After recently celebrating a landmark 40th anniversary, the Big M in Sherburne has proven itself a staple in the northern Chenango County village, giving locals a convenient place to turn to for dry goods, produce, deli and household items. And while the days of reminiscing with a small town grocer are long gone, store owner Jim Fowler and his employees might just be the next best thing for thousands of Sherburne area residents.
I was given the opportunity to observe behind the scenes of the small grocery franchise for this week’s Punching the Clock series. Of course, grocery stores aren’t exactly uncharted territory for me, so I had an idea of what to expect: clerks bagging groceries and stocking shelves, customers pushing squeaky shopping carts down every aisle, and pallets full of back stock in a storage area that’s hidden by double swinging doors and a sign that reads “employees only.”
But there’s more to the Sherburn Big M and its 40-plus employees that sets it apart from big box grocery chains, explained store manager Jeff Collins. While the store’s move to a larger location four years ago made it more competitive with larger grocery chains, he said the Big M holds true to its small town customs.
“This is a small town store,” he said, noting that only 1,200 to 1,500 customers go through check-out every day. “You get to know a lot of the customers by name. You almost know what they’re going to get while they’re here.”
Collins, a five-year employee of the Big M, said its a “typical grocery store” that goes the extra mile, in a literal sense. Big M employees still make weekly deliveries to area residents who struggle to leave home - a personal service some larger chains simply don’t offer, he told me. Moreover, store attendants provide an extra set of hands with a carry-out service for every customer (one of the tasks assigned to me in my brief stint as a grocery clerk).
“It’s a service you don’t usually get anyplace else,” said Collins.
Perhaps the store’s most distinguished department, added Collins, is its deli. Most everything pre-assembled at the Big M deli is prepared from scratch on a daily basis. From salads to sandwiches to hot dishes, it’s about as home cooked as one can get without actually cooking at home.
“One neat thing about us, about 95 percent of our items are in-house ... not a lot of stores can say they peel their own potatos anymore,” Collins pointed out.
For Jim Fowler, tailoring to customer requests is what has kept the store a success.
“We really take a good deal of pride in knowing most of our customers. Our attitude is always that we’re here to serve them.” Fowler said, also mentioning that the Big M has outlasted larger grocery chains in the village in recent years. “There was a time when there were five grocery stores right in town, but most of them have closed, one by one.”
Working the grocery store is the only job Fowler has ever known. He began work at the age of 14, when his father bought the store in 1973. Since then, like all retail, the face of the grocery store game has changed drastically, he said. There has been an increased demand for more services that give customers that one-stop-shop experience. What’s more, larger retailers have posed a threat to the Big M franchise in recent years, moving into smaller communities and buying out smaller grocery chains. There are now 24 Big M stores statewide, said Fowler - down from nearly 80 in the mid 1980s.
Nevertheless, the Sherburne store is still going strong as part of the largest independent franchise grocery chain in New York State. After 20 years at the helm, Fowler said plans are to slowly transition ownership to his son in the coming years, which would make the Big M a third generation family-owned franchise.
“As long as we keep that personal touch, I think its what makes us stand out,” Fowler added. “I think people feel comfortable asking us things. Where else can you go to get that special kind of service?”