Elaine MacLeod’s commitment to meet her customers’ needs has not gone unnoticed, and in fact has earned her two Chamber of Commerce awards during the 10 years that she and her husband Ray have operated E&R’s Bulk Bin at 365 South Sykes Street in Meaford. Customer satisfaction has always been the driving force in all of Elaine’s business decisions.
E&R’s Bulk Bin was awarded the Most Improved Business Award in 2015 and the Customer Service Award in 2021.
E&R’s Bulk Bin will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on Thursday, February 17. Elaine and Ray invite customers to come in and celebrate with them. They will be offering 10% discounts on all purchases, free reusable grocery bags and pens, and cupcakes.
The pandemic has created new challenges, but good challenges, according to Elaine.
“The pandemic has put us on the map,” she said. “It really has. At the beginning, people were scared that they would run out of food. The pandemic has opened their eyes. They realize how important it is to support local businesses. I am a farm girl. I know how important it is to buy locally.
“We have local honey, local maple syrup, locally-sourced portioned beef, pork, lamb, and whole chickens, and we carry Millers milk from Creemore,”
Elaine has noticed a growing demand for both frozen fruit and vegetables and for her meat products during the pandemic. “We invested in a new stand-up freezer and new chest freezers,” she said. “The fruit and vegetables have been well received. People love how fresh they taste.
“At times, the meat was a bit of a challenge,” she said. “The increase in demand meant that the abattoirs were extra busy. Getting it processed was a bit of a problem. Sometimes our customers had to wait a bit.
“It’s been a challenge but I like challenges. I like helping local people. It makes me feel good that I can meet customer demands.”
In addition to dry goods from the bins or in bulk, frozen fruit and vegetables, and the meat products, E&R’s Bulk Bin carries frozen bread dough, personal care products, and offers special occasion baking kits. Winter hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
