Bashas' is in the news again. Up 'til now my understanding was that through their bankruptcy and restructuring none of the Tucson stores would close. Today the news reported that two of our Tucson area stores will be closing.
This is very sad. Bashas' is Arizona's largest privately (and locally) owned grocery store. This is Arizona's 12th largest employer. At one time Bashas' was the 2nd largest employer after Walmart! This is an important part of our states economy.
The Bashas' family also lives and participates in our community. They have given countless hours and dollars to charities and on boards.
Please go an extra mile next time you need groceries and seek out a Bashas', Food City or AJs. You will be glad you did.
I shop at Bashas' weekly and find it a very rewarding experience. They have the best customer service of any grocery store I have been to and carry all the regular items I like to buy.
Below is a reprint of a letter Kimber Lanning of Local First Arizona wrote. She has been quite close with the Basha's family and they have been very supportive of her work advocating for locally-owned businesses in Arizona.
Thank you, Bashas', and good luck.
As a proud Arizonan, I was alarmed at Bashas' Chapter 11 filing last week. As our hometown grocer, Bashas' family of stores holds a special place in our hearts. In addition to being one of the biggest contributors to Arizona charities, Bashas' is also the state's 12th largest employer.
I have no doubt Bashas' will emerge from these bankruptcy proceedings a better company, but right now I can not encourage you enough to make the effort to shop locally. This is the time for Arizona to stand up and say enough!
We understand that investing in ourselves is the smartest, most sustainable thing we can do for our communities. In addition to their staff, Bashas' also employs a team of accountants, attorneys, sign makers, web developers and others who live right here in Arizona. Bashas' makes the effort to buy their office products from Wist, another Arizona company, and they have a credit union for their workers, which means more money staying here to be invested.
If you are a service provider of any kind, you know first hand how important it is to have strong Arizona businesses. Out of state corporations, even those operating here among us, do not hire locals for their administrative work, and that includes marketers, graphic designers, promotions people and a whole host of other jobs that are outsourced every day.
We are all in this together. Remember, almost three times more of our money stays here in Arizona when we shop locally, and that money goes to our libraries, our parks, our fire departments.
We are seeking long-term solutions for our great state, and a big part of that is supporting Arizona's own companies. Please take a moment to reflect on a personal story that you have that relates to the Basha family. Perhaps it was the cookies donated to your child's Little League team, or a charity that Eddie's wife Nadine funded. Or, like me, maybe Eddie Basha came to your Coalition for World Peace class at ASU in 1985 and significantly changed the way you thought about the world.
These are hometown folks that need us now. Go the extra mile to reach a Bashas', AJ's, or Food City store near you. Because of your effort, Arizona will be a better place.
Locally yours,
Kimber Lanning
Director
Local First Arizona
(602) 956-0909
www.localfirstaz.com
