Last updated on July 28th, 2024 at 03:01 pm
Many retailers believe that to succeed in business they need to focus on future-forward goals and distance themselves from the old ways of doing things. For family-run Cosentino’s Food Stores, The Shelby Report of the Midwest’s 2024 Retailer of the Year, leveraging how business was done in the past has played a central role in its success.
The Cosentino family has been in the grocery store business since 1948. Concentrating on the Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri markets, this family-run operation has grown to 31 stores. Employing more than 4,300 and operating under four distinct banners – Price Chopper, Sun Fresh, Apple Market and Cosentino’s Market – customer service is the heart of everything the company does.
This is an operation run by three (soon to be four) generations of family. Most don’t use business titles – if they even have one – and that’s because they were trained from a young age to do most every job in the store.
Each family member is expected to learn the grocery industry from the ground up, often working as a stocker or sacker, and their teachers are their grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts.
The theme of those lessons centers around providing the highest level of friendly and courteous customer service from the moment shoppers enter the store to the minute they leave.
Group President David Cosentino recalls how he and his brothers, John and Jamie, were taught by their first-generation relatives the importance of good customer service and how to accommodate the customer.
“We were shown how to go the extra mile and the importance of getting to know our customers on a personal level. That message stuck with all of us as we were being raised in the family business.
“Our elders laid the foundation. From there, we surrounded ourselves with teammates who are as passionate about the business as we are. It takes a village, and we are a truly blessed company. I can’t say enough about our teammates. They are loyal, dedicated, and we take a lot of pride in what we have accomplished together.”
David’s first job was as a sacker, and he worked his way up to stocker and then receiving, where he unloaded trucks.
“Back in those days, we had major competition to deal with, including Safeway and A&P. The difference between us and them was our willingness to go above and beyond,” David said.
He recalled times when a customer was looking for something Cosentino’s didn’t carry. He would send an employee to a competitor to buy the item off the shelf and bring it back to the customer.
“That’s how the first generation got the respect of the shoppers. They worked hard, people loved them, and they loved their customers enough to know them on a personal level,” he said. “We have survived as an independent grocer for 76 years because we never strayed from our core values and the lessons ingrained in us at a young age regarding customer service and how to accommodate the needs of our customers.”
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Operations Supervisor Dante Cosentino, part of the family’s third generation in the business, saw firsthand how his relatives worked in various roles. He started out pushing carts and sacking groceries with his cousin, Victor. Every college break was spent at the stores, learning how different departments operated.
“It was important to our family that we all have a broad knowledge of this industry. All of us spend a lot of time working our way through the departments, learning the ins and outs of how our family grocery business works,” Dante explained. “In some of our stores, we have first, second, third and fourth generations working [together]. That really stands out to employees and customers alike on how we are actively involved in our stores.”
It seems clear that the younger generations studied those before them and melded their family’s management style, work habits and expectations and developed their own take.
“My dad was the epitome of a professional grocer,” said Group EVP John Cosentino, second generation. “He was so good at what he did. He knew exactly when to make the right decisions and then taught us that skill. He also taught us the value of how to sit back and just listen. And during the last part of his life, he sat back and listened to us.”
And as other family members have echoed, John said learning the importance of what good customer service means is ingrained in every person who comes to work at the store. “From our very early days in this business, my family was so connected to their customers, and it remains true to this day. We will never stray from this – I don’t care how much technology comes into play. We’re not only in the food business, we’re in the people business. We’ll never get away from that.”
John also agreed with family members that their focus on the customer is one of the key reasons Cosentino Food Stores has thrived for three-quarters of a century.
“This is tougher today than ever to achieve, but you put good people together and you can do good things,” he said. “Each generation learns what’s important from the other and then passes that on to their team.
“Our customers shop with us because they see the atmosphere, the passion, the cleanliness and the effort we make every day to give back to them.”
