A Message from the President A Message from the President "Egalitarian vs. Elitest"

Our egalitarian approach to business is based on beliefs that are deeply rooted in the inherent dignity and equality of a person regardless of one's station in life, society or our company. This view applies to our employees, customers, and investors alike. Contrasting this, is an elitist view - an "us" and "them" perspective - reminiscent of a caste based social system. This "holier than thou" attitude is ultimately a form of degrading others in order to place oneself above them. Regardless of our customers' socioeconomic situations, we are careful not to become elitist. We are conscious of the trap of inflating self worth at the expense of another human being. Therefore, we actively promote egalitarian ideals. The root value of this is kindness.

Experience tells me that people who need to put down others in order to build themselves up eventually tear down and damage everythingthe team, the store, and company performance. Elitists have a great difficulty with the principle of fairness. At the foundation of fairness is the basic respect of another person, which is the foundation for integrity, honesty, and direct dealings with others.

Egalitarians, however, rarely miss a beat in their relationships, because they respect people and don't play power games. Our managers accept power with grace, showing their true character; they don't get hung up on status and title. They help team members learn and excel in the service of customers. They leverage people's potentials and strengths. Egalitarians are by nature kind people - and the kind of people we hire and promote.