By Eric Nelson

There are many changes and adjustments being made at Westlake IGA as a result of the community Save Our Store rally on June 1. With more than 150 residents in attendance and piles of emails submitted, the issues were defined by the participants and the suggestions they supplied were helpful and creative.

The DeLano family thanks all those who contributed to this learning process and want the community to know that they are working hard to implement the suggestions as quickly as possible. They appreciate their customers’ continued support and invite all to stop and shop at their market.

One of the suggestions at the SOS rally was to include UC Davis staff in the current discount program for UCD students. The DeLanos want to take that step a little further and offer the 5% Every Day-Everything Discount to all UCD and Davis Joint Unified School District employees.

They know that the local educators and staff have been hit hard by layoffs and furloughs and believe they can help stretch the food budgets a bit. So bring your employee ID and your grocery list!

During the rally, the “pricing” issue was thoroughly covered. Most of the people in attendance are Westlake IGA “regulars” who do some of their shopping at Westlake competitors and have found that Westlake’s prices are on par with other conventional grocery stores in town.

Jeff Zunich, Westlake store manager and buyer, said Westlake continually “shops” the competition to ensure that is prices are competitive. A couple of the neighbors attending the meeting had done their own comparison shopping and found their savings at Westlake were comparable to other conventional grocery retailers in town.

The overall consensus is that Westlake has a pricing perception problem, with many saying that if you are shopping for a specific item or doing a “convenience store drive-by” and find your one item to be higher in price, then the perception is that all the prices in the store are higher. But if you do a general grocery shopping, you will find the average cost is comparable.

The DeLanos are the first to admit that the non-grocery items like toilet paper, paper towels, pet food, cleaning products, disposable diapers, etc., are cheaper at the big-box stores (Target, Costco, Walmart) but they carry a limited selection to cover the “emergencies.”

Some cited the obvious major issue of the location of the shopping center and suggested that the city of Davis has a responsibility to provide adequate directional signage at the Russell and Covell intersections with Lake Boulevard, as it was the city that required the shopping center to be located in the interior of the neighborhood.

The deli was a prevalent element in the discussion. Many see this as a key component to their shopping experience. Dennis DeLano (owner/partner) indicated that with the sales volume the store was experiencing, the deli was a resource drain because there was not enough activity to keep the product fresh and cover the labor cost.

The deli will be back, better than ever, within the next couple weeks and the barbecue will be fired up!

The great green produce at good prices was listed as a major attraction, as was the high organic product selection. The gluten-free assortment was mentioned by several as being a reason to shop at Westlake IGA.

A member of the Cool Davis Initiative cited the fact that Westlake IGA is a certified “green business” and was one of the first retailers in Davis to meet or exceed the requirements for its highest classification.

It was also noted by the executive director of the Davis Chamber of Commerce that Westlake IGA was one of the first of only a couple groceries in town to sign the Picnic Day covenant and did not sell alcohol before 11 a.m.

But the biggest reason given for shopping at Westlake was the friendliness and responsiveness of the Westlake IGA store personnel. They know all the “regulars” by name without having to look at your check or card! And they will go out of their way to get that special item for you … just ask Scott or Jeff, the managers.

Most participants believe having a good grocery store within walking/biking distance to their home is very important for these reasons:

* Convenience;

* Reduces environmental impacts;

* Reduces auto expense;

* Creates a “community” nucleus and meeting place;

* Provides employment for local residents and students;

* Provides a sales opportunity for local growers and producers;

* Provides added value to the homeowners’ property;

* Gives college students a 5 percent discount and accepts Aggie Cash (no other grocery does);

* Gives senior citizens a 5 percent discount on Tuesdays and Saturdays;

* Supports the Davis Schools Foundation, parent-teacher organizations, Cub Scouts, school clubs and the Aggie Band-uh with donations and fundraising events; and

* Parents are comfortable sending their kids to the neighborhood grocery on an errand.

The DeLano family thanks the Davis community for its continued support and hopes that the improvements it is making as a result of the input it has received will bring many new or returning neighbors back to Westlake IGA. And they hope that faculty and staff of UC Davis and Davis schools will stop in for a visit.

— Eric Nelson is a West Davis resident and is a community liaison for Westlake IGA.

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Cath Kemp and Ben Jarrett, who live near Westlake IGA and are regular shoppers there, check out the fresh fruit in bins outside the market last December. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise file photo

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