In case anyone was curious about what it looks like inside a typical modern Associated Foods supplied supermarket:
Harmons asks - what's your favorite department?
(I'm not sure which location this is except that it is not the City Creek / downtown store)
Inside a Harmons
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storewanderer
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Re: Inside a Harmons
Lots of photos on Google for Santa Clara, UT (a new build store from a couple years ago) and St. George, UT (remodeled right before they opened Santa Clara). Those two stores look a lot more on trend and modern than the one they feature in the Facebook video.
This is a chain that really, really capitalized off of Smiths not opening a new store in growing Salt Lake City even one time from about 2008-2015 and Albertsons exiting the market during that time period and many resulting store closures before and after their exit.
I am sure glad Harmons remained an independent chain because they run their stores very well; first class operation all the way. They do way more in-store prep in deli and bakery than typical chains and their staffing levels are much higher than typical chains. You pay for it, but you get what you pay for with them. I hope they will remain an independent chain in the future because their stores have gotten better and better with more to offer over the past 10-20 years. In the late 90's, I'd have taken Harmons and taken Raleys and you had what seemed like two very similar concepts. Operators of large stores with higher than average prices and a reputation for having better quality products than competitors but back then I was not impressed with them. But Harmons has continued to one up itself over the years. Unlike chains like Raleys who are building smaller stores now than 10-15 years ago and offering less (though much of what has been cut is non food, take a look at a Raleys meat, produce, bakery, or deli from a late 90's or early 00's build and compare the department size to the current new builds and you will think you landed back at a Lucky Store built in 1985), Harmons just keeps getting better and better with bigger stores, more offerings, and a winning atmosphere in their stores.
I also think Harmons actually tastes the stuff they offer in their fresh departments because the quality of their offering is excellent. Unlike much of their competition in Utah who puts out a lot of pretty marginal (this is a nice way to put it) stuff in fresh departments.
This is a chain that really, really capitalized off of Smiths not opening a new store in growing Salt Lake City even one time from about 2008-2015 and Albertsons exiting the market during that time period and many resulting store closures before and after their exit.
I am sure glad Harmons remained an independent chain because they run their stores very well; first class operation all the way. They do way more in-store prep in deli and bakery than typical chains and their staffing levels are much higher than typical chains. You pay for it, but you get what you pay for with them. I hope they will remain an independent chain in the future because their stores have gotten better and better with more to offer over the past 10-20 years. In the late 90's, I'd have taken Harmons and taken Raleys and you had what seemed like two very similar concepts. Operators of large stores with higher than average prices and a reputation for having better quality products than competitors but back then I was not impressed with them. But Harmons has continued to one up itself over the years. Unlike chains like Raleys who are building smaller stores now than 10-15 years ago and offering less (though much of what has been cut is non food, take a look at a Raleys meat, produce, bakery, or deli from a late 90's or early 00's build and compare the department size to the current new builds and you will think you landed back at a Lucky Store built in 1985), Harmons just keeps getting better and better with bigger stores, more offerings, and a winning atmosphere in their stores.
I also think Harmons actually tastes the stuff they offer in their fresh departments because the quality of their offering is excellent. Unlike much of their competition in Utah who puts out a lot of pretty marginal (this is a nice way to put it) stuff in fresh departments.