Rochester, NY
By Jordan Okumura
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Wegmans reported on October 30, 2012 that they were able to open all 81 of the company’s stores in the six states where they do business. In an effort to keep all of its consumers informed on the retailers operations and offerings, Wegmans created the Twitter hashtag #WegSandy. Wegmans' tweets have communicated available inventory, food safety tips and early closing times.
Company tweets noted, ”Hello, Yes, We are working with the food bank and Red Cross directly for the Hurricane Sandy relief."
"Hello, Our Nazareth, PA store has milk, no eggs & our Bethlehem, PA store has both milk & eggs."
"Wegmans in Ocean & Manalapan will close @ 5pm today/reopen @ 7am. All other stores plan to be open during regular business hours"
Jo Natale, Wegmans Director of Media Relations, stated in an October 30th, press release, “In terms of products, our merchants have worked closely with suppliers so that we could have a steady supply of the most in-demand products, like water, milk, eggs, bread, batteries and other essentials.”
Some deliveries to Wegmans’ stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland had been delayed because of road closures, the release continued. Jo Natale, added, “We hope to resume a full schedule of deliveries as soon as it’s safe for our drivers to move.”
Wegmans' use of social media as a means of resolving the conflicts in communication that have arisen in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, is a valuable move towards building greater rapport between the retailer and its consumers. Wegmans has not only tweeted information during this time, but has responded with both care and concern as well. Its in moments like these that what we are made of really shines through, thank you, Wegmans.
