Hourglass District

[codypet]

1 hour ago, NJBlake said:

Yeah, in the northeast you would have tiers of food store depending on need/laziness. Wegmans was for fancy parties, Stop & Shop/Shoprite was for weekly needs, A&P/IGA/pathmark was when you were driving home, forgot something for dinner that night, and it was on the way. I for one hate the Publix virtual Monopoly and shop at WD when i can. Can't wait for Lucky's to open up. 

Same.  I left the eastern PA area before Wegman's joined in, but we had Food 4 Less, Shop Rite, Giant, and Weis.  We also had Turkey Hill/Wawa in a pinch too.

Even in high school in the Orlando area we had Goodings, Winn Dixie, Food Lion, Publix and Albertson's.  Publix moved upmarket when Winn-Dixie bought Goodings.  Then Food Lion left the area and Publix bought most of the Albertson's locations.

Edited January 9, 2019 by codypet

[JFW657]

31 minutes ago, codypet said:

Same.  I left the eastern PA area before Wegman's joined in, but we had Food 4 Less, Shop Rite, Giant, and Weis.  We also had Turkey Hill/Wawa in a pinch too.

Even in high school in the Orlando area we had Goodings, Winn Dixie, Food Lion, Publix and Albertson's.  Publix moved upmarket when Winn-Dixie bought Goodings.  Then Food Lion left the area and Publix bought most of the Albertson's locations.

We've still got these guys.... 

[codypet]

So interesting story about Save a Lot.  Save-a-lot can be licensed.  When Winn-Dixie was independent and not owned by Bi-lo they had their own version called Save Rite that they used to convert Winn-Dixie in less desirable neighborhoods.  After the Bi-Lo acquisition, that was Harveys.  Anyway in NE Pennsylvania, Weis would build new store locations across the street or next to their old locations and then be the license owner of the Save a lot in the spot of their old store to prevent their competition from moving in. 

Publix did something similar in the late 00's where they'd just hold the leases of the vacant Publix or Albertson's until their hand got forced or it began to make sense to open the Publix.  The most obvious example was in Dr. Phillips where the Marketplace plaza owner threw a fit over the fact that Publix bought Albertson's with the promise to build a Greenwise there in 2009.  (Winn-Dixie/Goodings had already relocated to LBV when their lease was up and Office Max/Homegoods moved in) The plaza was left without  a grocery anchor and Publix was holding the lease and left it vacant.  With Blockbuster dying too, that end of the plaza began to wither and die and the Marketplace owner blamed Publix for accelerating the demise.  Publix eventually opened a new store and that's why you have two Publix across the street from each other in DP.

[HankStrong]

Lucky's growing does nothing but improve the grocery scene and opens doors to Kroger jumping in the fray at some point.

ALDI is making huge gains in central FL. 

If LIDL keeps up their plan of attack, they will be in FL before long.  https://www.lidl.com/stores  Although, it seems they aren't doing quite as well as they thought.  They are still opening dozens of stores a year.

[JFW657]

You can never have too many places to get food!!! 

[spenser1058]

As cranky as I’ve gotten about their politics (and as a protest now buy most of my non-fresh and non-frozen stuff from Target online), I must confess I still much prefer to shop Where It’s A Pleasure.

Maybe the right-leaning places like Chick-Fil-A and Publix are so good at what they do because their folks have that mindset for following orders, making them that much more organized and efficient.

Although, both Disney and Target do a great job while going the other way. Someday I’ll go for a master’s in marketing and write my thesis on the topic. I’ll let you know...

 

[spenser1058]

3 hours ago, HankStrong said:

Lucky's growing does nothing but improve the grocery scene and opens doors to Kroger jumping in the fray at some point.

ALDI is making huge gains in central FL. 

If LIDL keeps up their plan of attack, they will be in FL before long.  https://www.lidl.com/stores  Although, it seems they aren't doing quite as well as they thought.  They are still opening dozens of stores a year.

Kroger went head to head with The P some years ago and left with their tail between their legs.

With Lucky’s, it’s not a direct compete with Publix so it will be fascinating to watch. Of course, if they take hold, watch for Publix to roll out a lot more of their GreenWise Markets.

So far, every major chain from out of state until Walmart abandoned ship in the face of the Publix juggernaut (chains like Aldi and Save-A-Lot on the low end and Whole Paycheck on the high end really don’t compete with Publix). As I always tell jrs2, change is inevitable and maybe this time will be different.

[codypet]

38 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Kroger went head to head with The P some years ago and left with their tail between their legs.

With Lucky’s, it’s not a direct compete with Publix so it will be fascinating to watch. Of course, if they take hold, watch for Publix to roll out a lot more of their GreenWise Markets.

So far, every major chain from out of state until Walmart abandoned ship in the face of the Publix juggernaut (chains like Aldi and Save-A-Lot on the low end and Whole Paycheck on the high end really don’t compete with Publix). As I always tell jrs2, change is inevitable and maybe this time will be different.

Well this is interesting.

[Camillo Sitte]

13 minutes ago, codypet said:

Well this is interesting.

There are several in metro Orlando under various subsidiary names.

Kroger owns several large, clinical pharmacy brands. They provide things like HIV/AIDS drugs, specialty IV-based cancer drugs, etc., Serious and very specialized and compounded drugs and delivery methods that your local CVS just doesn't [and in some cases can't] carry.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Camillo Sitte

[spenser1058]

12 minutes ago, codypet said:

Well this is interesting.

A quick Google search also found one in Lake Mary. Apparently, they are doing specialty pharmacies that are less a big box Walgreens and more clinically oriented to patients with chronic conditions.

It does look they can’t help themselves, though - a nationwide company can’t really ignore the third largest state, especially all our retirees who are big grocery and pharmacy users.

http://www.krogerspecialtypharmacy.com/

[HankStrong]

Yeah, there was another thread where we got into this about 6 months ago, but it's not an open to the general public type thing.  It's a specialty pharmacy with a special group of customers.

[AndyPok1]

Maybe it's just the part of the midwest I came from, but Kroger was largely equivalent to Wynn Dixie for us.  Yeah, there were some nice ones, but mostly were looked at as KroGhetto.

[spenser1058]

The chain I’m intrigued by but have never been to is H•E•B. From what I’ve read, they are to Texas what Publix was to Florida (before they diluted their FL focus by expanding north), only much more so.

[AndyPok1]

Very much so.  They give off a cheaper vibe while being good though.  Almost feels like a Wal-Mart that has high quality food.

[JFW657]

We lived on Long Island when I was a kid.

I remember going to Bohack.

Common around the NYC & L.I. area until the late 70's.

[HankStrong]

10 hours ago, AndyPok1 said:

Maybe it's just the part of the midwest I came from, but Kroger was largely equivalent to Wynn Dixie for us.  Yeah, there were some nice ones, but mostly were looked at as KroGhetto.

Oddly, we didn't shop at Kroger very much when I lived there.  The Kroger's were nicer and more expensive in my area.  They were the biggest game in town, though.  My family was a bit poor, so we mostly shopped at the IGA, Marsh's Supermarket, and when Meijer came to our area we went there.

That said, Kroger was the name and Kroger was the store everyone knew.  I'd been in the store many times, but it was out of my family's price range most of the time.

 

This also meant that I never shopped at mall stores like Chess King, The Gap, etc. like we are talking about in the other thread.  I was more of the Hills, Ames, K-mart, Sears, and Target kid when school clothes time came around.  When I started working my paychecks started going toward nicer clothes from the mall, as well as movie tickets, food court food, cassettes from Camelot music, and playing video games in the mall arcade.

Edited January 11, 2019 by HankStrong

[NJBlake]

I went to a Mariano's when I traveled to  Bensenville, IL  to visit some family and that place is awesome. It is a recent acquisition by Kroger through their purchase of Roundys (Side note, Kroger owns a Lot of supermarket brands). Would love one of those down here.  (https://www.marianos.com/)

[JFW657]

Anyone ever been to a Piggly Wiggly?

Very common in the deep south states north of Florida.

Don't think I've ever seen one in our state.

[spenser1058]

5 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

Anyone ever been to a Piggly Wiggly?

Very common in the deep south states north of Florida.

Don't think I've ever seen one in our state.

The Pig is franchise, not a chain. My dad worked at a Pig in WG back in the late ‘40’s.

More recently, when the (Fabulous!) Fairway Markets were sold in the ‘80’s here, they briefly became Pigs.

The one at E. 50 and Alafaya was a hot pickup spot for UCF students then.

Publix founder Mr. George worked at a Pig in Tampa before heading out to Winter Haven and doing his own thing.

[JFW657]

13 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

The Pig is franchise, not a chain. My dad worked at a Pig in WG back in the late ‘40’s.

More recently, when the (Fabulous!) Fairway Markets were sold in the ‘80’s here, they briefly became Pigs.

The one at E. 50 and Alafaya was a hot pickup spot for UCF students then.

Publix founder Mr. George worked at a Pig in Tampa before heading out to Winter Haven and doing his own thing.

Few people know that there was a string of would be competitors over the years who tried and failed to capitalize on The Pig's name recognition as well.

They include:

Hoggly Woggly
Porkly Workly
Sowly Wowly
Oinkly Woinkly

Slopply Wopply was the biggest failure of them all.

Never got a single customer from what I hear. 

[spenser1058]

Another fun fact about The Pig: its original store in Memphis was the first self-service grocery.

Before then, you had to go up to the counter and present your list to a Sam Drucker or Ike Godsey. As you might imagine, that kept stores small and prices high.

[spenser1058]

Whenever anyone is skeptical about a cashierless store like Amazon GO, I always think about how strange the first visit to the Piggly Wiggly in Memphis must have seemed..

Imagine the matronly Southern belles going    to the Pig the first time: “I have to do this all myself?”

 

[codypet]

Just like Kmart and Winn Dixie when they first put in self checkout in 2000.

[jgardnerucf]

Last Pig Wig in the area I vaguely remember is the Sam Ash on Lee Rd. 

...closes eyes and ponders good 'ol days at Embassy...

[orlandoguy]

Anyone ever been to a Piggly Wiggly?

Very common in the deep south states north of Florida.
Don't think I've ever seen one in our state.

We had PW’s in Pinellas County when I was growing up. My first job as a teenager was at a former PW that, by that time, had become an IGA licensee.