Editor:
I write to encourage people to shop at Ridley’s Family Market.
This is not because of Ridley’s. I don’t know enough about that company to endorse it. So far, though, I am favorably impressed that Ridley’s is willing to take a chance on a grocery store in Wellington. Also, I have heard that Ridley’s let all of Bella’s employees keep their jobs. And if you have been to the store in the last few days, you will have seen the full shelves, the renewed produce offerings, and the return of the butcher shop. It’s a really good start.
I support Ridley’s because of the employees it kept on from Bella’s. My wife has mobility issues due to multiple sclerosis. The employees, including the manager, assistant manager, checkers, and baggers, were always willing to help her get items from the top shelves, to carry her grocery bags out to her pickup, and even to pick her up when she fell in the parking lot.
As Bella’s shelves emptied out, the employees kept trying. When there was no more shredded cheese, they shredded blocks of cheese from the deli to sell in plastic deli containers. When there was no more lunch meat, they sliced meats from the deli and offered it for sale in plastic bags. And they always helped my wife find what was available on the nearly empty shelves, and helped get her groceries to her pickup. That’s the kind of personal service that makes it worthwhile to support a local business.
I hope Ridley’s Family Market succeeds, mostly because it kept the local employees who worked so hard to make our local grocery store a good place to shop.
Please shop at Ridley’s.
Ed Harris
Wellington
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Excellent comment Ed!
My wife has been there several times already for odds and ends. She did her first full shopping the other day and said the selection was pretty decent, even though they didn’t have stuff like cheddar cheese sticks or many no sugar added items, and the prices seemed reasonable. We figure they are still getting up and running so we need to wait a month or two and let them get things stocked and learn the shopping habits of the town and get feedback on suggested items.
I’m 100% with you. I hope they succeed and stick around because we are even sacrificing our KS fuel points to help keep this store up and running 🙂 Hopefully many others will do the same. Time will tell.
When I found out about Ridley’s being from Idaho – I contacted cousins that live in Fernwood, ID and they hadn’t heard of it. I then contacted another cousin that lives in Nampa, ID and she says it is not in Nampa BUT where she goes to have her “hair done” does have a Ridley’s and she has shopped there – she says it is a great store and that – “when they have sales they are really sales” and she says it is a lot like KING SOOPERS in its sales and ads. When I found out that Ridley’s had taken over and the store was being stocked I went down just to check it out and when I walked in the front door – I felt myself smiling and happy being down there since Bella’s owner — Mancini had let Bella’s store go down to almost nothing shortly after he took it over.