Retail Watchers

Darn it...we drove by about a month ago--thought "oh, we'll catch that one next time when we're out in RC....alas not to be.

We went to that MicroCenter about a month and a half ago--the place was crawling with people, but had much the same vibe as our "normal" one in Madison Hts, MI.

I did get an instant nail clipper coupon...also an instant coupon for a pint of vinegar.

Interesting--in Michigan Meijer and Rite Aid led the charge, with Kroger and CVS only just activating...between Rite Aid and Meijer nearly all the state is covered.

That's a good observation--around Michigan Meijer has quite a good reputation for produce (they do an apple week every year which is worth waiting for---all those exotic apples that you never see except at the farmers markets, and the month of blueberries), where the national chains (Wal-Mart/Kroger...

if you're perceiving a difference than it probably IS coming from other vendors--

Curious about Lidl's bakery--is it just US bake-off stuff (i.e. the stuff available at any chain supermarket w/a bakery oven) or are they doing European bake-off stuff (probably same quality but...exotic...)...can't imagine they're doing any scratch stuff.

I think that's an excellent observation--people have limited interest in driving past perfectly attractive comprehensive stores (for instance, HT in the Triangle/Charlotte) to reach one of a few bigger comprehensiver stores... the situation in Chicago 25 years ago when Byerly's from Minneapolis went...

Not to be disagreeable, but in the north, there was a small but significant share of our paper goods coming from Canada---generally from Kruger and/or Irving, and particularly for facial tissue and paper towels...they were perfectly OK quality. Oddly enough--I'm in a market research study right now ...

I'll bet that it's quite popular---gamification and lottery...almost like going to the casino!