Items tagged with 'supermarkets'
The organic milk shortage
A sign on the dairy case at the Hannaford in Albany.
Over the last month or so we've noticed signs popping up on dairy cases at both Hannaford and Price Chopper noting that there's an organic milk shortage. And the shelves in the case have appeared rather bare at times. (We were the ones who took the last half-gallon of organic milk at the Slingerlands Price Chopper the other day. Sorry about that.)
So, what's going on?
The local supermarket field is getting crowded
A rendering of the new store Honest Weight is raising money to build.
The supermarket market in the Capital Region is going through some interesting changes right now. ShopRite is making a major investment by building as many as four stores in the area, seemingly with the aim of going to head-to-head with Price Chopper. The Chopper is planning "the store of the decade" in Latham. Fresh Market apparently has been doing well at its spot in Latham. Target has added expanded grocery sections to its stores here. Walmart keeps pushing low prices in its grocery sections. Hannaford continues being Hannaford. And now there's going to be a Trader Joe's.
As these development have come down the conveyer belt, there's been concern about where all this will leave places such as Honest Weight and the Niskayuna Co-op. And it's a good question. Both markets have passionate fans -- but they're also relatively small players, and the market is getting crowded.
So, we were interested to read how Honest Weight sees its place in the market shaping up. From an email the co-op sent out yesterday:
In the light of recent reports of major expansions from regional and national chain stores, it may bear repeating more often - to yourself, family, friends, customers, and acquaintances - that Honest Weight is NOT in competition. It is in a class by itself. We have a niche (hell, we created it!), and we will remain strong within it. ...
Perceived 'competition' is always a challenge. Honest Weight has faced and risen to the challenge over the years and we will do so now. While we have been planning for the new store, we've been tightening our belts and improving the things we're known for- diverse and natural product mix, fantastic produce, bulk, cheese and meat selections - and top-notch grocery and deli selections. We have been ramping up our catering department and honing our baking and cooking skills. You've seen the results, and eaten them. With our excellent customer service, our skilled and knowledgeable staff, our commitment to the community and our 35 years of passion for the healthiest food and widest product choice available, we welcome side-by-side comparison with any chain grocery.
The full email, which references Trader Joe's, is after the jump.
Whether you call it competition or not, having more players on the local supermarket scene will force markets to step up their game -- or risk losing out. And even then, they may end up with less than they had before the shake-up. The pie here isn't growing very fast -- but there will be a lot more people trying to take slices from it.
In the short term, that could be good shoppers -- lower prices, better service, better and more interesting selection. Let's hope it works that way in the long term, too.
Trader Joe's confirms Wolf Road location
The site of the soon-to-be Trader Joe's in Colonie.
Trader Joe's has confirmed that it will be opening a store at 79 Wolf Road in Colonie. The company says the store will open during the 2nd quarter of this year. The grocery store will be approximately 13,000 square feet.
Commence whatever ceremony you had planned.
A tip of the hat to the Business Review's Michael DeMasi for first reporting the news today. And to the TU's Chris Churchill for first identifying the site back in November.
The strip mall where the TJ's is being built formerly housed an Office Max. When we stopped by last week to peek through the windows, the interior had been gutted to the dirt. A construction worker told us the space will be filled by a "a Chinese restaurant and a gourmet grocery store."
The Wolf Road Trader Joe's will not be carrying wine, says TJ's spokesperson Alison Mochizuki. This isn't surprising -- in New York State retailers are only allowed one location to sell wine and liquor, and TJ's has one in Manhattan.
As for why the company chose Albany -- and whether the We Want Trader Joe's in the Capital District group influenced the company, Mochizuki says in an email:
There's a lot of foodies in Albany! We consider ourselves the neighborhood grocery store and feel Albany is a wonderful community to be part of.
Although it is very nice to be wanted, wooing doesn't go into our decision making processes of selecting a location.
Full company press release after the jump -- and a bunch of reaction from people on Twitter...
ShopRite Albany slated for spring 2012
ShopRite in progress.
Officials from ShopRite and the city of Albany will officially announce today the plans for a new ShopRite in Albany. The all-but-official project is being constructed at the back of the OTB Tele-theater property on Central Ave just to the east of Everett Road.
The supermarket company says it's planning for a spring 2012 opening. We stopped by the site yesterday -- the frame of the building is up, but there's still a lot of work ahead on the interior. (The current tele-theater, which stands very close to the new supermarket building, is slated to be demolished for a new OTB facility.) [TU]
The Albany location will be ShopRite's second store in the Capital Region. It opened a Niskayuna location in October. That new store -- right in Price Chopper's corporate backyard -- has set off what looks like the beginning of a supermarket war with Price Chopper, with competing sales, services, and even a lawsuit.
The (re)arrival of ShopRite in the Capital Region brings more competition to the supermarket scene here and that's almost never a bad thing for customers. This spot in Albany will be especially competitive -- Price Chopper and Hannaford are just up the street. There are rumors ShopRite is planning a total of four stores for this area.
More details from the press release are after the jump -- as are few more pics of the construction site.
Trying out ShopRite's home delivery service
Check it out: Craig (Ellsass) gave ShopRite's home delivery service a try and wrote about the experience:
I love shopping online. I don't find much appeal in trekking to a traditional brick-and-mortar shop during whatever their hours happen to be, forcing a smile when the cashier mentions the weather, and waiting in endless lines. So it was with great excitement that I discovered that finally, in 2011, I can have groceries delivered to my suburban home for a reasonable price. Specifically, ShopRite in Niskayuna offers both in-store pickup (free) and at-home delivery at least as far as Latham (free until Thanksgiving for $50+ orders, otherwise a very fair $6.95 fee).
So how did it go? The ride was a little bumpy, likely due to ShopRite being very new in the area, but it all worked out well.
His post has lots of description, screengrabs, pics (those are his groceries on the right), and tips.
Price Chopper also now has a home-delivery service (hello, competition). Has anyone tried that?
That Walmart wine is the wine equivalent of cheese food
After stumbling across what looked like a wine display in the World's Largest Walmart, Emily emailed with what we can only imagine was some distress:
Walmart wine? Did some law get passed that I missed?
The short answer: no.
The longer answer is... uh... tacky.
Price Chopper owner sues ShopRite owner over online ads -- is the supermarket war on?
A screengrab from October 20, 2011. Here's a larger version. (We removed the Google toolbar at the top.)
Updated at 3:30 pm after hearing from Wakefern/ShopRite.
The Golub Corp -- which owns Price Chopper -- is suing the cooperative behind ShopRite over ads the cooperative allegedly bought on Google, the Times Union first reported today. Golub is alleging trademark infringement, false designation of origin and unfair competition. (We pulled the filing -- it's embedded after the jump.)
We noticed the ads last week while looking up some stuff about Price Chopper. A search for "Price Chopper" on October 20 returned the regular search results -- and at the top: a text ad for ShopRite. We took a screengrab (above) and figured we might eventually use it as evidence in what appears to a supermarket war that's starting to heat up.
Golub saw the situation rather differently. From the filing:
Upon information and belief, Defendant Wakefern has infringed Plaintiff Golub's registered mark in interstate commerce by various acts, including purchasing keywords including or relating to the PRICE CHOPPER® mark and engaging in Internet advertising campaigns using the PRICE CHOPPER® mark, to sell, offer for sale and advertise Wakefern's retail grocery goods and/or services. Defendant's use of the PRICE CHOPPER® mark is without permission or authority of Plaintiff Golub and such use by Defendant is likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake and/or to deceive.
Golub alleges Wakefern also bought similar ads on Bing and Yahoo (and it includes screengrabs in the filing).
Troy food co-op closes
The co-op opened after much anticipation in October 2010, and made it a little more than a year.
The Pioneer Market -- The Troy Community Food Co-op -- closed Saturday. The co-op emailed members the news Saturday night and posted a message on the org's Facebook page. (The email is pasted in full after the jump.)
The co-op had reportedly seen a bump in traffic lately because of the opening of the nearby City Station mixed-use development. But it wasn't enough. From the email: "While the co-op has had some good days, our monthly sales still remained well below the level we needed to make the co-op a sustainable business. We lost money every month during our first year, and essentially we have run out of cash."
By many accounts the market got off to a rough start when it opened in October 2010, and it made appeals to members on multiple occasions to help keep it afloat. In July it warned that closure could come soon.
The idea for the co-op was a good one -- downtown Troy lacked a supermarket, and the co-op held the promise of a consistent source of healthy food for the area. But the execution seems to have been uneven. As Mike Avent -- who joined the co-op's board this past summer -- explained in a Soapbox piece here on AOA in July:
The reality is that the co-op has never been on firm footing. In some ways, every day we've been open has been a minor miracle. I believe we opened the co-op with the minimum amount of capital needed to get the doors open. We have been in a slow moving crisis ever since. Undoubtedly, board and owners patted themselves on the back for a job well done when we should have scrambled as if the fate of the co-op depended on it.
There's a meeting for owners planned for November 1 at the Christ Church United Methodist at 7 pm to discuss the closure.
More coverage:
+ The co-op still owes $1.8 million to banks, government agencies, and the Community Loan Fund -- plus what members loaned it. [TU]
+ Of the co-op's cash situation: "The numbers were very stark," said the board president. [Troy Record]
+ The co-op's lenders are trying to find someone to re-open the market. [TU]
A first look at ShopRite Niskayuna
Thankfully, no one lost a limb in the rush for discounted lobster. We hope.
Our chief senior special supermarket correspondent checks in with a report from the grand opening of the new ShopRite in Niskayuna on Sunday.
What makes ShopRite different from all other markets? That was the primary question I focused on trying to solve as I wondered why this ordinarily quiet section of Niskayuna resembled Walmart on Black Friday.
Maybe it was even worse.
Traffic was snarled on Balltown Road headed up to the corner of Nott Street where the entrance to the newly christened ShopRite Square is located. Despite the throngs of people descending upon this newly arrived grocer, the parking lot at the nearby Price Chopper was also totally full.
The ShopRite parking lot however was over full. As people circled around trying to find a spot, you could see the road rage in their eyes. Cars were parked illegally all throughout the lot, and I was lucky to get a spot in its furthest recesses, behind the store between the dumpsters and the loading bay.
Inside proved to be a treasure trove of delights, but only for the most intrepid shoppers.
Price Chopper Shops4U
Price Chopper says it's rolling out an online shopping service called "Shops4U" next week at its Niskayuna store. From the press release:
To access Shops4U, Price Chopper customers simply go to the online ordering tab on www.pricechopper.com and pull down the menu for Shops4U. Once they register, customers can pick and choose from among tens of thousands of food items carried in their local Price Chopper store. Orders can be picked up at the store or delivered to homes, offices or community gathering spaces in the Niskayuna area.
In addition to the online component, Shops4U also allows customers to interact with specially trained Price Chopper teammates who will go through the store to select the best in fresh meat, produce and seafood, along with bakery and packaged grocery items. When a customer places an order online, the pick-up time is indicated. The order will be selected and ready at that time for pick up. The customer need only drive up to the designated pick-up parking spots in front of the Niskayuna store and call the phone number indicated on the sign there. The grocery order will be brought out to the car, where the guest can pay by credit card and drive off, without ever having to leave the car.
Delivery orders will be brought to the home, business or community gathering space by Price Chopper's professional delivery staff within a designated time period.
The service costs $10, plus another $5.99 for delivery (with a discount for the first order, and every fifth order after that). The full press release is pasted after the jump.
The company says it plans to eventually extend the service to all of its stores.
In what is almost surely not a coincidence, Shops4U is rolling out just before the planned grand opening of the new ShopRite in Niskayuna on October 2. And what's one of the services ShopRite's been touting: "ShopRite from Home," an order ahead and delivery service.
We're not buzzing with excitement over ShopRite coming (back) to the Capital Region -- but if it can prompt competition with the players already here (especially on price), that's not a bad thing.
People like shopping... whenever they want
While perusing Progressive Grocer recently*, we came across this interview with Neil Golub, the CEO of the company that owns Price Chopper.
A few bits that were interesting:
+ Ben and Bill Golub, who had been in the wholesale food business in Schenectady, set up their first retail store after checking out a market on Long Island in 1931.
+ The market they set up -- "The Public Service Market" -- opened in Green Island in 1932. (The first Central Market, which would become the name for their chain, opened in Schenectady in 1935.)
+ The company changed the markets' name to Price Chopper in 1973. It also made the switch to being open 24/7. Golub says sales went up 30 percent after making the switch to being always open.
The interviewed is embedded above. And here's more on Price Chopper's history from its website.
(Video of the interview is embedded after the jump. Caution: it auto-plays.)
* What, you're not reading Progressive Grocer?
Schweddy Balls? Maybe not.
Updated September 13 at 7:30 am
Ben & Jerry's has a new flavor: Schweddy Balls. You've probably heard. It's been all over the interwebs. It's inspired (if that's the word) by the famous SNL in which candy maker Pete Schweddy (played by Alec Baldwin) brings his "Schweddy Balls" to an NPR food show (it's embedded after the jump).
Anyway, Fox44 in Burlington is reporting that "all" Price Chopper locations won't be carrying the ice cream because of the name. We put in a request for comment with Price Chopper Thursday afternoon about the story, but haven't heard back (we'll update if we do), so we can't confirm. They've admittedly had more important things to focus on this week. (We also didn't hear back from Hannaford -- maybe no one wants to touch the Schweddy Balls issue. Hannaford got back to us -- their response after the jump.)
Said a Ben & Jerry's spokesman to Time about the name: "The name is irreverent. But we've always been about having some irreverence and having some fun ... We're not trying to offend people. Our fans get the humor."
So what's in Schweddy Balls? From Ben & Jerry's site: "vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and is loaded with fudge covered rum and milk chocolate malt balls." Reviews of the flavor have been... mixed. [NY Mag Grub Street]
The Ben & Jerry's scoop shop on Lark Street in Albany says the flavor is currently available there (it was sold out as of the evening of September 12). The RPI scoop shop says it might have the flavor this weekend. And the Saratoga shop says maybe by the end of next week.
Honest Weight Food Co-op closer to moving ahead with new store
A rendering of the proposed new store, by Envision Architects.
The Honest Weight Food Co-op announced this week that it's passed the $1 million mark in loans from the public -- and it's now close to moving ahead with its new store.
The co-op already has a site lined up Albany's West End neighborhood -- and a new building has been in the works for years. But a financing snag in March 2010 prompted the co-op to reformulate its plan.
Now it looks like construction could start as early as this fall.
Not wholly unexpected
Whole Foods held its quarterly earnings call yesterday and announced that it had signed leases for eight new locations -- none of them in the Capital Region. (We had gotten a tip recently about a local Whole Foods, called the company, and it said wait for the earnings call. So, OK.)
Some hope for the seemingly large number of people who pine for a local Whole Foods: the company says it's planning to open as many as 59 stores over the next two fiscal years (list of the 54 stores publicly announced to be in development). If you'd like to play commercial real estate sleuth, here are the location criteria they look to meet.
That's a lot of stores to spread around. And it also doesn't hurt that, as we've heard rumored and totally unofficially, the Fresh Market in Latham has been absolutely killing on revenue. If true, Whole Foods almost surely knows that and, you'd have to think, at least has its eye on the area.
Trader Joe's: From an article earlier this year in the Charleston, South Carolina Post and Currier about how TJ's picks new locations (emphasis added): "From his talks with Trader Joe's representatives, [property owner] Page said the grocer likes to be close to rival Whole Foods, which is just around the corner from his antique mall." It's all connected! There's a conspiracy! What did Danny Wegman know and when did he know it! (Oh, wait... wrong story.)
Tangent: When/if the Capital Region gets a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, a lot of people will need new hobbies.
(Thanks, Mary!)
photo: Flickr user Roebot
Inside perspective on the Troy Food Co-op's struggle to survive
"Undoubtedly, board and owners patted themselves on the back for a job well done when we should have scrambled as if the fate of the co-op depended on it."
This past Sunday on the Soapbox, Leah offered suggestions to the struggling Troy Food Co-op -- and used the market's situation to look at the broader issue of gentrification in Troy. Her post prompted a lot of discussion, some of it pointed. Here's a response from one of the co-op's board members.
My name is Mike, and I have been a board member of the Troy Co-op for about 6 weeks. I write to explain our situation and ask for help. Frankly, we need all the help we can get.
There is a misconception that the co-op has narrowly averted a series of catastrophes since opening, and that the latest email represents another bullet to dodge. The reality is that the co-op has never been on firm footing. In some ways, every day we've been open has been a minor miracle. I believe we opened the co-op with the minimum amount of capital needed to get the doors open. We have been in a slow moving crisis ever since. Undoubtedly, board and owners patted themselves on the back for a job well done when we should have scrambled as if the fate of the co-op depended on it.
We're not out of time yet, but there is no margin for error.
Troy Food Co-op: we will have to close soon if sales don't improve
Later on AOA:
+ Pioneer Market and the gentrification of the Collar City
+ Inside perspective on the Troy Food Co-op's struggle to survive
____
We had heard rumblings lately that things were not going well at the Troy Food Co-op, and today comes official word in an email to members (emphasis):
Thanks to our owners, the co-op started off reasonably well when it opened last October, and sales increased slowly but steadily through December. Since then, however, sales have declined. Sales were nearly $160,000 in December, but fell to only $134,000 in June. We need sales of at least $175,000 a month to break even. Our loss in June was $18,000. Unless sales improve dramatically, we will be forced to close the co-op in a matter of months.
The full message is after the jump. It says the market's board has "a strategy to address the co-op's financial crisis."
The Pioneer Market, as the co-op is also known, opened last October. And as soon as that December there were already signs of financial trouble. In January of this year, it announced it had gotten a $270,000 loan from the Empire State Development Corporation, and the head of the board of directors said leaders were "cautiously optimistic."
It's sad to see the co-op struggle. We've enjoyed the few times we've shopped there, and there seems to be a need for a market in downtown Troy.
Graeter's at the Fresh Market
It was as if a heavenly light emanated from the freezer case...
We were poking around The Fresh Market in Latham this past weekend, casually scanning the frozen foods section when we stopped dead in the aisle, mouth dropped open: The Fresh Market carries Graeter's ice cream
What is this Graeter's you speak of?
Graeter's is some of the best ice cream you'll ever eat.
About the Niskayuna Co-op and ShopRite...
Niskayuna's grocery heart and soul -- for how much longer?
With the news that ShopRite is returning the Capital Region with a location at St. James Square in Niskayuna, the next thought many people seemed to have was: what about the Niskayuna Co-op?
Almost everyone who shops the Niskayuna Co-op shops somewhere else, too. But the place is widely considered to be the area's grocery heart and soul -- and inspires a fierce, fervent loyalty among its shoppers.
OK, so why? And now that a large supermarket is setting up just down the street, what now?
It's official: ShopRite's setting up in Niskayuna
The long-rumored re-entry of ShopRite into the Capital Region supermarket pool became official today. Schenectady County officials announced the chain will be setting up at St. James Square in Niskayuna. From the press release:
In addition to a broad array of groceries and fresh produce, the store will have the services that ShopRite customers have come to expect including: a fresh bake shop; fresh meats; fresh seafood; full-service floral department; and pharmacy, as well as a broad selection of ethnic foods and natural and organic products in every department. The store will also offer a wide array of prepared foods including freshly made brick oven Pizza, Gourmet Coffee Bars, fresh salad and Mediterranean Olive bars and a selection of Japanese and Chinese specialties for dining in or taking out, as well as a fresh-made sushi bar.
In other words, it's pretty much like any other modern supermarket. One thing a little different: "ShopRite from Home," a service that lets you select groceries online and then have them delivered or be ready for pick-up.
The release says the chain plans to have the store open by the fall of this year. The TU has reported that ShopRite is also eyeing locations in Albany and Slingerlands.
ShopRite ranked #22 in Consumer Reports' 2009 survey of supermarket chains, right behind Hannaford. Price Chopper was #27 -- though all three chains had roughly the same score.
We recently had the chance to cruise through a ShopRite in New Jersey. It was... well... a supermarket, nothing really to get excited about. People here at AOA seemed to have pretty much same take when we asked about ShopRite a few months ago. But it's another competitor for the market, and that's rarely a bad thing for shoppers.
One more thing: for all the people pining for a Wegmans -- it would seem that adding yet another full-scale chain to this market wouldn't exactly make the Capital Region a more attractive place for the W.
Earlier on AOA:
+ ShopRite for the Capital Region?
+ Supermarket Week 2011
Shopping Target's new fresh-food offerings
It's like Target, only ... more.
It's Supermarket Week on AOA -- a whole week of posts about shopping for food. Because we all have to eat.
Time was, if you were stuck having to pick up something for dinner at Target, that meant grabbing some bread and some mediocre cold cuts, or maybe chicken strips and frozen veggies.
Things have changed a bit over at the Colonie Target.
Changed how?
Changed like green curry with shrimp and sugar snap peas over jasmine rice, plus a green salad with cranberries, balsamic almonds and fresh tangerine slices.
That's what I made for dinner after going to Target earlier this week.
Target's food offerings have expanded. At the end of March, the Targets in Colonie and Wilton opened what they call "PFresh departments," an expanded grocery section with produce, meat and baked goods. Targets in Latham and East Greenbush will get PFresh departments this summer.
I went over to the Northway Mall Target to check it out.
Six things to check out at the Asian Supermarket
The Asian Supermarket -- not to be confused with the Asian Market.
It's Supermarket Week on AOA -- a whole week of posts about shopping for food. Because we all have to eat.
For years I've been shopping at the Asian Food Market on Colvin Ave in Albany, but in the last year, the Asian Supermarket -- the newbie Asian market in the Capital Region -- has become a part of my regular rotation.
The Asian Supermarket is similar to the Asian markets you'd see in major metro areas -- bright lights, clean floors, tall shelves, and a ton of selection. It's one-stop shopping for all of your Asian grocery needs.
I find myself there at least once a week. Here are a few of the reasons why...
Greulich's Market
It's Supermarket Week -- all this week AOA will have posts about grocery shopping. Because we all have to eat.
If you want to understand how Greulich's, an independent market, has made it since 1953 at its current location in Guilderland -- start with the people:
+ Edna Greulich, now 84, opened the market with her husband Arthur -- and is still at the store on a daily basis.
+ Eddie Lysiak, a butcher, recently received a thank you note and package of chocolate drumsticks from a customer thanking him for serving her family for 50 years.
+ And manager Robert Van Allen takes only three days off a year.
Greulich's can't offer gas cards or the absolute lowest prices on most items, so they offer service. And after six decades in business, it's still working for them.
Supermarket Showdown IV
As the "stealth downsizing" of products continues to cover up price increases, brands are starting to point out when they haven't changed sizes.
It's Supermarket Week on AOA -- a whole week of stuff about grocery shopping. Because we all have to eat.
AOA's annual comparison of local supermarket chain prices is back. Walmart is the three-time defending champ.
Can Hannaford or Price Chopper close the gap this year?
Places to shop for fresh fruit and vegetables?
Feeling the drag of winter, ChuckD emails:
Something that would really help me make it through would be access to a nice assortment of fresh fruit (and not apples, pears, oranges of any kind, or bananas please. They're played out).
In this the Golden Age of Shipping, is it possible to find some peaches or apricots, or other tasty summery tidbits that don't taste like, well, my unsweetened oatmeal, cuz that's getting played out too!
Schenectady area would be great but at this point we'll travel (within reason).
This could be a tough one. And while we sympathize with Chuck's desire for tasty produce, on some level this may be a case where we all just have to learn to deal -- this is the Northeast and it is winter. A little winter longing for fruit will make that first strawberry of the season taste even better.
So... any suggestions for Chuck? Please share!
Troy Food Co-op gets new funding
The recently-opened Troy Food Co-op, which apparently has been on shaky financial ground, announced late last week that it's gotten a $270k loan from the Empire State Development Corporation. From the email sent out to members:
We have good news to share with you! The Empire State Development Corporation's loan for $270,000 has been released to the Pioneer Food Market. This planned-for capital is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work by your Finance Committee, beginning in early 2009. The best part of this news is that this is a "convertible loan", meaning that if the market reaches employment goals in its next five years of operations, the loan is fully converted into a grant...and we will owe nothing!
The full email is after the jump. It reports the co-op is getting some outside consulting help, and will be focusing on marketing and outreach. It also says sales to member owners have increased (the co-op had been pushing for owners to shop more at the market).
The head of the market's board of directors tells the TU that the co-op still needs to secure more funding, but "We're cautiously optimistic."
Also: In a nod to 1/11/11, Troy Food Co-op is offering 11 percent off on purchases today.
(Thanks, person who sent this to us)
Earlier on AOA: A first look at the new Troy Food Co-op
... said Jenna about The quintessential Capital Region food?