Dear Readers,
Last week The Forum began an investigative series about poor conditions at two Howard Beach supermarkets. The article sparked some concern in the neighborhood and upset from the parent company of Waldbaum’s, A&P.
We invite you to read our response to the President’s letter to The Forum. We welcome your comments and your input.
Dear Editor,
A&P takes strong exception to the misleading and speculative news article published in the Feb. 22 edition of The Forum regarding the two Waldbaum’s supermarkets we operate in the Howard Beach community, and I would like to correct the record.
Contrary to the article’s unfounded speculation, the fact is that A&P currently has no plans to close these two Waldbaum’s stores. Had we been given the opportunity to comment before the article ran, we would have provided these facts, and the newspaper could have avoided publishing an incorrect story based solely on rumor.
I would like to assure the Howard Beach community that A&P is committed to enhancing the customer shopping experience in our stores, and we look forward to continuing to serve our Howard Beach customers who shop at these two Waldbaum’s locations. We value their business and strive every day to offer them the very best in service, selection and value.
Thank you for the opportunity to correct the record.
Sincerely,
Sam Martin
President and CEO
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc.
Dear Mr. Martin,
We welcome your attempts to correct the record and will take this opportunity to correct the record for you as well.
First, let me say the The Forum is entering its 35th year of publication. Our newspaper is a trusted and valued source for the local community. We have earned our reputation by always reporting accurately and by never failing to explore all avenues to the real story—the truth. Week after week, year after year, this publication never ceases to report the truth as it exists, not as we see it. And so I take exception to your insinuation that we might not have reported accurately.
We headlined last week’s story as being highly speculative—we quoted residents on their dissatisfaction with your store. We made it clear that we had not yet contacted you because we were unable to do so by press time. Our intention to call in the future was rather obvious, don’t you think? Otherwise we could never actually confirm for our readers whether or not one or both of their supermarkets were going to close.
I am sure you would not contest that you have been given every opportunity to speak your piece this week and for as many weeks after this as is necessary. In fact I hope you contact us this week so that you can explain what measures you will take to clean-up the stores, stock them properly and address the principles of customer service with your employees.
Obviously, the clean-up hasn’t been instituted yet because there is no change at either of the stores since Ms. Connor called with protestations and replied with the promise to make Waldbaum’s into some type of shopping Euphoria—clean, well-stocked and with great customer service.
Let me say my purchase of molded raspberries on Wednesday afternoon and a walk through of the Lindenwood store on the same day leads me to believe things are status quo with how your company continues to treats our neighborhood. Very poorly.
I do not take my role as publisher of The Forum lightly. It is not just a job for me—it’s a way of life. I live in Howard Beach, I work in Howard Beach, I would like to do my food shopping in Howard Beach.
Mr. Martin, I am in your store almost every day, in fact I must admit I have become somewhat obsessed with it—the floors are filthy, the bottom of some the shelves are filthy, the grime and grease at the base of the floor where it meets your showcases is more than offensive– it’s sickening. Even the handles of the shopping carts are disgusting. All of the store fixtures are old. Customers complain and are continually frustrated or just plain disgusted. That’s not an opinion Mr. Martin, it’s a fact.
People are spending more and more time in the supermarket these days, trying to save money and eat better. At your store they face under stocked shelves, outdated food, shoddy and spoiled produce and sometimes some very nasty attitudes.
Perhaps you’ve never seen your stores Mr. Martin. But we see them every day. And they just keep getting worse.
We released an article last week and this week you released a statement that you’re going to provide clean, well-stocked stores with good employees for Howard Beach.
Rest assured we will be reporting on the changes as they happen or as they don’t. It is my earnest hope that you make me eat my words—at this point I would certainly prefer them over anything from your produce department.
Patricia Adams
Publisher, The Forum Newsgroup
Howard Beach
