Well here it goes my first Review.
I have lived around the corner from Allens Super Save for years and years. My mother worked for Allen's Bakery for almost eight years, even becoming manager of that Bakery. So I have had alot of expireince with it and it's values.
I would like to start that this company started as a Small Drive Through and grew to the chain of stores that is now in opreration. Quite the American Dream, starting a company from scratch and watching it grow tto feed your family and the Comunity around you. And that is the Ideal that this website is meant to uphold and continue.
It should be said however that the man who started this company is no longer living. The company is now in the hands of Steve Allen, the original owners son. And it can be said that he has not been the best leader of this community run buisness.
I personally can only speak from expirience. I remember that when my mother was working in the Bakery she had alot of problem moving up in the company. The Management chose other less qualified people to take over management when the opportunity arose because they were Male. This is definately a draw back in my book. Then when she did become Manager, the polocies changed drastically to emulate larger Corporations. They went from freshly made and baked Donuts to Frozen Donuts that taste like any other out there @ Smiths or Albertsons. That is just a minor example of the big picture. The Larger picture is that they start to sell out, take profit Gains over Quality of Product. This, I have heard has even made it into the way the employees are treated. When you walked into Allen's you expected a type of service, that was always brought by the wonderful people who worked there. Most of those people are gone. Because of buisness practices that once again cut the Benefits and Pay of the Employees in favor of the short term gain in the pockets of the already wealthy. There have also been alot of Rumors that Allens might at sometime be bought out by Associated food, and this comunity doesn't need that especially after Macy's sold out.
If you can hear my spite I say good. I never said that this website was going to be nice. I just say that the truth as I see it should be known. If anyone else has anything contrary to say then bring it on. I would love to be proven wrong.
On a good note, it is still locally owned and operated. The employees are all people who live in our comunity. And the closer to the Tree the closer to the Fruit. Right? if the Buck stops in Utah County then it stays in Utah County and we all benefiet from that.
I have been getting alot of people who tell me that it is a very Idealistic thing that I am doing here. That there is no hope for small Buisness and that it is cheaper to go to Walmart anyway. Well it is true that Walmart can buy in Bulk for much cheaper than local competitors, so that they can slash their prices down to put other buisnesses out. But when you think of the distance to Walmart you might be paying just as much in the Gas to and from. When you buy from Walmart the money doesn't go to local people here in our comunity. Even the managers are not paid what they are worth. The money goes to some office where a man in a suit who probably never spent a day of his life doing some honest work, puts it in his Bank account and goes to Bocca Raton or wherever. while after words he cuts the benefiets of the employee so they can't even go on a vacation at all. Then there is the overwhelming statistic that makes me sick to my stomach to hear. For every 1 job that Walmart Creates in the cmmunity, it destroys 9 others in the comunity. by putting local buisness, out of buisness.
To me it just makes sense. It isn't about Idealism, it's about survival. It's about making sure that myself and my family can get out from under this Glass ceiling called Middle class and poverty, to share in the Abundance called Wealth.
haha
I spoke alot
the end
dlb
