It is the goal of “HELP SAVE THE BUTCHERS!” to offer it’s members the tools necessary to compete in today’s competitive retail market. Our program covers several areas of the retail meat business that can help independent retailers become a major factor in their retail market, establishing themselves as the place to go, when their customer wants fresh cut meat. We also offer tools to help retailers with well established meat sales improve in other areas.
- Cutting tests give the retailer information that can help improve gross profits.
- Inventory programs help identify and track shrink.
- Case plan-a-grams help maximize sales per customer.
- Merchandising techniques that improve gross profits and offer a value to the consumer.
- Access to promotional items that, promote the “Help Save The Butchers!” image of a store.
- Unique identity that can not be duplicated by the superstores.
Our founder, Bob Buonomano, has been cutting meat for over thirty-nine years. His expertise ranges from the initial setup and the everyday management of superstore meat departments that did over a quarter of a million dollars per week to the owning of four supermarkets and total store operations. For the last twenty three years of being an independent retailer and while with the superstores Bob has trained and mentored many meat managers and meat cutters. As a store owner he realized the value of a well run meat department to today’s retailer.
Within three and one half miles of his present IGA supermarket, Bob has four major superstore competitors and the first Wal-Mart superstore in the state of Connecticut. Having a Wal-Mart superstore as a major competitor, that sold meat but did not have meat cutters in-store cutting it, led him to believe that the one available identity for today’s independent retailer is that of a community store with fresh cut, butcher shop quality meat. This realization gave birth to the “Help save the butchers!” organization. While most stores lose sales when Wal-Mart opens a superstore near them, “Help Save The Butchers!” has helped his IGA supermarket to have double digit increases in sales, especially in the meat department. For the last ten years he has been involved with a group of five retailers that have formed a Retailers Ad Group. This group is the core of what has become a master mind group where retailers share their problems, their successes and their expertise. This type of group allows an independent retailer to be in business for himself but not by himself.
The philosophy of the “help save the butchers!” organization is to give it’s members the strength and knowledge of many but an individual identity that can not be duplicated by the superstores.