Breaking Buzz
On April 22, 2010 Fresh & Easy Buzz reported that the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market store at Central & Adams in South Los Angeles (pictured above) was planning to start accepting WIC Vouchers, the paper coupons provided to poor mothers by the Woman, Infants and Children's program, which is a partnership between the U.S. Federal Government, state's and counties. [See - April 22, 2010: Breaking Buzz: Tesco's Fresh & Easy to Accept WIC Vouchers at its East Adams Store in South Los Angeles.]
The South Los Angeles Fresh & Easy market was supposed to begin accepting the WIC Vouchers by the end of April - or in early May.
However, Fresh & Easy Buzz has learned the Fresh & Easy store, which is located at 1025 East Adams Boulevard in low-income South Los Angeles, still isn't accepting WIC Vouchers.
Additionally, there is no set date for the South Los Angeles Fresh & Easy market to start taking the vouchers, which poor mothers can use to purchase specific items like infant formula, whole grain cereals and fresh produce, based on our reporting.
The 1025 East Adams Fresh & Easy store would be the first in the chain to accept WIC from poor mothers, if and when it starts taking the vouchers.
Based on our reporting, the problem is that Tesco's Fresh & Easy has yet to retrofit the point-of-sale checkout system in the store to accept the paper WIC Vouchers. Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores only accept cash and plastic debit and credit cards at checkout. Paper checks, manufacturers coupons (paper or electronic) and paper WIC Vouchers aren't honored at the 159 fresh food and grocery stores. As such, the store point-of-sale systems aren't designed to process paper.
When we published our piece on April 22, the Central & Easy Adams store had signs posted indicating it would soon start accepting WIC Vouchers. In addition, store workers were under the impression the market would soon begin honoring the vouchers. The signs announcing WIC are no longer posted in the store.
Since no system is in place to date to process the paper WIC Vouchers at the South Los Angeles Fresh & Easy store, and since, according to our sources, there exists no date in which the grocer plans to have the system up and running so the market can begin taking WIC Vouchers from shoppers, it appears accepting the WIC Vouchers isn't a current high-priority for Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's senior management in El Segundo, California.
Southern California-based Superior Grocers, a privately held regional grocery chain which accepts WIC Vouchers in all 34 of its supermarkets, has a store located not too far from the Fresh & Easy market at 1025 East Adams. Many neighborhood mothers who use WIC shop at the South Los Angeles Superior Grocers supermarket rather than at the Central & Adams Fresh & Easy store, even though they live closer to the Fresh & Easy unit, because Superior accepts WIC. The Superior Grocers' store opened in the neighborhood in 2009. The Fresh & Easy unit opened in February 2010.
At this point in time, based on our reporting, it appears Tesco's Fresh & Easy doesn't have a goal in place in terms of having a specific date in which it plans to start accepting WIC Vouchers at the Central & Adams Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market store in South Los Angeles.
Linkage: Related Stories in Fresh & Easy Buzz
February 23, 2010: Food Deserts & WIC Vouchers: Half A Loaf For the New Fresh & Easy Store Opening Tomorrow in South Los Angeles
February 20, 2010: Fresh & Easy Store Opens its Doors in South Los Angeles
July 2008: Tesco's to Open A Fresh & Easy Grocery Market in Low Income, Underserved South Central Los Angeles Neighborhood.
July 11, 2008: 'Food Desert' Neighborhoods and Southern California: More on the Fresh & Easy Store Planned For South Central Los Angeles
July 15, 2008: Fresh Food to Bloom in An Inner-City Food Desert: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Breaks Ground For New Store in Underserved South Los Angeles Neighborhood]
March 20, 2009: Federal Government Spending Bill Increases WIC Voucher Program Dollars by $1.2 Billion; 21 Percent Increase
March 7, 2009: Analysis & Commentary: The Seven Retail Operations Changes Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Needs to Make to Help it Get On the Success Track
December 29, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy, 'Food Deserts' and WIC Vouchers; A 'Year-End' Analysis & Commentary
September 7, 2008: Analysis & Commentary: Should Tesco's Fresh & Easy Put An Asterisk Next to its Motto? Yes; Unless it Corrects Four Operational Omissions.
June 3, 2008: Fresh & Easy Buzz Redux: Barack Obama to Tesco's Fresh & Easy in Our February 13 Piece: 'Build More Stores in Underserved Neighborhoods'
May 12, 2008: Food Deserts: Coalition to Create 'Blue Ribbon' Commission, Draft Report to Encourage Grocers to Open Stores in Underserved Los Angeles Neighborhoods
February 13, 2008: Leading Democratic Candidate for President Barack Obama Joins Group in Asking Tesco's Fresh & Easy to Put More Stores in Underserved Neighborhoods
September 23, 2008: Food Retailing, Society & Economics: 'Food Deserts' and Public Health
August 11, 2008: Arizona Region Market Report: Which Food Retailer Will Seize the Opportunity Offered by the Lack of a Grocery Store in Downtown Tempe, Arizona?
July 29, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy and San Francisco's Tenderloin Redux: Upcoming Developments Offer First Mover Opportunity For Fresh & Easy or Competitors
July 15, 2008: Fresh Food to Bloom in An Inner-City Food Desert: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Breaks Ground For New Store in Underserved South Los Angeles Neighborhood
July 2, 2008: Tesco's to Open A Fresh & Easy Grocery Market in Low Income, Underserved South Central Los Angeles Neighborhood
July 11, 2008: 'Food Desert' Neighborhoods and Southern California: More on the Fresh & Easy Store Planned For South Central Los Angeles
July 6, 2008: Former NBA Great Earvin 'Magic' Johnson is Working His Business Magic in Urban, Inner City Neighborhoods; We Offer An Idea For Tesco's Fresh & Easy
May 28, 2008: Las Vegas Market Report: A 'Food Desert' Neighborhood to Get A New Grocery Store; But it's Not A Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market
May 14, 2008: New Foods At Fresh & Easy: Los Angeles' 'Homeboy Bakery' and Tesco's Fresh & Easy Could Be A Match 'Made in Heaven'
June 1, 2008: Upcoming New Markets Special Report: From Food Desert to Urban Oasis? Tuesday Election Could Change San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point Forever
April 30, 2008: (Grocery) Storeless in Seattle: Food Deserts in Urban and Inner-City Seattle, Washington; Might be a 911 Call to Tesco's Fresh & Easy?
April 27, 2008: New Study Points to Increasing Urban 'Food Deserts' In North America: Locating Stores in 'Food Deserts' A Part of Fresh & Easy's Strategy
April 29, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy an Issue in Sacramento, California Mayor's Race A Year Before its First Store in the Capital City Even Opens
April 13, 2008: San Francisco: Cool Bay Breezes, A City Full of History, Cable Cars--And A 'Fresh & Easy' State of Mind
March 7, 2008: Former NBA All-Star and Sacramento Native Kevin Johnson is the Driving Force Behind a Fresh & Easy Market in Sacramento's Oak Park Neighborhood
February 19, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Serving as an Economic Stimulus Package of Sorts for California's Troubled Commercial Retail Real Estate Industry
February 10, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Opens Latest New Store in 'Food Desert' City of Compton, California
On April 22, 2010 Fresh & Easy Buzz reported that the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market store at Central & Adams in South Los Angeles (pictured above) was planning to start accepting WIC Vouchers, the paper coupons provided to poor mothers by the Woman, Infants and Children's program, which is a partnership between the U.S. Federal Government, state's and counties. [See - April 22, 2010: Breaking Buzz: Tesco's Fresh & Easy to Accept WIC Vouchers at its East Adams Store in South Los Angeles.]
The South Los Angeles Fresh & Easy market was supposed to begin accepting the WIC Vouchers by the end of April - or in early May.
However, Fresh & Easy Buzz has learned the Fresh & Easy store, which is located at 1025 East Adams Boulevard in low-income South Los Angeles, still isn't accepting WIC Vouchers.
Additionally, there is no set date for the South Los Angeles Fresh & Easy market to start taking the vouchers, which poor mothers can use to purchase specific items like infant formula, whole grain cereals and fresh produce, based on our reporting.
The 1025 East Adams Fresh & Easy store would be the first in the chain to accept WIC from poor mothers, if and when it starts taking the vouchers.
Based on our reporting, the problem is that Tesco's Fresh & Easy has yet to retrofit the point-of-sale checkout system in the store to accept the paper WIC Vouchers. Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores only accept cash and plastic debit and credit cards at checkout. Paper checks, manufacturers coupons (paper or electronic) and paper WIC Vouchers aren't honored at the 159 fresh food and grocery stores. As such, the store point-of-sale systems aren't designed to process paper.
When we published our piece on April 22, the Central & Easy Adams store had signs posted indicating it would soon start accepting WIC Vouchers. In addition, store workers were under the impression the market would soon begin honoring the vouchers. The signs announcing WIC are no longer posted in the store.
Since no system is in place to date to process the paper WIC Vouchers at the South Los Angeles Fresh & Easy store, and since, according to our sources, there exists no date in which the grocer plans to have the system up and running so the market can begin taking WIC Vouchers from shoppers, it appears accepting the WIC Vouchers isn't a current high-priority for Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's senior management in El Segundo, California.
Southern California-based Superior Grocers, a privately held regional grocery chain which accepts WIC Vouchers in all 34 of its supermarkets, has a store located not too far from the Fresh & Easy market at 1025 East Adams. Many neighborhood mothers who use WIC shop at the South Los Angeles Superior Grocers supermarket rather than at the Central & Adams Fresh & Easy store, even though they live closer to the Fresh & Easy unit, because Superior accepts WIC. The Superior Grocers' store opened in the neighborhood in 2009. The Fresh & Easy unit opened in February 2010.
At this point in time, based on our reporting, it appears Tesco's Fresh & Easy doesn't have a goal in place in terms of having a specific date in which it plans to start accepting WIC Vouchers at the Central & Adams Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market store in South Los Angeles.
Linkage: Related Stories in Fresh & Easy Buzz
February 23, 2010: Food Deserts & WIC Vouchers: Half A Loaf For the New Fresh & Easy Store Opening Tomorrow in South Los Angeles
February 20, 2010: Fresh & Easy Store Opens its Doors in South Los Angeles
July 2008: Tesco's to Open A Fresh & Easy Grocery Market in Low Income, Underserved South Central Los Angeles Neighborhood.
July 11, 2008: 'Food Desert' Neighborhoods and Southern California: More on the Fresh & Easy Store Planned For South Central Los Angeles
July 15, 2008: Fresh Food to Bloom in An Inner-City Food Desert: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Breaks Ground For New Store in Underserved South Los Angeles Neighborhood]
March 20, 2009: Federal Government Spending Bill Increases WIC Voucher Program Dollars by $1.2 Billion; 21 Percent Increase
March 7, 2009: Analysis & Commentary: The Seven Retail Operations Changes Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Needs to Make to Help it Get On the Success Track
December 29, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy, 'Food Deserts' and WIC Vouchers; A 'Year-End' Analysis & Commentary
September 7, 2008: Analysis & Commentary: Should Tesco's Fresh & Easy Put An Asterisk Next to its Motto? Yes; Unless it Corrects Four Operational Omissions.
June 3, 2008: Fresh & Easy Buzz Redux: Barack Obama to Tesco's Fresh & Easy in Our February 13 Piece: 'Build More Stores in Underserved Neighborhoods'
May 12, 2008: Food Deserts: Coalition to Create 'Blue Ribbon' Commission, Draft Report to Encourage Grocers to Open Stores in Underserved Los Angeles Neighborhoods
February 13, 2008: Leading Democratic Candidate for President Barack Obama Joins Group in Asking Tesco's Fresh & Easy to Put More Stores in Underserved Neighborhoods
September 23, 2008: Food Retailing, Society & Economics: 'Food Deserts' and Public Health
August 11, 2008: Arizona Region Market Report: Which Food Retailer Will Seize the Opportunity Offered by the Lack of a Grocery Store in Downtown Tempe, Arizona?
July 29, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy and San Francisco's Tenderloin Redux: Upcoming Developments Offer First Mover Opportunity For Fresh & Easy or Competitors
July 15, 2008: Fresh Food to Bloom in An Inner-City Food Desert: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Breaks Ground For New Store in Underserved South Los Angeles Neighborhood
July 2, 2008: Tesco's to Open A Fresh & Easy Grocery Market in Low Income, Underserved South Central Los Angeles Neighborhood
July 11, 2008: 'Food Desert' Neighborhoods and Southern California: More on the Fresh & Easy Store Planned For South Central Los Angeles
July 6, 2008: Former NBA Great Earvin 'Magic' Johnson is Working His Business Magic in Urban, Inner City Neighborhoods; We Offer An Idea For Tesco's Fresh & Easy
May 28, 2008: Las Vegas Market Report: A 'Food Desert' Neighborhood to Get A New Grocery Store; But it's Not A Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market
May 14, 2008: New Foods At Fresh & Easy: Los Angeles' 'Homeboy Bakery' and Tesco's Fresh & Easy Could Be A Match 'Made in Heaven'
June 1, 2008: Upcoming New Markets Special Report: From Food Desert to Urban Oasis? Tuesday Election Could Change San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point Forever
April 30, 2008: (Grocery) Storeless in Seattle: Food Deserts in Urban and Inner-City Seattle, Washington; Might be a 911 Call to Tesco's Fresh & Easy?
April 27, 2008: New Study Points to Increasing Urban 'Food Deserts' In North America: Locating Stores in 'Food Deserts' A Part of Fresh & Easy's Strategy
April 29, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy an Issue in Sacramento, California Mayor's Race A Year Before its First Store in the Capital City Even Opens
April 13, 2008: San Francisco: Cool Bay Breezes, A City Full of History, Cable Cars--And A 'Fresh & Easy' State of Mind
March 7, 2008: Former NBA All-Star and Sacramento Native Kevin Johnson is the Driving Force Behind a Fresh & Easy Market in Sacramento's Oak Park Neighborhood
February 19, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Serving as an Economic Stimulus Package of Sorts for California's Troubled Commercial Retail Real Estate Industry
February 10, 2008: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Opens Latest New Store in 'Food Desert' City of Compton, California
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