About a dozen years ago, a very friendly Greek fellow opened a small grocery named Bizios in an affluent but poorly served location at the corner of two four lane streets, 3 minutes from our house.
It was an odd business to start in a world of supermarkets, yet they have thrived through the years, despite a behemoth Meijer store selling oranges to Nikes opened 2 minutes further away. It has a Starbucks and a gas station in the parking lot.
Meijer has done well too, but Bizios has won the bulk of our business though many of the small stores across the street have failed and the office complex and bank across the other street are now largely empty.
Why do we do the bulk of our food shopping at Bizios even though Dannon yogurt and Bay’s English Muffins cost considerably more than at Meijer? What can any small business learn from Bizio’s success?
The most common client tends to be older, have a small living group, and buy small amounts each time. They want high quality homemade food, friendly checkout people, short lines, and parking very close to the store. They don’t look at supermarket ads and price is not foremost, but it is still important.
For me, and I know I am not alone, the fresh fruit and vegetables are absolutely critical. Right now they have Cara Cara and Satsuma oranges and fresh squeezed orange juice. Meijer does not have them. I will pay a premium for them, and keep coming back to get them. They have superb blueberries almost all year and strawberries that are better than Meijer.
Most of us tend to be creatures of habit and I treasure the berries. When the jumbo blueberries arrive from Northern Mexico and California, I will call the store and ask for Nick or Lou who manage it these days to check if the “good” blueberries have arrived. They will know exactly what I mean. If they did not arrive they will tell me so I don’t waste a trip.
When Covid was at its peak I called to check on the berries and if they were there. They would deliver them to my car so I did not have to enter the store. That is how you get a long-term client who will pay a premium.
I know my passion for berries and Cara Cara oranges is not everybody’s, but I am sure that Bizios also appeals to the food and wine and liquor desires of many folks who will then buy their milk and yogurt and potatoes at the same time.
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A machining company in America faces problems not totally different from the local Bizios except that their competition may be in Mexico or China. Their big customers claim to be single-mindedly concerned with price. Quality is a given. But is it really just price?
For those dedicated only to low prices, ask for what they struggle to find elsewhere. If they are impossible to please except by cutting prices, discard them for somebody who will not play that game. They will come back. Or who cares?
At Graff-Pinkert, we approach the market by focusing on doing what we do well. We look for the jumbo blueberries when nobody else has them. We search for the weird machines that exist nowhere else in the world. We cultivate long-term clients and do what nobody else does, like original blogs and podcasts.
Your shop can do well. You can’t be like everybody else. You need to find the right niche and know your berries.
Question: What does your shop do that others don’t?
