QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

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QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by storewanderer »

Went into a couple of QFCs on Broadway in Seattle. Interesting operations.

Both stores had large signs posted on metal frames as you entered and/or around the front end:
NEW STORE HOURS 5 AM to 1 AM, effective, like, last week.
Also another large sign NO PUBLIC RESTROOM which also applies to customers too based on the request I made that was denied. While some observations I made at the Southern Broadway Store led me to believe this may be a necessary policy, I think this is a very poor policy at the large former Fred Meyer location. It is not customer friendly in any case. I am sure it makes operations a lot easier, but what about your customers?

The one that is a former Fred Meyer also had its liquor license suspended for about five days due to underage sales, and had large black objects (looked like huge trash bags) covering up all of the liquor, displays, etc. This looked absolutely terrible. For a store that had as much space for alcohol as this store, this seemed like a very crippling situation. Also a surprising amount of locking shelves/product cabinets in the non foods (Fred Meyer) area of this store. I also found the non foods areas to be really lightly stocked.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by Brian Lutz »

The reduction in hours and lack of public restrooms probably come as a result of increasing numbers of drug addicts in the neighborhood. At this point this is probably just about the only way to keep from having people constantly shooting heroin in the bathrooms. In general Seattle is becoming less safe over time, especially at night.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by pseudo3d »

If drug addicts are really that big of a problem to shut down the restrooms, and things are being locked up, the store must be doing pretty decent overall or be bound by some sort of TIF program to stick around. This one is probably a goner before too long.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by Brian Lutz »

Not too familiar with the other QFC on Broadway, but I know the Broadway Market store has been around for a long time, and Capitol Hill isn't exactly a cheap place to live either (probably among the most expensive in Seattle, which is fast becoming one of the more expensive cities to live in.) In general there's also a lack of much in the way of alternatives nearby (Downtown Seattle in particular is lacking for much in the way of grocery stores) so they probably do pretty well with this location. Dealing with the homeless and drug addicts is, for the most part, just standard operating practice for that area, and the city government mostly sees them as a convenient excuse for whatever tax increases they want to impose so they mostly just act as enablers.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by storewanderer »

I think both of these Broadway QFCs are very solid performing stores. It is unfortunate that there seem to be increasing issues in Seattle. I did notice the environment around the Southern-Broadway QFC was a lot different than it was 5 years ago when I was last there... the sights, the smells, and some other things I observed... no need to go into detail, but something definitely changed in that neighborhood.

Capitol Hill seemed fine and I am not sure why they cut off 24 hour operations or cut off any sort of customer restroom there given it is a major store for the area, very large, very busy...

There is actually an IGA in Downtown Seattle, along with a City Target that can't seem to keep its shelves stocked. The IGA was a pretty decent, complete store. The empty meat/seafood case, mostly empty deli, and bakery so small you'd miss it if you blinked were a bit troubling but the produce and center store areas were very fully stocked and looked good. Supervalu supplied. Prices were better than I expected in the location, since Target was out of stock on basic items I wanted like water, a couple first aid items, I ended up at the IGA, and was happy the prices were less than 10% above Target on these items.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by Brian Lutz »

I also recently saw that the Downtown Everett (Broadway and Everett Avenue) QFC store just ended 24 hour operations, having changed their hours to 5am-1am as of August 5th. I also saw uniformed loss prevention officers patrolling the store when i was there, which is rather unusual for grocery stores. This store is a bit on the smaller side but seems to be well kept and well stocked, but is located in an area that has also seen increasing crime and drug abuse. Didn't check the restrooms to see if those were still available though. I know some fast food restaurants in that neighborhood have lockable bathroom doors but don't use them currently.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by Super S »

Brian Lutz wrote:I also recently saw that the Downtown Everett (Broadway and Everett Avenue) QFC store just ended 24 hour operations, having changed their hours to 5am-1am as of August 5th. I also saw uniformed loss prevention officers patrolling the store when i was there, which is rather unusual for grocery stores. This store is a bit on the smaller side but seems to be well kept and well stocked, but is located in an area that has also seen increasing crime and drug abuse. Didn't check the restrooms to see if those were still available though. I know some fast food restaurants in that neighborhood have lockable bathroom doors but don't use them currently.
I don't think ending 24 hour operations necessarily indicates a store is in trouble. There was a point in time when nearly every grocery store was open 24 hours, including Albertsons and Safeway. In recent times even Walmart has been scaling back 24 hour stores. It doesn't make sense to keep a store open if business isn't there. It can be argued that since the store is occupied by night stocking crews that it wouldn't cost more to keep the stores open, but stocking crews are more focused on that task than actually helping customers most of the time. It is, unfortunately, a prime time for shoplifting. It makes sense to have a few 24 hour stores as they do serve a need though.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by eric1972sea »

The Harvard market QFC started closing earlier due to issues with intoxicated people coming from the area bars and clubs and trying to buy more booze past 2am or when they were already to intoxicated. They also had issues with crowds gathering and fights breaking out, including gun fire. They recently added entry and exit gates for the upper parking lot to discourage non customers from gathering there at night.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by buckguy »

Capital Hill has changed a lot of overtime and always had sub-neighborhoods with varied, changing character, so I wouldn't be surprised if some places have gotten more marginal recently---homelessness was an issue the first time I went to Seattle in the late 80s and that area was considered somewhat dangerous (didn't seem so to me). It seems although despite high rents, the area has never entirely shaken it's rough edges, they move around. The last time I was there, Pike & Pine, which had languished for a long time, seemed to be where a lot of the center of gravity had moved. As for groceries, there is also Whole Foods in Belltown and in Capital Hill. The one in Belltown put the venerable Ralph's (no relation to Ralphs in California) out of business. Ralph's was handy to a lot of hotels had both groceries and a lot of prepared foods and sit down space.

The 24 hour thing seems pretty irrelevant. 24-hour operations come and go everywhere with no particular rhyme or reason.
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Re: QFC Stores on Broadway in Seattle

Post by SamSpade »

QFC Harvard Market looks quite different in post COVID-19 era. I suppose that Kroger has a few urban stores set up this way.

(this is the self checkout area, which is a majority of the way to check out in this location as it is in an urban "small basket" neighborhood)

This way they can attempt to all of them open instead of like 1 out of every 3.
https://twitter.com/Q13FOXKiggins/statu ... 96/photo/1
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