you some insight about why M&M operates the way it does.

Last thing: A very good friend of ours worked there for a long time (high school, college, and a little beyond college even) and he worked everyday they were open during all the hours they were open, except for one day off each week (not including Sunday). Knowing that, I would conclude that they want to keep their labor force small and family-oriented so that they can be home in the evenings and weekends with their own families when possible.

quote:

I leave at 8:00am and get home by 6:30pm and I can almost NEVER shop at M&M.

Although the town has changed - I think that two earners working 10.5 hour days may not be the norm just yet. I've always been surprised and a little frustrated at McChesney's hours, but you can't find a better butcher, and it's the ONLY place to even consider for BBQ meats.

It's a good store on it's own merits, and as been said many times, the best butcher. But I know I would spend a lot more there if they had daily late evening hours.

You know the expression, put yourself in the other man's shoes? Try it soxfan1. M&M has surely considered the pros and cons of extended hours. I'm guessing that their final decision is more economic than anything else. You want them to expand their hours by one. How about you reducing your hours by one? You don't really need to work 8 hours a day, and by blowing off work you can spend more time with your family. Not everybody works 8 hours a day. I doubt if George Bush works 8 hours a month. I mean, what's more important, your pocketbook or somebody else's? Do you resent my suggesting that you work less hours? How is that different from suggesting that someone work more hours?
-

Flashback 1:
I remember when they built that store. I can't recall what was there before, probably a blacksmith. I was in third or fourth grade at the time and suddenly, we had a new kid in school. He was the son of the manager. It was an A&P. It went out of business. Long hours I guess. M&M moved there and has been in business ever since. Looks like they know what they're doing.

Flashback 2:
Back in my paperboy days, M&M was located on Pennsylvania, just down the street from the fire department. Either M or M, or one of their sons was a volunteer fireman. When the alarm sounded, us kids would gather on Penn. to watch the fire trucks scramble. There was one guy who would come running down the street, sometimes still wearing his butcher's apron. Even as a kid that resonated with me far more than what hours they had the store open. It's called perspective.

quote:

Although the town has changed - I think that two earners working 10.5 hour days may not be the norm just yet. I've always been surprised and a little frustrated at McChesney's hours, but you can't find a better butcher, and it's the ONLY place to even consider for BBQ meats.

Well, I'm single, leave for work at 7:00 am, and return on the 5:13 pm train out of Chicago. Thus, a store that closes at 6:00 pm isn't going to get a lot of my business. My actual work hours are 37.5 per week. It'd be nice to have a short commute, but, given how crowded Metra is getting lately, I suspect a lot of people have 10+hour business cycles, including commuting.

Again, may be a great store dear to some, but I think a big percentage of the community will not have that shopping experience, just due to the very short hours they maintain. Myself, I love Trader Joe's - nice people, stay open til 9 every evening, good prices.

Soxfan1,

Why are you only working an 8 hour day? Surely you have customers or clients, or the company you work for has them. You need to put in 10 or 12 hours! You need to allot more time to your customers needs instead of doing a lot of armchair managing.

Actually M&M is open till 7:00, They just see you coming so they turn out the lights and everyone hides until your gone! If you know the secret BB handshake they will let you in to shop after hours.

I have to say that posts tinged with indignation and entitlement run rampant on this board, and as such, the reaction to this one was uncalled for.

And who the h*** only works an 8 hour day? I want that job.

Me, I work almost as few hours as Clam.

quote:

Originally posted by Mamattorney:
And who the h*** only works an 8 hour day? I want that job.

I work a 9 hour day. I post or look at this board 3 of those hours, so my net is 6. If I stopped this bitching about a perfectly good store, I would have plenty of time to shop everyday.

quote:

Originally posted by GEM:
Me, I work almost as few hours as Clam.

I have seen you, midday, standing about the local bike shop, kids in tow, nothing to do, chit-chatting it up with hair stylists....after running errands to exotic places such as Costco. So...I know you are living the life. One that I wish I could emulate.

""" M&M sets their hours for the maximum business they would achieve profitably. The same goes for decor and ambiance."""


YES, I agree!

I'm a stay at homer and was bugged by their hours initally too. But, there are many reasons I want to give them my business...so I go when I can. Every fast trip inside for the one to six items I need the place is filled. The service is outstanding, the cashiers open up just for you. They have many items I can't find other places. SO, I changed and shop their hours because the place rocks.

So surprising with all the condos in downtown Wheaton that the Jewel closed. If I live near a downtown I want to shop near a downtown.

Now, if we could just get hair stylists to work on mondays....that bugs me, most salons are closed on monday. Monday is a nothing day for me, I want them open. Think that will happen??