Hi! So, I had a thought about what Acme should be doing with the old liquor departments in it's acquired stores, and I wanted to see what you guys thought. I was thinking if they kept maybe half of the section organic, it would be fine, and they should be using the other half as an online pickup counter. I know that Acme got rid of online ordering, but in today's retail market, especially in the NYC Metropolitan area, it's a necessity to stay competitive and gain loyalty. And a lot of the times, the liquor department was in the back of the stores, so customers could go in to get their groceries, but they would see the change it's been, from A&P to Acme, and how nice many all the new Acmes are, and maybe see something they want in store on their way to the pickup counter and buy it, leading in more sales for the stores. And not all of the stores had liquor departments, which is good, since then they won't be investing so much in pickup and delivery, but they should have stores with pickup and/or delivery options within reasonable distances from one another, adding a pickup counter to stores that didn't have liquor departments if they need to. While adding could take up floor space, it would be well worth it for the customers. What do you guys think of this? Is it a good idea? Awful? Should we forward this to the Acme headquarters in PA? Should we delete this comment because it's so bad? Let me know, because I think it's a good idea, but I'm not sure what you guys would think.
Have we ever thought about having an Acme Style event at some point? There are so many things we could do. We could meet near an abandoned Acme and tour it. Then we could follow it up with the new one. The reason I ask is because I belong to a Facebook group that celebrates a particular singer, and we meet from all over the world for her concerts. Acme Style has the advantage that almost all of us live in NJ and PA.
I think a Facebook group that has followers from this blog would be a great idea, although people would have to be willing to reveal their true identities (unless you have an alternate/fake Facebook account). It would be great because we could share photos and posts in real time especially when our blogmaster gets tied up with other things. Though I do think the writeups that go with the pictures are invaluable.
I think it would be cool to meet up and see an old store but it would be too obvious if we were to visit an open store as a group. Depending on the manager on duty a number of things could happen. We could try to get permission from corporate, but I don't think they would have a compelling reason to give it. It is a crap shoot just taking pictures. I was at the Suburban Plaza store in Newark the other day and the best I could do was some lobby and exterior shots. Too many customers and employees in the store, plus that store along with the Home Depot are being watched closely by security as well as the police due to the increased number of shoplifting crimes.
Sad news. The Kmart in Mantua, NJ, in the Toll House Plaza where the Acme used to be, is closing. It is on the list of Sears and Kmart stores that are closing in September.
Sad...it's very sad to see what Sears Holdings is doing to Kmart in the name of GREED. The upper echelon will never admit their only interest was for their own benefit. Kmart should be put up for sale a sold before what happened to A&P/PATHMARK happens and pulls Sear and Kmart both into the abyss. Thousands of employees have lost their jobs. And the popular excuse we hear is "internet sales" is killing brick and mortar stores. Wake up
Bill, I totally agree with you. Although, my fear with selling K-Mart is that it ends up being converted into some other name and possibly have even more stores shuttered. My thought was that Sears Holdings puts more focus onto the K-Mart brand and put more energy towards the more successful Sears stores. And if K-Mart brought back SuperCenters that included a full grocery section, it would attract more shoppers, because in this day and age, people like a one stop shopping trip. And they need more emphasis on higher quality and lower pricing, because I know most people think of K-Mart to be walmart quality with higher prices. And they need to put more money towards store maintenance, because most K-Mart stores are outdated, dirty, dark and just not somewhere the modern shopper wants to go to. And the existing stores also need to be formatted better so they pack a bigger punch in their smaller footprints. An I know K-Marts are often in dying shopping centers, so if a K-Mart expanded, atleast partially, into some of its vacant neighbors and expanded it's offerings, it could save the shopping center. And they really need to start overhauling their website and possibly start selling fresh groceries for store pickup, so people spend money on them, and people save time, but you still get them into the store, and they could possibly make another purchase in store, adding to their revenue. I don't know why I always go on these rants, I just hope some intern for these corporations is web surfing, and finds this and manages to save a failing company.
It's way too late for that. They would have had to do something 15+ years ago if they wanted to stay afloat. They have already sold, or in the process of selling off, some of their best locations as soon as anyone makes a reasonable offer (or if the store is losing mass amounts of money). And the SuperCenter concept is dead...Target has pretty much halted expansion of SuperTarget and even new Walmart super centers are generally smaller than they have been in the past. Kmart is a dead man walking at this point. With some of their latest tactics, they seem to be heading to more of a 'Big Lots' atmosphere (although even Big Lots seems to have cleaner better maintained stores compared to Kmart), which could work, but nobody seems interested in buying what is left of Kmart.
Retail in general is suffering due to the intenet/amazon - but, Sears is like watching a slow train wreck. The current owner is selling everything piece-mail - turning a once great retailer into a shell of its former self.
The funny thing is "Sears Holdings" is actually Kmart as they bought Sears, not the other way around.
Jewel-Osco/Albertsons got out bid by a local group for the Strack & Van Til stores http://www.nwitimes.com/business/retail/strack-van-til-families-buy-back-strack-van-til-in/article_76117638-0930-5abc-91af-bc9e1d381144.html
There were antitrust issues with Jewel that affected three stores. Members of the Strack and Van Til families put in a higher bid that included all the stores. Their distributor, Central Grocers went bankrupt. AWG is supplying the stores now, though
As someone who lived in NWI to go to college, I would regularly shop at the Schererville "Strack's" I doubt if much of the fried chicken I bought there ever made it back to my dorm. Their service and selection was second to none, and I preferred shopping there, as opposed to my nearest Jewel-Osco in Linwood, Il. Happy to hear the Strack and Van Til families bought back their stores.
The Giant in Feasterville is moving to the now closed K-Mart on Street Road. It is further away from the Acme but will be a much bigger store with a much better parking lot than they have now. In other words, bad news for the Feasterville Acme.
I was just in the Feasterville ACME back in January. It seemed to be doing great, it was very busy. I don't think it will be a problem for the higher-class towns up there. Giant is great, but Acme's pricing and overall physique is better.
If anything, it should be good news for the Acme. The Kmart property is a bit further away from the main retail drag. The Acme is also close to the Philly border (there was a Food Basics and a Bottom Dollar across the street from each other that shut down nearby and have yet to be replaced by other grocers..making Acme alone as the closest grocery store to that area.)
Feasterville borders some more well-off towns, but I wouldn't call Feasterville to be that 'high class'. It is good that Acme is able to do well though. Acme will definitely be the better looking store if Giant is continuing with their horrible latest decor package and further elimination of in store services/in-house prepped food.
As a side note, I have heard rumors that the somewhat nearby former Kmart in Bensalem will become a replacement store for the Bensalem ShopRite.
(And interesting to note, both that store and the current Giant are in ex-Genuardi's buildings).
I wonder if we will see Weis further expand in the area..they've been rather quiet with their few locations they acquired from Genuardi's years ago, plus one former Pathmark that closed before the rest of the chain. (The former Kmart in nearby Warminster, which has been shuttered since 2012 is supposedly becoming a Weis, but it's been a year or two now without any activity on the property.)
Weis has been focusing on acquisitions further south, with the Mars chain in Baltimore and a few Food Lions in southern Delaware; they also seem to be concentrating on relocations and remodels.
UPDATE AROUND THE LV-PA AREA::: The ACME in Quakertown, as all of you most likely know, had been turned into HomeGoods and TJMaxx. I went in a couple months ago, and boy-- it is different! Not one single sign of an ACME inside. There is one more retail space available. The center is being renovated. The KMART had closed, and it is now being turned into various shops including Tuesday Morning, Petco, and Harbor Tools (Ugh). The ACME in Doylestown is doing well. I was just in there two days ago. They must have just repainted or retiled the floors-- because it smelled of fresh plastic! The store looks fantastic. They finally got the Quality Built checkout lights. If there was one closer to me, I'd go every once in awhile there-- but unfortunately the nearest is about 30 minutes away!
What's wrong with Harbor Freight? Honestly, they could expand a lot more in the Philly area if they wanted (they really only have two locations currently..one in Philadelphia, and one in Norristown). They are pretty neat stores when you need a 'throwaway' tool and you can't beat the freebies.
The Doylestown store does very well though....an extremely wealthy area and the Acme has been there pretty much forever. The Giant and Weis in town (and a scaled down McCaffrey's store) are plenty busy too, but can't seem to grasp the amount of business that the Acme does.
As a side note, I have been told the Doylestown Kmart is one of the highest volume stores in the state, if not the general region. It's definitely one of the better kept stores (at least as of a year ago) and will probably be the last one to go unless someone makes a ridiculously high offer for it. Besides a Target and Walmart about 15 minutes away in one direction, there really isn't any other big box retailer for miles and miles.
Harbor Freight is cheap, but you are right. The Giant is busy, but oddly layed out. The Weis is extremely overpriced. The McCaffrey's opened up in an old Hobby Shop, I'm surprised they were actually able to make it. I'm still honest-to-god shocked that the Kmart hasnt closed yet. But you're right, the Target and Walmarts are in Warminster. I've been to both, and they're unusually small for big box stores. Good reply, store215!
So a few months ago, somebody broke the news that the Kmart next door to the Devon ACME was closing. Looked into it a little. Two sources say Lowe's bought the lease (sorta like they did in Brookhaven), while another says Home Depot. Looks like the Kmart was still profitable, but the next tenant (which we can be 2/3 of the way sure it is Lowe's) offered them enough money to close shop. Apparently, Lowe's/Home Depot was waiting for the 153-year-old Fritz Lumber down the road in Berwyn to close down before they would come to Devon.
It has supposedly become Sears/Kmart corporate policy that if someone else comes along and wants one of their stores, they can have it regardless of profitability.
Aldi will hold a grand opening in Limerick, PA on Thursday, 8/3/17. This Aldi is in the same shopping center (not sure if the exact same space) where Acme's then-recent replacement of the Collegeville store failed in 2012.
Hi! So, I had a thought about what Acme should be doing with the old liquor departments in it's acquired stores, and I wanted to see what you guys thought. I was thinking if they kept maybe half of the section organic, it would be fine, and they should be using the other half as an online pickup counter. I know that Acme got rid of online ordering, but in today's retail market, especially in the NYC Metropolitan area, it's a necessity to stay competitive and gain loyalty. And a lot of the times, the liquor department was in the back of the stores, so customers could go in to get their groceries, but they would see the change it's been, from A&P to Acme, and how nice many all the new Acmes are, and maybe see something they want in store on their way to the pickup counter and buy it, leading in more sales for the stores. And not all of the stores had liquor departments, which is good, since then they won't be investing so much in pickup and delivery, but they should have stores with pickup and/or delivery options within reasonable distances from one another, adding a pickup counter to stores that didn't have liquor departments if they need to. While adding could take up floor space, it would be well worth it for the customers. What do you guys think of this? Is it a good idea? Awful? Should we forward this to the Acme headquarters in PA? Should we delete this comment because it's so bad? Let me know, because I think it's a good idea, but I'm not sure what you guys would think.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope Acme doesn't get any ideas...
ReplyDeletehttp://chicagoist.com/2017/06/27/jewels_creepy_new_mascot_is_literal.php
Yikes!!!
DeleteYikes is right! That's worse than the "Burger King".
DeleteHave we ever thought about having an Acme Style event at some point? There are so many things we could do. We could meet near an abandoned Acme and tour it. Then we could follow it up with the new one. The reason I ask is because I belong to a Facebook group that celebrates a particular singer, and we meet from all over the world for her concerts. Acme Style has the advantage that almost all of us live in NJ and PA.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I won't be organizing any Acme Style events. I'm having enough trouble getting time to just generate posts!
DeleteOk. I do appreciate all the work you do as it is. I love following the blog.
DeleteI think a Facebook group that has followers from this blog would be a great idea, although people would have to be willing to reveal their true identities (unless you have an alternate/fake Facebook account). It would be great because we could share photos and posts in real time especially when our blogmaster gets tied up with other things. Though I do think the writeups that go with the pictures are invaluable.
DeleteI think it would be cool to meet up and see an old store but it would be too obvious if we were to visit an open store as a group. Depending on the manager on duty a number of things could happen. We could try to get permission from corporate, but I don't think they would have a compelling reason to give it. It is a crap shoot just taking pictures. I was at the Suburban Plaza store in Newark the other day and the best I could do was some lobby and exterior shots. Too many customers and employees in the store, plus that store along with the Home Depot are being watched closely by security as well as the police due to the increased number of shoplifting crimes.
Sad news. The Kmart in Mantua, NJ, in the Toll House Plaza where the Acme used to be, is closing. It is on the list of Sears and Kmart stores that are closing in September.
ReplyDeleteSad...it's very sad to see what Sears Holdings is doing to Kmart in the name of GREED. The upper echelon will never admit their only interest was for their own benefit. Kmart should be put up for sale a sold before what happened to A&P/PATHMARK happens and pulls Sear and Kmart both into the abyss. Thousands of employees have lost their jobs. And the popular excuse we hear is "internet sales" is killing brick and mortar stores. Wake up
DeleteBill, I totally agree with you. Although, my fear with selling K-Mart is that it ends up being converted into some other name and possibly have even more stores shuttered. My thought was that Sears Holdings puts more focus onto the K-Mart brand and put more energy towards the more successful Sears stores. And if K-Mart brought back SuperCenters that included a full grocery section, it would attract more shoppers, because in this day and age, people like a one stop shopping trip. And they need more emphasis on higher quality and lower pricing, because I know most people think of K-Mart to be walmart quality with higher prices. And they need to put more money towards store maintenance, because most K-Mart stores are outdated, dirty, dark and just not somewhere the modern shopper wants to go to. And the existing stores also need to be formatted better so they pack a bigger punch in their smaller footprints. An I know K-Marts are often in dying shopping centers, so if a K-Mart expanded, atleast partially, into some of its vacant neighbors and expanded it's offerings, it could save the shopping center. And they really need to start overhauling their website and possibly start selling fresh groceries for store pickup, so people spend money on them, and people save time, but you still get them into the store, and they could possibly make another purchase in store, adding to their revenue. I don't know why I always go on these rants, I just hope some intern for these corporations is web surfing, and finds this and manages to save a failing company.
DeleteIt's way too late for that. They would have had to do something 15+ years ago if they wanted to stay afloat. They have already sold, or in the process of selling off, some of their best locations as soon as anyone makes a reasonable offer (or if the store is losing mass amounts of money). And the SuperCenter concept is dead...Target has pretty much halted expansion of SuperTarget and even new Walmart super centers are generally smaller than they have been in the past. Kmart is a dead man walking at this point. With some of their latest tactics, they seem to be heading to more of a 'Big Lots' atmosphere (although even Big Lots seems to have cleaner better maintained stores compared to Kmart), which could work, but nobody seems interested in buying what is left of Kmart.
DeleteRetail in general is suffering due to the intenet/amazon - but, Sears is like watching a slow train wreck. The current owner is selling everything piece-mail - turning a once great retailer into a shell of its former self.
DeleteThe funny thing is "Sears Holdings" is actually Kmart as they bought Sears, not the other way around.
Hm, I don't think my comment went through
ReplyDeleteIt's posted! Sorry, posting comments can be glitching from my phone.
DeleteJoJo looks like a MONSTERS INC reject!
ReplyDeleteRumor is that Sprouts Market is opening at the Moorestown Mall. They are taking part of the closed Macy's
ReplyDeleteJewel-Osco/Albertsons got out bid by a local group for the Strack & Van Til stores http://www.nwitimes.com/business/retail/strack-van-til-families-buy-back-strack-van-til-in/article_76117638-0930-5abc-91af-bc9e1d381144.html
ReplyDeleteThere were antitrust issues with Jewel that affected three stores. Members of the Strack and Van Til families put in a higher bid that included all the stores. Their distributor, Central Grocers went bankrupt. AWG is supplying the stores now, though
DeleteAs someone who lived in NWI to go to college, I would regularly shop at the Schererville "Strack's" I doubt if much of the fried chicken I bought there ever made it back to my dorm. Their service and selection was second to none, and I preferred shopping there, as opposed to my nearest Jewel-Osco in Linwood, Il. Happy to hear the Strack and Van Til families bought back their stores.
DeleteFresh grocer still fighting eviction at 40th and Walnut:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedp.com/article/2017/07/fresh-grocer-acme-penn-transition
The Giant in Feasterville is moving to the now closed K-Mart on Street Road. It is further away from the Acme but will be a much bigger store with a much better parking lot than they have now. In other words, bad news for the Feasterville Acme.
ReplyDeleteI was just in the Feasterville ACME back in January. It seemed to be doing great, it was very busy. I don't think it will be a problem for the higher-class towns up there. Giant is great, but Acme's pricing and overall physique is better.
DeleteIf anything, it should be good news for the Acme. The Kmart property is a bit further away from the main retail drag. The Acme is also close to the Philly border (there was a Food Basics and a Bottom Dollar across the street from each other that shut down nearby and have yet to be replaced by other grocers..making Acme alone as the closest grocery store to that area.)
DeleteFeasterville borders some more well-off towns, but I wouldn't call Feasterville to be that 'high class'. It is good that Acme is able to do well though. Acme will definitely be the better looking store if Giant is continuing with their horrible latest decor package and further elimination of in store services/in-house prepped food.
As a side note, I have heard rumors that the somewhat nearby former Kmart in Bensalem will become a replacement store for the Bensalem ShopRite.
(And interesting to note, both that store and the current Giant are in ex-Genuardi's buildings).
I wonder if we will see Weis further expand in the area..they've been rather quiet with their few locations they acquired from Genuardi's years ago, plus one former Pathmark that closed before the rest of the chain. (The former Kmart in nearby Warminster, which has been shuttered since 2012 is supposedly becoming a Weis, but it's been a year or two now without any activity on the property.)
Weis has been focusing on acquisitions further south, with the Mars chain in Baltimore and a few Food Lions in southern Delaware; they also seem to be concentrating on relocations and remodels.
DeleteUPDATE AROUND THE LV-PA AREA:::
ReplyDeleteThe ACME in Quakertown, as all of you most likely know, had been turned into HomeGoods and TJMaxx. I went in a couple months ago, and boy-- it is different! Not one single sign of an ACME inside. There is one more retail space available. The center is being renovated. The KMART had closed, and it is now being turned into various shops including Tuesday Morning, Petco, and Harbor Tools (Ugh). The ACME in Doylestown is doing well. I was just in there two days ago. They must have just repainted or retiled the floors-- because it smelled of fresh plastic! The store looks fantastic. They finally got the Quality Built checkout lights. If there was one closer to me, I'd go every once in awhile there-- but unfortunately the nearest is about 30 minutes away!
What's wrong with Harbor Freight? Honestly, they could expand a lot more in the Philly area if they wanted (they really only have two locations currently..one in Philadelphia, and one in Norristown). They are pretty neat stores when you need a 'throwaway' tool and you can't beat the freebies.
DeleteThe Doylestown store does very well though....an extremely wealthy area and the Acme has been there pretty much forever. The Giant and Weis in town (and a scaled down McCaffrey's store) are plenty busy too, but can't seem to grasp the amount of business that the Acme does.
As a side note, I have been told the Doylestown Kmart is one of the highest volume stores in the state, if not the general region. It's definitely one of the better kept stores (at least as of a year ago) and will probably be the last one to go unless someone makes a ridiculously high offer for it. Besides a Target and Walmart about 15 minutes away in one direction, there really isn't any other big box retailer for miles and miles.
Harbor Freight is cheap, but you are right. The Giant is busy, but oddly layed out. The Weis is extremely overpriced. The McCaffrey's opened up in an old Hobby Shop, I'm surprised they were actually able to make it. I'm still honest-to-god shocked that the Kmart hasnt closed yet. But you're right, the Target and Walmarts are in Warminster. I've been to both, and they're unusually small for big box stores. Good reply, store215!
DeleteThe Front and Snyder Acme is progressing nicely. Interior (Quality built) looks practically done, with the new facade shaping up....
ReplyDeleteSo a few months ago, somebody broke the news that the Kmart next door to the Devon ACME was closing. Looked into it a little. Two sources say Lowe's bought the lease (sorta like they did in Brookhaven), while another says Home Depot. Looks like the Kmart was still profitable, but the next tenant (which we can be 2/3 of the way sure it is Lowe's) offered them enough money to close shop. Apparently, Lowe's/Home Depot was waiting for the 153-year-old Fritz Lumber down the road in Berwyn to close down before they would come to Devon.
ReplyDeleteIt has supposedly become Sears/Kmart corporate policy that if someone else comes along and wants one of their stores, they can have it regardless of profitability.
DeleteWhats happening with posting, you havent posted anything in a long time
ReplyDeleteCheck back tomorrow
Deletehttps://web.archive.org/web/19961221235704/http://acmemarkets.com
ReplyDeleteClassic Acme Website
Aldi will hold a grand opening in Limerick, PA on Thursday, 8/3/17. This Aldi is in the same shopping center (not sure if the exact same space) where Acme's then-recent replacement of the Collegeville store failed in 2012.
ReplyDelete