Jump to content

Charlotte Supermarkets


monsoon

Recommended Posts

In all honestly, I never saw a need to go back to one. I am not sure that I want to have to access a computer system to pick up some beer and chips in what is basically a FoodLion.

Actually, I made it into one in the University Area over at Sugar Creek and Harris just the other day because I was in the area. I was really impressed, and would love to have one close by to me (I'm in SouthEnd). The prices there are much more comparable to Food Lion, but it's a heck of a lot nicer. I also went into a Food Lion in the same area over the weekend and it was a night-and-day difference in the "feel" of the store. Food Lion tends to feel cheap and nasty - giant bins of food piled everywhere and just a bad atmosphere. Bloom feels nice, fresh, clean, well-stocked, and spacious - more like a hip Harris Teeter. But the prices are cheaper than HT.

I remember going to another one in the University area a few years ago and seeing the personal scanners. It's really easy - you just scan the items as you put them into your cart and then at the checkout, you just run a credit card. If you don't like that, though, you don't have to use it. You can shop like at a normal grocery store and have it scanned/bagged for you when you are ready to checkout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


CBJ announced that Bloom will replace the Park Rd BiLo in Dilworth. Entire bldg to be gutted.

I see this as long overdue and a big boost for the area. Hope to see more neighborhood/pedestrian oriented businesses follow. Walk to the local pub/restaurant, etc.

Edit: Oops, someone already posted above. Nonetheless, I hope this spurs more sprucing up of this area of Dilworth.

Edited by mad_park
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though Bloom perhaps may not have been what everyone had hoped for, it is a good alternative to HT and will probably be better than that Bi-Lo seemingly ever was...
That is really in the eye of the beholder in what they expect out of a grocery store. I expect a grocery store to be reasonably priced, CLEAN, offer food that is safe and not expired, and has decent customer service. I'm not looking to deal with a bunch of technology in front of that. IMO, Foodlion has had issues with three of these items and it's not clear to me that Bloom is any better. The clean, food quality and customer service are issues of management and while there can be wide variations in these items, the stores that I have been disappointed the most in this regard has been the ones run by Food Lion. If the management of this company can't do it properly in their bread and butter stores, then to me this is a reason to stay away from Bloom also. The video game isn't enough of a reason for me to overlook this stuff.

I give HT very high marks on cleanliness and customer service. They are very consistent on this. They are so so on food quality and on selling expired food but better than most. They are atrociously bad at pricing. As in prices are way too high.

Bilo, IMO runs cleaner stores than Foodlion, at least the franchise in Charlotte does, are better priced than foodlion and have more of a selection. I would also rank their food quality fairly high, even better than HT in many cases. . Bilo has very bad customer service.

Foodlion is in a difficult position. They simply can't compete against super Walmart on the lower end which has completely taken this market from them. This was the market segment the original Food Town (Food Lion's predecessor) was built on. And they are unable to compete with HT on the high end because they simply don't seem to have the ability to run a store with the standards that HT shoppers have come to expect in CLT. Adding the electronics isn't the answer to their problem, though I suspect it is an interesting experiment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So which grocery stores are in the Charlotte area now?

In the Triangle we have Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Kroger, Aldi and Compare Foods (took over some of the old Winn Dixie stores when they left the market) in addition to the "superstores" by Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart (still several Super K-Marts around somehow)....I think there's a Piggly Wiggly or two in some of the small towns just south and/or east of Raleigh....throw in a few organic stores in there too....I don't think Bi-Lo was ever in this area although I do recall they were as close to the Triangle as Burlington up until 5ish yrs ago

my summary of Raleigh area grocers:

-Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods seem to compete head to head.....they both feel upscale when you go in them and both have loftier prices to match and are located mainly in the upscale/newer parts of town, although there are a few exceptions to Lowes Foods (old Hannafords from a failed expansion attempt in Raleigh and old Byrds in Orange/Granville/Person Counties)

-Food Lion seems to be a typical cookie cutter grocer that has a location on the corner of every other intersection in town

-Compare Foods is sort of like the bottom feeder store but I've never been in one just heard stories, pretty much the Roses of grocery stores

-Kroger's in the area vary from store to store, some are like large Food Lions while some have an upscale Harris Teeter/Lowes Foods ambience...in my opinion they have the least defined image of the big grocers in town

-I'd say, just from observations without looking at any official numbers in the Raleigh area by greatest # of locations to least:

1. Food Lion 2. Harris Teeter 3. Lowes Foods 4. Compare Foods 5+ Aldi, Piggly Wiggly, Organic Grocers (in no particular order)

We don't have any of the Food Lion variants around here although I have heard of Bloom and Bottom Dollar, but you can definately tell a difference in a Food Lion in the burbs of North Raleigh versus a Food Lion in, say Garner or inner city Durham

Wow, I just typed all of this up on a Friday night.... I have such a wild and crazy life ;-)

Edited by NCMike1981
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So which grocery stores are in the Charlotte area now?

In the Triangle we have Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Kroger, Aldi and Compare Foods (took over some of the old Winn Dixie stores when they left the market) in addition to the "superstores" by Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart (still several Super K-Marts around somehow)....I think there's a Piggly Wiggly or two in some of the small towns just south and/or east of Raleigh....throw in a few organic stores in there too....I don't think Bi-Lo was ever in this area although I do recall they were as close to the Triangle as Burlington up until 5ish yrs ago

my summary of Raleigh area grocers:

-Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods seem to compete head to head.....they both feel upscale when you go in them and both have loftier prices to match and are located mainly in the upscale/newer parts of town, although there are a few exceptions to Lowes Foods (old Hannafords from a failed expansion attempt in Raleigh and old Byrds in Orange/Granville/Person Counties)

-Food Lion seems to be a typical cookie cutter grocer that has a location on the corner of every other intersection in town

-Compare Foods is sort of like the bottom feeder store but I've never been in one just heard stories, pretty much the Roses of grocery stores

-Kroger's in the area vary from store to store, some are like large Food Lions while some have an upscale Harris Teeter/Lowes Foods ambience...in my opinion they have the least defined image of the big grocers in town

-I'd say, just from observations without looking at any official numbers in the Raleigh area by greatest # of locations to least:

1. Food Lion 2. Harris Teeter 3. Lowes Foods 4. Compare Foods 5+ Aldi, Piggly Wiggly, Organic Grocers (in no particular order)

We don't have any of the Food Lion variants around here although I have heard of Bloom and Bottom Dollar, but you can definately tell a difference in a Food Lion in the burbs of North Raleigh versus a Food Lion in, say Garner or inner city Durham

Wow, I just typed all of this up on a Friday night.... I have such a wild and crazy life ;-)

Grocery stores in Charlotte: Harris Teeter, Food Lion/Bloom/Bottom Dollar, Bi-Lo/Super Bi-Lo, Wal-mart Supercenter, Lowes Foods, Aldi, Comapre Foods, The Fresh Market, Trader Joe's, Earth Fare, SuperTarget... i may be missing a few here and there but that's the gist of it. We don't have Kroger, anymore, like the Triangle does but we have Bi-Lo, which the Triangle doesn't (and never did have, but Fayetteville, Southern Pines and Burlington did)... but otherwise pretty much the same. There are a few Piggly Wiggly and Ingles stores scattered throughout rural areas in the Charlotte market as well, none in the immediate city. I think we have one super K-mart Center left in the Charlotte area at Concord, unless that has been downgraded to a regular K-mart. It is interesting how Kroger is inconsistent among their stores, but given they are the nation's largest grocery store (not counting wal-mart) it is not that surprising.

I had to pick a new grocery store for that Dilworth locale, I would go with a Lowes over Bloom.

You know what's interesting though, all of Lowes Foods' stores are scattered across the outerbelt, they don't have a single in-town store.. I guess it might be harder finding a location but I was surprised they never took over any of the former Winn-Dixies either... I'm glad Bloom is making an effort for in-town.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Yeah but that was before the fact. Speaking of that store, does anyone know how that one is coming along?

Very slowly... I thought when they first announced this store was going to be converted to a Bloom that it would be completed by year end. It's not even close to being ready. They've stripped off the exterior facade so you can see inside where they have a lot to do still, in addition to changing the outside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the Super Bi-Lo at McKee Farms, I can see 3 possible scenarios:

1. Food Lion indeed converts it to Bloom (most likely)

2. Food Lion sells a few stores and this one is sold to Lowes Foods (the store is very similar to Lowes Foods in layout)

3. Food Lion sells the store to Harris Teeter and they move across the street (least likely)

Best thing is, I do not see this one sitting as an empty big box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.foodlion.com/pharmacyhealth/ select stores have pharmacies so they might expand that.

I found that same link about 2 seconds after I posted that. At least they have the $4 prescriptions like Bi-Lo, but I'm going to hate having to pay $10.99 rather that $10 for the 90 day prescriptions. ;)

What's going to happen with the Bi-Lo in Indian Trail. You go North, South, or East from that store and there is a Food Lion. Could that one be converted to Bloom or will they just let it sit empty?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is going to happen to the pharmacies? Food Lion does not have any pharmacies in their stores that I know of.

Bloom on West Sugar Creek Road is the only location in Mecklenburg County currently with a pharmacy. Several Food Lion locations in Carrabus County have them.

http://www.foodlion.com/pharmacyhealth/ select stores have pharmacies so they might expand that.

Food Lion has been very slow developing their pharmacy business. Acquiring Bi-Lo, with most locations having pharmacies, will help them advance their efforts in the Charlotte trade area. This may spur additional pharmacies to be added in current Food Lion and Bloom locations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...mp;t=h&z=11

Here is a map comparing the locations of Food Lion as compared to the Bi-Lo in Indian Trail. I see this store being sold. Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods could either one acquire this store. I don't see it being converted to a Bloom due to antitrust issues.

or it may remain empty, despite its visibility. Remember, neither Harris Teeter or Lowes Foods was interested in the former Winn Dixie in Stallings (Potter Road)...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, but the Winn Dixie in Stallings didn't have the square footage. This Bi Lo Does, and the Harris Teeter distribution center is just down the road.

Perhaps. There is also irony in the location of the HT Dist Cntr as there is a Food Lion right across the street. I doubt it will be a Lowes Foods for another reason though, Lowes Foods doesn't take over any old stores in the Charlotte area - all their stores have been built brand new. (not very green lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.