INTERNAL VIDEO NETWORK SERVES MANY NEEDS AT GRAND UNION


by David Balaban, Audio Visual Manager
   The Grand Union Company
   100 Broadway
   Wayne, N.J. 07470
   201-794-2000



   The Grand Union Company, one of America's largest and oldest
grocery chains, has established a "state of the art" internal
video network to serve a wide variety of communications needs.
     What we've done is incorporate "broadcast style" production
values into each project, while still keeping budgets reasonable.
As a result, management has discovered an exciting and economical
avenue by which to communicate with our over 20,000 employees who
work in almost 400 supermarkets and offices.
     Four years ago, when I joined Grand Union, there was no audio
visual department; there were no video training programs or video
players....what did exist however was a highly diverse population
of employees of all ages and backgrounds who needed to be trained
and informed as to what was expected from them and what direction
their company was headed.
     What has emerged since then is a video network of over 150
video players throughout the company.  Each employee now views a
quarterly video newsletter, as well as a variety of programs
pertaining to every aspect of our business.

"Tieing" Everyone Together
     The most important goal of our video network is to "tie
together" the diversity of people which comprise the Grand Union
Company.  It's very positive for people in different areas of the
company to see that they face the same challenges as their
counterparts in other states.  The checkout clerk in New Hampshire
may talk differently than the his or her counterpart in Georgia,
but their work objectives are the same.  These realizations help
individuals and departments in distant cities truly feel that they
really do have a lot in common.

Video Network: Supermarket Style
     When we first decided to set up the network there were a lot
of hard decisions to make.  First off was our choice of formats.
The low cost of hardware and tape stock made choosing the VHS
system the safest choice.  In addition, many of our stores have
limited space to spare for designated training areas.  What we
decided to do is tailor the equipment to the individual
requirements of the viewing locations. For 150 stores with the
largest sales figures we purchased professional VHS video playback
units and monitors from JVC and other manufacturers. To cover each
group of smaller volume stores, we designated one unit on a
floating basis.  This way each store has access to the VHS net-
work, while not every store actually has its own VCR.

Corporate TV as Part of the Personnel Department
     Since personnel training is where video is utilized most in
our company, my department is integrated into the corporate
personnel function.  My association with the personnel hierarchy
has helped me develop contacts in each geographic area of the
company.  Becoming familiar with the supervisory people makes it a
lot easier when it comes time to cast a program or pick an
appropriate shooting location.  This way, I'm able to clear each
step in the production process through the appropriate channels
before the program is produced; instead of later, after it's "in
the can", and a lot of time and money has already been spent.
     In addition to producing training programs like "Seafood
Product Identification", "Operating the Scanning Cash Register",
and "Principles of Interviewing", I am also busy producing
corporate communications programs such as our quarterly video news
magazine "GU Magazine", or programs to augment company community
development projects like the United Way or the Restoration of the
Statue of Liberty.  With the Statue of Liberty campaign, I took
several employees on a tour of the restoration project and
videotaped their reactions.  This program was shown to all
employees, and helped the company raise over a million dollars to
help renovate Lady Liberty.

Personalizing the Company Through Video
     Considering that almost 80 percent of our management teams,
supervisors, and executives started their careers at Grand Union,
I think it's especially important to use video as a way of showing
that Grand Union is very much a people-oriented organization.  Too
often, people working in our industry aren't given enough of a
chance to learn about their company.  New associates are often
thrown into their jobs almost immediately in a "sink or swim"
atmosphere.
     Grand Union has worked against this trend by devising a
comprehensive orientation program designed to make the new
employee feel at home in his or her new job, and to make them feel
like the company is concerned with their well being.  An
accompanying orientation video entitled "The Grand Union Family"
explains the philosophies of our company and tells them what's
expected of them from day one.
     Our goal is to move away from standard, impersonal methods of
training and corporate communications.  Whenever possible, we use
actual employees in our programs, rather than professional actors.
This gives the finished tape a sense of realism and makes the
people involved feel that they are "in the spotlight".
     When associates see their peers appearing in programs like
"G.U. Magazine" for instance, it gives them concrete evidence
that the company does in fact notice them....that they are
important.  There are many well produced generic training tapes on
the market for the food business, but they lack this "Grand Union"
personality, and are therefore not usually effective for us.

Maintaining A Well Trained Workforce
     The supermarket business is extremely labor intensive...in
fact, employee salaries account for one of the largest single
portions of a supermarket's overhead.  Also, the industry depends
on a very high volume of sales with an extremely small overall
profit margin.  A well run supermarket company only expects a net
profit of one penny for every dollar of merchandise sold.  In
addition, there is extreme competiveness between different chains
in any given market for the same consumer shopping dollar.  Its
easy to see why maintaining a well trained, efficient workforce is
essential to a company like ours.
     Since 1872 when Grand Union was founded, the grocery business
has changed drastically.  Up until the 1930's, there were no
supermarkets.  Instead, Grand Union as well as the other large
food companies of the time, had hundreds of small deli-type stores
with not more than a couple of workers in each.  In these stores
the shopper would call out the items needed, and the clerk would
retrieve each item for them from tall shelves.
     In the late 1930's, and especially after World War II and
the baby boom, the small grocery store all but disappeared in
America.  In its place appeared what we now call the "modern"
supermarket, providing a greater variety of products than most
Americans ever dreamed possible.  Stores began to pride themselves
on having long expansive aisles stocked full of a wide variety of
products from around the world.
     To add to shopper convenience, these new stores were almost
completely self-service.  Most items were prepackaged so customers
could help themselves. This severely limited the customer's inter-
action with employees in the store.
     In the 1970's, things began to change again.  The cold,
impersonal quality of most supermarkets began to make some
customers feel bored and indifferent to shopping.  It was not
enough any more just to carry the right items.  People began to
desire service once again.  With increased consumer awareness of
product freshness, and the desire for increased customer service,
Grand Union (and others) responded by bringing back the small
service-oriented atmosphere to our stores.
     Specialty shops in which a customer could buy prime meats,
exotic cheeses, fresh seafood etc., were integrated into many of
our stores.  With these new departments, our people had to be
trained to operate new machinery, handle new types of products,
and most importantly, learn how to successfully fulfill customers'
changing needs.  Video seemed like the natural way to provide this
training because of its fast production time, cost effectiveness
and easy updatability.

Production Nuts and Bolts
     Program scripts of a training nature are developed by myself
in conjunction with the Corporate Training Manager, and my direct
supervisor, The Vice President for Corporate Training.  Our in-
house equipment includes an off-line editing system, a three tube
ENG camera and recorder, portable lighting, and tripod.
     I utilize the services of a small pool of versatile video
freelancers to aid me in the actual shoots.  From there the
project is off-lined in house without effects and graphics, and
submitted to my supervisor and his supervisor for "content"
approval.  Any small changes are made at this point and then the
three quarter inch master is taken to a local one inch on-line
room, where it is bumped up to one inch and A/B rolled.  Here,
digital effects such as ADO and Dubner or Chyron graphics, are
incorporated into the program to give it that "broadcast touch".
     The new one inch master is sent to a local duplicating
facility, where about 150 to 200 copies are made on standard VHS
tape and distributed to each location in our network.  I always
keep a three inch submaster in my library so I can personally make
additional program copies if needed at a later date.  For this I
use several JVC BR-3000U VHS player/recorders.

Staying in Tune with the Audience
     Unlike the painter or sculptor who usually must frequent the
museums to study his craft, the video manager need only push the
button on the remote control to see what's current in the field of
television.  While no one would want to seriously compare the
evening news program with the Mona Lisa, I find it helpful to use
broadcast television as a kind of study guide for my own work.
     Since most of our employees themselves are avid watchers of
television, it makes sense that if you can incorporate
contemporary television techniques into your own corporate
programs, you have a better chance of holding your viewers'
attention.

Investing in the Future
     Grand Union has made a commitment to eventually provide all
of our stores with VCRs.  My goal is to some day have training
tapes for every department in our stores.  The company is willing
being properly trained.  When you increase an individual's
knowledge through education, you build a stronger company.
     Although we intend to expand the network, distribution
through satellite is not in our future plans, and we don't forsee
using teleconferencing.  We are however getting more involved with
computers to prepare video scripts and crunch numbers regarding
the affect of video in our audience.

The Video Manager: Really a Translator
     I believe that in order for an in-house video network to be
successful, its manager must be able to assess the communication
needs of his or her company, and then translate those needs into
appropriate programming material.  To do this requires that the
individual be dedicated to learning as much as possible about how
the organization works.  This helps us make educated decisions.
     As a video manager in a small department, I can say that
often times there's a tendency to feel alone; as if what I do
doesn't really count.  This is why its important to fully use the
unique opportunity of interfacing with the front line employees as
well as upper management.  Bring your work, no matter how isolated
or simple it may seem, that extra step.  Do more than just what's
sufficient.  Treat each project like it's your last one, and you
will create a larger need....the need to translate a variety of
different company communications into effective video.
     That's what we're doing now at Grand Union and I'm happy to
say that....it's working!
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