DeMoulas' Market Basket

DeMoulas Market Basket is a grocery store chain operating approximately 60 stores across the state of New Hampshire and the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Originally started in a small store in Lowell, MA, two brothers bought the small grocery store from their parents in the early 1950s and a few years later started to expand. Today, they are located out of Tewksbury, MA. The story of success is that of the American Dream, immigrant parents who started the beginning of a multi-billion dollar company.

Rather than relying on flashy marketing and discount cards to increase business, Market Basket (affectionately known to its employees as "The MB," or disaffectionately as "The Bucket") simply prices everything reasonably and keeps costs of labor, overhead and upkeep down. In essence, the chain follows a traditionalist mentality. This strategy is highly successful for its private owners, basically operating as a profit-making machine. Employees do however profit very well from these profits as well. Demoulas Supermarkets Inc. employees have the best retirement plan and structure in the country. Many plans have been modeled after this plan and it is cited for its valuable and excellently managed continuation.

However, further expansion is likely to be very limited, due to the lack of qualified workers. The clientele will most likely remain in the older and lower-income demographics. But, with expansion potential into new areas, this may change as consumers realize that at Market Basket, you will always get "More for Your Dollar." The threat of expansion in New England by Wal-Mart could also become problematic.

During the 90's there was a disagreement between the two sides of the family which owned the store. The court case that followed essentially gave several of the stores to one side, and the rest to the other. This is thought to be the reason why some of the stores are known as "Market Baskets" and some are known as "Demoulas."

The structure of the company is somewhat unclearly defined and is hard to determine. The president of the company is Arthur Demoulas (Arty Demoulas). His father was Telamachus Demoulas, sometimes referred to as Mike and TA. He died in the spring of 2004, working right up to a week before his death. His death was unexpected and left a heavy heart in many of his faithful employees.

Market Basket Uniform Guide

Market Basket, being very traditional, has not gone to the Polo shirt system of uniforming employees yet. In addition to the following company-provided uniforms, all male employees must wear white shirts and ties, and jeans are not allowed. While this may seem out of date, this strict and rigid structure makes sure Market Basket stands out from their competition. At Market Basket, all men look professional and orderly. The polo system, although popular, is believed to make a store look unorganized, unprofessional, and shows that the workers do not take their positions and service to the customers seriously. Market Basket and DeMoulas shows that professionalism and traditional dress make the perfect work environment.

• Suits: Corporate (Main Office / Executive Offices) supervisor
• Maroon Sport Coat: Store manager
• Red Jacket: Department Manager (Dairy, Produce, Grocery, Front End(Head Cashier), Class 50, Office Manager)
• White Overcoat w/ White Apron: Meat Clerk/Bakery Clerk
• Grey Overcoat w/ Red Apron: Deli Clerk (Also Dark Maroon Hat)
• Green Jacket: Produce Clerk (Also Green Hat)
• Blue Jacket: Grocery/Courtesy Booth/Ends/Frozen Food/Dairy Clerk/Front End Assistant Manager
• Maroon Jacket: Cashier
• Blue Apron: Bagger