Safeway NorCal Distro Outbreak

[storewanderer]

No wonder they've been having so much trouble restocking their stores.

Time to shift stores from NorCal to other divisions that would probably run them better and have a lower overhead cost anyway. Give Hawaii to Seattle (some independents use that as a supply point for HI/Guam and Seattle is already sending grocery barges up to Alaska), give Reno to Intermountain, give Fresno back to SoCal, and maybe give upper NorCal to OR (that may not make much sense).

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/e ... y/2275166/

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/ ... -outbreak/

https://news.yahoo.com/family-speaks-sa ... 19333.html

[reymann]

safeway needs to make arrangements with alternate distro centers and maybe even temporarily shutter all safeways in norcal until they are able to restock their shelves. right now save mart/foodmaxx is looking a bit more stocked these days.

[pseudo3d]

maybe even temporarily shutter all safeways in norcal

San Francisco has so many Safeway stores in the area to close them would put a massive strain on everyone living in the area. Maybe if they arranged something with a third party, like UNFI or C&S, it might work.

[reymann]

unfi could be a viable interim option until other distros can pick up the slack

[retailfanmitchell019]

No wonder they've been having so much trouble restocking their stores.

Time to shift stores from NorCal to other divisions that would probably run them better and have a lower overhead cost anyway. Give Hawaii to Seattle (some independents use that as a supply point for HI/Guam and Seattle is already sending grocery barges up to Alaska), give Reno to Intermountain, give Fresno back to SoCal, and maybe give upper NorCal to OR (that may not make much sense).

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/e ... y/2275166/

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/ ... -outbreak/

https://news.yahoo.com/family-speaks-sa ... 19333.html

It would make sense to transfer the Reno stores to Intermountain, considering that Smith's supplies its Reno stores from SLC.

[storewanderer]

Smiths supplies Reno perishable from Layton, Reno dry grocery from Las Vegas (Henderson), and drug from Arizona.

WinCo supplies Reno produce from California and dry grocery and some perishable from Idaho. I think they may pull some items from OR too but I am not clear exactly what items.

Safeway's current Reno pricing (which matches Smiths on many items) has them selling many items 67% below the NorCal standard pricing, particularly in produce, bread, and dairy. For instance here roma tomato .99/lb standard price 2.99/lb; here dozen eggs 1.39 standard price 3.49; here 8pk Hamburger/Hot Dog Buns 1.25 standard price 3.49. There are numerous other examples with this spread. I don't know how long they can afford to price these stores so far below what they want to charge. If cost per item is really that much higher pulling from CA, they are not going to make it in this market with their model and either need to exit the market or shift the stores to a division with lower product cost. Raleys can get prices like this because they run well staffed, well stocked stores with good execution and there is a large base of customers here who finds Raleys to be worth its prices.

[timanny]

This isn't all Safeway's fault. Part of the problem is that the distribution center is in Tracy, which is just over the border of Alameda County in San Joaquin County - it's in the Valley and not in the Bay counties. When the Bay counties initially went on lockdown, the Valley counties did not, which was stupid because half the people who work in the Bay Area itself are from the Valley, and I imagine everybody at Safeway distro lives in the Valley, because who reverse commutes from a more expensive real estate market to work at a distro? The Bay Area and Valley used to be like two different planets, but that hasn't been the case in decades; they're way too interconnected now but neither side will admit it, and things like this are the result.

[storewanderer]

This isn't all Safeway's fault. Part of the problem is that the distribution center is in Tracy, which is just over the border of Alameda County in San Joaquin County - it's in the Valley and not in the Bay counties. When the Bay counties initially went on lockdown, the Valley counties did not, which was stupid because half the people who work in the Bay Area itself are from the Valley, and I imagine everybody at Safeway distro lives in the Valley, because who reverse commutes from a more expensive real estate market to work at a distro? The Bay Area and Valley used to be like two different planets, but that hasn't been the case in decades; they're way too interconnected now but neither side will admit it, and things like this are the result.

Absolutely not their fault. It is just bad luck and it could happen in any facility where a lot of people are working close together. Had things like schools, casinos, malls, etc. been kept open during this time we would have likely seen many more similar situations.

[reymann]

a couple of the nursing homes in the visalia area are going through this same issue right now. as pat hill would say, "it could happen anytime, anyplace, anywhere!!!"

[storewanderer]

a couple of the nursing homes in the visalia area are going through this same issue right now. as pat hill would say, "it could happen anytime, anyplace, anywhere!!!"

The solution seems to be... don't get close to each other, be in well ventilated areas, and practice proper personal hygiene.

Thing is a lot of large buildings/facilities are like big caves and not very well ventilated. Places without windows that you cannot open (including many hotels) seem like not the place you want to be right now.