TEWKSBURY, MA - The weeks following the firing of Market Basket's former CEO and President Arthur T. Demoulas have been ones filled with controversy. What the public debate has lacked however was any input from the very man it was being waged over, as Demoulas himself has remained largely silent since his release. That changed this week when Arthur T. Demoulas made his first public statement on the matter, prompted by the firing of 8 senior Market Basket employees who had been closely involved in organizing the protests and boycotts aimed at having him reinstated.

“This is the first time I have commented publicly on the recent events at Market Basket,” his statement read. “The success of Market Basket is the result of two things: a business model that works and the execution of it by a dedicated and impassioned team of associates. Their fierce loyalty to the company and its customers has always been deeply valued...I urge that they be reinstated in the best interest of the company and our customers.”

Steve Paulenka, a facilities and operations supervisor with 40 years of experience with Market Basket, was among those fired. Despite the loss of his job however, he remained resolute that he had done the right thing.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to do something because you know it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

Tom Trainor, another casualty of the recent firings, told reporters at Business Insider that this kind of loyalty is a natural result of Arthur T. Demoulas' character as a CEO and person.

"He takes care of people, he cares more about people than money, he walks among associates and customers," Trainor said. "He knows your name, your wife's name, your husband's name, what school your kids go to."

Some however just want life to return to how it used to be. Kara Wittens, a 51 year old resident of Boston and loyal Market Basket shopper, talked to the Boston Globe about how she didn't think she'd continue to make her weekly trip if the company couldn't keep its store stocked.

“Now I have to call up and ask, ‘Do you have produce?’ before I get in the car,” she said. “Ultimately, people are going to say, ‘There’s no food, so I’m not going to shop there.’ And they might not come back at all.”

“One side is waiting for the other to blink,” she went on. “Who’s going to blink?

Indeed, that's a question that more than a few would like to know the answer to.

For some context on this recent news story, check out our previous article on the Market Basket affair here. 

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