From the Desk of Jim Hiller...

Haven't We Met Before?

2006-09-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

Do you recognize me?

Testimony of a Wonderplant

I have seen ages come and go, have seen empires rise and fall. I was born from the land, and have since traveled from the reaches of Southwest Asia into the hands of young and old throughout the world. Although I am small, I have nurtured the lives of many, and have taken on many different forms. I have been a dress, a spot of ink on ancient parchment, and a decoration of the deepest blue for nobility and royalty. I have helped catch the wildest creatures of the sea, and helped mothers nurse their starving young.

I have borne seeds, both brown and golden, small and oval shaped and crunchy to the tooth. I have seen my offspring sprinkled on salads, consumed by the handful, and ground into dust. I have seen the dust of my children baked into breads and combined into muffins and pancakes. I have seen my seeds tapped for their precious oil, seen that oil consumed by the kilolitre. I have watched as the world woke up to me.

Here I am, in a field, in bloom.

I am special, I am told. My seeds carry an important phytoestrogen, a chemical compound known as a lignan, a powerful antioxidant which helps fight diseases, among them that great human scourge called cancer. Recent studies have shown that cancer patients, both men and women, who have consumed one ounce per day of my seeds have slowed the progress of their cancers, delaying an increase in tumor growth and allowing them valuable time to wait for surgery. My seed's lignans are wonderful for the heart, too, as is the Omega-3 fatty acid Alpha-linolenic acid which they contain. They are essential, I am told, because only from a plant, such as myself, can they be found, and humans know of nothing better for the natural reduction of cholesterol, blood pressure, and artery plaque formation. Humans today are prizing my seeds for their helpful reduction of heart attacks and other negative coronary conditions. Many people today are also adding these lignans and omega-3 acids to my oil, so my seeds are no longer the only source.

The lignans in my seeds are a form of fiber, so my seeds are also very helpful in aiding digestion and bringing balance to people's digestive systems. They are tasty, too, I am told, and provide a wonderfully crunchy addition to breads and salads, in addition to their snackability for daily consumers. They have a deliciously nutty flavor, and are great in combination with many everyday dishes.

Here I am, in a field, at night.

So who am I, who is so old, so helpful, so versatile? Who has been a part of human diets since the eldest of days, and who now, more than ever, is helping to bring balance and time to people's lives?

I am flax, also known as linseed, wonderplant. Come find me in my many forms at Hiller's Markets.

You Can Find It At Hiller's

2006-07-06T20:35:00.000-04:00

As you know, our main objective at Hiller’s is to provide the best quality, selection, and customer service in the grocery industry. We pride ourselves in listening carefully to our customers and providing them with the shopping experience they deserve.

Recently, I received an unsolicited email from a happy Hiller’s customer describing her shopping experiences. With her permission, I am publishing her email below. Thank you, Vicki.

Jim Hiller

There is no joy to be found in shopping for groceries. It needs to be done regularly (or not so regularly) much like dusting, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, and all the other mundane chores necessary to keep a household in running order.

I first began grocery shopping while I was still a child in the early 1970’s. I did so to help my mother who, at the time, was suffering from an inner-ear condition that left her with constant vertigo. She’d send me to our neighborhood nationally known grocery store armed with a list that included cereal, milk, bread, potatoes, peanut butter, jelly, lunchmeat, cheese and head of lettuce. It was simple. There were two or three brands from which to choose and I knew which our family preferred and which ones gave the most value for the money.

Meat was never on the list because we bought our meat at a real, full-service butcher shop. The pink light bulbs over the meat counter in the chain grocery store along with the greenish sheen of the meat didn’t engender a lot of confidence in the quality. It was the same every week. Nothing changed and the choices remained constant from week to week and month to month.

Later, after I got married and had a family, I shopped at a different location of the same grocery chain for much the same. We needed cereal, milk, bread, potatoes, peanut butter, jelly, lunchmeat, cheese, a head of lettuce and, for a while, baby food. It was simple. There were two or three brands from which to choose and I knew which ones I preferred to serve my family.

Meat was still purchased at a real, full-service butcher shop that did not sport pink light bulbs over the meat to make it appear fresh. The butcher shop even carried little extras, like Italian torrone candies, that were my treat to myself for the extra effort required to purchase quality food for my family.

Years passed. Dietary trends and fads came and went. The 70’s, 80’s and 90’s saw, in succession, all-carbohydrate diets, no-fat diets , no-carbohydrate diets, no-protein diets and all-protein diets as the current weight loss or improved health liturgy. Grocery stores needed to keep up. Many did not. My childhood grocery store continued throughout to keep the same few choices and became a museum of food trends from the 50’s.

Vox Populi changed, and more and more of us have come to understand the value of excellence and superior quality in the food we eat and feed our families.

Speaking as a customer we still need the basics: cereal, milk, bread, potatoes, peanut butter, jelly, lunchmeat, cheese, produce, but now we want more choices and far greater diversity because food equals health and even happiness.

We want whole grain or gluten free or 8-grain bread in addition to plain white bread. We want lemon curd, lime curd, spoon fruits, sugar free marmalades, European fruit spreads and compotes in addition to the good old basic grape jelly.

Hiller’s has them all…….

Celebrity chefs are more popular than ever, and there is an entire television network dedicated to food. When a Nigella Lawson recipe calls for Demerara sugar, Halloumi cheese, English treacle or mustard powder; where can we find such items?

Hiller’s has them……..

When Giada DiLaurentis cooks with real parmiggiano reggiano, asiago and/or provolone cheeses on Everyday Italian, and I want them for my table.

Hiller’s has them……

When Rachael Ray uses Bibb lettuce, Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, arugula, baby spinach, or an assortment of many different lettuces for a salad in one of her 30-Minute Meals and that’s my choice for today’s salad.

Hiller’s has them all too, along with all the other vegetables, nuts, seeds and dressings that make that salad something special……

Hiller’s does have all the basics. Hiller’s has the specialty items. Hiller’s has Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, British, Middle-Eastern, Near-Eastern, Pacific Rim, Spanish, Mongolian and especially American products and delicacies. Hiller’s has hand-selected and trimmed fresh meat, exquisitely fresh seafood and the absolutely best produce anywhere.

What Hiller’s doesn’t have are pink light bulbs over the meat.

That’s why I am a devoted Hiller’s customer……

Vicki
Commerce Township, MI

Fleshy Fungi

2006-06-28T20:51:00.000-04:00

Here’s a lot of stuff you don’t have to know:

What’s the difference between mushrooms and toadstools?
Nothing really. The words are often used interchangeably, but in some regions toadstools are understood to be poisonous mushrooms. Biologically, they are called Agaricales. (I think.)

How many varieties of mushrooms and/or toadstools are there?
38,000 give or take a few.

Are mushrooms a vegetable?
No. Why do you ask?

What mushrooms create a hallucinogenic effect?
You are not allowed to know this since we don’t sell them.

Why are mushrooms grown on beds of manure?
Mushrooms do not know about Imodium.

And here’s some stuff you ought to know:

What varieties of mushrooms are most popular in the Northern Hemisphere?
There are nine: Agaricus, Chanterelles (girolle), Crimini, Enoki,
Morel, Pleurotus (oyster), Porcino, Portabello and Shiitake.

Why did you leave out Matsutake Mushrooms?
Just so you would ask the question. Matsutakes were first grown by the Japanese on downed pine trees, in fact, the word “Matsutake” translated into English means “Pine Mushroom.” Today they are grown in Japan, Korea, and a few places in Canada, but some of the best come from the pine forests of Oregon where they grow wild. They are magic, you know. They are the consummate health food in Japan. It has been said “one cooks the Matsutake until one can eat the aroma.” They are the best and extremely rare.

Do you sell Matsutake mushrooms?
Of course.

Jim Hiller

And Now For Something Completely Different . . .

2006-06-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

All of the plains Indians depended upon the buffalo for food, clothing, and housing. (The teepees were covered with ten to twelve buffalo hides.) The Comanches were the first tribe in what is now the United States to have horses, which made them efficient harvesters of the buffalo. Every part of the huge animal was used by these nomadic hunters—fur for robes and bedding, horns for spoons and other utensils, hooves for glue, and leather for saddles, bridles, and canteens. The number killed each year by the Comanches and the other Indians of the Plains was less than the reproductive capacity of the herds. In 1800 there were sixty million buffalo. Around 1840 the killing began as the white man’s sport. Even then the impact on the economies of the tribes in the plains was negligible.
In 1869 an eastern inventor was granted a patent that would create circumstances so detrimental to the Comanche way of life that in six short years they would move to the Oklahoma Reservation. The patent was for a process to tan buffalo hides into supple, soft leather, quickly, and economically. An eastern tanner using the new process created an immediate market, and in the economic doldrums of the times, gave opportunities for quick money to any hunter who had the new .50-caliber Sharps rifle and a willingness to travel to the great American plains. Between 1872 and 1874 professional hunters slaughtered 4,274,000 buffalo. The famous Buffalo Bill Cody killed 4,300 in just eight months. Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrett, and Wild Bill Hickock joined in the killing spree. The rapid destruction of this great natural resource alarmed even the Congress of the United States, who, in their collective wisdom, passed legislation to protect the buffalo. Ulysses S. Grant, who vetoed more legislation than that of the combined seventeen presidents who preceded him, vetoed this bill, too.
By 1900 there were fewer than 300 wild buffalo in the U.S. and Canada, but from that date to today, wild buffalo in National Parks and domesticated buffalo on buffalo ranches have grown in sufficient numbers to allow you and me to eat like the Comanches did in the early 1700s.
For a long time buffalo steaks, roasts and other cuts were only found in very expensive restaurants as a specialty main course. The delicious meat from naturally fed buffalo was not available from the corner grocer or the supermarket.
That has changed. We have two varieties of buffalo at Hillers as well as many different cuts. One is all natural and the other is all natural and kosher. Neither has been given any hormones or additives, just pure natural feed.

Invite some friends for dinner and show off.

Jim Hiller

Basking in the Magic of Moonlight

2006-05-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

It had not started out as a ‘good day.’ He knew that when the wife began the usual early morning harangue about drinking too much coffee . . . about caffeine . . . about his doctor’s warning . . . about all of the stuff he should and should not do. It was 8:05. He was already late and getting more and more frustrated with the driver of the car with Indiana plates in front of him who seemed not to understand that many times in Michigan to turn left you first must turn right. He muttered, “Dumb, dumb Hoosier,” and continued to creep in traffic, glancing at his watch as it chewed off minutes far too quickly.

He was late. It was the fourth time in three weeks and he knew this time he would hear about it the minute he walked into the outer office. His secretary glanced up with a slight smirk and said, “You’re late again.”

“I know,” he said a little too loudly. “It’s the coffee.”

Just as he slammed his office door, another door over 9,000 miles to the West slowly creaked open in the mist of early night to solve his problem. The Zhu family of three was about to go to work under a bright moon in the Zhenhe district of Fujian province China. Zhu Hui, the father, Zhu Yi, the mother and their twelve year old daughter, Zhu Ya easily can see the path trod by at least ten generations of the Zhu family three or four times each year in the months of April and May. It is more than a path; it is a long winding depression going up a very big hill. The dew, already formed on the hillside is like dew nowhere else in the world. It glistens like mini mirrors on the silver-down covered leaves of the hundreds of bushes on and near the top of the hill. No one knows the ages of the plants. It is said in the village that they were first created from wild tea bushes a thousand years ago. The Zhu family will pick the leaves of the tea bushes—the Yin Zhen—right before they blossom for so doing creates a white tea with almost no caffeine and a guaranteed sweet, delicate taste.

Sometimes it is called “Silver Needle,” “Bai Hao,” and/or “Yin Zhen.” It is extremely rare, amazingly delicious and the perfect solution to caffeine addiction.

Sure. We have it at Hillers.

Jim Hiller

The Anchovy Paste Syndrome

2006-05-04T20:45:00.000-04:00

Most supermarkets, including ours, stock between thirty and forty thousand items depending upon the store size. And each year, food manufacturers and processors present between twenty and twenty five thousand new items to food retailers. . .that’s about two thousand new items every month, two thousand items that the grocer must evaluate as potential products for his customers. It’s a tricky process, because only about 10% of these new products are on the grocer’s shelves 24 months later.

The introduction of the UPC code, that group of varied sized black bars on product labels introduced around 40 years ago, gave supermarkets a new tool to instantly measure the number of individual products sold and profits realized. For some food retailers UPC reports became the single deciding factor of whether a product remained on the shelves or not. In effect, if not enough of your neighbors bought the product, you did not have the opportunity to buy it yourself. Many grocers switched the emphasis from customer service to volume and profit. I like to call it the Anchovy Paste Syndrome.

Anchovy Paste is possibly the slowest moving item in the grocery industry, and the most difficult product to find anywhere. Even the big-box stores with food, clothing and hardware under one roof do not offer it to their customers. You might find anchovies in a little tin in these super-stores, but real Spanish Anchovy Paste in small jars or tubes are impossible to find.

Of course, we have Anchovy Paste at Hillers. We always have, and we always will. It falls into our must-have category. In fact we have eight different kinds.

And just like hundreds of other very special foods and additives, you CAN find it at Hillers. If you wish to mix up a batch Caesar Potato Salad or any of the hundreds of other great dishes that cry out for the special salty-sweet light fish flavor of Anchovy Paste, visit the spice section, the canned fish and meat section, look atop the fresh meat and fish coolers, or the gourmet food department near the Italian foods.

Well, maybe we over did it, but we pride ourselves in putting specialty products right where you think they ought to be.

Jim Hiller

Have You Checked Your Receipts Lately?

2006-04-12T15:19:00.000-04:00

As you might expect, I spend a lot of time every day checking the pulse of my markets. What are the customers saying today? How do they think we're doing? What complaints do they have? I speak about these issues frequently with my management team, and one response I receive is that customers often say the following: "We think the stores are great, and we love shopping at Hiller's, but wish the prices were lower."

Yet, I know that our base prices are in line with our least expensive competitors and are well below our supposed "gourmet" store competition.

Since this is one of the most frequent sentiments expressed by my customers I thought I would address it, because I know there’s far more to this issue than meets the eye.

Let me start with an example. You, the customer, go to one of my competitors with a shopping list of 20 items. You walk the aisles, and find that they're out of your favorite mustard, oatmeal, and yogurt. Next, you walk over to the deli department to buy some turkey. After waiting for more than 5 minutes for service, you think that the turkey looks a little old, and though you buy it, you don't want to take a chance on the roast beef that was also on your list. On the way out, you had planned to pick up an apple pie from the bakery department, only to find that they only have blueberry and peach left available.

What was once a list of 20 items has been reduced to 15. That's 25% of your list!

Now let's replay that same scenario at Hiller's. You walk the aisles, picking up your favorite mustard and yogurt. For the sake of fairness, let's say that we've also run out of your favorite oatmeal, but while you were looking for it, you see a variety of granola bar that you've never seen before. It looks interesting, so you decide to try it, along with a package of Edamame from the Japanese section you'd heard a friend talking about. You then proceed to the deli department, and, after your last experience, ask to try some turkey before you purchase it. Finding it to be of excellent quality, you purchase it, along with the roast beef you had wanted before and some ham that looks good also. On the way out, you grab the apple pie you've been looking for, and, pleased to have found it, decide to buy some vanilla ice cream to go on top.

So let's reassess the situation. You started with a list of 20 items, and unfortunately we were out of one of them. However, you found a new granola bar to try, a hard-to-find Japanese item, and you also added some ham and ice cream to your purchase. What was once a list of 20 items has now become 23. That's 8 items more than our competitor!!! That's 54% more items!

The underlying concept I'm getting at is that perception is often as powerful as reality; the perception that Hiller's is more expensive because your shopping trip cost you more. Some people will recognize that they are spending more at Hiller's because we are simply able to fulfill more of their needs. They tend to be enthusiastic customers because we have surprised them with items they never thought they'd find. Yet others continue to conclude that we are just more expensive and never look beyond the bottom line.

We simply carry thousands more items than anyone else. Because that is the case, it's inevitable that customers will bring home more items than they would elsewhere.

As always, I and my staff do our best to find the highest quality items, provide the best service, and try as hard as possible to keep everything our customers are looking for in-stock, always. At the same time, we do our best to keep prices fair and in line with our least expensive competitors, and I'm confident that we achieve that goal. And, on any given week as many as 500 common items will be on special and have prices reduced even further.

Perceptions are tricky things and I'd hate to have my shoppers thinking I am in the same rarified air of high pricing occupied by some of our supposed gourmet competitors . I encourage you to scrutinize us. Check those receipts and let me know what you think!

Jim Hiller

Fascinating Food Trends

2006-03-26T18:26:00.000-05:00

This week I'm signing on to talk about a pivotal element in the grocery business: food trends. For me, this is one of the most fascinating aspects of our business because it is something that constantly changes. There's always something new and exciting to explore. Whether it be a new health trend or an intriguing overseas food phenomenon, its fun attempting to dissect what and why people are buying.

For example, have you noticed the abundance of products related to pomegranates that have appeared on the market over the last year? Research shows that more than 150 new products (up from approximately 30 at the end of 2003) appeared in the first nine months 2005! Wow! In addition to adding a new flavor to their lifestyles, consumers are of course interested in the many health benefits which this fascinating fruit possesses, such as a high antioxidant count, which aids in the breakdown of fatty deposits on artery walls. Even just two years ago it was difficult to imagine the sort of success such an obscure product could have in our marketplace, and now it is an integral part of our product repertoire. We're proud to be able to showcase this fruit in many forms and varieties, from juice to jelly to lip gloss.

On the flip side, we've watched food trends die, and die hard. The Lo-Carb craze which dominated much of 2003 and 2004 has had its last gasp, as shoppers have tired of the high prices and poor quality of the products. Correspondingly, they've branched out more and more into other cuisines which offer them excellent flavor, a nutritional balance, and a sense of excitement, such as Asian and Mediterranean cuisines. Many people have come to realize that they can experience exceptional tastes with minimal guilt, and we strive to provide our shoppers with that very thing, introducing new products such as Shirataki Tofu Noodles, which provide the desired texture of a noodle and combine superbly with the traditional Asian flavors. They're really an exciting product, and we feel great about them.

As researchers continue to explore new and better ways of pleasing shoppers, using scientific evidence in the hopes of discovering a way to keep people both satisfied and healthy, so do we do our best to stay on top of what our customers want. We think that providing fun and healthy alternatives to traditional cuisines is a cornerstone of our business, and we're always on the lookout for something new and intriguing. So check back with me from time to time, and let me know what food experiences you've had. I'd really love to hear from you.

Jim Hiller

The Steak, not the Sizzle

2006-03-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, and welcome to my new online journal. I'm looking forward to this opportunity to share with you my thoughts, ambitions, and (gasp!) an insight or two about how our company's doing, and what I feel is its role in an ever-expanding food industry. While the prospect of growth and success is exciting to me, as it is to all of us, nevertheless I'm a small businessman at heart. Communicating with and servicing my customers is and always will be my main objective, so I am hopeful that this journal will allow me to do just that. So, as Hiller's explores this new frontier of customer service, I hope you'll all take a few minutes and check in with me from time to time, so that we can make this journal a fun and exciting way to communicate.

Before I sign off and put this first entry to bed, however, I’d like to express a thought I have about the role of Hiller’s Markets in the grocery industry. Every year, when I reflect back on the trends and changes I notice in our business, I notice more and more how markets nationwide, from mom-and-pop operations to large mass-market retailers, have scurried to promote the "quality" of their products, spending millions if not billions of dollars to convince shoppers that they sell what is most desirable. So I ask myself: “What exactly is going on? Have these retailers really improved the quality of their products? Have they all of a sudden shifted their focus from a buy-cheap, sell-cheap mentality to one where the quality of the product speaks for itself?”

Every time I think about it, I conclude that no, that is not what they’ve done. What they have done, I think, is refocus their efforts to make their customers believe this is what they've done. Using flashy store displays, state-of-the-art computer graphics, and the most researched marketing strategies, these retailers have focused all of their energies, and all of their dollars, at establishing the perception that quality is the name of the game. All they’ve really done, however, is regurgitate the same old thing in a newer more glamorous package. The way I look at it, they’re selling the sizzle, with no concern whatsoever for the quality of the steak.

As discerning shoppers, it's up to us to see through the smoke and mirrors and find the best quality for ourselves and for our family. It’s up to us to find the steak; let everyone else “ooh” and “aah” about the sizzle. So I say: "Take a closer look!" At Hiller's, we sell the steak, not the sizzle, because that's what we think our customers want the most, and that's what we want most for our own families. Therefore, I encourage you to come and see us, take a closer look, and see what the steak is really all about. We'll trim it to your liking, of course.

Jim Hiller