buckguy wrote: ↑May 27th, 2020, 4:18 am
DC stores, if anything have trimmed hours further since the beginning of this. Giant closes at 8 (after 1st scaling back to 10), Whole Foods and Trader Joe's at 7. CVS has kept some 24 hour stores on that schedule but cut back at others and Walgreens has scaled back hours, too.
Smiths was 8 PM until a couple weeks ago. I pretty much quit shopping there because of it. Whole Foods is 8 PM in NorCal region (Reno too). Trader Joe's just went to 8 PM from 7 PM.
I understand Safeway in DC did not adjust store hours in some stores at all, even kept some 24 hours. Must need every sale they can get given most other Safeway banners cut hours. Still I think it is good to be open more, so customers can shop when the store is not crowded very late or very early.
storewanderer wrote: ↑May 27th, 2020, 11:52 pm
I understand Safeway in DC did not adjust store hours in some stores at all, even kept some 24 hours. Must need every sale they can get given most other Safeway banners cut hours. Still I think it is good to be open more, so customers can shop when the store is not crowded very late or very early.
Prior to the Albertsons merger the Safeway stores near me in Northern Virginia were all 5 AM to Midnight. I believe they had a store or two that were 24 hours. After the Albertsons merger all of the Safeway stores near me went to 24 hour operation. Safeway didn't move to its current 6 AM to 10 PM hours until mid April. I was actually impressed that Safeway was keeping its stores open 24 hours given the situation. They were running stock and cleaning crews overnight. If you got to the store around 5-7 AM at the peak of the panic buying you had a good shot of getting what you wanted including paper products. Safeway is the closest grocery to my house. Despite their higher than average prices I've found myself going there pretty consistently. The shopping environment is calmer and most of the employees have been there since I moved into the area nine years ago. It is nice to see friendly faces in times of chaos. I also heard that store management allowed some of the older and more vulnerable employees to move to night shift as opposed to working during the day when the crowds were around. Ironically this Safeway for the longest time had no paper products beyond the first couple hours after the opened in the morning. About three weeks ago they got tons of single roll and four packs of toilet paper from Mexico. They can't move it now! It is to the point where they have it piled up in those watermelon bins as you enter the store. As I write this I must have an abnormally good Safeway near me. What I'm saying seems a lot better than what others here experience in Safeway stores.
I'm curious to know when Walmart will move back to more regular hours. Still 7 AM to 8:30 PM around me - regular stores and Supercenters. Walmart is quite crowded in the afternoons especially. I was at Walmart around 7:45 PM earlier in the week. Given the amount of people in the store plus whoever would show up before they closed I can't see how they would have everyone out of there shortly after they close. I'm not saying Walmart should go back to 24 hours at Supercenters right now. But as more jurisdictions loosen restrictions and people are out more I do think staying open later in the evening would be helpful to spread out the crowds.
mjhale wrote: ↑May 28th, 2020, 7:02 pm
Prior to the Albertsons merger the Safeway stores near me in Northern Virginia were all 5 AM to Midnight. I believe they had a store or two that were 24 hours. After the Albertsons merger all of the Safeway stores near me went to 24 hour operation. Safeway didn't move to its current 6 AM to 10 PM hours until mid April. I was actually impressed that Safeway was keeping its stores open 24 hours given the situation. They were running stock and cleaning crews overnight. If you got to the store around 5-7 AM at the peak of the panic buying you had a good shot of getting what you wanted including paper products. Safeway is the closest grocery to my house. Despite their higher than average prices I've found myself going there pretty consistently. The shopping environment is calmer and most of the employees have been there since I moved into the area nine years ago. It is nice to see friendly faces in times of chaos. I also heard that store management allowed some of the older and more vulnerable employees to move to night shift as opposed to working during the day when the crowds were around. Ironically this Safeway for the longest time had no paper products beyond the first couple hours after the opened in the morning. About three weeks ago they got tons of single roll and four packs of toilet paper from Mexico. They can't move it now! It is to the point where they have it piled up in those watermelon bins as you enter the store. As I write this I must have an abnormally good Safeway near me. What I'm saying seems a lot better than what others here experience in Safeway stores.
Safeway can be pretty good. Horribly inconsistent compared to 20 years ago when they ran quite consistently like a well oiled machine. They definitely have better quality stuff than other large chains (like Kroger) but stores that don't execute well ruin it since product either isn't rotated properly or not prepared well, or both. Stores with low employee turnover like you describe are the best. I wish the NV Safeways were as you describe, they used to be, but haven't been for at least a decade and the past year have gone downhill even more with constant employee turnover and just obviously the people running things don't care.
Many stores in my area have the Mexico paper products and also seem to be having similar trouble moving the stuff. The packages feel kind of light for the prices being charged (like .99 for a single roll of bath tissue). I am guessing at some point they will blow it out (at which point I will be stocking up). Then again I saw empty paper product aisles in a couple stores again this past weekend and empty hand soap aisles so I don't know when these hoarders will stop. I wonder if the paper products will be ruined by being stored in the garages of all these hoarders unless they have an awful lot of space in their house.
I have gotten disinfecting wipes a couple times in the past week at Wal Mart (was present at the aisle right as it was being stocked early evening), feels like I won the lottery, it is so hard to get those.
storewanderer wrote: ↑May 28th, 2020, 7:39 pm
Then again I saw empty paper product aisles in a couple stores again this past weekend and empty hand soap aisles
I have gotten disinfecting wipes a couple times in the past week at Wal Mart (was present at the aisle right as it was being stocked early evening), feels like I won the lottery, it is so hard to get those.
-Was at a local Market 32 (semi-upscale Price Chopper banner) yesterday morning and toilet paper was quite thin compared to where it's been the past few weeks. They still had a decent amount and it wasn't exactly flying off the shelves but was about only half stocked compared to being fully stocked to the extent there were even cartons of it in the aisle. And at that point, it looked like they had removed limits as well.
-Regarding disinfecting wipes, had a streak going where I was able to purchase them for a few weeks running but that was broken yesterday. Even was able to get them in two stores (Market 32 and Target) on the same trip. Those two were barren this week and I think I may have just missed them at Wal-Mart because there were Lysol boxes on the shelf but they were empty. There were purchase limits though-one at Target and Wal-Mart and two at Market 32 which was fine because like you said, I was just happy to see them and felt very fortunate I had the opportunity. I was even able to get a couple boxes of individually wrapped Wet Ones wipes but now forget it.
-Hand soap is getting better but that's spotty at best. I've noticed the larger refill bottles have been more available than the smaller 7.5 oz. bottles of Dial I normally buy. Hard to believe it wasn't that long ago (matter of months actually) when Price Chopper would run a "10 for $10" special on that probably every few weeks or so.-(and it would go begging) I think they even offered fuel points a few times. Glad I took full advantage of it on at least a few occasions because between that and what I can pick up here and there I'm in good shape. Those were the days I guess.
storewanderer wrote: ↑May 28th, 2020, 7:39 pm
Many stores in my area have the Mexico paper products and also seem to be having similar trouble moving the stuff. The packages feel kind of light for the prices being charged (like .99 for a single roll of bath tissue). I am guessing at some point they will blow it out (at which point I will be stocking up). Then again I saw empty paper product aisles in a couple stores again this past weekend and empty hand soap aisles so I don't know when these hoarders will stop. I wonder if the paper products will be ruined by being stored in the garages of all these hoarders unless they have an awful lot of space in their house.
I was in Safeway last night. The single rolls of toilet paper are now down to 3 for $1.00 from the original price of 99 cents per roll. It still isn't cheap enough for stocking up yet. I'm expecting they will go lower - How about 10 for $1.00? They now have three watermelon bins filled with these single rolls. Plus half of the overstock on the paper products aisle is filled with these single rolls. The other thing I noticed is the cart storage area at the closed off second entrance (due to the limited entry coronovirus restrictions) to the store is stacked to the ceiling with shipping boxes of paper towels and toilet paper. They have plenty of stock too out on the paper products aisle. The only thing holding them back from selling through all of this in my view is lack of demand due to previous hoarding and Safeway's ever present way too high prices on non-food items. Where I live Safeway is at least fairly competitive on food pricing due to all of the competition. But non-food items... Hold on to your wallet...
mjhale wrote: ↑May 31st, 2020, 7:00 am
I was in Safeway last night. The single rolls of toilet paper are now down to 3 for $1.00 from the original price of 99 cents per roll. It still isn't cheap enough for stocking up yet. I'm expecting they will go lower - How about 10 for $1.00? They now have three watermelon bins filled with these single rolls. Plus half of the overstock on the paper products aisle is filled with these single rolls. The other thing I noticed is the cart storage area at the closed off second entrance (due to the limited entry coronovirus restrictions) to the store is stacked to the ceiling with shipping boxes of paper towels and toilet paper. They have plenty of stock too out on the paper products aisle. The only thing holding them back from selling through all of this in my view is lack of demand due to previous hoarding and Safeway's ever present way too high prices on non-food items. Where I live Safeway is at least fairly competitive on food pricing due to all of the competition. But non-food items... Hold on to your wallet...
I saw a location this weekend that had half of its paper product aisle filled with those single roll Kleenex Bath Tissue from Mexico. They are .79 each now on sale and signs note that there is NO LIMIT on those. These single rolls are quite light weight and I think a price of 5 for $1 may move them. They should be better quality than the 4ct Value Corner Bath Tissue which is also in high supply at some locations and missing from others (1.49 in NorCal, should be like $1 or .88 as it is in line with a $1 store item). They may be better off just transferring these back down to Mexico to the hotels or whatever use them there. I would say transfer them to US Hotels but given nobody is staying in hotels in the US right now I suspect they don't have a need.
The supply glut will ultimately lead to some great price promotions. What is funny is I am still overstocked from good promotions last year.
With the riots and Target being closed, I do not think any store wants to open late now. The stores should close before the rioters come out in the evening.
Alpha8472 wrote: ↑May 31st, 2020, 12:14 pm
With the riots and Target being closed, I do not think any store wants to open late now. The stores should close before the rioters come out in the evening.
I think most if not all are. Curfew was in effect here in L.A. tonight at 6:00 p.m.
Alpha8472 wrote: ↑May 31st, 2020, 12:14 pm
With the riots and Target being closed, I do not think any store wants to open late now. The stores should close before the rioters come out in the evening.
I think most if not all are. Curfew was in effect here in L.A. tonight at 6:00 p.m.
Curfew at 5:30 PM in Reno. I didn't go out to see if any stores stayed open but am somewhat curious.
