Fredrik Meijer has passed.....

Saw an article this morning on the passing of Fredrik Meijer, founder of the chain that carries his name. He was 91.

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/26/142798...ik-meijer-dead

I remember when the first Meijer's Thrifty Acres store opened in Ann Arbor in the early 70's. I thought it was the greatest store I had ever seen.

As an aside, the chain would occasionally cause a little confusion out here in the Pacific Northwest. A Safeway meat manager I knew in Moses Lake, WA told me he had accepted a job in a Meijers near Chicago, and started to tell me that it was NOT Fred Meyer, a Portland based chain that uses the same concept. Much to his suprise, I told him I was familiar with Meijers.

Son of a Dutch immigrant. Rest in peace.

I thought I read that he was the son of the founder.

That's correct. Meijer's father, Hendrik, opened a grocery in Greenville in 1934, and he and his father expanded the operation, opening the first Thrifty Acres in 1962. Hendrik died in 1964 at the age of 80 and it was Fredrik who expanded the business into what we know today.

He is also responsible for starting this. I went there for the first time a few months ago. Definitely worth seeing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meijer_Gardens

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Originally Posted by douglasm

That's correct. Meijer's father, Hendrik, opened a grocery in Greenville in 1934, and he and his father expanded the operation, opening the first Thrifty Acres in 1962. Hendrik died in 1964 at the age of 80 and it was Fredrik who expanded the business into what we know today.

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The original "Thrifty Acres" was at the corner of 28th Street and Kalamazoo Ave in Grand Rapids, a brief car ride from my childhood home in Alger Heights. Spent many an hour wondering those aisles!

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Originally Posted by DetroiterOnTheWestCoast

The original "Thrifty Acres" was at the corner of 28th Street and Kalamazoo Ave in Grand Rapids, a brief car ride from my childhood home in Alger Heights. Spent many an hour wondering those aisles!

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I stopped there many years ago. I remember it had a wild roofline like the Cloverlanes in Livonia. I had the opportunity to be back along 28th Street over the summer. I saw they tore down the old store for a brand new one but kept one of the beams from it as a reminder of what used to be.

I just recently had a talk at a garage sale with a woman who also rents in Dearborn. She worked at Meijer's for over seven years, got fired her over attendance points [[I guess they give you something like half a point every time you are over two minutes late), and was ripped off from her unemployment. She theorized that drastic changes occurred shortly after Meijer's passing. She confirmed that their policy on what charity antibiotics they provide [[which I inaccurately threw out on another thread without finding out to my chagrin the changes made) changed shortly after he died; meaning they will only now give you the stuff that I'm terribly allergic to or will radically burn my esophagus.

Personally, I've seen Meijer's get comparatively worse with every visit. They got scuzzy mutants working the floor stocking things with no desire to assist you well to any given area, while others congregate in corners to gossip and dodge work. It gets cluttered and disorganized, and I learned you got to show up earlier in the week, or they run out of things they aren't in a hurry to restock on there. The cashiers are very patient and friendly [[for now), but the lines get longer and longer. Customers are getting worse, too.:[[

I've been at the deli counter at the LP store and thought I was going to be treated to a brawl between various employees. Stock piled up everywhere. But empty shelves. People sniping at each other. Makes for a pleasant shopping experience.

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Originally Posted by G-DDT

I just recently had a talk at a garage sale with a woman who also rents in Dearborn. She worked at Meijer's for over seven years, got fired her over attendance points [[I guess they give you something like half a point every time you are over two minutes late), and was ripped off from her unemployment. She theorized that drastic changes occurred shortly after Meijer's passing. She confirmed that their policy on what charity antibiotics they provide [[which I inaccurately threw out on another thread without finding out to my chagrin the changes made) changed shortly after he died; meaning they will only now give you the stuff that I'm terribly allergic to or will radically burn my esophagus.

Personally, I've seen Meijer's get comparatively worse with every visit. They got scuzzy mutants working the floor stocking things with no desire to assist you well to any given area, while others congregate in corners to gossip and dodge work. It gets cluttered and disorganized, and I learned you got to show up earlier in the week, or they run out of things they aren't in a hurry to restock on there. The cashiers are very patient and friendly [[for now), but the lines get longer and longer. Customers are getting worse, too.:[[

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Ugh... one of the worst posts I've seen in my 15 years on this forum... just a string of irrelevant anecdotes.... :eek:

I still remember when the only Meijer within a 10-mile radius of us was the one in Taylor. Today, there's five in that same radius.

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Originally Posted by Gistok

Ugh... one of the worst posts I've seen in my 15 years on this forum... just a string of irrelevant anecdotes.... :eek:

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No, it is not irrelevant. The key phrase "She theorized that drastic changes occurred shortly after Meijer's passing." ties it into the threads key topic. Also, I felt it was a good time to update some feelings I've had most recently about the Meijer's chain that have changed drastically since previous posts I made praising the chain.

Got an axe to grind, G? You seem to be on me ever since my rare [[rare, in the sense that I'm just one of the few posters who support some unpopular opinions-many opinions backed by much experience) jabs made at casinos. Do such institutions mean that much to you?

It is getting worse at Meijer's. Many times I've gone there, the staff never replenished the carts, and I have to go outside hunting for one, and they are all pushed to the very back of the parking lot. Also, the deli staff is unhelpful when it comes for special requests, like asking for the meat to be sliced thin or to have paper in between the paper slices. these are things that are no problem for the workers at Krogers.

In the last 4-5 years I've noticed changes at both Meijer and Walmart stores. The main issue just appears to be a lack of sufficient staffing, and on top of that a lack of training for the employees they do have. Due to the low pay and benefits I think these discount stores are just struggling to attract and keep good workers.

The Walmart here in New Hudson has been hiring a lot more seniors lately. For the most part they appear to be capable and friendly, but there is the obvious issue that their age limits the speed at which they can function. I'm not one to be in a hurry, so I don't mind at all but I have seen it cause problems and some customers are not too pleased when they are delayed.

^^^What Now&then and I experienced were young men working the lot, the huffy young ladies at the deli counter, and the groups of perfectly capable floor personal congregating in gossip circles in the electronics department and acting peeved that you come up to them with a question or directions to a product.