For Amy Parnell, being an independent grocer isn’t just a business model – it’s her passion. As owner of Moose’s Market in Higginsville, Missouri, she has spent the past nine years shaping the store on her own terms, guided by lessons learned growing up in the grocery business and her love for serving people.
“I was born and raised in grocery stores,” Parnell said. “All through high school and college, I worked at my parents’ grocery store. And I do love it.”
That lifelong connection drew her back to the industry after a career in speech therapy. When her father called with a proposition to purchase a store, she realized it was time to return to her first love.
When he learned that the owner of the grocery store in Higginsville – at that time a Country Mart – wanted to sell, he gave his daughter a call.
“He’s like, ‘Moose, I got a proposition for you,’” said Parnell, explaining that Moose is the nickname her dad gave her when she was a child.
“My dad calls me Moose. I’m just stubborn,” she said with a laugh.
Parnell did not hesitate and agreed to buy the store, which was renamed Moose’s Market.
Although she grew up in Branson, Parnell said she was familiar with Higginsville and the surrounding towns. She set about to make the store her own.
Focus on customers
From the beginning, Parnell immersed herself in every detail. “I worked open-to-close in the beginning,” she said. “Because there were things I needed to learn.”
That determination was paired with a focus on people. “It is all about the customers. If you don’t have customers, we don’t have jobs. What do you do to make that customer feel special? Every time you see a customer walking down the aisle, ‘How are you today?’ ‘Can we help you find something?’ Because you may be the only person that spoke to that person.”
Parnell said her staff knows not to ask if a customer wants help taking their groceries out. “You assume they do. Then if they tell you no, you let them take it out.”
She added that it is important to learn your shoppers. “You build relationships. You make them feel special when they come into the store.”
Parnell also has worked to shape the store’s role in the community. Moose’s Market supports local groups such as the VFW, Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus and the high school football camp, which it sponsors by feeding hundreds of boys each summer.
“Anything that we get asked, we try to do our best,” Parnell said.
Making decisions her way
Parnell has found being an independent retailer most meaningful when she can make decisions based on care, not policy. Moose’s offers free delivery to senior centers and assisted living facilities. It also “learns the people you deliver to.”
Parnell remembers one customer who had suffered a stroke. She said she knows, as a speech therapist, that there are things you can do to help a person maintain their independence when living alone.
“She couldn’t untie her bread ties,” Parnell said. “So, there were certain things when we delivered her groceries that we could do; that way, she’s still successful at living at home.”
That same level of care applies at the checkout.
“If a person is $20 short, I’ll probably cover it. Not if they abuse it, but especially if they have kids,” she said. “Is it fair for that kid to have to see their mom struggle, or their dad? Sometimes, you just help.”
Challenges of independence
Running a small, independent grocery isn’t without struggles. Parnell employs 35 to 40 people, offering health, dental, 401(k), paid holidays and vacation despite rising costs.
One of the biggest challenges is the state-mandated minimum wage, which was scheduled to increase to $13.75 on Aug. 28.
Parnell said she has some long-tenured employees, and she tries to remain competitive with wages. With the increase, hiring part-time help such as high schoolers can be difficult.
“Minimum wage, I will tell you, it’s very, very hard for a small-town business,” she said. “But we try to make it a family, because we’re a team, and we’ve all got to work together.”
To show their appreciation for employees, she and her husband, Greg, who helps in the business, closed the store early and rented the local bowling alley last year for a Christmas party. The store provided food and non-alcoholic drinks, along with gifts given out during the evening.
Parnell has invested in technology and energy savings to keep the store competitive, installing solar panels along with buying new registers and computer systems and upgrading equipment. The store has just launched a Moose’s app, which features a loyalty program and digital coupons. Online ordering is expected later this year.
“We can’t be a Walmart, we can’t be a Hy-Vee, because we’re an independent store,” Parnell said. “But we try our best to be as competitive as anything.”
What sets Moose’s apart
For many in Higginsville, Moose’s is best known for its deli and meat departments. “I know that a lot of people like our fried chicken,” Parnell said.
The deli also provides daily lunch specials, custom cakes and catering. The meat department is especially popular for smoked meats. Parnell has someone come in three days a week to smoke meat, and they recently purchased new hot cases for the deli to accommodate those items. Customers also can call in advance to order larger quantities of smoked meats.
Moose’s also supplies local restaurants along with the nearby Odessa VFW and senior center, further connecting the store to the communities it serves.
Parnell also uses the store’s mascot – a moose, of course – to have fun and connect with customers. She has a large stuffed animal moose that she uses in the store for merchandising. She also has a scarecrow that features a moose’s head outside in front of the store.
“Every year I decorate this moose head,” she said. “We give him a different theme. I’ll never forget my dad looking at me and saying, ‘Why did you buy this?’ We make him Santa Claus. We make him the Easter Bunny. You never know what he’s going to be.”
Parnell’s merchandising skills have earned her a Creative Choice Award through the National Grocers Association and two awards through her supplier, Associated Wholesale Grocers.
“We just do different things to keep the moose theme going,” she said, adding that a cousin recently donated a pair of moose antlers to the store. “If I can put my logo out there and get my name out there, it’s important.”
Always present
For Parnell, independence also means responsibility – staying visible, present and accountable.
“I’m at my store every single day … I’m in and out. I live five minutes away,” she said. “If they call me and they’re busy, I go in there. That’s what you do, because you want them to feel comfortable.”
As Moose’s Market approaches its ninth anniversary, Parnell reflects on what has made the journey meaningful. She relishes what being an independent grocer means.
“I get to make my own decisions … I like it because if I want to say, ‘No, we’re not going to do this,’ then we’re not doing it. You get to do it your way.”
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