Penzeys Spices was founded in 1957 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by William and Ruth Penzey as a coffee and spice store. Over time, the couple found that spices were their biggest selling items, so coffee was dropped from their inventory.
William Penzey, Jr. worked at his parents’ store while growing up. In 1986, Penzey Jr. convinced his parents to start a catalog business. This proved to be successful and the company began to grow slowly.
Today, Penzeys Spices has 69 locations in 7 states. The company still offers catalog sales, as well as an active eCommerce site. Penzy Jr. became involved in a controversy when he sent an email to customers expressing his disappointment in the election of Donald Trump as President of the US in November of 2016. This led to Trump supporters calling for a boycott.
Penzeys Spices was founded in 1957 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by William and Ruth Penzey as a coffee and spice store. Over time, the couple found that spices were their biggest selling items, so coffee was dropped from their inventory.
History
William Penzey, Jr. worked at his parents’ store while growing up. In 1986, Penzey Jr. convinced his parents to start a catalog business. This proved to be successful and the company began to grow slowly.
Today, Penzeys Spices has 69 locations in 7 states. The company still offers catalog sales, as well as an active eCommerce site. Penzy Jr. became involved in a controversy when he sent an email to customers expressing his disappointment in the election of Donald Trump as President of the US in November of 2016. This led to Trump supporters calling for a boycott.
Dear Mr. Penzy,
I truly was aghast at hearing about your recent rants regarding republicans. Apparently you are not a student of history. A famous president, a republican led this country into a four battle to fight for the freedom of slaves. Thousands upon thousands of young men died to ensure their freedom, my great great grandfather being one of them. Your ignorance and intolerance of others is somewhat shameful. Your blanket condemnation of of republicans, I find offensive. You may not have agreed with the prior administration, many do not, including many republicans. African Americans have historically made more advancements in regards to pay and job opportunities under republican administrations. Republican administrations have tried to bolster those in poverty…out of poverty. I have found the opposing side prefers to keep them dependent. A hand up is much more valuable than a hand out.
Perhaps you could attribute you lack of sales not only due to your political views , but is also due to the rising inflation. Many Americans are struggling to put food on the table and gas in their cars. Your expensive spices are not in the budget. I do love your Vietnamese cinnamon and your vanilla but will be finding a different supplier, one who keeps his political and intolerant views to himself.
Sending your email out further proved that Democrats hate Republicans and will not tolerate anyone having a different opinion regarding politics. You are dividing our country and trying to bring it down. How sad. Now you’ve hurt your business and want people to buy your gift cards? Wow.
Signed, no longer a customer of yours.
I personally don’t care what your political views are. However, the state of Kansas and Johnson County have now allowed commercial businesses to NOT require masks for shoppers. If a shopper is uncomfortable going into a store without a man that is their decision.
Because you believe controlling the population is a good thing your stores are requiring masks – even for those of us that have been vaccinated against Covid. I entered your Overland Park store maskless since I can now enter ALL other retail establishments without a mask since I have been vaccinated. Your store employee would not sell me the one little item I wanted unless I put on a mask. She handed me a mask, I put it on, but not over my nose, completed my transaction and tossed the mask back on the counter and walked out. A lot of good your policy accomplished except to piss off a long time good customer.
Mr. Penzey –
You are entitled to share your political beliefs just as I am free to buy my spices elsewhere—-which I will now do.
I just think it is odd that you feel compelled to share your political views in a mass email to your customers. You most certainly are aware that many of your customers disagree with your position, so what is the purpose of doing it? Some people live in a bubble—-they only hang around with those who are like-minded. Perhaps that is your situation. I hope you are not silly enough to think your email would actually persuade someone on the other side. Fir the record, I would not appreciate a company sending an email lecturing me on ANY political position.
Please take me off of your mailing list.
I told Bill Penzyes, who riled against President Trump that Biden was in the throes of dementia. Biden wasn’t fit to be our president. Need I say more. Mask mask mandates. Bidens mantra: I surrender all, I surrender, to the Taliban in Afghanistan, I surrender all.
For those of you who feel that corporations shouldn’t express political views: the Supreme. Court of the United States disagrees in a ruling the said corporations have the same rights as people. You do have the right to shop where you wish. Penzeys had a big up-spike in sales after Mr. Penzey’s letter. We buy from Penzeys, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. We don’t shop at Home Depot or Walmart due to their CEO political views.
I am sick of Greedy Corporations shoving their political views down every American’s throat. I am just an ordinary mom and wife with a college education who loves Trump. I don’t care what your political beliefs are and all I wanted was to buy some quality spices. I can buy my ground pepper anywhere and the more you demonize Trump, the worse you look. Practice what you preach! I am not liking your business at all and I am loving what our President is doing for our country. I would like to examine your life and find out just how hypocritical you really are. Do you realize that over 63 million Americans voted for Trump even though the vote was being suppressed? What do you think will happen now that Trump has kept his promises to the American people! Trump = Greatest American President Ever!
Trump is trash. He lost now! You are a disappointment just like the many other Americans that support this awful excuse of a human being!
Mr. Penzy,
Like many of your customers who say they “vote with their dollars'” I do, as well. That’s why I am a devoted customer and will continue to be a satisfied customer. I support you and your vision for this country 100%.
BILL:
Please respect all our leaders – especially our President – No matter what your affiliation is. You are free to say what you want; but after buying from you for 27 years and referring your product’ I bid you farewell. Never promote something like Impeachment on this great country. I hope the other COO is different.
I wish you the best as I vote with my checkbook.
Henry
Hello; I apologize for sending this positive comment to this address, but I had no address for the following individuals….As I have never received a response from Penzey’s I just wanted to let Terri Enright and Scott Norris that I thoroughly enjoyed my interviews..And thank you so much for considering me for the position of Key Holder…
Thank You again,
Delores A. Walker
Dear Mr. Penzey: I recently received an e-mail version of your newsletter regarding voting. I want to let you know that I did vote and I did it with my dollars. I returned every single Penzey item in my kitchen to your store in Hillcrest, San Diego, California. It was over $500 worth of product. Your newsletter was insulting and condescending. I don’t need you to tell me how to vote and in process tell me how awful I am if I vote contrary to your wishes. Just so you know, I am a registered Democrat. Congratulations, you have taken food and cooking which is something that can unite everyone and made it into something divisive. I hope other people will also vote with their dollars.
I totally agree with Kathleen. I realize we have freedom of speech but to use your hatred and emails to customers who put food on your table I think is apalling. I for one will not be returning to Penzeys in Phoenix And rest assured I have sent your emails onto everyone I know and you have lost customers. Instead of griping and complaining with hate emails why don’t you as an American citizen go on your knees and pray if you really want to make a change in our once was beautiful United States. People like you only cause more division instead of coming together. I hope you’re happy with your emails because I am very disappointed with people like you who do nothing but cause division and hatred among the American people. As the CEO I would expect that you had more intelligence.
My comment is simply this, I love your products but I don’t love that way you mingle political view points that are biased within your catalogs and ads. A business or corporation is not the appropriate place to get political. I have been noticing these comments for several years now. As a customer of many years, I am not sure if I will continue to purchase your products.
I had a stirring of hope for a return to civility when I read the subject line ‘Time to Say We are Sorry’ of the July 6 email.
I was mistaken, though; you weren’t apologizing to us Penzey-email subscribers. Most of us signed up for notifications of sales and product information, not a blog about your political views.
When one of the stage actors in Hamilton excoriated the Vice President (sitting in the audience) from the stage, Little Steven van Zandt (of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) took him to task, not because he disagreed with the actor’s views, but because of his abuse of the VP, who was there as a member of the audience (Rolling Stone article). I’m afraid you are guilty of the same abuse of your (captive) audience: if we want to keep informed of Penzey products and sales, the price is having to be subjected to political indoctrination and mischaracterizationing of your opponents, without recourse to presenting opposite viewpoints to that same audience. That is very disrespectful and abusive, and feels like bullying, and unfortunately is becoming an all too common reaction from the Left since America rejected the leftward policies this last election.
If Penzey’s wants to heal the world, start within the company: Remove any political talk from the emails and move it to the proper venue, such as a Facebook page or Twitter.
Charity begins at home.