<p>Cronig’s Market will withdraw from the popular Island Club discount program, touching off a stir of conversation on social media and in grocery aisles.
Cronig’s Market will withdraw from the popular Island Club discount program, touching off a stir of conversation on social media and in the aisles of the independent grocery store over weekend.
An email went out to Our Island Club members on Saturday, notifying them that Cronig’s and its health food store Healthy Additions would no longer accept the club card beginning Jan. 1, 2018.
“As one of our charter member businesses, we are disappointed by Mr. Bernier’s decision,” club founder Geoff Rose wrote. Mr. Rose followed up with a second email notifying members that Cronig’s plans to start its own discount program.
On Sunday, owner Stephen Bernier confirmed that was the case. “We’re going to do this ourselves,” he said.
Co-founded by Mr. Rose and Jonathan Bernstein 12 years ago, Our Island Club is a membership program where individuals, families and seniors pay a modest annual fee. Cardholders enjoy discounts on goods and services at participating businesses. There are more than 175 businesses that participate (including the Vineyard Gazette and Martha’s Vineyard Magazine which offer subscription discounts to cardholders). A small portion of membership fees is donated to various Island charities.
Mr. Bernier chats with employees outside store. In January, he plans to offer his own discount program.
Mr. Bernier chats with employees outside store. In January, he plans to offer his own discount program.
But by far the anchor business and arguably the strongest attraction for cardholders is Cronig’s, which includes two grocery stores (one in Vineyard Haven, the other in West Tisbury) and a health food store adjacent to the main store in Vineyard Haven.
On Sunday morning Mr. Bernier had parked himself on a low stone wall just outside the exit door at State Road Cronig’s. Sunday shoppers trickled out on a beach-weather warm day, and Mr. Bernier chatted amiably with many of them.
“When I saw that it was all over Islanders Talk [a popular Facebook page], I thought I better come down here and be available to talk to people,” he told the Gazette.
Cronig’s currently offers a 20 per cent discount to Island Card members.
Mr. Bernier said he has been in talks with Mr. Rose for some time about the program.
“I’ve been talking with Geoff for the past two or three years,” he said. “In January 2016 we went to 20 per cent, prior to that I went from 10 to 15 because I could see that Islanders needed help.” He continued:
“But then I began talking to Geoff about membership things .... and it became increasingly clear that the membership is more important than the mission.”
Mr. Bernier described recent abuse of the card by Islanders who have been paid by wealthy people to use the discount card to buy groceries. And he criticized the Island Club for excluding a class of people who may need the card the most. “Twenty five per cent of the people on this Island can’t vote,” Mr. Bernier said, referring in part to the Island’s significant Brazilian immigrant community.
To join Our Island Club, a person must be an Island voter, be employed on the Island or operate an Island business. Membership information appears on the Our Island Club website, in English and Portuguese.
Speaking to the Gazette by phone Sunday, Mr. Rose confirmed that there had been abuses but said he had been working with Mr. Bernier to solve the problems.
“The fact that there was abuse — we were working toward addressing that,” Mr. Rose said. “There were people who were abusing the card and we had conversations, we were addressing that. I thought we were working together to find a way to ... move forward together.”
He strongly refuted the notion that the club excludes members of the immigrant community and said in fact the opposite is true.
“They don’t vote but they work here and we have had an open door policy about that,” he said. “We have recognized there are segments of the population where . . . there’s a sensitivity. And we are very, very aware and sensitive to that population ... We have always tried to be inclusionary . . . let’s just say we [and Mr. Bernier] have a different perspective on that.”
Mr. Rose said the club is entering its 13th year and has 7,000 members. He would not speak directly about the impact to his business from losing Cronig’s.
“Our goal is to continue to work make the club stronger. We know there is value in the club membership and let’s hope members will continue to support the program,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bernier said he plans to develop his own discount program for qualifying Islanders and aims to develop a different set of qualifying criteria.
“If you can produce a 1099 or a W-2 showing you work on Martha’s Vineyard, if you own one home or less, if you don’t support your living expenses from a trust fund ... it’s going to be as simple as that,” he said, adding:
“Geoff Rose says that’s class warfare. I say, it’s from the bottom up. I want the help to go to the people who really need it.”
He continued:
“This is my 31st year of business — and who comes through my door .... I want to be plain about it — we are all in this together. There are people who want to shop here because they want to be able to buy good healthy food to feed their families. We need to close the loophole. I’m passionate about that.”
Comments
It never fails to astound how
skip OBIt never fails to astound how many know so little about business and are so comfortable publicizing that fact and so anonymously.
If you don't want Jeff and
JonP West TisburyIf you don't want Jeff and Jonathan to have your money, don't join. If you don't want to Steve to have your money, don't shop. Are we arguing about how much profit a business can make? Do we know how much these businesses make? I don't know how much Steve earns, but I do know this: there is probably not another business on this island that is a more consistent and aggressive supporter of the island - from the arts to local agriculture. Cronigs buys and promotes local food products - and pays the farmers fairly. I think that's important. Maybe Stop&Shop will do that in the future, I hope so. All this talk about how Cronigs prices are higher than S&S -- well, consider this, from Wikipedia and the S&S website: they have extensive private brands, they operate over 400 stores (as that brand) and they achieved over $3billion in sales back in 1984; they are part of the Dutch mega firm Ahold since 1995. I would be stunned if, with all that purchasing power and private brands they weren't cheaper than Cronigs on most if not all items. Both S&S and Cronigs make a profit. That's good, because otherwise they would have to close their doors. Cronigs is a local business. S&S is not. You decide if that matters to you. It matters to me. Bernier takes some unknown % of his profits and supports the community - since I don't know what % that is, I'm not going to judge if it's a lot or a little, it just matters to me that he does it. Steve Bernier is just one of the many on this island that struggle to find the best way to make things better for those with less. The tools at his immediate disposal are food and money. Be cynical, be critical, whatever: but let's take a pause and look around - its an expensive island, and that's not going to change. As islanders we need to try continuously to create solutions to make things better. Some will fail. But getting angry with Jeff and Steve isn't a solution, it just clouds the issues.
As a senior, a property owner
Karen TisburyAs a senior, a property owner in Tisbury and a summer island resident I find it very unfair of the many merchants and some town officials on the island to support a two price system. Summer island residents, vacationers and visitors are required to pay a higher price for Ferry tickets, taxes in Tisbury, groceries, newspapers and everything else in your stores. There is no island card for us. While this may be a nice money saving practice for year round residents, it is a very unfair practice for those who bring a lot of money to your island's economy each year. The Vineyard is a beautiful island but this practice is a good example of one of the ugly ways of life on the Vineyard. Fair pricing for all would be a much kinder way to treat island guests and summer residents.
The comments / discussion
Observer MVThe comments and discussion seem to have strayed from the core of the Gazette story. It appears people don't understand that The Island Club is in fact a BUSINESS which has used Cronig's market as an anchor to gain and retain paying members which in turn provides a revenue stream for the owners of the Island Club. This is how it works ...
http://www.accessdevelopment.com/discount-membership-clubs
Cronig's is the only place I
Sid EdgartownCronig's is the only place I shop on island. It is fairly priced and I support Steve - it is the only place i can plug in my Tesla. No one is more progressive than Cronig's and I adore the grounds.
t has often surprised me that
Jmiat has often surprised me that we do not have a Co-Operative Grocery Store here on the island. Through out New England there are now many of these locally owned, non-profit, Full Service grocery stores. It is not like the old, pick up food co-op, of the past. These are member owned, opened to all, grocery markets, with the absence of a for profit model. The absence of the for profit element naturally keeps cost lower to the public and members recieve additional discounts and profit sharing over time. Everyone I ever talk to that is familiar with these new Co-operative Grocery Markets are equally amazed that our community does not own one here. Maybe it’s time we try a different approach all Together. Someone has started a Face Book page in hopes of this, check out FB “Martha’s Market Food Coopertive”.
Add new comment