Consistency of Raley's Stores versus Safeway

[Alpha8472]

I walked into a Nob Hill Foods(owned by Raley's) today in Walnut Creek, California. It is across the street from the newly opened Safeway in Walnut Creek. The Nob Hill Foods was deserted. There were only a few employees in the entire store. It seemed like they had to lay off most of their workers. This store was once a bustling store with lots of happy and loyal customers. Now it is looking quite sad. The store is clean and well stocked. However, the decor is stuck in the 80s and the store is beginning to show wear and tear.

The prices were absurdly high on most items. I would say that most items were much higher than the Safeway across the street. There was an aisle of Natural Foods, that had items not found at Safeway. Other than that there is no reason to shop at this store.

There is a Whole Foods Market across the street from Safeway that is about to open in a few months. It does not look good for this Nob Hill Foods. The shopping center is also doomed as well. I see no other options than for the restaurants in this shopping center to relocate across the street to where Safeway is located. However, rent at the new shopping center is probably sky high.

On a side note, I could not find any store brand sodas under the Raley's name. The store only sold brand name sodas.

[BillyGr]

There is a Whole Foods Market across the street from Safeway that is about to open in a few months. It does not look good for this Nob Hill Foods. The shopping center is also doomed as well. I see no other options than for the restaurants in this shopping center to relocate across the street to where Safeway is located. However, rent at the new shopping center is probably sky high.

Although I'd think restaurants could do well even if the other tenant(s) in the plaza were to leave - after all, plenty of restaurants are in free standing buildings without a shopping plaza and do fine?

[klkla]

Although I'd think restaurants could do well even if the other tenant(s) in the plaza were to leave - after all, plenty of restaurants are in free standing buildings without a shopping plaza and do fine?

It's not an automatic death sentence but generally when a supermarket anchor leaves a shopping center the smaller restaurants and stores that do not have large advertising budgets are hurt and often go out of business.

[Alpha8472]

Nob Hill Foods also now accepts Android Pay and Apple Pay. I was pleasantly surprised. Chip card readers are in place, but chip card reading is not yet operational. I am still shocked that Nob Hill has the incredibly bizarre tiny checkout lanes where the cashier must unload your shopping cart or basket for you. This takes longer and since there is no conveyor belt there is no room to put all that merchandise. It makes no sense at all.

The shopping center was already failing, but the Quiznos and the run down Panda Express will probably go out of business. The Panda Express's lighted sign burned out years ago and no one has bothered to replace the light bulbs. The Carl's Jr. in the shopping center closed down a few years ago.

[storewanderer]

Carls Jr. has been closing locations in the bay area recently so I think it has bigger problems.

Raleys, Bel Air, and Nob Hill have been supporting NFC (tap) credit/debit for a while now. Food Source despite being on the same system is not supporting NFC (tap).

Almost all grocery stores in the west support NFC (tap) except Safeway and Kroger. Independents, small chains, etc. Many do not advertise it but if you hold a NFC Card or phone up to the pinpad it will show the green lights on the bottom and read it.

Raleys was switching to customer-unload checkstands in remodels a few years ago but since retreated on that and their most recent remodels I've seen are back to cashier-unload again. In one store in Gardnerville, NV they remodeled and installed customer unload lanes and the volume of complaints was so heavy that they actually went back, took those out, and put in new cashier unload checkstands. Raleys I know of that kept their customer-unload checkstands after remodeling include Incline Village, NV and Elko, NV. King Soopers is a Kroger division that is also only installing cashier unload checkstands unlike the rest of the company. Some of these chains see cashier unload of the cart as a "service" to the customer and despite it being inefficient and harder on the wrist and back of the cashiers, the customers do not like it when suddenly they have to unload their cart.

I remember in the 80's and 90's, Safeway would build stores with some registers cashier unload and some registers customer unload. Of course over time it went to all customer unload... one way to ease customers into the idea.

[storewanderer]

Sparks Raleys cut out some of its non food area and has installed a clearance aisle. I am surprised to see them do this in almost the middle of the store, complete with two banners with little plastic round smiley faces hanging from the bottom.

[pseudo3d]

Yeesh! That looks awful, in the center of the store no less. The handmade signs don't look good for a professional environment at all, either. An employee with mild talent with a permanent marker does not a supermarket make.

[BillyGr]

Perhaps that is the intention - since it's stuff that is being reduced to get rid of it, making the signs and displays look cheap goes with the idea that the items are the same?

[pseudo3d]

Perhaps that is the intention - since it's stuff that is being reduced to get rid of it, making the signs and displays look cheap goes with the idea that the items are the same?

Not in the middle of the store! Every store I've been to has clearance in a back corner of the store, a front corner of the store, or a random endcap in the store somewhere. It's also really, really large. I've never seen one that size unless the store was going out of business...

[veteran+]

Perhaps that is the intention - since it's stuff that is being reduced to get rid of it, making the signs and displays look cheap goes with the idea that the items are the same?

Not in the middle of the store! Every store I've been to has clearance in a back corner of the store, a front corner of the store, or a random endcap in the store somewhere. It's also really, really large. I've never seen one that size unless the store was going out of business...

Well said!

It is bad form and poor merchandising!