Customers welcomed back with smiles, open arms

SMILES BY THE BASKET - Market Basket cashier Jen Huke, of Strafford, gives shopper Denise Gillingham, of Alton Bay, N.H., her change after she purchased a few items at the market on Thursday. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photos)

ROCHESTER - Justin Vincent of Milton, a 15-year worker at the Rochester Market Basket, heard the news that Arthur T. Demoulas had struck a deal with Market Basket shareholders while watching the news around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, but his first thought wasn’t elation or glee.

“My first thought was I need to go to bed, because I’ll be working my butt off tomorrow,” he said on Thursday as customers pushing shopping carts scurried about him at the front of the store.

The atmosphere at the Milton Road market on Thursday was a mixture of class reunion and carnival as cashiers and customers exchanged high fives and tales of where they’d shopped while supporting a successful customer boycott against the ouster of Artie T. The beloved CEO returned on Thursday to lead the company while a finalized deal in which he’ll purchase the 71-store chain is worked out.

Before customers even walked in the door, however, they were each greeted with a warm hug from longtime cashier Maggie McCawley, who could often be seen painting posters of the Market Basket giraffe while sitting with other protesters at the entrance to the Market Basket parking lot earlier this month. The giraffe became a symbol of workers willing to stick their necks out for something they believed was right.

Bob Terrill of Rochester gets a welcome back hug from longtime cashier Maggie McCawley outside the Rochester Market Basket on Thursday.

Bill Terrill of Rochester, who has been shopping at Market Basket since 1963, was one of many who got a hug from McCawley before heading inside the store.

“It was tough shopping somewhere else,” Terrill said. “Everything cost more plus they didn’t have the variety or the freshness.”

Inside the store, Bob and Jean Smith from Shapleigh, Maine, were loading their cart up with ice, water, cat food, cat treats and chocolate.

“These are some of the things that we save big on here,” Bob Smith said. “It costs so much more everywhere else.”

Much of the produce section was still empty on Thursday, but Rochester Store Director Chris Sturzo said he expects all perishables - like meat, fish and produce – to be back on the shelves by this weekend or early next week at the latest.

The deal struck by family shareholders and Artie T. late Wednesday allows him to purchase the company and its 71 stores for $1.5 billion and take the reins immediately while a sale can be finalized, which could take several months.

In the meantime store executives will be likely looking at numbers in the coming weeks to see if they lost any market share during the boycott.

Shoppers like Greg Henderson and Alyssa Mills of Rochester doubt the store has anything to worry about.

They found out the deal was done early Thursday and came right down to load up on groceries.

“It’s better prices, better people, and like they say, more for your dollar,” Mills said. “They might lose a couple but the majority will come back.”