The present and future of Randalls

[architect]

Another example of Randalls lost localism: following the recent Houston-area floods, Kroger almost immediately announced a $50,000 donation to the Red Cross to help in the recovery effort. HEB has also provided significant aid, though exact figures are not yet available (and will likely continue to grow, as HEB typically runs aid campaigns in their stores following a disaster). What do we have from Randalls: nothing so far.

[pseudo3d]

Another example of Randalls lost localism: following the recent Houston-area floods, Kroger almost immediately announced a $50,000 donation to the Red Cross to help in the recovery effort. HEB has also provided significant aid, though exact figures are not yet available (and will likely continue to grow, as HEB typically runs aid campaigns in their stores following a disaster). What do we have from Randalls: nothing so far.

Under Safeway, Randalls was one of the first stores to reopen on Galveston Island, while H-E-B closed their store on the island and never came back. And to answer your question, Randalls was involved in recovery efforts.

Randalls did drop their sponsorship for the Renaissance Faire a few years back (pre Albertsons) though I would guess it was part of the deteriorating conditions at Safeway more than anything else.

[wnetmacman]

My main point on the relevance of the past performance is that people remember when someone did something wrong in the past. I would challenge you to find a place where a retailer left an area, then returned under the same name and succeeded. It's because folks remember the bad locations and poor selection. Albertsons will not be on that list.

Albertsons hasn't changed their mindset enough to be the one to be successful with a triumphant return. They always ran high with promos, built in bad locations, and just didn't maintain things well. Safeway became equally guilty of this. The two together don't have enough change between them to make this continue to work. They may be marginal, but won't be the most profitable division.

Under Safeway, Randalls was one of the first stores to reopen on Galveston Island, while H-E-B closed their store on the island and never came back. And to answer your question, Randalls was involved in recovery efforts.

Granted, folks do see where you help, such as the Randalls situation in Galveston. There are many retailers who no longer operate there because of the risk of storm damage. The same holds true for Louisiana as well.

[pseudo3d]

My main point on the relevance of the past performance is that people remember when someone did something wrong in the past. I would challenge you to find a place where a retailer left an area, then returned under the same name and succeeded. It's because folks remember the bad locations and poor selection. Albertsons will not be on that list.

Sure. I grew up in College Station. There was a Lowe's and a Chuck E. Cheese's in the 1980s, and they left, and returned later with locations and have been successes. The Chuck E. Cheese was right next to the College Station Kroger, now it's at the mall. The Lowe's was a few miles down closer to the highway. In the mid-1990s it returned to Bryan a few exits up and by the early 2010s was also in a location a few exits down.

Albertsons hasn't changed their mindset enough to be the one to be successful with a triumphant return. They always ran high with promos, built in bad locations, and just didn't maintain things well. Safeway became equally guilty of this. The two together don't have enough change between them to make this continue to work. They may be marginal, but won't be the most profitable division.

Randalls has a lot of good locations that Albertsons never had the opportunity to have. The biggest problem (even if the price and merchandise were re-worked) is generally smaller locations than H-E-B or Kroger (and no large-format stores).

[wnetmacman]

Sure. I grew up in College Station. There was a Lowe's and a Chuck E. Cheese's in the 1980s, and they left, and returned later with locations and have been successes. The Chuck E. Cheese was right next to the College Station Kroger, now it's at the mall. The Lowe's was a few miles down closer to the highway. In the mid-1990s it returned to Bryan a few exits up and by the early 2010s was also in a location a few exits down.

I'm not referring to single location closures. I'm referring to a full market pullout. Safeway Houston Division. Kroger Baton Rouge/Southern Louisiana. Kmart everywhere. Not one location. A&P: see what happened there? They left every area one division at a time. That's what I'm referring to.

[pseudo3d]

Sure. I grew up in College Station. There was a Lowe's and a Chuck E. Cheese's in the 1980s, and they left, and returned later with locations and have been successes. The Chuck E. Cheese was right next to the College Station Kroger, now it's at the mall. The Lowe's was a few miles down closer to the highway. In the mid-1990s it returned to Bryan a few exits up and by the early 2010s was also in a location a few exits down.

I'm not referring to single location closures. I'm referring to a full market pullout. Safeway Houston Division. Kroger Baton Rouge/Southern Louisiana. Kmart everywhere. Not one location. A&P: see what happened there? They left every area one division at a time. That's what I'm referring to.

I can list restaurant chains and gas stations, but that's probably not what you want. I suppose it's only natural that businesses come and go over the years, but what makes Albertsons particularly different? Kroger once had stores in Chicago and Milwaukee, and there probably won't be another Kroger again in Chicago or Milwaukee, even though they own Roundy's now. In fact, I think that in the past, the number of stores operating as Kroger were higher than the numbers today due to the acquisitions and spin-offs that have occurred.

The only "full market pull-out and return" is when Kroger sold off some of their stores in the rust belt (like the Detroit division, to Kessel's) in the 1980s before buying back Kessel's (and buying Great Scott) a few years later. In any case, it's unlikely that Albertsons will return as a name to the area, and that's normal and par for the course.

[architect]

Earlier today, a friend who lives in the Houston area sent me a message, saying that the League City Randalls has received a perimeter lighting replacement much like many of the DFW Tom Thumbs. He and I studied architecture together, and had discussed this recently as part of a larger grocery conversation. Sure enough, he went home for the weekend, and saw exactly what I was talking about. PhotoS can be seen on the Google Photosphere links below; the fixtures appear to be surface-mounted fluorescents per the norm with Albertsons (although the fixtures are slightly different than the ones used in DFW). Also, it appears the the lighting refresh was done rather hastily, as there are new fixtures literally running across several old ones in the second photo, making it impossible to change the bulbs in the existing fixtures.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Randa ... !1e1?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Randa ... !1e1?hl=en

If Albertsons is investing money into new lighting for Randalls, this has to be at least somewhat of a good sign for the division long-term.

[storewanderer]

I simply cannot believe a professional installer would have installed those light fixtures atop the old fixture. I saw the photo and just cannot believe it. That has to be an error.

[architect]

I simply cannot believe a professional installer would have installed those light fixtures atop the old fixture. I saw the photo and just cannot believe it. That has to be an error.

Actually, even more sad is the fact that this isn't the only market where that has been an issue. In DFW, there is a Tom Thumb at Josey and Hebron where the contractor (presumably different than in this Houston store) did the exact same thing at the customer service desk. In this case, the fluorescent strip lights were hung on the ceiling grid adjoining several existing fixtures. Although the fixtures themselves are not blocked, the latch to access the bulbs on the old fixtures is obstructed, preventing them from being changed. Already, several of these old fixtures have experienced burned out bulbs which just makes everything look tacky. Photos of the store are provided below, though I was unable to get a good picture of this lighting at the service desk (it is roughly in the area where the Cowboys jerseys are located in the second photo).

[veteran+]

If it was not so sad I would say that it is hysterical.

With so much tenure in the business it's shocking that they allow this mickey mouse, rinky dinky type thing.

Where is their pride?