Woodman’s Market is known for its low prices and wide selection, but slip and fall on a “huge glob of wet lettuce” in one of its stores, and the grocer’s usual customer-friendly ethos is curiously out of stock, according to Linda Ferguson.
The 76-year-old Madison woman called SOS in early October to report that on March 23, she’d taken such a spill in the grocer’s East Side Madison location and hit her head but wasn’t seriously hurt.
Nonetheless, the mishap did require medical attention and resulted in a pair of broken glasses, and it seemed pretty clear that Woodman’s should reimburse Medicare for her treatment and buy her a new pair of specs. She said she never sought additional compensation for pain and suffering.
Ferguson said she’d submitted the required documentation of the costs to Woodman’s on three occasions, to little avail. So SOS contacted Woodman’s general counsel Sara Eagle-Kjome on Ferguson’s behalf on Oct. 3 and was informed that Ferguson’s claim was a “private” matter and that if Ferguson was saying bad things about the company in print, she risked being sued for defamation.
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Lawyerly bluster aside, that conversation did appear to result in some tangible action, as Ferguson reported that about a half hour after the call, Eagle-Kjome called her.
“She was upset,” Ferguson said. “She said, ‘Why did you call a reporter? Why didn’t you call me?'”
Ferguson said Eagle-Kjome told her she’d sent Ferguson a letter dated Aug. 9 saying that the grocer had received documentation of her medical expenses but needed the amount she was requesting from Woodman’s and that once Woodman’s paid her, she’d be responsible for reimbursing Medicare.
Ferguson claimed to have never received this letter, so Woodman’s provided it to her in an email and she shared it with SOS.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and Ferguson reported she’d again submitted information to Woodman’s in an attempt to get reimbursed. By the end of October, she’d received documents from Woodman’s requiring her signature to complete the transaction, including a nondisclosure agreement that could result in legal action against her if she talked about her case with anyone else, including SOS, she said.
Ferguson told SOS it was her intention to sign the documents and send them in Nov. 8.
In a statement Friday, Eagle-Kjome said, “Woodman’s worked with Ms. Ferguson and together we reached a mutually agreeable settlement,” and that the grocer had simply been waiting for a response from Ferguson to the Aug. 9 letter.
“Woodman’s actively worked with Ms. Ferguson to bring her claim to a resolution and any assertion to the contrary is false and misleading,” she said.
Your letters to the Wisconsin State Journal: Small towns need real grocery stores
Small towns need real grocery stores — Mary Smith
Are small towns prospering in this economy? If our quality of food and where we buy groceries is an indicator — then no.
Wisconsin has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. Some people need three jobs to make ends meet, but we are working hard. But where are these hard-working people buying food?
My town has several dollar stores. These have become the new grocery stores in low income areas, in competition with Walmart. When Walmart comes into communities, small groceries can’t compete. Dollar stores come in, but they aren’t the answer. My city lost a lot when the local independent groceries closed. We lost jobs, local investment and food choices. Instead our money is sent to Dollar Tree’s headquarters in Virginia.
I see “Bent and Dent” stores selling expired food. Gas stations sometimes sell food, but it’s processed food rather than fresh fruits or vegetables. Unemployment is down, but are people working hard for less? Food choice is an indicator for prosperity.
Profits going to faraway headquarters, expensive foods in small packages, lower wages and less employment — this is not good governance by our leaders. Small towns need forward thinking governance, not a convenience store mentality.
Mary Smith, Richland Center
Social issues should motivate voters — Dennis Anderson
I’ve always been intrigued by those who say, “I vote Republican because, while socially moderate, I’m fiscally conservative.”
First, I find it surprising that so many people are apparently unaware that the fundamental premise underlying their statement — that Republican-controlled government is more frugal than is Democratic government — is belied by history.
Beyond that, I’ve been left ruminating on what might be a “social” issue sufficiently important to such a voter as to outweigh that “fiscal conservatism.” We know that it isn’t the proliferation of guns in America. It isn’t climate change and protection of the environment (whether preservation of the Tongass National Forest and other public lands or the quality of our neighbors’ water in Kewaunee County).
Neither safeguarding women’s access to reproductive health care or confronting widespread childhood hunger in America are sufficiently concerning. Protecting fellow citizens’ access to the ballot doesn’t cut it, nor does rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure (a $4.5 trillion cost being passed on to that next generation they care so much about). Separating families at the southern border and deporting critically ill children doesn’t seem to move them.
Perhaps when asked about social issues, they should drop the “fiscally responsible” and just respond “meh.”
Don’t enable juvenile offenders — George Silverwood
Isn’t it ironic that a member of the Madison School Board who is so concerned about bias toward juveniles can display her own lack of objectivity and knowledge about the culture of local law enforcement.
It apparently would come as a complete surprise to her that police officers care about juvenile offenders, while also responding to criminal behavior and meeting the needs of victims.
Over months, area communities have experienced groups of juveniles — some as young as 13 — stealing vehicles. In many cases the same individuals are involved. Some perpetrators have openly expressed their disdain when apprehended. It is by sheer luck that one or more deaths or serious injury has not resulted from their reckless driving.
A false persecution narrative only enables this behavior and does nothing to improve their prospects in the future.
George Silverwood, Madison
Trump trashed our global reputation — Daniel Holzman
President Donald Trump is behaving more and more like a Russian collaborator who wants to divide us and bring the country down.
He has trashed our reputation around the world and insulted our allies in favor of relationships with bloody dictators such as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.
President Trump wants the Ukrainians to be weaponless. The divider-in-chief wants children born abroad to U.S. service personnel to not automatically be U.S. citizens. Does President Trump understand how he is helping the enemies of democracy?
I was born in Kyoto, Japan. My father was a decorated World War II veteran who served for 24 years around the world. The president has not served for one day and knows nothing about the Constitution or the history of this great nation. Remove him from the White House.
As a foreign-born U.S. citizen, I will certainly not vote for Trump or any gutless Republican or gutless Democrat.
I have seen enough. It is time to impeach the real enemy of the people. He has well earned it.
Urban area a poor fit for air base — Lisa Luedtke
While I understand why some residents may welcome F-35s at Truax Field, I question…
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