Breaking Ground for a New Club in Brooklyn

Last week BJ's broke ground in Gravesend, Brooklyn- for a new club expected to open in 2013.  The ground breaking ceremony brought local politicians in for a photo-op.

Meanwhile, Moody's has downgraded BJ's Wholesale Club.

How's it been going at the stores this holiday season?

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BJ's Pays Over $300,000 For Liquor License in Mass..

The Sun Chronicle has learned BJ's Wholesale Club paid an enormous $343,000 for a liquor license in Massachusetts.

ATTLEBORO — BJ’s Wholesale Club paid a whopping $343,000 for the liquor license that once belonged to the defunct and bankrupt Norm’s Emporium. But that wasn’t the only cost the popular South Attleboro store assumed to gain the license. Part of the deal worked out with the city’s liquor licensing board requires the store to hire police to direct traffic at the store’s Highland Avenue entrance on weekends during the holiday season.

An Inside Look at BJ's Wholesale Club?

A brand new post looking at what it's like working for BJ's Wholesale Club was posted at GlassDoor.com

Agree? disagree? We wanna know what you think....

BJ's Wholesale Club – “Disapointing due to poor treatment of employees and empty promises.”

Here's the post:
 

BJ's Wholesale Club Receiving Manager in Hudson, MA:   (Current Employee)

Pros

The benefits offered are good, and the oppurtunity to receive free BJ's memberships for you and your family are a plus.

Cons

Compensation is generally very poor and treatment of employees seems to be poor as well. Managers are imcompetant and have a strong tendancy to mis-manage as well as micro-manage.

Advice to Senior Management

Gain a better understanding of the practices in each department as well as a respect for the amount of work that each employee puts in.

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BJ's beats expectations...will be sold for 2.8 billion in cash in 4Q

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Solid 2Q From BJ's Reinforces Favorable Views of Warehouse Clubs Amid Economic Uncertainty

BJ's continues to profit, was just sold, we're wondering if people throughout the country who are working for them are sharing in their successes? The industry seems recession proof...Here's the AP story on their "better-than-expected" profits, again....




(Reuters) - BJ's Wholesale Club Inc (BJ.N) posted a much better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by improved margins, gasoline sales and cost-cutting.

The company, which is being sold to private equity firms Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners CVC.UL, earned $45.7 million, or 84 cents per share, in the second quarter, up from $35.8 million, or 67 cents per share, a year earlier. It had forecast a profit of $40.5 million to $42.5 million, or 74 cents to 78 cents per share.

Earnings from continuing operations were 85 cents per share, topping analysts' average forecast of 77 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

As previously reported, sales rose 11 percent to $2.98 billion. Sales at stores open at least a year rose 7.8 percent and were up 3.8 percent excluding gasoline sales.

Visits to BJ's stores were essentially flat, while the average amount spent per transaction rose by about 3 percent.

Food sales rose about 5 percent. BJ's has been adding more fresh foods and prepared meals to entice shoppers to do more of their weekly grocery shopping at the club, which charges an annual membership fee.

BJ's agreed in June to be sold for $2.8 billion in cash. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

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BJ's Wholesale Club Sold for $2.8 billion

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Stories broke on BJ's Wholesale Club's sale last week, and now there is an investor suing the company because the sale price of $2.8 billion is "grossly inadequate" Read it at Bloomberg.

BJ's Wholesale Club will be acquired by Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners in an all-cash transaction valued at $2.8 billion. BJ's, which operates 190 warehouse clubs in 15 states, reported $10.6 billion in sales last year.

Under the terms of the agreement, BJ's shareholders will receive $51.25 per share, a 38 percent premium to the closing price June 2010, and a 7 percent premium to the closing price on June 28.

BJ's board of directors unanimously approved the merger agreement. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

"BJ's will benefit from the continued execution of our business plan and the significant retail expertise of our new partners at LGP and CVC, as well as from continued investments in our clubs, our people and technology, and the future of our business," says Laura Sen, president and chief executive officer. "Our members will continue to enjoy the top-quality merchandise, outstanding savings and great service that they've come to expect from BJ's on every visit."

Links: http://www.licensemag.com/licensemag/News/BJs-Wholesale-Club-to-be-Acquired/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/729435?contextCategoryId=33594


WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110629-711984.html

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Related articles

• BJ's Wholesale: Longest Sale Process Ever? (blogs.wsj.com)
• Two Firms Pay $2.8B For BJ's (bostonist.com)
• Private equity firms to buy BJ's Wholesale for $2.8-billion (theglobeandmail.com)

More Buyout Rumors for BJ's Wholesale Club

What's going to happen to this company when it eventually gets bought out???

Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. rose Wednesday after a report that two private-equity investors are preparing a joint bid to buy the company.

Representatives for BJ's and Leonard Green did not return calls seeking comment. A spokeswoman for CVC declined to comment on the report.

Shares of BJ's rose $1, or 2 percent, to $48.70 in afternoon trading.

The New York Post also wrote about this rumor: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/bj_is_seeking_more_3kjfOFYrLKwKZTodp7I8TK


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Laura Sen took a 17% Pay Cut, still raked in $4M

BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. CEO Laura Sen’s pay package totaled $4 million in 2010, down more than 17 percent from the previous year.

The Westboro-based retailer disclosed in a regulatory filing today that total compensation for Sen included $982,693 in salary along with $697,811 in performance-based pay and stock awards valued at $2.2 million.

Read more: http://news.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/2011_0406bjs_ceo_sen_made_4m_in_2010_down_17_percent/srvc=home&position=recent

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UPDATE: Happy New Years from BJ's, Now You're Laid Off- BJ's to Cut 500 Jobs

So here's a way nobody wanted to start off their 2011.  Great, happy new years from BJ's everyone had a great holiday season and is enjoying the new year. Over the past few days we've been reading up on some interesting news involving BJ's start to 2011, and wanted to fill you in on the details. Five stores will be closing in the Southeast, which will shave 380 jobs, and another 114 corporate level employees will be cut. 

"The Natick-based chain will close five underperforming stores, in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina, which will result in the loss of 380 positions by the end of this month."

The stores are listed below, all with the closing date of January 17th.

1. Sunrise, Florida: 3469 North University Drive.  - 99 Employees
   
2. Charlotte, North Carolina:  No clear number of employees to be laid off has been announced, over 65
   
3. McDonough BJ’s Wholesale Club 1990 Jonesboro Rd. McDonough, GA 30253
   
   
4. Powder Springs BJ’s Wholesale Club 2435 East West Connector Austell, GA 30106
   
5. Norcross BJ’s Wholesale Club 6344 Cash Ct. Norcross, GA 30071
   

The way they're wording the closings? "BJ's announces Strategic Actions to Optimize Performance'" [Press Release]

Laura Sen has said that these clubs have underperformed. Though we just came across their December sale numbers which read that sales are up big and comparable sales are up 3.8%

BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. (BJ: News ), an operator of warehouse clubs, reported that sales for December 2010 grew 7.3% to $1.25 billion from $1.16 billion in December 2009.

The Natick, Massachusetts-based company's comparable club sales for December 2010 increased by 3.8%, including a contribution from sales of gasoline of 2.4%, compared to comparable club sales increase of 4.8% in December 2009.

Sales are great, the company is doing fine, this raises an eyebrow.  Just as we previously noted, this is all a restructuring of "dead weight" (not our words) in order to sell the company.

"Management is trying to portray itself as having the ability to make the difficult decisions required to drive stronger earning growth perhaps to stay aboard under a new regime, while also displaying hidden value to would-be bidders,"- Brian Sozzi, Wall Street Strategies analyst. 

Read more at: Boston.com Also: Boston Herald

Right now, it's all about selling this company, at least that's the way it looks to us.  This flat out sucks, these 'strategic actions' are just the worst way to start the new year.

Related articles

• BJ's Wholesale Club slashes nearly 500 jobs (justjobs.com)
• BJ's Wholesale Club closing 3 stores in metro Atlanta (ajc.com)

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Up Sharp Today

NY Post Reports a BJ's Possible Takeover:

BJ's Wholesale Club still isn't safe from the clutches of private equity.
Leonard Green & Partners -- a Los Angeles buyout firm that disclosed a 9.5 percent stake in the warehouse chain in July -- remains keen to acquire the retailer and may launch a hostile bid if an auction isn't initiated in the coming weeks, sources told The Post.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/buying_in_bulk_aP1mhywCsTzLrwANWYdZfI#ixzz19YI3r0DD

BJ's Wholesale Club may face a hostile bid from the takeover firm if the chain does not initiate an auction as planned, according to sources quoted in the New York Post.  Reports are also saying that analysts at Jefferies estimate BJ's could be worth $50 to $55 a share. BJ is up more than 6 percent from yesterday's close.

Happy Holidays!

It's that time of year and we hope everyone has and is having a great holiday season! Fill us in on how you and your stores are being affected by the craziness of shoppers, rumors of the BJ's sale, and all the other dramatics working for BJ's provides-

See you in the new year!


Here's just a few stories to keep you updated with BJ's news:

$9.2 Million Construction Loan for BJ's in Western Massachusetts
"The new BJ's in Pittsfield will satisfy the demand for a warehouse club for much of the Berkshires, as the closest wholesale warehouse club is located 31 miles to the west in Albany, New York"


The Ithaca Journal: County Endorses Financing for BJ's in Lansing
The county approved a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes financing agreement to develop a site with a BJ's Wholesale Club store, senior housing and bird sanctuary in the Village of Lansing. 


BJ's November Revenue Metric Up 5%
Revenue at its stores open at least a year rose 5 % in November with both food and general merchandise sales climbing. 


PETA Urges BJ's to Adopt Less Cruel Method of Chicken Slaughter
PETA has submitted a shareholder resolution encouraging the Boston-based wholesale retailer to purchase all its turkeys from suppliers that use a less cruel method of poultry slaughter. "Bj's should be ashamed that it is lagging behind its competitors in improving conditions for the chickens and turkeys who end up on its shelves."

Is BJ's Wholesale Club For Sale?

Don't know if you all have been catching the rumors like we have in some clubs, but according to multiple reports, BJ's is apparently up for auction.  


BJ's Wholesale Club is rumored to have hired Morgan Stanely to help sell the company after receiving an offer from private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners LP. Any deal would likely be with private-equity funds and not another retailer. BJ's cash doubled in the second quarter, making it attractive for a takeover. A buyout may be valued at as much as $2.75 billion, and the transaction would be the biggest in the sector since 2007. Leonard Green & Partners has holdings in such retailers as Whole Foods Market Inc., and Petco Animal Supplies Inc. " Month to month, BJ's has been under-performing, it seems like a good candidate for a going-private transaction."


Have any of you heard rumors in your stores?  Has the environment changed at all?


Read the entire story @ Business Week

BJ's In the News: Ground Beef Recall

Hope everyone had a great summer, here is some BJ's news for the months of July and August:

CNN: Company Recalls Ground Beef After E. Coli Reports
The USDA says it believes certain BJ's Wholesale Club stores in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York  and Virginia received the products. 


Watch a video on the recall at: Ground Beef Recall



Development:
Taunton City Council Gives BJ's Addition the Go-Ahead
Taunton, MA-- The council voted unanimously to allow the completion of a new building adjacent to the existing BJ's Wholesale Club. 

Delaware Business: BJ's Elsmere- Area Store On the Way
The Wholesale club opening is planned for December 2010.


BJ's May Close Store in Westboro
Westboro, MA-- After more than 20-year presence, BJ's may close next year, when the company opens a bigger store less than 2 miles away in Northboro.


BJ's Back in Business After Roof Collapse

Akron, OH-- A BJ's store reopened August 7th after being closed on July 23rd, when a storm damaged its roof. 

Economy:
Price Competition Sinks BJ's Profits
Citing" an intense level of price competition" from discounters and supermarkets, BJ's invested more heavily than expected in its own prices during the second quarter, causing margins and earnings to fall below expectations. 


BJ's Stems Profit Erosion Amid Slowing Sales in Q2
"Going into this year I thought the competitive environment would be a lot more severe as people were trying to gain sales based on the weak environment. But that has not been the case."- Laura Sen, chief executive officer


Downside Purchased on BJ's Wholesale (BJ)
Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. are lower on the session by 1.09%. The stock has been basing sideways for the past two months after a sharp pop higher. 


BJ's Wholesale Club July Sales Increase
BJ's Wholesale Club sales for July 2010 increased 2.8% compared to decreased sales of 9.1% in July 2009. 

Here are the results of the poll taken from our last post:

Question: What do you think of BJ's Star of the Year Program?


66% - Its strongly favoritism, I didn't like it
22%- Its legitimate, I love it
13%- It doesn't bother me, I have no opinion


It seems that the majority of you don't agree with the Star of the Year Program. Let us know how you were affected by the Ground Beef Recall by taking our new poll, just to the left of this months post. 




All of the comments from our previous posts are greatly appreciated. We are still receiving feedback on the Wage and Hour Suit story we posted a few months ago: 


Anonymous said that as long as the clubs " hit their numbers ", corporate will not care about day to day issues at the club level...


One anonymous person received a settlement check:  FYI, I got my settlement check today. South Florida.


An anonymous post on the home office: "They don't care about the employees, they just want to run a store with the bare minimum. The more they save the larger the bonus, so sure exploit the few good workers that you do have. If the store was properly staffed, and they stop giving the overtime to a select few then maybe they can manage the building."


Anonymous thinks "In order for BJ's to be a better company, they need to start with the home office." 

BJ's News: Month of June

BJ's Wholesale Club Coming to Clermont in the Spring
Clermont, FL-- A BJ's Wholesale Club is scheduled to open next spring, showing that commercial growth in Clermont is not about to stop, even with a slow down in the construction of new homes. 

Private Equity Takes Stake in BJ's
A private equity firm that has invested in several retailers has taken a 9.5 percent stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Inc and said it might propose taking the warehouse club operator private.

BJ's Wholesale Club Collects More Than 100,000 Letters for Deployed U.S. Service Members
BJ's partnered with nonprofit Operation Gratitude for month-long letter writing campaign.


Analysts Mixed on Taking BJ's Wholesale Private
Going private has the potential to prompt unprecedented growth for BJ's Wholesale Club, analysts said; however, taking that leap could also mean saddling the wholesale retailer with sizable debt as it tries to gain traction against its larger rivals. 

Board Approves BJ's Wholesale Club Plans
PITTSFIELD-- Developers of the proposed BJ's Wholesale Club on Hubbard Avenue have cleared a major regulatory hurdle toward opening next spring.

Looking Back at Recent Earnings from BJ's Wholesale Club
BJ's released its most recent earnings statement on May 19th. BJ's beat expectations with a non profit of 49 cents per share-- 6 cents above the analyst consensus of 43 cents per share.

BJ's Wholesale Club 1Q net income up on gas sales
1Q rose 7 percent, partly helped by gasoline sales. The wholesale club operator also lifted its full-year earnings guidance.

BJ's Leaning on Perishable Foods to Drive Traffic, Sales in 2010
BJ's is increasingly counting on its consumable offerings, specifically perishable goods, in 2010 and beyond to drive frequent customer traffic and transactions and grow its overall business.

Spire to BJ's Wholesale Club Supply Solar Energy System
BJ's announced that the Spire solar energy system enterprise completes BJ's Wholesale Club to sell the field in Winsconsin two solar energy system to install, starts to sell the field in Niuzexi state two install the solar energy system.

BJ's to Re-Launch E-Commerce Site This Summer
BJ's Wholesale Club's e-commerce site is still admittedly not a major contributor to its total business, but this summer, memebers and non- members can expect to see a revamped website.




 

BJ's In the News April 2010

Haven't posted in a while, we'll post the month in comments later this week, but here's some recent BJ's news:

BJ's Wholesale Club to move headquarters to Westborough from Natick

A spokeswoman for BJ’s Wholesale Club said Thursday that the company is planning to move its corporate headquarters and nearly 1,000 employees from Natick to more spacious accommodations in Westborough early next year. 

Quincy to BJ's: Get pretty or else

The city of Quincy got tough with BJ's Wholesale Club over the appearance of a new store, the Patriot Ledger reports.

Is BJ's Wholesale Club a great company, or what?

BJ's Wholesale Club is listed 232 on Fortunes 500 Annual Ranking of Americas Largest Corporations 

Grocery Stores Going Hungry

 A steady stream of shoppers looking for deals on necessities has helped the wholesale club operators Costco Wholesale Corp. and BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. deliver profit gainswhile many of their grocery competitors struggle....

BJ's Wholesale Club Reports That Sales Rise

BJ's a leading warehouse club operator in the United States , recently posted strong sales results for the five-week period ended April 3, 2010 driven by the shift in Easter holidays and better weather.

Memorial Day Letter Writing Campaign

BJ’s Wholesale Club will be hosting a Memorial Day Letter Writing Campaign from May 1st to May 31st to support our service members and celebrate Military Appreciation Month.

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BJ's In the News April 2010

Haven't posted in a while, we'll post the month in comments later this week, but here's some recent BJ's news:

BJ's Wholesale Club to move headquarters to Westborough from Natick

A spokeswoman for BJ’s Wholesale Club said Thursday that the company is planning to move its corporate headquarters and nearly 1,000 employees from Natick to more spacious accommodations in Westborough early next year. 

Quincy to BJ's: Get pretty or else

The city of Quincy got tough with BJ's Wholesale Club over the appearance of a new store, the Patriot Ledger reports.

Is BJ's Wholesale Club a great company, or what?

BJ's Wholesale Club is listed 232 on Fortunes 500 Annual Ranking of Americas Largest Corporations 

Grocery Stores Going Hungry

 A steady stream of shoppers looking for deals on necessities has helped the wholesale club operators Costco Wholesale Corp. and BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. deliver profit gainswhile many of their grocery competitors struggle....

BJ's Wholesale Club Reports That Sales Rise

BJ's a leading warehouse club operator in the United States , recently posted strong sales results for the five-week period ended April 3, 2010 driven by the shift in Easter holidays and better weather.

Memorial Day Letter Writing Campaign

BJ’s Wholesale Club will be hosting a Memorial Day Letter Writing Campaign from May 1st to May 31st to support our service members and celebrate Military Appreciation Month.

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BJ's Post 4Q Profit, Sales Climb admist Bad February Weather....

Image by Getty ImagesDaylife via

Fourth Quarter:
BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. released their 4Q numbers on Wednesday, finding  that its fiscal fourth-quarter profit climbed 5 percent and higher gasoline prices led to increased revenue.
 
But the third-largest warehouse club operator also gave a 2010 earnings forecast below analysts' predictions. .
BJ's profit increased to $55.1 million, or $1.01 per share. That compares with earnings of $52.7 million, or 91 cents per share, a year ago

From Chicago Sun Times:
Sales for the period ended Jan. 30 rose 9% to $2.8 billion from $2.56 billion on membership fee growth and increased net sales, beating the $2.79 billion forecast of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Sales at stores open at least a year grew 4.6 percent, with a 2.3 percent benefit from gasoline sales. That figure is a key measure of a retailer's performance because it looks at the results of existing stores rather than newly opened ones.

The results are an improvement from the third quarter, when the sales figure fell 2.5 percent.
Earlier in the morning rival Costco Wholesale Corp. reported that its second-quarter profit rose 25 percent as strong overseas sales growth and increased gasoline prices lifted its revenue.

BJ's, based in Natick, Mass., has seen success during the recession as budget-minded shoppers have come to its stores for deals on food and other necessities.

The company's full-year profit slipped 2 percent to $132.1 million, or $2.42 per share, from $134.6 million, or $2.28 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted earnings were $2.48 per share.

Annual revenue increased 2 percent to $10.19 billion from $10.03 billion.

Sales at stores open at least a year fell 1.9 percent, with a 5.9 percent drag from lower overall gas prices. Taking out gas sales, the figure climbed 4 percent for the year.

BJ's forecast a profit between $2.54 and $2.64 for fiscal 2010, but that's short of the $2.71 per share that analysts are looking for. The company anticipates first-quarter earnings in a range of 40 cents to 45 cents per share. Wall Street predicts a quarterly profit of 43 cents per share.

February Sales:

BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE:BJ): reported that sales for February 2010 increased by 12.8% to $755.2 million from $669.6 million in February 2009. Comparable club sales increased by 7.5% for the month of February 2010, including a contribution from sales of gasoline of 3.6%. Excluding gasoline sales, merchandise comparable club sales increased by 3.9%.  A calendar shift in the timing of the Super Bowl from January last year to February this year had a positive impact on merchandise comparable club sales of approximately 2%. However, severe winter storms had a negative impact of 2-2.5%.

Four Weeks Ended    Four Weeks Ended 
                                     February 27, 2010   February 28, 2009 
----------------------------------  ------------------  ------------------ 
Merchandise comparable club sales          3.9%                8.2% 
----------------------------------  ------------------  ------------------ 
Impact of gasoline sales                   3.6%               (7.6%) 
----------------------------------  ------------------  ------------------ 
Comparable club sales                      7.5%                0.6% 
----------------------------------  ------------------  ------------------ 
 
 
     Sales Results for February 2010 
             ($ in thousands) 
 
     Four Weeks Ended          % Change 
February 27,  February 28,   Net    Comp. 
    2010          2009       Sales   Sales 
------------  ------------  ------  ------ 
 $ 755,241     $ 669,589    12.8%    7.5% 

The Company provided the following additional information regarding comparable club sales for February 2010:

• By week, the strongest sales increase was in week one, reflecting a calendar shift in the timing of the Super Bowl, and the smallest increase was in week four, reflecting severe snow storms in the Northeast.
• By major region, the strongest increases were in the Southeast and Upstate New York. The smallest increases were in the Mid-Atlantic and Metro New York regions.
• Excluding sales of gasoline, traffic increased by approximately 3% and the average transaction amount increased by approximately 1%.
• Sales of food increased by approximately 7% and general merchandise sales decreased by about 1%.
• Departments with the strongest sales increases compared to last year included bakery, breakfast foods, cigarettes, computers, dairy, deli, frozen foods, furniture, house wares, juices, produce, small appliances and snacks. Weaker departments versus last year included books, household chemicals, DVDs, televisions and trash bags.

BJ’s press releases and filings with the SEC are available on the Internet at www.bjs.com. 

Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year-end Conference Call available for download: http://www.bjsinvestor.com/events.cfm.

The financial future of BJ's looks pretty stable and solid, thanks to all the great team members who make the entire machine run.

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Poll Results, Comments: Jan/Feb 2010: Star of Year, Lawsuit, Vacations, Oh My!

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Greetings everyone, thanks for the out pour of comments and emails the past two months!

The poll we had up has just closed, here are the results:

Question: Do you like the idea of BJ's creating more 85,000 sqft stores?

Yes: 81 (69%)


No:  35 (30%)

Looks like most of you do like the idea of smaller stores, check out our new poll to the left of this post.  If you'd like to suggest an idea for a poll send us an email!

Okay, onward and upward, as most of you know BJ's 4Q numbers are being released this coming Wednesday, until then we thought we'd review this past post's comments and discussions that have been flooding our email accounts:

Lawsuit

Anonymous 'expects more Payroll cuts to offset this pay out [from wage and hour suit]...."

Anonymous says "Today's hourly wagers are not uneducated or dumb. HR would do well to see that respect is a two way street."

Anonymous said that 'Home Office has to realize that its the workers that make or break a business, and if they keep on doing the things they have been, there will not be a BJ's in the near future as today, there are many alternatives for the consumer...'

Anonymous said 'the Sad thing is, even with this lawsuit settled, there are Gms still running their clubs this way. They wont learn a lesson until the Labor board gets involved. The communication between management and hourly is atrocious.'

Anonymous wonders 'Why do you think there are so many Overnight Manager Positions listed on BJ's Employment site?'

One writer gives their first hand experience of the lawsuit

"This is not about Costco, or Sam's club, This is about BJ's and things that happen there. Nothing will ever improve if people just shut up and let things go on as is"

And one anonymous poster thinks if the club would become union, it would instantly become an under performing store and shut down.

 One poster says remember you must pay union dues, while another says 'Oh big deal unions collect dues'

Star of year 

Anonymous wonders how a cart-person can win SOY.

Anonymous tells us three things they look for in the SOY


Anonymous says "Its a favoritism thing. At our club, a part timer who is late a great deal, texts on his cell phone during work, etc got SOY but because he is a butt kisser, he gets on avg 45-50 hours a week"

Anonymous thinks the SOY program creates more disconnect and resentment than good.


Anonymous thinks SOY is completely arbitrary, while another thinks the award is well deserving to certain workers.

Vacation

Anonymous wants to know if anyone feels "the new system for paid Vacation and sick time is going to screw us?" 

Anonymous thinks the new program is better than the old.

Anonymous says it "seems that we are losing three weeks vacation time under this new system."

Anonymous wonders if that is true [losing three weeks vacation] why aren't we seeking union protection?

Anonymous says that "Misinformation abounds. No one is losing vaca time"

And Anonymous says "The biggest obstacle to union organizing efforts is simply the high turnover among the rank-and-file of a typical retail store. In some places, 60 or 70 percent of the staff can change in a typical year."

We'll have more to speak about on Wednesday, until then let the discussions continue and thanks again.  

Related article

• Wal-Mart Cutting 10,000 Jobs At Sam's Club (huffingtonpost.com)

BJ's Wage and Hour Suit destroys Q3 Numbers...Expansion details...

Image via Wikipedia

We know this story has been re-published throughout the blog, just bringing it to everyone's attention.  The story broke about three weeks ago...

We'll take you through the timetable:

BJ's has an abysmal Third Quarter.  (Read the entire Q3 report at Yahoo!.)

Further research to BJ's Wholesale Club dissatisfying Q3 numbers has BJ's and investors scapegoating the $11.7 Million Dollar wage and hour lawsuit which was settled during the end of the quarter as the main contributer to the terrible Q3 numbers. 

More on the Lawsuit:

Press Release:  http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2663574/

Klafter Olsen & Lesser LLP has reached a $9.3 million settlement of an overtime pay class action lawsuit against BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (NYSE: BJ). The settlement, which is subject to Court approval, is intended to resolve claims that BJ's misclassified certain Mid Manager employees as exempt from receiving overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

Plaintiffs claim that they were misclassified because their primary responsibilities included hourly duties such as loading and unloading materials, stocking shelves and other activities which are not exempt under federal and state overtime laws Under the settlement, approximately 1,500 current and former Mid Managers employed by BJ's since November 2007 will be entitled to make claims to share in the recovery, based on the number of weeks they were employed by the company. 

From BJ's.com, quote: "The settlement of the lawsuit is not an admission on the part of the Company of any wrongdoing. "

What are your thoughts? Any company wrongdoing here? Lot's of people complain that they do work outside their job classification, which allows companies to take advantage of most workers, what are your thoughts?


As far as chain expansion in the coming months:

"Chain expansion, club renovation, our technology roadmap and team member training and development. Our preliminary expansion plans call for 79 new clubs, including two in Massachusetts, one in Metro New York, one in Orland, Maryland and a club relocation in Rhode Island."

Keep the emails and posts coming,

Another New BJ's Wholesale Club to open in Mass.

Image via Wikipedia

Another plan for BJ's expansion was unveiled today when the company announced yet another 80,000 square foot new store to be opening in 2010.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Braintree developer has announced plans to construct a BJ's Wholesale Club on Hubbard Avenue. It would be the first BJ's in Berkshire County

The Berkrire Eagle says the store will be 88,000 square feet, and provide the community with 120 retail jobs. 

BJ's in Quincy set to open in April

Image by wallyg via Flickr

So amidst any further delays the club in Quincy is set to open in April....The Patriot Ledger has more on the 85,000 sqft store.

Aside from the barrage of complaints we're received regarding the increased Club politics during the past few months (in metro NY) we'd like to hear from workers all over, are these politics affecting your work atmosphere as much as they are here in NY?  Even the Long Island workers are saying things are "tightening up" more and more.

Let us know, keep the emails coming.