New Albertsons Interior Southern California

[retailfanmitchell019]

Oddly, the new ACME in East Norriton doesn't have that decor.

That interior reminds me of the upscale version of the Albertsons “Broadway” interior: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alberts ... YqO6MgclEw
@storewanderer calls it the Larry interior.

[brendenmoney]

Oddly, the new ACME in East Norriton doesn't have that decor.

That interior reminds me of the upscale version of the Albertsons “Broadway” interior: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alberts ... YqO6MgclEw
@storewanderer calls it the Larry interior.

It certainly does. As people have mentioned, I believe the interior that the East Norriton ACME has is a Shop Rite interior with most aspects such as wall signage being carried over to ACME (it looks like Albertsons put up new aisle signage and repainted the store, but most of the wall signage looks the same). Perhaps Shop Rite renovated this store at some point to have decor similar to Broadway since there were some ACME's that were renovated to Broadway in the early 2000's.

Also, does anyone know why ACME took over the East Norriton Shop Rite? Like was it a lease issue or did Shop Rite deem the store unprofitable?

[storewanderer]

Oddly, the new ACME in East Norriton doesn't have that decor.

That interior reminds me of the upscale version of the Albertsons “Broadway” interior: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alberts ... YqO6MgclEw
@storewanderer calls it the Larry interior.

That interior is a Shop Rite interior. But it sure looks like upscale Larry- same wall fonts.

The checkstand lights and aisle hangers are from Acme. I am assuming those must have had Shop Rite logos.

It looks like Acme is doing a good job with that store. Perimeter departments look full. Store looks healthy.

[BillyGr]

It certainly does. As people have mentioned, I believe the interior that the East Norriton ACME has is a Shop Rite interior with most aspects such as wall signage being carried over to ACME (it looks like Albertsons put up new aisle signage and repainted the store, but most of the wall signage looks the same). Perhaps Shop Rite renovated this store at some point to have decor similar to Broadway since there were some ACME's that were renovated to Broadway in the early 2000's.

Also, does anyone know why ACME took over the East Norriton Shop Rite? Like was it a lease issue or did Shop Rite deem the store unprofitable?

The big department signs are definitely left over, given the writing on the picture parts (Always Fresh, Always for Less) - that's a ShopRite song

Much of the other is probably as well but the overall design is different than what we have up this way (which is logical due to the variety of ownerships in ShopRite) - the only obviously new signs are the Frosted Mug and the lettering on the front wall (maybe customer service as well).

No clue as to why ShopRite closed/left that store.

[marketreportblog]

It certainly does. As people have mentioned, I believe the interior that the East Norriton ACME has is a Shop Rite interior with most aspects such as wall signage being carried over to ACME (it looks like Albertsons put up new aisle signage and repainted the store, but most of the wall signage looks the same). Perhaps Shop Rite renovated this store at some point to have decor similar to Broadway since there were some ACME's that were renovated to Broadway in the early 2000's.

Also, does anyone know why ACME took over the East Norriton Shop Rite? Like was it a lease issue or did Shop Rite deem the store unprofitable?

The big department signs are definitely left over, given the writing on the picture parts (Always Fresh, Always for Less) - that's a ShopRite song

Much of the other is probably as well but the overall design is different than what we have up this way (which is logical due to the variety of ownerships in ShopRite) - the only obviously new signs are the Frosted Mug and the lettering on the front wall (maybe customer service as well).

No clue as to why ShopRite closed/left that store.

Right, most of East Norriton's decor is left over from ShopRite, but I imagine since the store is being renovated now, it'll be changed. Then again, the only other ACME I'm aware of being renovated right now is in Saddle Brook, NJ, and it doesn't look like the decor will be changed -- looks like they're focusing on fixtures and lighting and things like that (hopefully flooring, too).

As for why ShopRite closed, there's no concrete info out there. I remember people on Facebook saying rent increased more than Brown's was willing to pay, but their statement on the store's closure provided no details at all.

[ClownLoach]

I was in the area and decided to go check it out.

I would rate it 8 out of 10 seeing it in real life.

The store is a near clone layout wise of newer Albertsons, the closest being the San Marcos location. Original two tone tinted concrete floors poorly maintained and not improved, many patches with bright gray cement that sticks out like a sore thumb.

In fact I am unsure if any actual structural remodel occurred at this store. I'm not even sure if they remerchandised or reset any departments as it matches pretty much aisle for aisle with the newest SoCal Albertsons build I'm aware of (San Marcos). It appears to be entirely the installation of the graphics package to replace the previous colorful lifestyle and possibly a lighting replacement to all matching slim LED strips that have excellent color reproduction.

The good:
-The blue looks fine in real life. The photos made it seem electric blue a la Walmart. It is darker and would not look bad in any other banner.
-Someone designed two "murals" which are used interchangeably on aisle hanger signs: one for Upland itself which is also large on the front of the store, and one that is clearly designed to represent the State of California with the brown bear, redwoods and more. Gives it a nice local flair but also will tie together well in other California stores.
-This entire sign package screams Ralphs to me. Not Albertsons. Many new signage elements align with recent Ralphs signage. For example there are large C-channels with large category and branding statements on the walls over the meat cases, some just for category way finding and others promoting private brands or stating quality. It's done in a way that reminds me much more of Kroger/Ralphs with all the decals they've been attaching to or above display cases.
-The quality of the signage is almost perfect. Thick, quality dimensional letters and elements.
-All the ceiling hanging signage and elements like the frames over produce and checkout look fantastic.
-This design package would be spectacular in the Ralphs stores to replace the oddball "neighborhood" package and would not feel out of place in those formats.

The bad:
-The wall signage all is designed with intentionally faded colors like dusty rose, light mint etc. This will not age well when it fades even more.
-Worse, the wall signage with these faded or tint colors clash with the much brighter aisle hangers, mural, and the hanging frames over produce and checkout. They needed to make a decision, bright or muted color, and use it consistently
-Zero evolution of the Albertsons layout from the decade plus old San Marcos store. Left end still has clunky split aisles that are health and beauty in the front, frozen in the back which is illogical.
-Weird clunky sliding automatic doors added that don't open on the side you expect.
-Store was not an execution "gem" in any fashion that I saw. Produce was rough, store didn't feel clean.

I really do think this design was done by a 3rd party, most likely whoever did the most recent Kroger "neighborhood" decor. There's nothing wrong with Albertsons hiring them, in fact these design firms that do supermarket decor work for all their competition as well. There are so many elements of both the premier Jewel decor as well as typical Ralphs/Kroger elements that I am sure this was put together to be used in both Kroger and Albertsons stores if a merger actually were to happen. And if not then Albertsons can upgrade the heck out of their stores with it... Or what I would do is let this one usage go and start remodeling Pavilions into this new package and dedicate it to higher end formats because the quality is there especially with a few minor tweaks to the colors to make them consistently vivid. Way better than the last two packages being Colorful Lifestyle and Modern/Florida, might be better than the Colorful Oregon decor although I kinda like that one. Was worth driving a little out of my way to do a quick walk through.

[storewanderer]

I was in the area and decided to go check it out.

I would rate it 8 out of 10 seeing it in real life.

The store is a near clone layout wise of newer Albertsons, the closest being the San Marcos location. Original two tone tinted concrete floors poorly maintained and not improved, many patches with bright gray cement that sticks out like a sore thumb.

In fact I am unsure if any actual structural remodel occurred at this store. I'm not even sure if they remerchandised or reset any departments as it matches pretty much aisle for aisle with the newest SoCal Albertsons build I'm aware of (San Marcos). It appears to be entirely the installation of the graphics package to replace the previous colorful lifestyle and possibly a lighting replacement to all matching slim LED strips that have excellent color reproduction.



The bad:
-The wall signage all is designed with intentionally faded colors like dusty rose, light mint etc. This will not age well when it fades even more.
-Worse, the wall signage with these faded or tint colors clash with the much brighter aisle hangers, mural, and the hanging frames over produce and checkout. They needed to make a decision, bright or muted color, and use it consistently
-Zero evolution of the Albertsons layout from the decade plus old San Marcos store. Left end still has clunky split aisles that are health and beauty in the front, frozen in the back which is illogical.

-Store was not an execution "gem" in any fashion that I saw. Produce was rough, store didn't feel clean.

That layout you describe with the short horizontal drug aisles in front of pharmacy and frozen behind them is how all of the new build Safeways in NorCal are set up. The only difference is in those newer Albertsons the pharmacy is sort of rounded counter type layout, but in the Safeways the pharmacy is a rectangle box with the entire counter/work space looking straight out at those horizontal/short aisles toward the checkstands... They did change the door positioning a little on the last one they opened (Mountain Home/Tracy) but still same layout applies.

I wonder if the signage could be helped somehow by spotlights or some other kind of lighting

Too bad on execution, that was a nice store in the past when I went to it, including its brief period as Haggen, it was one of the few Haggen units in SoCal I went into that didn't look absolutely dire.

[ClownLoach]

I was in the area and decided to go check it out.

I would rate it 8 out of 10 seeing it in real life.

The store is a near clone layout wise of newer Albertsons, the closest being the San Marcos location. Original two tone tinted concrete floors poorly maintained and not improved, many patches with bright gray cement that sticks out like a sore thumb.

In fact I am unsure if any actual structural remodel occurred at this store. I'm not even sure if they remerchandised or reset any departments as it matches pretty much aisle for aisle with the newest SoCal Albertsons build I'm aware of (San Marcos). It appears to be entirely the installation of the graphics package to replace the previous colorful lifestyle and possibly a lighting replacement to all matching slim LED strips that have excellent color reproduction.



The bad:
-The wall signage all is designed with intentionally faded colors like dusty rose, light mint etc. This will not age well when it fades even more.
-Worse, the wall signage with these faded or tint colors clash with the much brighter aisle hangers, mural, and the hanging frames over produce and checkout. They needed to make a decision, bright or muted color, and use it consistently
-Zero evolution of the Albertsons layout from the decade plus old San Marcos store. Left end still has clunky split aisles that are health and beauty in the front, frozen in the back which is illogical.

-Store was not an execution "gem" in any fashion that I saw. Produce was rough, store didn't feel clean.

That layout you describe with the short horizontal drug aisles in front of pharmacy and frozen behind them is how all of the new build Safeways in NorCal are set up. The only difference is in those newer Albertsons the pharmacy is sort of rounded counter type layout, but in the Safeways the pharmacy is a rectangle box with the entire counter/work space looking straight out at those horizontal/short aisles toward the checkstands... They did change the door positioning a little on the last one they opened (Mountain Home/Tracy) but still same layout applies.

I wonder if the signage could be helped somehow by spotlights or some other kind of lighting

Too bad on execution, that was a nice store in the past when I went to it, including its brief period as Haggen, it was one of the few Haggen units in SoCal I went into that didn't look absolutely dire.

To be fair, I did walk in at 8pm and I have no idea how this store operates. My impression is mid volume but I could be wrong and it could be a very busy store that was shopped hard in the afternoon. But there was zero urgency from the employees, one male employee was playing around with a female employee who was sweeping the floor as an example and their horseplay could be heard across the store which is very unprofessional. So hard to tell, I would be screaming if my store looked like that and basically said to evening shoppers "we've given up, come back tomorrow." Meat and seafood desk was totally buttoned up covered and an employee was just closing it, doubt they waited until 8pm sharp to start closing procedures so they probably turn away some business because someone wants to get out early. I am starting to see similar breakage in night shops at Albertsons/Vons and I am concerned that the new scheduling that seems to have come from Apollo is responsible. They are well known for recommending aggressive schedule techniques to cut all labor to the bone outside of busy hours, failing to recognize the need to clean up the stores after busy periods. These techniques such as 3 hour shifts that are in use now at Albertsons/Vons in SoCal are also disheartening to the employees who probably feel like the company doesn't care so they don't either. Think about if for example they had three part time clerks who were normally scheduled 3pm to 7:30pm but the new software makes them work 3:30 to 6:30 (I heard a clerk at a different store complaining about that exact shift being a waste of his time and I agree). That extra hour between 6:30 and 7:30 coupled with a decent manager on duty giving orders could have probably made a big difference in store conditions. Probably the same Apollo people who apply these scheduling protocols to the systems are also the ones who hire the store hours optimization people that have the stores closing earlier.

Appears to be a beautiful very modern shopping center with all the right big tenants and when I left I was navigated through a stunning old neighborhood that reminded me of Pasadena. Seems to be a great area. So again it could have been slammed a couple hours before I got there and needs more staffing with more management direction to refill the empty front produce displays right when you walk in, recover aisles etc. Obviously has potential to improve.

I think if the wall signage had more spotlights and such along with more vivid color it would look great. But they also seemingly designed this for minimal permit work so they could install it in a basic remodel quickly. For the color, to me what looked like red in the pictures turned out to be like a rose color. If the print quality is solid then these won't fade, but if they do fade even one little bit then the store will look like it went a decade or more without a remodel after just a short period. Now this could be a test even though we know it was used in Oregon first. Maybe they hired a designer to work specifically on how to integrate the Albertsons/Safeway stores into a format that works with elements Kroger uses (and also bring some of the better design elements to Kroger if they ever do merge). So this could be a one-off run that if it went into full production would potentially adjust for color differences. We have seen early decor packages test and then the final versions roll out that are better or worse... But I don't think they're going to cut much with this because it obviously spends money where it matters with thick, quality solid lettering over the departments themselves and then uses a lot of totally flat printed wallpaper type stuff with simulated texture on the rest of the walls to save money. This does not scream "unlimited budget test run that will be budget engineered to hell" like some chains do with first round installs. The designer was probably told there would be a budget for this package and designed to meet it immediately. Just hoping for more color in final rounds...

It is a sharp contrast to the very vivid and bright final rollout version of the newer Stater Bros decor which thankfully is far superior to the awful looking thing that was in the first pictures they shared. I guess that one was just a test so it was all cheap printed wallpaper in the pilot store, but the final versions are solid dimensional letters, good looking printed photos that have a nice modern "Instagram" style to them, and lots of textures like real glass tile and such. Stater must have hired a designer who is aware that most of their stores are drop ceilings with close lighting that will fade, so they did sharp UV proof coatings on letters and also intentionally used overly bright photos so when they fade they will still look great.

[veteran+]

So the Unions now allow 3 hour shifts?

That's weird and plainly WRONG!

[ClownLoach]

So the Unions now allow 3 hour shifts?

That's weird and plainly WRONG!

I was shocked when I first heard it directly from an Albertsons employee standing next to me and talking to a cashier (who was totally ignoring me the customer as he rang up my transaction) that they were scheduled by "the new system" for 3 hours. But then remember the unions caved to the big 3 and allowed for the "two tier system" where basically only the existing long term employees have any real rights or protections while the newer (and today vast majority of) employees are paid less and have less rights, benefits etc. At this point I wonder how many first tier employees are left at any of these chains. Both the chains and the UFCW destroyed themselves with that strike and that deal. As calculated for inflation on another thread Ralphs was the biggest loser with half their stores lost and 70% of their revenue gone. And the UFCW employees lost. The only winners are Stater Bros, Walmart, Trader Joe's and Costco who were all big recipients of customers when the chains were on strike (or locked out, or whatever the disaster was exactly).

I will note the 3 hour shift employee, who was a courtesy clerk, looked very young. I notice Albertsons/Vons seems much more likely to hire minors (teenagers) which I assume are on work permits. So it could be related to that. But if you did have an after school job bagging groceries and sweeping floors, is it really even worth it unless say the store is right next to school and home if you're going to make about $50 Pre tax and Pre Union dues? All Work Permits I've reviewed over the years would typically limit total weekly hours on school nights and require the minor to be off work by 9pm or 9:30 at the latest.