WinCo remodel schedule

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Super S
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WinCo remodel schedule

Post by Super S »

I am curious what kind of timetable WinCo uses to determine when to remodel their stores.

I have read that they do maintain their existing interiors to some extent, such as dusting, painting etc. But more recently I have noticed various maintenance issues popping up, such as worn floors (the one I go to has some kind of white epoxy? floor finish), burned out lights, and occasional things like noisy coolers etc. I have also noticed the store doesn't always seem to follow a consistent cleaning schedule.

I know that WinCo has been remodeling some of their older stores around the Portland area, and a few years back replaced one in Vancouver, WA with a new-build nearby. Also, they have moved toward a different, more plain font for wall letters and a more "industrial" look on their newest stores and I am wondering if there is a plan to transition other stores to this look, as many still have the Cub Foods interiors that they had in nearly all of their stores for many years.

I do recall one of my local Walmarts was letting a lot of maintenance items go in the last year of operation before the store was closed for a supercenter conversion years ago, not sure if this happens at WinCo or not.
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Some WinCo Thoughts (not maintenance /remodel related)

Post by SamSpade »

Interesting point.

Based on some news coverage at the time, WinCo definitely benefited from the initial pandemic "panic buying" a year ago.
Off Topic
However, I have noticed that as others have increased pickup options/delivery options in larger communities, WinCo has kind of stayed static. They also continue to not accept credit cards (except in Arizona) Perhaps these hurt them a bit?

I personally felt like WInCo stores are harder to "socially distance" in and were busy in the past. I did recently visit one though and felt they had some good precautions in place for shoppers and employees. It kind of felt like the one 'flub' in this department may have not been re-imagining how checkout should work. (ie a large appropriately distanced queue instead of crushing up against registers stopped up due to the aisle design) The flyer I mention below included a generic sentence about their safety precautions.

My home, which is not especially close to a WinCo store, but is in their general trade area here, recently received a mailer. It has a $10 off $50 cart like Albertsons-Safeway stores do here about once a month. With WinCo's already low pricing, this is quite a good deal! The flyer also highlighted that they are testing a partnership with Dumpling who will shop for you, deliver to your home at in-store prices. It also has a promotional offer for that service, perhaps they provided a "co-op" dollars funding for the direct mail piece.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by storewanderer »

WinCo did an excellent job with replenishment early in the pandemic but they seemed to run into some problems last summer on replenishing items as Kroger, Albertsons, and Wal Mart were able to replenish categories WinCo either could not replenish or if WinCo did replenish them they did so at higher than usual pricing. I think when supplies got tight some suppliers were able to route their products to stores other than WinCo who were willing to pay more than WinCo.

I also noticed during the last few months of 2020 and into 2021, WinCo's pricing and promotions were not what they used to be; promotions were not as competitive and were fewer in number than previous years.

I expect closing the bulk foods departments and stopping sales of individual bagels, donuts, and rolls also took a hit as WinCo did pretty high volume on those bulk foods and individual bakery items. In aggregate the sales of these items probably wasn't much but if those items drew customers in, then they stopped offering them and lost entire baskets as a result, that would be a loss more noticeable.

The biggest thing I keep noticing every time I go to WinCo is how terrible the attitude of the employees is and it has gotten remarkably worse during COVID. Evening employee attitude is very different from the morning shift which is better. Store management is never around in the evening either. The deli employees barely speak a word to you, just package up your request and half of the time don't even put the label in a way that secures the bag closed. Self checkout employees who sit in front of the self checkouts either staring off into space and looking like they are not even there, or sitting there present but looking miserable and even when your machine locks up you have to go tell them you need help as they are so disengaged it is almost comical. I actually go in there hopeful I don't have to interact with any of them because most of them are really unpleasant. One of the more pleasant ones was on the self checkout the other night and he actually greeted me and thanked me, but that was a rare exception. At other stores I shop, like Smiths, the employees are still quite friendly and just as friendly as they were before the COVID. Safeway's employee attitude has actually improved since the COVID started and they have more staffing than before. Raleys seems the same across the board as before (a few rude ones, some disinterested ones, and some real friendly ones).

WinCo is one of those stores I only go into because they carry certain products other stores don't carry and due to the pricing. Before they installed self checkout I rarely went in because it was such a hassle with the long lines and rude cashiers. The self checkout has helped improve wait time for sure and some weeks I do go in there 2-3 times. Without self checkout I dreaded going in there once or twice a month. When I travel to other places, the last store I want to go walk is a WinCo. I'd rather go walk 5 lifestyle Safeways that look exactly the same with the same layout and same lousy pricing. But I have been into some WinCos out of town; Chico, Yuba City, Medford, Twin Falls, one each in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and had indifferent experiences every time with the service but always good levels of inventory and pretty good pricing...
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by pseudo3d »

storewanderer wrote: March 15th, 2021, 7:39 pm WinCo did an excellent job with replenishment early in the pandemic but they seemed to run into some problems last summer on replenishing items as Kroger, Albertsons, and Wal Mart were able to replenish categories WinCo either could not replenish or if WinCo did replenish them they did so at higher than usual pricing. I think when supplies got tight some suppliers were able to route their products to stores other than WinCo who were willing to pay more than WinCo.

I also noticed during the last few months of 2020 and into 2021, WinCo's pricing and promotions were not what they used to be; promotions were not as competitive and were fewer in number than previous years.

I expect closing the bulk foods departments and stopping sales of individual bagels, donuts, and rolls also took a hit as WinCo did pretty high volume on those bulk foods and individual bakery items. In aggregate the sales of these items probably wasn't much but if those items drew customers in, then they stopped offering them and lost entire baskets as a result, that would be a loss more noticeable.

The biggest thing I keep noticing every time I go to WinCo is how terrible the attitude of the employees is and it has gotten remarkably worse during COVID. Evening employee attitude is very different from the morning shift which is better. Store management is never around in the evening either. The deli employees barely speak a word to you, just package up your request and half of the time don't even put the label in a way that secures the bag closed. Self checkout employees who sit in front of the self checkouts either staring off into space and looking like they are not even there, or sitting there present but looking miserable and even when your machine locks up you have to go tell them you need help as they are so disengaged it is almost comical. I actually go in there hopeful I don't have to interact with any of them because most of them are really unpleasant. One of the more pleasant ones was on the self checkout the other night and he actually greeted me and thanked me, but that was a rare exception. At other stores I shop, like Smiths, the employees are still quite friendly and just as friendly as they were before the COVID. Safeway's employee attitude has actually improved since the COVID started and they have more staffing than before. Raleys seems the same across the board as before (a few rude ones, some disinterested ones, and some real friendly ones).

WinCo is one of those stores I only go into because they carry certain products other stores don't carry and due to the pricing. Before they installed self checkout I rarely went in because it was such a hassle with the long lines and rude cashiers. The self checkout has helped improve wait time for sure and some weeks I do go in there 2-3 times. Without self checkout I dreaded going in there once or twice a month. When I travel to other places, the last store I want to go walk is a WinCo. I'd rather go walk 5 lifestyle Safeways that look exactly the same with the same layout and same lousy pricing. But I have been into some WinCos out of town; Chico, Yuba City, Medford, Twin Falls, one each in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and had indifferent experiences every time with the service but always good levels of inventory and pretty good pricing...
Even before the pandemic, they really seemed to slow down, with Dallas (part of their Texas expansion) only getting a few stores, with about 9 stores in the last past 7 years. I'm not sure if that was really their intention...the Dallas-Fort Worth market is extremely competitive and it barely registers as a blip in the market share.

I don't live in Dallas-Fort Worth, but if there was any truth to WinCo having a harder time in Texas than previously thought, the large, modern stores would probably be quickly bought by H-E-B.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by Super S »

This thread has moved way off topic already.

The stores in Texas, Oklahoma, etc. are still new enough that they shouldn't need remodels yet.

Back to the topic I was talking about....

From what I have seen, WinCo seems to have a longer remodel cycle, as it's mainly the late 1980s to early 1990s stores that have been the first to be remodeled/replaced. I was wondering though (based on pictures of newer stores I have seen) if they plan to phase out the old Cub interior package any sooner, or plan to address this on a regular remodel schedule.

I am also curious if some of those smaller stores like the one in Ontario, which is in a portion of the old Kmart (and still has the Kmart ceiling) will eventually get a more thorough remodel, or if stores like that are a "test" to determine if it would be more cost effective to build a new store.

A consistent store design does help keep prices down, but at the same time, if a store sticks with a basic design for too long (and doesn't keep up on maintenance) it will send some customers away. I personally don't think WinCo needs to do so much with major remodels as they do in maintenance and upkeep. The stores DO get plenty of foot traffic.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by Brian Lutz »

Here they sent out the same $10 off $50 purchase coupons, but I noticed that the expiration date on it was fairly short, to the point that even though we shop at Winco on a regular basis the coupon would expire before the next time we would buy enough there to use it No mention of any delivery options either. Haven't really noticed a lot of issues with employee attitude at the two stores we shop at here (Everett and Marysville) but there are a couple of cashiers who seem to be a bit pushy.

Probably the biggest issue we've had with Winco is that some of the store brand perimeter products tend to be low quality. I don't buy the Winco brand milk anymore because I know it will always spoil several days before the expiration date (seriously, how bad do you have to be to mess up MILK? Then again, Andersen Dairy has a history of problems, including large fines from the Washington State Labor and Industry department for repeated safety violations.) By the same token, we don't buy Winco brand bread anymore because on more than one occasion we've brought it home and found it already had mold on it. The store brand canned goods seem OK and the produce and meat are passable (if unspectacular) but the prices are generally good, especially in comparison to Fred Meyer/QFC and Safeway.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by Super S »

****I AM GOING TO POLITELY ASK ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC HERE****

I am asking about remodel/maintenance schedules at WinCo. I am more or less wondering about other locations that have been open 10 years or more. Not about coupons and specials. Not about how well WinCo is doing in Oklahoma and Texas. Not about the quality of their products. There are other threads here already talking about these subjects.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by babs »

Super S wrote: March 16th, 2021, 12:10 pm ****I AM GOING TO POLITELY ASK ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC HERE****

I am asking about remodel/maintenance schedules at WinCo. I am more or less wondering about other locations that have been open 10 years or more. Not about coupons and specials. Not about how well WinCo is doing in Oklahoma and Texas. Not about the quality of their products. There are other threads here already talking about these subjects.
The only Winco that I have seen remodeled in the Portland market is the one at Cedar Hills Crossing. But that one was done when they rebuilt the front of the store to match the brick facade the rest of the mall was upgraded. I guess they figured they should refresh the interior as well. The Tigard store is about 25 years old. They had a small addition at one point but otherwise still sports the original Cub Foods look.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by storewanderer »

In that case I've never seen WinCo remodel a store in the usual sense of redecorating the place. The stores that opened with the Cub interior, still have the Cub interior. They are on a refresh schedule and they get walls painted/fixtures cleaned etc. every so often. Refrigeration replacements as well; for instanced the South Reno WinCo got new refrigeration in produce a few months ago.

The store in North Reno which opened as Cub then expanded into a former Office Max next door kept the original Cub interior in the original store and that was added into the expansion area as well (produce was moved into the expansion area and aisles got made longer, everything else stayed the same).

The Cub interior is quite an upgrade, from the current WinCo interior which is really stripped down.
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Re: WinCo remodel schedule

Post by Super S »

babs wrote: March 16th, 2021, 1:52 pm
The only Winco that I have seen remodeled in the Portland market is the one at Cedar Hills Crossing. But that one was done when they rebuilt the front of the store to match the brick facade the rest of the mall was upgraded. I guess they figured they should refresh the interior as well. The Tigard store is about 25 years old. They had a small addition at one point but otherwise still sports the original Cub Foods look.
I know of a couple other older locations that opened as Cub Foods in the late 1980s.

One was in Vancouver at Vancouver Plaza, a few years ago WinCo built a new store maybe a mile away on Andresen. A portion of the old location was a Walmart Neighborhood Market for a while, which has since closed. I have not been inside the replacement store so have no idea what interior it uses.

Another one is on 82nd not far from Clackamas Town Center. (this was one of the first stores in this area opened by Waremart as Cub)A while back I remember driving by there and seeing the front of the store being redone and an addition being built on the back side. However, I have not been inside that location in many years, so I can't comment on if the interior was redone or not.

The Longview, WA WinCo (where I usually shop) opened in 2005. I did notice that at some point they placed new letters above the pizza department in the font used in the newest stores, making me wonder if this was the beginning of a transition, but it still retains the Cub interior, even though this one did not open as Cub.
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