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Meijer Market in Downtown?

michaelskis

By michaelskis
in Grand Rapids

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grcitydog Whistle-Stop

grcitydog

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While I agree that having an urban Meijer would be nice, I believe that many years ago Meijer did have smaller, grocery only stores around town in neighborhood areas. (Before my time). There was a reason they closed those stores and went to the super centers in the suburbs- profitability. If it ever becomes viable to run a small scale store, I'm sure that they will be the first ones there, but with the car culture we now have, I'm afraid that the economies of scale the big boxes have going for them make it the only way to make money. Maybe someday, if densities in the urban areas get high enough and there are other transportation options than cars, we'll see something happen.

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tamias6 Town

tamias6

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Meijer was founded in the 30's by Mr. Hendrik Meijer as a food market. It evolved into a thriving chain of grocery stores. How ever in the 60's Hendrik and his son Fred took a leap of faith and built the very first combined grocery and retail super center, the 28th st. and Kalamazoo Ave. store, which was then called Thrifty Acres. From there, the Meijer family gradually shifted their energy to running their growing chain of super centers. Thus their grocery chain quietly faded out of existence. The last Meijer supermarket to close was ironically one of the first one to opened in Grand Rapids. It's located just off of Michigan St. several blocks east of Medical Mile. That store is now a Spartan own supermarket.

While I agree that having an urban Meijer would be nice, I believe that many years ago Meijer did have smaller, grocery only stores around town in neighborhood areas. (Before my time). There was a reason they closed those stores and went to the super centers in the suburbs- profitability. If it ever becomes viable to run a small scale store, I'm sure that they will be the first ones there, but with the car culture we now have, I'm afraid that the economies of scale the big boxes have going for them make it the only way to make money. Maybe someday, if densities in the urban areas get high enough and there are other transportation options than cars, we'll see something happen.
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tamias6 Town

tamias6

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I know quite a few class mates at Kendal College that shop at the Plainfield Ave. Meijer and a few others using the Alpine Store. I also see quite a number of GVSU main campus students frequent the Standale Meijer on Lake Michigan and Wilson.

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winjer Unincorporated Area

winjer

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I've thought about this idea for a while. It's something we really need in the city.

And as far as business viability, just because Meijer has one way of doing things in the suburbs doesn't mean they can't come up with another way for the city. There's no need for it to be any sort of "charity". Naturally, prices would be higher in a small neighborhood store, just like they are in a convenience store, but I would think the Meijer distribution system could be leveraged to keep prices lower than existing convenience stores while keeping quality MUCH higher.

City people who can't stand existing liquor-oriented, mostly crummy stores (I'm looking at you, Wealthy Market) would happily patronize an urban Meijer. Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor, who worked for Walmart on black PR issues was rather crude to single out Jewish, Korean, and Arab shop owners but his main point was quite valid--these stores sell bad food at high prices and if they were replaced, urban residents could improve the quality of their lives. This is especially true for those of us without cars, like my roommate, who alternates between spending too much of his money on prepared food and literally going hungry.

I'm no Walmart fan, but if they beat Meijer to the punch on this I will become one!

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Veloise City

Veloise

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I know quite a few class mates at Kendal College that shop at the Plainfield Ave. Meijer and a few others using the Alpine Store. I also see quite a number of GVSU main campus students frequent the Standale Meijer on Lake Michigan and Wilson.
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tamias6 Town

tamias6

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Meijer's plan calls for all older stores to either be renovated or replaced with brand new facilities to bring up all locations in the entire chain to the latest corporate wide format, designed by the Rockwell Group. It is only a matter of time before the 28th street and Kalamazoo Ave. location is either renovated or replaced.

This is off topic, but how does Meijer inc justify the crappy conditions at the 28th and kalamazoo store?? That place is always slamming busy, so its not a struggling store. Even the self checkout machines are lower tech than the ones at other stores. What gives?
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