New Temecula Smart & Final

[ClownLoach]

I decided to go check out the store today since everyone is talking about it.

The Good
- Possibly the best produce I have ever seen at one of their stores, in a much larger footprint. Almost perfect although I found a few issues.
- High quality construction, fixturing, really everything about the design. Much nicer than converted Albertsons and Ralphs elsewhere, undoubtedly the nicest S&F I've ever seen, I see why @CalItalian is praising it
-Better SKU level density in store, much broader assortment than other S&F locations. Example coffee syrups is same footage as other stores but SKU density was double with numerous flavors I've never seen there. Makes me wonder if they manage like Walmart and reduce SKUs in slower selling categories then expand facings of better sellers, which is a terrible practice in my opinion
-If even one item in the store was out of stock I didn't notice
-Great grand opening ad cover for the most part, although some head scratcher high prices inside and on back of the insert. I would not brag about some of those prices like $37 for case of Mexican Coca-Cola bottles

The Bad
-Prices are high in general
-Narrow aisles with excessive clutter fixtures and stack outs, many customers were having difficulty navigating
-Some aisles so narrow carts can't pass one another due to stack outs, giant greeting card display makes pet food aisle literally one way entrance which is stupid
-Wasted space with back third of the building walled off, could have widened the aisles and made them longer if they used all the Best Buy space which would have greatly improved navigation

The Ugly
-How do you already have rotting and expired packaged produce when the store has only been open 8 hours? Gross slimy mushrooms and some bad salad mixes make me question handling practices
-Lots of lookers, very few buyers
-No offense intended by this: average customer looked to be 75 years old, I was by far the youngest customer in the store with my 74 year old aunt in tow
-They had set up extra temporary registers waiting for a crowd but didn't need them, only two customers being helped at checkout when I came through with my basket of Grand Opening specials
-Poorly trained workers being told what to do as if it was their first day by people helping from other locations, leading me to believe they won't be able to maintain the presentation
-New POS software nobody knew how to use and industry standard produce PLU stickers don't all work so they have to use a scan guide

The Competition
-Ralphs next door was busier than S&F with a lot of full baskets and 6 open lanes plus self checkout, no waiting for your purchase at S&F. Saw cars leaving S&F and driving over to Ralphs
-Mysteriously Stater Bros was dead slow with front end same as S&F, Albertsons was busier and maybe a little slower than Ralphs. Makes me wonder if all the remodeling on this street has backfired with so many senior citizen shoppers and sent business to Ralphs (who didn't really even remodel) and Albertsons who was first to remodel to Florida decor and format

[storewanderer]

Another new POS system?

I wonder when these guys will quit changing their POS system.

This is like the third time they've changed it in the past few years.

The system has seemed pretty quick to me the whole time so it has been a mystery why they keep changing it.

The system I've seen them using most recently, is not used by many chains, but it was recently also switched to by Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers and Hy-Vee. Awful, slow, terrible interfacing with the NCR self checkouts at Hy Vee.

[ClownLoach]

Another new POS system?

I wonder when these guys will quit changing their POS system.

This is like the third time they've changed it in the past few years.

The system has seemed pretty quick to me the whole time so it has been a mystery why they keep changing it.

The system I've seen them using most recently, is not used by many chains, but it was recently also switched to by Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers and Hy-Vee. Awful, slow, terrible interfacing with the NCR self checkouts at Hy Vee.

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

I don't think the register had the keys along the edges of the screen as older NCR hardware used to have, it is definitely a good size touch screen but the shape of those older registers. Come to think of it, I don't think they had self checkout but I could be wrong. They had a large crowd of employees clustered around the front entrance near the registers greeting customers as they entered so I really didn't notice if they did. No offense, I've run many grand openings and it's critical to have every customer greeted and service available to help customers find their items in a new store. But, you don't have to have a large crowd especially many hours after the actual ceremony and crowds have died down. Two or three would be fine but they had at least a dozen people including what appeared to be some regional management standing around patting themselves on the back. Somewhere in the store there's work to be done.

[BillyGr]

The Good
-Better SKU level density in store, much broader assortment than other S&F locations. Example coffee syrups is same footage as other stores but SKU density was double with numerous flavors I've never seen there. Makes me wonder if they manage like Walmart and reduce SKUs in slower selling categories then expand facings of better sellers, which is a terrible practice in my opinion
-Great grand opening ad cover for the most part, although some head scratcher high prices inside and on back of the insert. I would not brag about some of those prices like $37 for case of Mexican Coca-Cola bottles

The Ugly
-New POS software nobody knew how to use and industry standard produce PLU stickers don't all work so they have to use a scan guide

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

Hard to say about the selections. Definitely bad when you (or someone else) is looking for something that they aren't stocking, but at the same time from the store's side, if you are the only one looking for it in a given month (or longer), which may be the case if they had it and discontinued it, is it really worth the space and time to stock it and likely have to sell much of it at a discount or even dispose of it if it expires sitting there?

Not sure I've ever seen anyplace selling a whole case (24 count?) of the Mexican Coke, but that may just be being up here in NY and kind of far from Mexico.
Some places do carry single bottles, and I'm thinking they charged around a similar price (if that is a 24-count case, about $1.54 per bottle), though it is, of course, common to have a lower price on larger quantities.

Sort of surprising that, if they are going to set up these systems and not use standard coding for items like the produce (even though it might take time for employees to learn those, but probably not too long for the majority of items - I even used to remember a couple just from the older self-checkouts that you had to look up the code and enter it), that they don't at least use something similar to what many of the newer self-checkouts use (with the touch screens since they have those), where you type the name of the item and pictures pop up that you can select from.

That at least seems a bit faster than using a guidebook of some sort to find them, and if the tech exists for the self-checkout machinery it shouldn't be too hard to adapt it to regular registers as well

[ClownLoach]

The Good
-Better SKU level density in store, much broader assortment than other S&F locations. Example coffee syrups is same footage as other stores but SKU density was double with numerous flavors I've never seen there. Makes me wonder if they manage like Walmart and reduce SKUs in slower selling categories then expand facings of better sellers, which is a terrible practice in my opinion
-Great grand opening ad cover for the most part, although some head scratcher high prices inside and on back of the insert. I would not brag about some of those prices like $37 for case of Mexican Coca-Cola bottles

The Ugly
-New POS software nobody knew how to use and industry standard produce PLU stickers don't all work so they have to use a scan guide

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

Hard to say about the selections. Definitely bad when you (or someone else) is looking for something that they aren't stocking, but at the same time from the store's side, if you are the only one looking for it in a given month (or longer), which may be the case if they had it and discontinued it, is it really worth the space and time to stock it and likely have to sell much of it at a discount or even dispose of it if it expires sitting there?

Not sure I've ever seen anyplace selling a whole case (24 count?) of the Mexican Coke, but that may just be being up here in NY and kind of far from Mexico.
Some places do carry single bottles, and I'm thinking they charged around a similar price (if that is a 24-count case, about $1.54 per bottle), though it is, of course, common to have a lower price on larger quantities.

Sort of surprising that, if they are going to set up these systems and not use standard coding for items like the produce (even though it might take time for employees to learn those, but probably not too long for the majority of items - I even used to remember a couple just from the older self-checkouts that you had to look up the code and enter it), that they don't at least use something similar to what many of the newer self-checkouts use (with the touch screens since they have those), where you type the name of the item and pictures pop up that you can select from.

That at least seems a bit faster than using a guidebook of some sort to find them, and if the tech exists for the self-checkout machinery it shouldn't be too hard to adapt it to regular registers as well

Yes I was shocked that there is no search engine or anything like that on the register so they have to get out an old fashioned 3 ring binder. Unreal.

Today my tomatoes on the vine that looked perfect yesterday are mushy and rotting.

This S&F isn't much better than the rest on quality, will probably raise their prices back up to normal after the grand opening, and is not going to make any impact on the area as a result. It will be more of a business location than a residential. Ralphs next door is not hurting.

There are ongoing rumors that Costco is going to open a second Temecula warehouse directly across the street at the northwest corner of Temecula Pkwy and Butterfield Stage Rd. I thought this was dead when they decided to open Murrieta where they did, but I hear it is still alive along with a Menifee location. I do wonder if this rumored 2nd Temecula warehouse is planned to be a Business Center. So the Temecula-Murrieta-Menifee-Elsinore area will potentially have FIVE Costco stores in the next few years.

[storewanderer]

Another new POS system?

I wonder when these guys will quit changing their POS system.

This is like the third time they've changed it in the past few years.

The system has seemed pretty quick to me the whole time so it has been a mystery why they keep changing it.

The system I've seen them using most recently, is not used by many chains, but it was recently also switched to by Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers and Hy-Vee. Awful, slow, terrible interfacing with the NCR self checkouts at Hy Vee.

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

I don't think the register had the keys along the edges of the screen as older NCR hardware used to have, it is definitely a good size touch screen but the shape of those older registers. Come to think of it, I don't think they had self checkout but I could be wrong. They had a large crowd of employees clustered around the front entrance near the registers greeting customers as they entered so I really didn't notice if they did. No offense, I've run many grand openings and it's critical to have every customer greeted and service available to help customers find their items in a new store. But, you don't have to have a large crowd especially many hours after the actual ceremony and crowds have died down. Two or three would be fine but they had at least a dozen people including what appeared to be some regional management standing around patting themselves on the back. Somewhere in the store there's work to be done.

That sounds like the POS they've been using for the past couple of years at least in some stores. It is a strange system. This is the GK Omni POS system. https://www.sap.com/products/crm/omnichannel-pos.html

This is the receipt that system produces.
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/smart-a ... 4U9m0box2A

Were they allowed to hand key the PLUs for the peppers at all or did they have to "scan" it? I wonder if this is deliberate to force the cashier to look at the photos of the various peppers and select the correct one instead of assuming every pepper is either a jalapeno or an anaheim/serrano or some other cheap one...

[veteran+]

The Good
-Better SKU level density in store, much broader assortment than other S&F locations. Example coffee syrups is same footage as other stores but SKU density was double with numerous flavors I've never seen there. Makes me wonder if they manage like Walmart and reduce SKUs in slower selling categories then expand facings of better sellers, which is a terrible practice in my opinion
-Great grand opening ad cover for the most part, although some head scratcher high prices inside and on back of the insert. I would not brag about some of those prices like $37 for case of Mexican Coca-Cola bottles

The Ugly
-New POS software nobody knew how to use and industry standard produce PLU stickers don't all work so they have to use a scan guide

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

Hard to say about the selections. Definitely bad when you (or someone else) is looking for something that they aren't stocking, but at the same time from the store's side, if you are the only one looking for it in a given month (or longer), which may be the case if they had it and discontinued it, is it really worth the space and time to stock it and likely have to sell much of it at a discount or even dispose of it if it expires sitting there?

Not sure I've ever seen anyplace selling a whole case (24 count?) of the Mexican Coke, but that may just be being up here in NY and kind of far from Mexico.
Some places do carry single bottles, and I'm thinking they charged around a similar price (if that is a 24-count case, about $1.54 per bottle), though it is, of course, common to have a lower price on larger quantities.

Sort of surprising that, if they are going to set up these systems and not use standard coding for items like the produce (even though it might take time for employees to learn those, but probably not too long for the majority of items - I even used to remember a couple just from the older self-checkouts that you had to look up the code and enter it), that they don't at least use something similar to what many of the newer self-checkouts use (with the touch screens since they have those), where you type the name of the item and pictures pop up that you can select from.

That at least seems a bit faster than using a guidebook of some sort to find them, and if the tech exists for the self-checkout machinery it shouldn't be too hard to adapt it to regular registers as well

Actually, Mexican Coke (Mexican Sprite and other flavors) are a thing in SoCal.

I negotiated a deal with the local bottler for my area (standing display sidestack) and sold them by the case or bottle. Quite popular!

[ClownLoach]

The Good
-Better SKU level density in store, much broader assortment than other S&F locations. Example coffee syrups is same footage as other stores but SKU density was double with numerous flavors I've never seen there. Makes me wonder if they manage like Walmart and reduce SKUs in slower selling categories then expand facings of better sellers, which is a terrible practice in my opinion
-Great grand opening ad cover for the most part, although some head scratcher high prices inside and on back of the insert. I would not brag about some of those prices like $37 for case of Mexican Coca-Cola bottles

The Ugly
-New POS software nobody knew how to use and industry standard produce PLU stickers don't all work so they have to use a scan guide

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

Hard to say about the selections. Definitely bad when you (or someone else) is looking for something that they aren't stocking, but at the same time from the store's side, if you are the only one looking for it in a given month (or longer), which may be the case if they had it and discontinued it, is it really worth the space and time to stock it and likely have to sell much of it at a discount or even dispose of it if it expires sitting there?

Not sure I've ever seen anyplace selling a whole case (24 count?) of the Mexican Coke, but that may just be being up here in NY and kind of far from Mexico.
Some places do carry single bottles, and I'm thinking they charged around a similar price (if that is a 24-count case, about $1.54 per bottle), though it is, of course, common to have a lower price on larger quantities.

Sort of surprising that, if they are going to set up these systems and not use standard coding for items like the produce (even though it might take time for employees to learn those, but probably not too long for the majority of items - I even used to remember a couple just from the older self-checkouts that you had to look up the code and enter it), that they don't at least use something similar to what many of the newer self-checkouts use (with the touch screens since they have those), where you type the name of the item and pictures pop up that you can select from.

That at least seems a bit faster than using a guidebook of some sort to find them, and if the tech exists for the self-checkout machinery it shouldn't be too hard to adapt it to regular registers as well

Actually, Mexican Coke (Mexican Sprite and other flavors) are a thing in SoCal.

I negotiated a deal with the local bottler for my area (standing display sidestack) and sold them by the case or bottle. Quite popular!

I love the Mexican Coke, but their price was $5 higher than Costco. That's why I don't understand why they advertised it as a item you save on like a wholesale club store. I didn't bring the ad home but there was this whole section trying to introduce them as having those Costco type items but their prices are higher. I would not advertise higher prices than Costco in a town they dominate.

[ClownLoach]

Another new POS system?

I wonder when these guys will quit changing their POS system.

This is like the third time they've changed it in the past few years.

The system has seemed pretty quick to me the whole time so it has been a mystery why they keep changing it.

The system I've seen them using most recently, is not used by many chains, but it was recently also switched to by Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers and Hy-Vee. Awful, slow, terrible interfacing with the NCR self checkouts at Hy Vee.

It was NCR hardware but with a touch screen and 10 key pad, but I didn't recognize the software. Primarily white and light blue interface with a touchscreen 10 key in the middle of the screen, that seemed a bit redundant to me. The cashiers were using the physical keypad. Produce PLU issue is really odd, no problem with most items like red leaf lettuce, bulk garlic, bell peppers, but then the PLU for Swiss Chard and Jalapeño peppers weren't standard and they had to look them up. Of course the new cashier didn't know how and the experienced one sent in to train didn't know the numbers for that system, both were 5 digits and started with a 9. Neither one was organic. Whole thing was odd and I asked and she said many PLUs are not used on this system and they have to use the scan book a lot. That's going to get old and fast.

I don't think the register had the keys along the edges of the screen as older NCR hardware used to have, it is definitely a good size touch screen but the shape of those older registers. Come to think of it, I don't think they had self checkout but I could be wrong. They had a large crowd of employees clustered around the front entrance near the registers greeting customers as they entered so I really didn't notice if they did. No offense, I've run many grand openings and it's critical to have every customer greeted and service available to help customers find their items in a new store. But, you don't have to have a large crowd especially many hours after the actual ceremony and crowds have died down. Two or three would be fine but they had at least a dozen people including what appeared to be some regional management standing around patting themselves on the back. Somewhere in the store there's work to be done.

That sounds like the POS they've been using for the past couple of years at least in some stores. It is a strange system. This is the GK Omni POS system. https://www.sap.com/products/crm/omnichannel-pos.html

This is the receipt that system produces.
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/smart-a ... 4U9m0box2A

Were they allowed to hand key the PLUs for the peppers at all or did they have to "scan" it? I wonder if this is deliberate to force the cashier to look at the photos of the various peppers and select the correct one instead of assuming every pepper is either a jalapeno or an anaheim/serrano or some other cheap one...

I don't think it looked like that on the screen. It was very plain looking with minimal light blue color.

The receipt is slightly different too although it does sort by category and quantity.

They were allowed to hand key the PLU from the book. I just thought it was bizarre that they are not using the industry standard ones that are on produce stickers all the time. I do wonder if this store is testing a larger assortment of produce and that has something to do with it, maybe not all the PLU codes were set up yet? Or they have some other IT work in progress but they just had to get the store open? Even the head cashier from another store who was helping seemed to be surprised. When I was leaving they were having trouble with the register at another lane. Something definitely not ready for prime time that should have been resolved before a Grand Opening in one of the most competitive little areas I can name in SoCal.

The produce selection is better than the remodeled Stater Bros down the street which for some strange reason feels like they reduced the display sizes. I don't think they had an official grand opening at Stater yet even though it appears all construction is done, but the store does not feel "finished" for some reason after walking in more detail especially produce which feels like it's missing several islands or something. Actually it feels like S&F had more produce than Sprouts and were on par with Ralphs and Albertsons. Never seen quite so much produce selection in a S&F, it's a noticeable difference between some of the other newer converted grocery stores like Tustin and this one. I'm just concerned I saw some spoiled stuff and now had some spoil which is odd for a literally brand new day one store. As we know, the California customer is the most fickle in the world (auto correct just changed that to a different six letter F word ending in -Ed, how funny). They have no patience and if their first experience is bad they don't return for a second one as the Haggen folks can tell you. So it's a nice store, has incredible potential, but I have no confidence in their ability to maintain this long-term as there are already cracks showing. If the rumors are true that Costco is going to drop down there too, which honestly I thought were done when they opened Murrieta but I'm hearing them again, it's going to be a rough road for S&F to retain much of a business customer base.

Personally I would have much rather had a Northgate, H-Mart, or 99 Ranch in that location. Maybe I should write a letter to the CEO of C&S about the two local dump Vons stores he's going to receive if the merger goes through and how much he could probably make flipping them to a couple of the above, and how happy we would all be if he did.

[CalItalian]

Plenty of photos on yelp including some I added
https://yelp.to/IOtMauaXmg