Grocery Stores: The Future?

[Walt34]

I don't really understand how they memorize where each item is exactly. Maybe they are employing humanoid robots there now?

The Lowes store here is pretty good about that too. HD is 20 minutes farther away but we do end up there sometimes if we're down that way for something else.

I once saw in Lowes what seemed to be a group of new employees being shown around the store and someone was explaining the layout to them and how to find stuff. But agreed that it takes what must seem to be an encyclopedic knowledge of the store to find everything.

 

[Fedup]

I have my friends and Costco optic department. A few years back, I chat them up and they gave this old retiree free frame for glasses. They still acknowledge me now that they don't even work at the optic department. You can chat up with anybody you like, even at Costco. I like to crack jokes and do it often. Hey that's how I get them laughing and got free frame.

 

[Music Lover]

That is the only time we want home delivery. We come back from the south and our place has been rented out so there is nothing in the fridge. So we need a starter kit to get us through the next day.

I have 2 options after being away long enough that the fridge is bare:

1. Pull some chili or one of my homemade pizzas out of the freezer
2. Get takeout on the way home from the airport

 

[Fedup]

What about milk?

 

[Music Lover]

What about milk?

Not a problem...I don't drink milk.

 

[CardsFan]

Not a problem...I don't drink milk.

+1.

I really cannot recall the last time I had a glass of milk. 10 years? 20 years?

Sure, I put some on my oatmeal, when I have it, and occasionally have a bowl of cereal, but if we had no milk in the fridge for 2 weeks, I probably would not notice.

OTOH, I have cottage cheese for breakfast most days, so I always have that on hand

Regarding the original post, I live within 3 miles of at least 5 grocery stores, and actually enjoy going to the store frequently to get what we need. Of course only week days between 9 and 2. No crowds, no traffic. And coming home from a long trip... that's what take out is for

 

[Fedup]

My husband and I have milk with cereal or steel oats everyday. Plus I drink cafe au lait, and that uses lots of milk.

 

[FUEGO]

I'm not dying, but I am able to do the same small-talk with the folks in the Kroger.

Same experience here at the Aldi I go to roughly once per week. There's a couple of ladies that work there that I see all the time (presumably they work the same shift each week and I usually stop by Wednesdays at 12 or so on my way home from the library). The whole store only has a handful of employees anyway, so it's not hard to get to know them. Extremely helpful folks, which is also corporate policy (they have to help you find an item, for example).

Same experience at the food lion (lower end store than Kroger). Same guy's been working the meat counter for a decade or more. Always goes in the back to get a fresh cut if they are out of stock. He'll even cut a certain piece if I'm looking for something not on the shelf (salmon fillet with good marbling and away from the skinny part of the tail for sashimi for example). Generally helpful staff and management.

Surprising service for folks that probably make in the $8-14/hr range.

 

[FUEGO]

As for the future of grocery stores, I think it looks promising.

Two new grocery stores have announced construction plans for "grocery alley" here. It's a stretch of 1.5 miles of the main road right next to my neighborhood. We already have eight grocery stores along that stretch: Kroger, Costco, Trader Joe's, Aldi, Super Walmart, Food Lion, Latino grocery, and Asian grocery store. Coming soon: Lidl and Wegmann's.

I occasionally shop at most of the stores that are already there, with the notable odd man out being Costco. I hate the warehouse store format (product sizes/quantities too large even for our family of 5; looooong lines; paying for privilege of shopping).

 

[Walt34]

Coming soon: Lidl and Wegmann's.

Oh, you'll probably like Wegmans! There's one in northern VA near a relative's house that we go to when visiting them. It's a high-end store with excellent selection and high quality products. It is not cheap though, but we treat ourselves sometimes.

 

[FUEGO]

Oh, you'll probably like Wegmans! There's one in northern VA near a relative's house that we go to when visiting them. It's a high-end store with excellent selection and high quality products. It is not cheap though, but we treat ourselves sometimes.

I've heard the same about Wegmann's. Really great but not cheap. We've got a couple of those stores around the area already and I rarely frequent them. Maybe they'll have some compelling sales to draw me in the store. I'm mainly looking for "acceptable quality at a great price" in a grocery store, so I figure Wegmann's might fall outside my value proposition.

What's the big draw for you? I mean, what sets it apart that you would want to go there vs. a "cheap but just okay" grocery store?

 

[Walt34]

What's the big draw for you? I mean, what sets it apart that you would want to go there vs. a "cheap but just okay" grocery store?

Mostly just for the higher-end products that we don't buy much of anywhere else either. Nice cuts of meat, oranges the size of grapefruits, huge apples with not a spot on them. We'll sometimes take a cooler with us to buy there because we're a good hour away so it isn't something we'll do unless we're also visiting the relative. Maybe twice a year.

 

[jjquantz]

We've got one nearby. DW and I can't stand Wegman's but we go there every couple of months for:

1) box wine - cheaper than anywhere else we've found and
2) cheese - they've got some oddball cheeses that DW likes at a good price.

Other than that we are in and out as fast as we can. It's just overwhelming for me.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I'm not dying, but I am able to do the same small-talk with the folks in the Kroger. It's just familiarity from going there often. Some of the employees were players on basketball teams that I have coached. That was back when they were in 3rd grade.

The folks in produce and in the meat department are not going to be manning the cash registers, but one can ask them about anything and they will do special things for you just like at a stand-alone butcher or produce market.

I get amazing service regularly. Here are a couple of examples:
"Sir, I'll open this register for you, are you ready?" and then when someone got in line after me (maybe it was you?) "Sorry, this lane will be closed as soon as I'm done with this customer."

-or-

"We have a special on king crab legs today. Would you like to try some that I've just cooked?" "I'm not fond of crab legs, but my son loves them." So my son eats a pound or two of cooked crab legs.

-or-

I can send my kid over to get something. "Go ask Betty in the meat department for ... she'll know exactly what I am looking for."

Employees are not evil and they like to be treated with respect. It's amazing what they will do for you even in a big box store or national chain. There is no Costco nor BJs close enough to me, so I cannot comment on those establishments, but the Home Depot folks are amazing to me whenever I go. I don't bother searching for anything anymore, but just ask as I walk in. I get great tips on fixing things, too. And they have special-ordered plants for me, too.

i never saw or heard of Kroger, are they like costco or BJ's?

 

[RunningBum]

We've got one nearby. DW and I can't stand Wegman's but we go there every couple of months for:

1) box wine - cheaper than anywhere else we've found and
2) cheese - they've got some oddball cheeses that DW likes at a good price.

Other than that we are in and out as fast as we can. It's just overwhelming for me.

They've got a really nice beer and wine selection, but otherwise I don't like it. Overwhelming is the right word. Every once in awhile I find it's the most convenient place to go, especially since it's a 24 hour store, but that's the only time I go.

 

[Philliefan33]

I love Wegmans! I do my regular shopping there. The quality is excellent, service is great, and the store is nice and clean. I don't feel I spend significantly more at Wegmans than I would at my second choice (Giant). I buy many Wegmans brand products and they are as good as the national brands.

A friend of mine likes to shop at Redner's, a discount grocery store. I've gone in a few times and I don't like it. The produce is second-rate and I don't trust the meat or deli section. The store is dirty and worn. Sure, a box of pasta is ten cents cheaper. But I'd have to make another stop at a different store to get produce/meat/cheese.

I don't care if I spend a bit more to shop at Wegmans. How much could it be, shopping for just two of us...maybe $5/trip? I'll pay that for a more enjoyable experience.

I almost forgot-- Wegmans has an awesome app for iPhone. You make your shopping list, and the app lists the items by aisle. It even knows when you go into a different Wegmans and adjusts the list accordingly. The app makes it very easy to find everything you need and move efficiently through the store.

 

[Texas Proud]

LOL.... I read people talking about Food Lion... we had them here for a couple of years but they were run out of town by HEB and Randall's at the time... they had really high prices... never made a dent....

PLUS, it came at the time they were shown to be selling meats and stuff that were out of date... that went over well....

 

[Just_Steve]

i never saw or heard of Kroger, are they like costco or BJ's?

More like an A & P

 

[Aerides]

Does anyone else live near The Fresh Market? I just got a new one 2 miles from my house and it has made me love my location even more. Delivery-schmivery.

 

[FUEGO]

LOL.... I read people talking about Food Lion... we had them here for a couple of years but they were run out of town by HEB and Randall's at the time... they had really high prices... never made a dent....

PLUS, it came at the time they were shown to be selling meats and stuff that were out of date... that went over well....

Funny, that meat incident was 25 years ago! They're still reeling from it. I hear people today who swear they'll never shop there because of the same incident.

 

[FUEGO]

We've got one nearby. DW and I can't stand Wegman's but we go there every couple of months for:

1) box wine - cheaper than anywhere else we've found and
2) cheese - they've got some oddball cheeses that DW likes at a good price.

Other than that we are in and out as fast as we can. It's just overwhelming for me.

Sounds like half our shopping list at Trader Joe's Love their cheese selection. I also find I love smaller stores more. Trader Joe's, like Aldi, has that going for it. Easy to be in and out in 10 minutes if I'm just grabbing a few things. Though I sometimes spend 20 minutes browsing the cheese and beer/wine at TJs.

 

[aja8888]

i never saw or heard of Kroger, are they like costco or BJ's?

Here you go (Kroger is #3 and primarily groceries):

(next time Google it)

Walmart, Costco, Kroger, are the World's Biggest Retail Chains in terms of annual revenue. That's according to the 2016 Global Powers of Retailing report, which is published each year by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and STORES Magazine.

 

[Scuba]

I love Wegmans! I do my regular shopping there. The quality is excellent, service is great, and the store is nice and clean. I don't feel I spend significantly more at Wegmans than I would at my second choice (Giant). I buy many Wegmans brand products and they are as good as the national brands.

A friend of mine likes to shop at Redner's, a discount grocery store. I've gone in a few times and I don't like it. The produce is second-rate and I don't trust the meat or deli section. The store is dirty and worn. Sure, a box of pasta is ten cents cheaper. But I'd have to make another stop at a different store to get produce/meat/cheese.

I don't care if I spend a bit more to shop at Wegmans. How much could it be, shopping for just two of us...maybe $5/trip? I'll pay that for a more enjoyable experience.

I almost forgot-- Wegmans has an awesome app for iPhone. You make your shopping list, and the app lists the items by aisle. It even knows when you go into a different Wegmans and adjusts the list accordingly. The app makes it very easy to find everything you need and move efficiently through the store.

I love Wegman's too! Used to shop there when we lived in PA. No Wegman's in So CA.

 

[Scuba]

More like an A & P

Or a Safeway

 

[Scuba]

Sounds like half our shopping list at Trader Joe's Love their cheese selection. I also find I love smaller stores more. Trader Joe's, like Aldi, has that going for it. Easy to be in and out in 10 minutes if I'm just grabbing a few things. Though I sometimes spend 20 minutes browsing the cheese and beer/wine at TJs.

+1 on TJ's for cheese. Great selection with low prices. Milk, eggs, and other dairy is also good there. Produce is iffy at TJ's where we live. Sometimes great and other times spoils very quickly.