I am thoroughly unimpressed with Acme's take over of the A&P stores in Westchester and Putnam County NY> I find their prices (regular) much higher than ShopRite, they need to lower prices and have much better sales if they want to survive in this market. The other thing I find tacky is the tarps being used instead of actual neon signs, you mean to tell me a company as big as Alberstons cannot get neon signs made??? Stop&Shop stores acquired already have their neon fruit bowl signage in place. I hope Acme listens and lowers prices, but I doubt they will.
Go shop at Stop and Shop im sure you'll love there prices they are very high there. Acme prices yes aren't shop rite but nobody is like shop rite. I find Acme prices to be way better than Stop and Shop and Fairway.
Instead of giving Acme a thumbs up for keeping people working some will never be happy with anything, and I think Acme has done an outstanding job in getting these stores open. 71 stores is a large order for signs and the banners will be replaced. Many stores already have the permanent signs.
Acme does deserve credit for keeping these stores open to serve their communities as well as keeping folks employed. However, since the ramp up of these new stores there seems to be a trend of looking the other direction on some of these quickie conversions in celebration of the increase in store count for Acme. I understand that this is essentially an Acme fan site. However I do think that in any large expansion like this there will be some missteps that are worth discussing despite the negative and complaining tone of the original comment post in this thread. In my view the second that Acme knew it had the stores they should have started ordering signs and other materials. I'm sure there isn't just one sign maker in town that they can use. Those temporary tarps just look bad. The store interiors that Acme got are quite nice. I would guess that they picked up the stores they did for the business they generate and the physical plant quality of the stores. On the other hand, in another day's post someone left a link to an A&P that Stop and Shop got. Had I not known it was a conversion store I would have thought it was a Stop and Shop all along. I think that Acme should consider what they can do to link the store's identity with Acme and not just a converted A&P or Pathmark. Just putting up a sign and some stickers doesn't fully convert the identity of the store especially if the store had a bad rep before the conversion. That tends to stick in people's minds. It looks like Acme wanted to get these stores open quickly. That is all well and good as they look like they don't need any immediate work. Ahold seems to take more time on their conversions to fully move the store's identity over to whichever Ahold division for better or for worse. I live in the DC area and have seen a nice improvement in Safeway's stores since the Albertsons takeover. They are cleaner, brighter and the employees seem a lot more motivated. But people still shop to a large extent on price due to tight budgets. That leaves stores like Acme needing to compete with lower priced operators like Wal-Mart and ShopRite. I put those two together because like the owner of AcmeStyle whenever I leave a ShopRite I feel about the same as when I leave Wal-Mart. Acme should have a bright future with Albertsons as long as they can build an identity for Acme (and their other divisions) that puts them above the cattle call of Wal-Mart and ShopRite and makes people willing to spend the extra dollar for a better experience.
Stop and Shop is easily one of the worst supermarkets in America, In some rankings I saw they considered by all of the supermarket media to be one of the worst. High prices and overexposure hurts them. I love the new acme its a new day so happy for them. I love shoprite too, but I like having alternate choices.
My intent wasn't to offend anyone, I had high hopes for Acme, but in the Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess County areas we are well used to sub par supermarkets. Stop&Shop has beautiful stores BUT their prices are HIGH! A&P stores became dirty and their prices went through the roof, but for a long time they had great sales!! ShopRite had always been the low price leader and SRS stores in New York are some of the best run supermarkets in the industry, just look at CR! Now they are always crowded, and messy because they are well shopped. People want low prices on quality products!!! I think Acme started off on the wrong foot thinking that they will make the old A&P stores better, instead of creating a whole new supermarket, which is what I think people were looking for. No one, and I mean no one I have spoken to thus far likes ACME, it's just the same old A&P with the same HIGH prices and a different sign. Yes I glad folks kept their jobs, but I won't be shopping at ACME when some items are 1 dollar cheaper every day at ShopRite.
Acme will be remodeling stores after the busy holiday season ends. They want stores in the best condition possible to maximize holiday sales. Doing remodels at this time would have a negative impact on sales. If you like ShopRite's prices then go shop there. Yes, you'll save lots of money and your produce will be completely rotten within 24 hours of getting it home. All of the Acmes I have been too in Hudson County have been vasty improved from their A&P/Pathmark days. Acme prices are never going to match ShopRite's. The sooner you get over that the better.
Not sure what ShopRites you frequent, but I’ve never seen much difference in quality between the produce at the Acmes and ShopRites I’ve regularly shopped at in Philly and Delaware. As the quality of ShopRite stores can vary widely by operator, I imagine some may not be as diligent in maintaining their produce. But one can support Acme without having to bash ShopRIte
I'm hardly bashing ShopRite. Yep, they're prices are great. The produce at the Inserra ShopRites in my area is consistently awful. Very odd for such high-volume stores. Seems as though their produce spends far too much time in warehouses. I gave up buying produce there within the last year since I always just throwing it all in the trash 2 days after buying it.
I have to agree that the quality of produce at Inserra SRs in my area has dropped noticeably over at least the last year. However SS is no better. I usually go to the local farmers markets or the local Corrado's for their quality and price vs. SR and SS.
My issue is that ShopRites are inconsistent, except when it comes to massive crowds- in that regard they are all the same. I've been to some spectacular ShopRites and some that are pretty shameful.
I totally agree. The 2 Inserra SR, one in my town [2 miles away] and one 2 towns over [5 miles] are large but are inconsistent with merchandise quality, availability and employee attitude. A 3rd SR near me [4 miles other direction] is owned by a different family/corp and is a pleasure to shop in. I will shop there instead of the one closest to my house.
I think Acme has to rethink their price strategy to survive. In Acme I found price to be 20-50% higher then Shoprite and Stop & Shop. I think there was a reason why Clifton Acme closed, they were a beautiful store but too high priced. I like Inserra Shoprites, they are large and fully stocked. I'm not so found of Village Shoprites.
Where did you find stop and shop to be 20-50% cheaper than Acme? On what planet? Stop and shop is easily one the most expensive supermsrkets. Also people really need to get over it not everyone is going to be like shop rite. Once people understand that. acme prices aren't bad at all, this is a new acme times have changed dude.
I think its maybe you who lives on another planet. In my area SS and SR prices are about even out on most general merch. SR is slightly lower overall but not monstrously so. SR is high on some items vs SS and SS is higher other vs SR. Sale items are usually the same, ie 1 week Coke is on sale at SR then next SS. That being said SS stores in my area are miles ahead cleaner and better laid out than the SR stores. Clifton Acme's prices were ridiculously high and with the SS and SR competition not far away, that price disadvantage was even more glaring. I shop SS and SR only for sale items and a few staples and the bulk at ALDI. I love the fact ACME is coming back strongly, growing up in Secaucus I experienced that store for a long time and even worked there for a while but I do agree ACME over time needs to align their prices to better compete with SS/SR.
Acme has to overcome people's perceptions about the stores they are now operating. I believe that long seated feelings are hard to undo especially in the grocery arena. Folks have a perception about the specific stores but also the company as a whole. We all know that Supervalu did more harm than good to Acme. Couple that with the state to which some of the former A&P stores got into I don't blame people for what they are saying here. Regardless of what Acme physically does to the stores, their pricing and their employees they have some hurdles they have to cross in terms of perceptions. The good thing is they have plenty of room to grow and Albertsons seems determined to make this work in the long term. I don't think Acme can or should be Shop Rite but the reality is that, despite their inconsistencies, in my view, Shop Rite is the chain the beat in NJ. Instead of taking pot shots at Shop Rite we ought to be looking at what works for them and if there is any piece of it that could work for Acme. I'm sure Acme under Albertsons isn't taking the treat of Shop Rite lying down. They are examining their competition, whoever it is, to make sure that in their operation they have a leg up. Acme is coming into this with lots of space to grow in many of the stores they now have. That is actually a better place to be in as opposed to getting a chain that was at the top of its game. They just have to continue to find ways to keep people coming when price seems to be the driving factor in people's purchasing decisions.
Unfortunately price for most people is at most times the driving factor in supermarket purchases. Perception, cleanliness and convenience only go so far if it means paying 15-20% more than you need to on a weekly basis. This is why I stopped doing the majority of my staple shopping at the bog box supermarkets, it didn't make sense to waste my money. Supervalu squeezed the ACME turnip dry and A&P let their turnip wither on the vine. Albertsons competes in many markets across the country and is well aware of where they need to take ACME in this region. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen.
I stopped by Acme, Saw the Pepsi and Mountain Dew on Sale for 67 cents. The Gallon's mind you, You in a million years would never find it that cheap at Stop and Shop. Just because Stop and Shop has clean stores, They are nowhere near Shoprites level. Stop and Shops (the ones in NJ) are usually very slow and not busy. Shoprite on the other hand is a powerhouse, There's plenty room for Acme here. Albertsons is the 2nd biggest supermarket company in America I believe they clearly know what they are doing. But I just can't believe the hate Acme is getting, There prices are not Shoprite but they are very good. Acme is a step up from Stop and Shop no question.
There's kind of a missing link going on in all of these conversations. Acme hasn't built new stores in ShopRite territories. What they've done is, acquire the busiest and most profitable stores that A&P was already running. They bought the cream of the crop! While the company was in terrible shape, fact of the matter is, A&P had high-volume and/or very profitable locations. Acme took all of those. These stores already have a large customer base. Acme does NOT need to win people over from ShopRite to make these stores successful. Just making them even slightly better than A&P/Pathmark, which they are doing, will make them successful.
I agree that Acme should do well in these former A&P (and Superfresh) stores, because the demographic here is looking for a convenient conventional supermarket, and if they were still shopping at A&P/Superfresh, price is not their top priority. They will most likely be pleasantly surprised as the markets should get cleaner and have more money for upgrades. Pathmark, however, is a different story. Pathmarks they picked up in places like Weehawken, Newark, Elmwood Park and Bergenfield have remained successful because they offer extensive ethnic merchandising programs. One seldom heard English spoken by customers in a store like Weehawken and the merchandising matches this. Please correct me if I am wrong, but Acme has little-to-no history of ethnic merchandising, with the notable exception of Kosher. In fact, it seems that Acme/American/Albertsons pulled out of neighborhoods when the demographics became anything but Anglo...and didn't really try to compete. Does anyone know of an Acme where they have an extensive ethnic merchandising program? Do ANY Albertsons divisions have successful ethnic merchandising programs that they could even borrow expertise from?
Like I said SRS ShopRites in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess and nearby Cingari Grade A ShopRites in Fairfield County Connecticut are excellent run stores with high volume sales, I've never had an issue with Produce, Meat or Deli at ShopRite because the turn over is so high! I cannot speak of Inserra ShopRites other than what I have read, and I've read that they are much older stores. What good is all that produce Acme stocks and piles high if the store is empty? It's all going to rot!! Every photo of Acme's new A&P stores show no one shopping, the stores are well stocked but empty. The same can be said for the Brewster NY store, which back in the day was an awesome A&P. Now it's empty, people shop at nearby Hannaford, Stop&Shop or ShopRite because A&P drove customers away , and I do not think Acme has what it takes to bring them back. Stop&Shop bought all Bronx NY Pathmarks, and NYC stores thankfully, because there is no way ACME would have made it in that market, and I do not think they will be successful in Westchester, Putnam or Dutchess Counties in New York, I speak from experience. These are blue collar communities where it is very expensive to live and folks will not pay more than they have to fro groceries.
When it comes to the photos of stores on this blog, I purposely take as people-free pictures as I can get. That includes shoppers and employees. I will circle a store several times in order to accomplish this. As far as the conversions go, I have been photographing these stores early in the morning when even you're favorite ShopRite isn't terribly busy.
The two Dutchess stores that I know of that Acme took (Pleasant Valley and Hopewell Jct.) should do somewhat OK as neither has any other supermarket right nearby (unless something has opened in the last couple years?). PV had a GU across the street that was Key for a while but had closed last I knew, and I suspect the CVS/whatever building in Hopewell Jct. was a GU also.
Stop and Shop is expensive I don't Understand whaf store your shopping at. I know a lot of customers in NY are not happy about stop and shop being there.
Hopewell Jct. Acme will have to compete with a brand new ShopRite one mile down the road in the town of LaGrangeville. This store was acquired by Wakefern in the bankruptcy! ShopRite will kill Acme head to head.
I'm surprised so many find ShopRite to have lower prices. From my experience, they have excellent 'loss leader' sales (which is mainly what I go there for), but their everyday pricing is extremely high, at least at the few stores around me (Philly suburbs). Wegmans, Giant, Weis, and even Acme are much better in that regard.
That being said, did any you actually shop that these stores as A&P's or Waldbaum's or Pathmark or SuperFresh? The prices were INSANELY high on many items..I'm talking sometimes a dollar or two more.
The Ortley A&P had a banner instead of a lighted sign on the building so it would make sense if Acmekept only a banner instead of a typical sign.
ReplyDeleteThe signs probably on order. For example When the Clark store first opened no street sign now it does.
Deletehttps://flic.kr/p/Ag1Zby
https://flic.kr/p/Ai8U4a
the A&P always had a street sigh, the old Acme sign, but on the building, there were banners over flourescent lights. There was no stationary sign.
DeleteI am thoroughly unimpressed with Acme's take over of the A&P stores in Westchester and Putnam County NY> I find their prices (regular) much higher than ShopRite, they need to lower prices and have much better sales if they want to survive in this market. The other thing I find tacky is the tarps being used instead of actual neon signs, you mean to tell me a company as big as Alberstons cannot get neon signs made??? Stop&Shop stores acquired already have their neon fruit bowl signage in place. I hope Acme listens and lowers prices, but I doubt they will.
ReplyDeleteGo shop at Stop and Shop im sure you'll love there prices they are very high there. Acme prices yes aren't shop rite but nobody is like shop rite. I find Acme prices to be way better than Stop and Shop and Fairway.
DeleteInstead of giving Acme a thumbs up for keeping people working some will never be happy with anything, and I think Acme has done an outstanding job in getting these stores open. 71 stores is a large order for signs and the banners will be replaced. Many stores already have the permanent signs.
DeleteI agree, I went to the Weehawken Acme and left astonished at some of the prices. Shopped at the North Bergen Shoprite instead. Way cheaper.
DeleteAcme does deserve credit for keeping these stores open to serve their communities as well as keeping folks employed. However, since the ramp up of these new stores there seems to be a trend of looking the other direction on some of these quickie conversions in celebration of the increase in store count for Acme. I understand that this is essentially an Acme fan site. However I do think that in any large expansion like this there will be some missteps that are worth discussing despite the negative and complaining tone of the original comment post in this thread. In my view the second that Acme knew it had the stores they should have started ordering signs and other materials. I'm sure there isn't just one sign maker in town that they can use. Those temporary tarps just look bad. The store interiors that Acme got are quite nice. I would guess that they picked up the stores they did for the business they generate and the physical plant quality of the stores. On the other hand, in another day's post someone left a link to an A&P that Stop and Shop got. Had I not known it was a conversion store I would have thought it was a Stop and Shop all along. I think that Acme should consider what they can do to link the store's identity with Acme and not just a converted A&P or Pathmark. Just putting up a sign and some stickers doesn't fully convert the identity of the store especially if the store had a bad rep before the conversion. That tends to stick in people's minds. It looks like Acme wanted to get these stores open quickly. That is all well and good as they look like they don't need any immediate work. Ahold seems to take more time on their conversions to fully move the store's identity over to whichever Ahold division for better or for worse. I live in the DC area and have seen a nice improvement in Safeway's stores since the Albertsons takeover. They are cleaner, brighter and the employees seem a lot more motivated. But people still shop to a large extent on price due to tight budgets. That leaves stores like Acme needing to compete with lower priced operators like Wal-Mart and ShopRite. I put those two together because like the owner of AcmeStyle whenever I leave a ShopRite I feel about the same as when I leave Wal-Mart. Acme should have a bright future with Albertsons as long as they can build an identity for Acme (and their other divisions) that puts them above the cattle call of Wal-Mart and ShopRite and makes people willing to spend the extra dollar for a better experience.
DeleteStop and Shop is easily one of the worst supermarkets in America, In some rankings I saw they considered by all of the supermarket media to be one of the worst. High prices and overexposure hurts them. I love the new acme its a new day so happy for them. I love shoprite too, but I like having alternate choices.
DeleteI have added Old Bridge Acme Pictures
ReplyDeletehttps://flickr.com/photos/31660989@N05/sets/72157660428315040
My intent wasn't to offend anyone, I had high hopes for Acme, but in the Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess County areas we are well used to sub par supermarkets. Stop&Shop has beautiful stores BUT their prices are HIGH! A&P stores became dirty and their prices went through the roof, but for a long time they had great sales!! ShopRite had always been the low price leader and SRS stores in New York are some of the best run supermarkets in the industry, just look at CR! Now they are always crowded, and messy because they are well shopped. People want low prices on quality products!!! I think Acme started off on the wrong foot thinking that they will make the old A&P stores better, instead of creating a whole new supermarket, which is what I think people were looking for. No one, and I mean no one I have spoken to thus far likes ACME, it's just the same old A&P with the same HIGH prices and a different sign. Yes I glad folks kept their jobs, but I won't be shopping at ACME when some items are 1 dollar cheaper every day at ShopRite.
ReplyDeleteAcme will be remodeling stores after the busy holiday season ends. They want stores in the best condition possible to maximize holiday sales. Doing remodels at this time would have a negative impact on sales. If you like ShopRite's prices then go shop there. Yes, you'll save lots of money and your produce will be completely rotten within 24 hours of getting it home. All of the Acmes I have been too in Hudson County have been vasty improved from their A&P/Pathmark days. Acme prices are never going to match ShopRite's. The sooner you get over that the better.
DeleteNot sure what ShopRites you frequent, but I’ve never seen much difference in quality between the produce at the Acmes and ShopRites I’ve regularly shopped at in Philly and Delaware. As the quality of ShopRite stores can vary widely by operator, I imagine some may not be as diligent in maintaining their produce. But one can support Acme without having to bash ShopRIte
DeleteI'm hardly bashing ShopRite. Yep, they're prices are great. The produce at the Inserra ShopRites in my area is consistently awful. Very odd for such high-volume stores. Seems as though their produce spends far too much time in warehouses. I gave up buying produce there within the last year since I always just throwing it all in the trash 2 days after buying it.
DeleteI have to agree that the quality of produce at Inserra SRs in my area has dropped noticeably over at least the last year. However SS is no better. I usually go to the local farmers markets or the local Corrado's for their quality and price vs. SR and SS.
DeleteMy issue is that ShopRites are inconsistent, except when it comes to massive crowds- in that regard they are all the same. I've been to some spectacular ShopRites and some that are pretty shameful.
DeleteI totally agree. The 2 Inserra SR, one in my town [2 miles away] and one 2 towns over [5 miles] are large but are inconsistent with merchandise quality, availability and employee attitude. A 3rd SR near me [4 miles other direction] is owned by a different family/corp and is a pleasure to shop in. I will shop there instead of the one closest to my house.
DeleteI think Acme has to rethink their price strategy to survive. In Acme I found price to be 20-50% higher then Shoprite and Stop & Shop. I think there was a reason why Clifton Acme closed, they were a beautiful store but too high priced. I like Inserra Shoprites, they are large and fully stocked. I'm not so found of Village Shoprites.
DeleteWhere did you find stop and shop to be 20-50% cheaper than Acme? On what planet? Stop and shop is easily one the most expensive supermsrkets. Also people really need to get over it not everyone is going to be like shop rite. Once people understand that. acme prices aren't bad at all, this is a new acme times have changed dude.
DeleteI think its maybe you who lives on another planet. In my area SS and SR prices are about even out on most general merch. SR is slightly lower overall but not monstrously so.
DeleteSR is high on some items vs SS and SS is higher other vs SR.
Sale items are usually the same, ie 1 week Coke is on sale at SR then next SS. That being said SS stores in my area are miles ahead cleaner and better laid out than the SR stores.
Clifton Acme's prices were ridiculously high and with the SS and SR competition not far away, that price disadvantage was even more glaring.
I shop SS and SR only for sale items and a few staples and the bulk at ALDI. I love the fact ACME is coming back strongly, growing up in Secaucus I experienced that store for a long time and even worked there for a while but I do agree ACME over time needs to align their prices to better compete with SS/SR.
Acme has to overcome people's perceptions about the stores they are now operating. I believe that long seated feelings are hard to undo especially in the grocery arena. Folks have a perception about the specific stores but also the company as a whole. We all know that Supervalu did more harm than good to Acme. Couple that with the state to which some of the former A&P stores got into I don't blame people for what they are saying here. Regardless of what Acme physically does to the stores, their pricing and their employees they have some hurdles they have to cross in terms of perceptions. The good thing is they have plenty of room to grow and Albertsons seems determined to make this work in the long term. I don't think Acme can or should be Shop Rite but the reality is that, despite their inconsistencies, in my view, Shop Rite is the chain the beat in NJ. Instead of taking pot shots at Shop Rite we ought to be looking at what works for them and if there is any piece of it that could work for Acme. I'm sure Acme under Albertsons isn't taking the treat of Shop Rite lying down. They are examining their competition, whoever it is, to make sure that in their operation they have a leg up. Acme is coming into this with lots of space to grow in many of the stores they now have. That is actually a better place to be in as opposed to getting a chain that was at the top of its game. They just have to continue to find ways to keep people coming when price seems to be the driving factor in people's purchasing decisions.
DeleteUnfortunately price for most people is at most times the driving factor in supermarket purchases. Perception, cleanliness and convenience only go so far if it means paying 15-20% more than you need to on a weekly basis. This is why I stopped doing the majority of my staple shopping at the bog box supermarkets, it didn't make sense to waste my money. Supervalu squeezed the ACME turnip dry and A&P let their turnip wither on the vine. Albertsons competes in many markets across the country and is well aware of where they need to take ACME in this region. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen.
DeleteAcme's same store sales have been up every quarter since Albertsons took over, so they're obviously doing something right.
DeleteI stopped by Acme, Saw the Pepsi and Mountain Dew on Sale for 67 cents. The Gallon's mind you, You in a million years would never find it that cheap at Stop and Shop. Just because Stop and Shop has clean stores, They are nowhere near Shoprites level. Stop and Shops (the ones in NJ) are usually very slow and not busy. Shoprite on the other hand is a powerhouse, There's plenty room for Acme here. Albertsons is the 2nd biggest supermarket company in America I believe they clearly know what they are doing. But I just can't believe the hate Acme is getting, There prices are not Shoprite but they are very good. Acme is a step up from Stop and Shop no question.
DeleteThere's kind of a missing link going on in all of these conversations. Acme hasn't built new stores in ShopRite territories. What they've done is, acquire the busiest and most profitable stores that A&P was already running. They bought the cream of the crop! While the company was in terrible shape, fact of the matter is, A&P had high-volume and/or very profitable locations. Acme took all of those. These stores already have a large customer base. Acme does NOT need to win people over from ShopRite to make these stores successful. Just making them even slightly better than A&P/Pathmark, which they are doing, will make them successful.
DeleteI agree that Acme should do well in these former A&P (and Superfresh) stores, because the demographic here is looking for a convenient conventional supermarket, and if they were still shopping at A&P/Superfresh, price is not their top priority. They will most likely be pleasantly surprised as the markets should get cleaner and have more money for upgrades. Pathmark, however, is a different story. Pathmarks they picked up in places like Weehawken, Newark, Elmwood Park and Bergenfield have remained successful because they offer extensive ethnic merchandising programs. One seldom heard English spoken by customers in a store like Weehawken and the merchandising matches this. Please correct me if I am wrong, but Acme has little-to-no history of ethnic merchandising, with the notable exception of Kosher. In fact, it seems that Acme/American/Albertsons pulled out of neighborhoods when the demographics became anything but Anglo...and didn't really try to compete. Does anyone know of an Acme where they have an extensive ethnic merchandising program? Do ANY Albertsons divisions have successful ethnic merchandising programs that they could even borrow expertise from?
DeleteLike I said SRS ShopRites in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess and nearby Cingari Grade A ShopRites in Fairfield County Connecticut are excellent run stores with high volume sales, I've never had an issue with Produce, Meat or Deli at ShopRite because the turn over is so high! I cannot speak of Inserra ShopRites other than what I have read, and I've read that they are much older stores. What good is all that produce Acme stocks and piles high if the store is empty? It's all going to rot!! Every photo of Acme's new A&P stores show no one shopping, the stores are well stocked but empty. The same can be said for the Brewster NY store, which back in the day was an awesome A&P. Now it's empty, people shop at nearby Hannaford, Stop&Shop or ShopRite because A&P drove customers away , and I do not think Acme has what it takes to bring them back. Stop&Shop bought all Bronx NY Pathmarks, and NYC stores thankfully, because there is no way ACME would have made it in that market, and I do not think they will be successful in Westchester, Putnam or Dutchess Counties in New York, I speak from experience. These are blue collar communities where it is very expensive to live and folks will not pay more than they have to fro groceries.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the photos of stores on this blog, I purposely take as people-free pictures as I can get. That includes shoppers and employees. I will circle a store several times in order to accomplish this. As far as the conversions go, I have been photographing these stores early in the morning when even you're favorite ShopRite isn't terribly busy.
DeleteThe two Dutchess stores that I know of that Acme took (Pleasant Valley and Hopewell Jct.) should do somewhat OK as neither has any other supermarket right nearby (unless something has opened in the last couple years?). PV had a GU across the street that was Key for a while but had closed last I knew, and I suspect the CVS/whatever building in Hopewell Jct. was a GU also.
DeleteStop and Shop is expensive I don't Understand whaf store your shopping at. I know a lot of customers in NY are not happy about stop and shop being there.
DeleteHopewell Jct. Acme will have to compete with a brand new ShopRite one mile down the road in the town of LaGrangeville. This store was acquired by Wakefern in the bankruptcy! ShopRite will kill Acme head to head.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised so many find ShopRite to have lower prices. From my experience, they have excellent 'loss leader' sales (which is mainly what I go there for), but their everyday pricing is extremely high, at least at the few stores around me (Philly suburbs). Wegmans, Giant, Weis, and even Acme are much better in that regard.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, did any you actually shop that these stores as A&P's or Waldbaum's or Pathmark or SuperFresh? The prices were INSANELY high on many items..I'm talking sometimes a dollar or two more.