Supermarkets are a scourge on all suppliers. They will grind them into the ground to get the price or threaten to stop trading with them. Capitalism at its finest I guess.
I use a supermarket in Spain called Mercadona. It’s family owned so it can do what it wants without being checked by shareholder responsibility.
It’s response to the floods has been phenomenal from donating food to charity kitchens to feed those who are not in a position to do it for themselves and has also set aside money to help it’s staff who have lost homes, cars or suffered damage etc.
The passage below was posted 7 days ago but it outlines their commitment to the people and their staff.
Assuming that the employees have insurance for their lost/damaged homes and cars, the money being put up by the company is incredible.
Setting up a fund to help small businesses too is something else.
Mercadona, Spain's leading food retailer and the dominant player in the Valencia region, responded quickly to the recent floods that hit the area at the end of October. The chain, which is already active in food assistance and relief efforts, announced a €40 million allocation to support employees affected by the disaster. Among the aid provided, those affected will receive up to €50.000 for devastated homes, up to €15.000 for the loss of vehicles, and various contributions based on the damage suffered.
In parallel, the president of Mercadona, Juan Roig, has launched a support platform for Valencian small and medium-sized businesses affected by the emergency, with a non-repayable fund of 25 million euros and contributions of up to 10.000 euros per company.
In addition to financial support, Mercadona has urgently distributed food and water to the affected populations, delivering more than 300 tons of food, 1.200 pallets of water and around 15.000 hot meals daily, using its warehouses and vehicles in collaboration with local suppliers.