Fairway, beset in recent weeks by a bankruptcy filing and worries about its long-term financial health, took advantage of the hot weather on Thursday to scoop some watermelon balls and hand them out in Verdi Square at 72nd street and Broadway.
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, scoop melon balls.
The Fairway location on 74th street and Broadway, is unlikely to close even if the chain is forced to close stores to deal with its profit shortfall.
Thanks to Harriet for the photo.
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recipe:
Into a bowl of bankruptcy, add tons of free watermelon and massive amounts of humble pie.
Stir well, and feed to despondent neighbors in a lame attempt to curry favour.
(curry flavour optional)
I’m staying out of this one. Comments could get heated!
New Yorkers can be so unnecessarily obnoxious! They did a nice thing on a hot day. Just say “Thank you!”
“unnecessarily obnoxious!”
it’s quite necessary.
Go back to Kansas, tourist.
Diane, I agree.
Agreed! There doesn’t always have to be an ulterior motive……..although 🙂
The bankruptcy of Fairway was due to a greedy corporate buyout by Harvard MBAs who had no idea how to run a food company and took on tons of debt while running it into the ground. They took massive consulting fees while bankrupting the company. Remind you of someone — like the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee? (oops, that was the hotel business, not the food business).
I would still rather shop at Fairway than Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
Fairway is now trying to be more competitive and more responsive to the needs of their customers.
They are actually having some real sales. Their prices are still too high on a lot of items. For example, 50 oz. bottle Crystal Springs water — Fairway = $1.69, Love’s on 72nd Street – $.99.
Now that is a big difference considering that Fairway can buy in bulk in much bigger quantities than the Love’s chain.
Fairway’s big problem — they over expanded at a time when Trader Joe’s opened up. Bad move on their part.
Hopefully the store on 74th Street will survive. Their organic section is really good.l
Fairway needs to do one thing. Lower their prices and listen to the customers. The price gouging the private equity thugs imposed on Fairway is not a sustainable business model, this si why they are in bankruptcy.
Greed kills, absolute greed kills absolutely.
I hope fairway survives. They need more watermelon type events to engender some good will among their customers who have left in droves due to their disgust at the insane prices.