Meijer

In 1934, a modest local barber in Greenville, Michigan saw a need. It was the middle of the Great Depression and groceries were scarce. In an effort to take care of the customers who visited his barbershop, Hendrik Meijer purchased $328.76 worth of merchandise on credit. Together with his 14-year-old son, Fred, they opened Meijer Grocery. Navigating his small grocery business through the remaining years of the Great Depression and into the turbulent pre-war years, Hendrik Meijer continued to look for ways to innovate and provide higher levels of service to his customers. He renamed his store the "Thrift Market" and began broadening his business through the use of newspaper ads and fancy metal shopping carts. As World War II raged, Mr. Meijer pledged his company's support to the war effort and, just like the Arsenal of Democracy, women became a key part of the Meijer workforce, numbering nearly half of all team members. After the war, Meijer's growth began in earnest. The company acquired an office in Greenville and opened its first store in Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan. As Meijer's customer base grew, the company asked them to help choose a name for a new symbol. Through a local contest, a customer suggested the name "Thrifty" for Meijer's little Dutch boy, who became the company's symbol for the next thirty years. As the baby boom began and technology became part of American life, Meijer embraced new ways to help its customers. The introduction of the automated conveyor belt helped customers speed down the checkout lane. Meijer was one of the first grocers in the region to use the automatic system. A new technology called television was welcomed into American homes and so was Meijer, which ventured into television advertising on the popular Romper Room show. In 1962 Meijer opened its first "Thrifty Acres," a food and general merchandise store that allowed customers to shop for everything they needed with just one trip to the store. It was the birth of the Supercenter and the springboard for a concept that would grow into a retail phenomenon. As time passed, Meijer gained momentum and continued to develop newer and more innovative ways to serve its customers. This included everything from the introduction of checkout scanners in the 1970's to the decision to open 24 hours in the 1980's to the launch of Meijer.com in the 1990's. Meijer's commitment to innovation has led to continued growth in both the number of Meijer supercenters and the company's geographic footprint. From the 1960's when the company had 26 stores and 4,000 team members in Michigan, to the more than 180 stores and 60,000 team members in five states that make up today's Meijer, the company continues to do business based on the simple philosophy that led Hendrik Meijer to start his business in 1934—take care of your customers, team members and your community. Did you know? Meijer is a retail supercenter offering a full Grocery department plus over 40 other departments including Fashion, Automotive, Home Decor, Health and Beauty Care, Pharmacy, Electronics, Pets and more! Meijer stores are open 24 hours a day, 364 days a year.

Our Commitment to Education Children are our future. At Meijer, we believe it is part of our community responsibility to contribute to the education of our younger neighbors. We are actively seeking opportunities to support learning programs in our local schools. Below is a sampling of the most requested programs. Student Excellence/Honor Roll Provide incentives such as certificates, small gifts or gift certificates to students who reach specific academic goals. Teacher of the Month Honor our local teachers for outstanding commitment to the education process. Reading Programs Encourage students to excel in reading by providing incentives. Meijer will honor students who reach specific objectives during a designated period. Athlete/Scholar of the Month Sponsor an advertisement in the local newspaper or school newsletter. Activity Boosters/Fund-Raisers Parents and teachers are always looking for ways to help fund events. Meijer can assist through a gift certificate program, items for raffles or auction, and provide additional incentives at sporting events. New Equipment/Uniform Purchases Meijer may be able to assist with purchases at discount rates. Community Involvement Sponsor and facilitate community-based student events such as reading to and helping senior citizens, beautifying parks and mentoring kindergartners. School Visits We're available to speak to the student body about careers in retail merchandising, coupled with educational tours of the local store. Store Tours Provide students with a behind-the-scenes tour of a retail store and educate them on the importance of reading, writing and arithmetic. Support School Pride Create banners for athletic teams, provide inflatable balls in school colors for pep assemblies, or sponsor special student vs. staff athletic events. Over the years, Meijer has successfully assisted the educational and social curriculum of the schools in the markets we serve. We would like to help develop a partnership with your school to benefit our youngest and most valuable citizens. To discuss this further, please contact our Public & Consumer Affairs Department.

We believe fairness and honesty require us to fully weigh all viewpoints, and keep the promises we make.
We believe change is always with us, and meeting change requires a combination of new ideas, common sense and empowerment.

We believe profitability is not only a vital yardstick of progress, but an essential ingredient of a healthy enterprise.

We believe friendliness and cleanliness are essential.

We believe in upholding the dignity and self-respect of our Meijer team members, guests and vendors.

We believe we should be an asset to the communities we serve.

Caring
We care about the communities we serve. We want them to grow and thrive. And we want their citizens to benefit. That's why we contribute to so many local programs.

Pride
We want you to be proud to have us in your community. When we hear someone boast "We have a Meijer near us," we know we're doing our job well.

Partnership
In a neighborhood or a family, everyone must pitch in and do their share. It's part of our responsibility to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve.

Honesty
Meijer was founded on this ages-old belief: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Honest pricing and friendly service are ways we live up to this belief.

Assistance
Our assistance goes beyond helping customers find items on our shelves. We assist local programs that assist others. We assist people in rebuilding their lives after natural disasters. What can we do to assist you?

Respect
As an employer, we show respect for everyone with our hiring practices. Once hired, we treat our hard-working team members with the respect they deserve.

Support
We take pride in supporting programs that help your community. After all, it's our community, too. Trust
You can trust Meijer to be an asset to the community. From quality goods at low prices to supporting local community programs, we want you to rely on us like family.

From the very beginning, Meijer has been concerned about the needs of the communities we serve. This sense of community responsibility has led Meijer to spend millions of dollars each year helping others.

Meijer contributes to many organizations including food banks, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Toys for Tots, Habitat for Humanity, senior centers, hospitals and clinics, Boy and Girl Scouts, Chambers of Commerce, Lions Club, Kiwanis, parks and recreation, local police and fire departments, YMCA, YWCA, Little League, educational programs, arts and culture, 4-H, community parades, churches, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, and more. Meijer makes sure that these contributions are directed to programs in the local area. Each store also donates to worthy causes in its own market. In addition, Meijer Team Members often volunteer to assist on these projects.

These activities have had amazing results. For example:

A Meijer Team Member and a representative of the Center for the Homeless walked 130 miles non-stop from the Meijer headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan to the homeless shelter in South Bend, Indiana. The two walked for 53 hours and raised $10,000, which will help the homeless shelter build a much-needed 30,000 square foot addition.

When floodwaters raged over southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, Meijer Team Members organized as volunteers to help with relief efforts.

Even though several Meijer Team Members were directly affected by the flood, many were able to put their own interests aside to help their neighbors. The volunteers loaded and unloaded trucks and distributed supplies at local first aid stations. Four area Meijer stores donated four semi trailers full of desperately needed relief supplies including 760 gallons of water, dozens of waders, 4,200 shirts, crates of shoes and boots, and nearly one ton of bananas.

In Springfield, Ohio, Meijer Team Members helped throw a holiday party for 17 children who otherwise may not have had one. The children live at Hickory Cottage and have no family but the staff and each other. Our Team Members brought treats and gifts for the children and everyone had a great time.

When a water main break in Rochester Hills, Michigan resulted in unsafe drinking water, the local Meijer teamed up with the Rochester Hills Fire Station to distribute 4,368 gallons of bottled drinking water to local residents.

Whether in a neighborhood or a family, everyone must pitch in and do their share. As Fred Meijer says, "Wherever we establish a store, we want people to think that the town is better off because we came."