I'm grateful to have received communication from someone at Meijer regarding the petition. Frank Guglielmi, Senior Director of Communications, has agreed to speak with me tomorrow by phone. I plan to lay out the reasons we have signed this petition for healthy checkout aisles as well as ask what plans, if any, Meijer has for its checkouts regarding healthier food/drink options and appropriate reading material for our children. I still have faith that Meijer will respond to our request in a favorable way. Why?? I'm counting on the fact that Fred Meijer's legacy and values are still honored in the company. Fred was described as putting people before business, for standing up for the underdog, and for believing that one should ‘“put ethics first and profits will follow.”’ And he and his father ‘“felt it important that a community should be better off because they have a Meijer store in the neighborhood.”’ I’m also counting on the fact that Meijer has always been an innovative company, introducing new services and products WAY ahead of its competition! Fred used to challenge Meijer to ‘“...look for better ways of doing things and for changes in the industry” because he knew that if Meijer didn’t do it, its competitors would. He said, ‘“If you fail, it’s because you took a chance. If you succeed, it’s because you grasped an opportunity.”’ And we all know healthy checkouts provide a tremendous opportunity! :) Though more than that, offering healthier choices and providing better reading material for our kids at checkout is simply THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Everything I’ve read about Fred and Lena Meijer, about their charitable giving, and about the Meijer company leads to creating healthy checkouts! I just hope Meijer can see it, too. When I’m on the phone tomorrow, I’ll be thinking of one of my favorite Fred Meijer quotes - “Courage is just trying to do the right thing in every situation.” :) Respectfully, Jane Kramer