This is also the reason why under Safeway's leadership, many Texas stores closed which were in transitional areas, rather than adapting to new demographics. This was the case with almost all of the 2005 closures, and 80% of the closures since then ( a few stores were just simply in poor locations, period). On the other hand, Kroger has found ways to make low-income/transitional stores profitable as long as the store in question is still in decent physical condition. Likewise, this adaption to individual neighborhoods is HEB's bread and butter. Both Kroger and HEB have clearly creamed Randalls/Tom Thumb in both market share and store count for the last 10 years.pseudo3d wrote:Perhaps, and this is why Safeway needs to diversify its stores more. I don't know what the demographics of this store are but it's uneconomical to demand certain features of a store that isn't sustainable, like organic produce or fresh food that has to be thrown away because no one is buying. I think that Safeway (at least pre-Albertsons) was too proud to actually cut off services and features (which Kroger and H-E-B have done, ultimately leading to a better and healthier store base) leading to a lot cut corners in its stores it did operate.rwsandiego wrote: Regarding whether a Safeway is the right fit, one of the complaints is the community feels it is being treated differently than others in the District. If then Safeway were to be replaced by another banner or were it to be a different format than in other neighborhoods, Safeway would be accused of unfair treatment.
It would be wise for Safeway to meet with the community and discuss potential solutions rather than try to solve this in a vacuum.
Moldy produce and other problems aren't acceptable but not every store can be a class "A" store. It's a balancing act.
Somehow, this problem seems most pronounced in the Texas Safeway markets (likely due to the 2005 bloodbath of closures). However, this seems to be a common thread in other areas too, particularly DC and Arizona.