PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. No non-grocery posts.
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storewanderer
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PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by storewanderer »

What is it with PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts?

This set up where fried hot deli food is completely separate from lunchmeats is something I saw in both Giant-PA and Weis. This is very unusual to me and not something I have seen out west.

In Weis I saw something even more odd: the seafood department (service case) had a self serve cooler separating it and the service case for meat. At first I thought they simply downsized the department and split it up, but in looking, the service meat and service seafood were two completely separate areas. There did not appear to be any way for an employee to walk between the two from the two service areas nor was one area visible from the other area.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by rwsandiego »

storewanderer wrote: May 11th, 2019, 11:26 pm What is it with PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts?

This set up where fried hot deli food is completely separate from lunchmeats is something I saw in both Giant-PA and Weis. This is very unusual to me and not something I have seen out west.

In Weis I saw something even more odd: the seafood department (service case) had a self serve cooler separating it and the service case for meat. At first I thought they simply downsized the department and split it up, but in looking, the service meat and service seafood were two completely separate areas. There did not appear to be any way for an employee to walk between the two from the two service areas nor was one area visible from the other area.
Makes me think it is either a local health code (prevent cross-contamination between hot foods and cold foods) or local preference. The separate seafood and meat departments might be a union restriction or again a local custom.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by cjd »

The seafood thing seems to be relatively common here in FL. I think it may have to do with having to keep fish separate from meat. Although I'm thinking more of stores that do have a seafood service case but have only self serve meats. In any case there is usually a self serve case between the two, although in most stores I've seen the meat and fish prep areas are completely separated. Albertsons is the only one that comes to mind that had them combined as one prep area, and they had both a service meat and seafood case.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by mjhale »

storewanderer wrote: May 11th, 2019, 11:26 pm What is it with PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts?

This set up where fried hot deli food is completely separate from lunchmeats is something I saw in both Giant-PA and Weis. This is very unusual to me and not something I have seen out west.

In Weis I saw something even more odd: the seafood department (service case) had a self serve cooler separating it and the service case for meat. At first I thought they simply downsized the department and split it up, but in looking, the service meat and service seafood were two completely separate areas. There did not appear to be any way for an employee to walk between the two from the two service areas nor was one area visible from the other area.
The hot foods separate from the lunch meats may be a setup to allow the grocery store to sell beer and wine. PA has some liquor laws that would make you think that prohibition was still a thing. My understanding is that to be able to sell beer and wine you must sell prepared food with said adult beverage and have a sit down area where it can be consumed. The grocery stores that have remodeled to take advantage of this have a separate cash register for certain items that then allow you to buy beer and wine at the same register. It is all very convoluted and weird for those who aren't used to it. For instance in a Sheetz store that sells beer and wine you can buy said items plus prepared foods at one register but if you want to buy gas or other stuff you have to go to another register. Sheetz was early on in trying to get all of these crazy regulations dropped and from the little I've read there seems to be headway in the legislature in terms of doing so.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

I'm originally from Upstate NY where I live now but grew up in Pa. and could never understand why my Father could never buy beer in a grocery store as we could in New York state. I remember if you wanted beer in Pa. you had to go to a package store. I remember being in Pa. maybe 10 years ago and seeing a Shop-Rite where it was even a separate entrance to buy beer.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by buckguy »

Alcohol laws are full of oddities and stores often don't help. When I lived in Georgia, alcohol could not be sold on Sunday but it was never blocked off. Indiana was a state that required a separate entrance for liquor. Ohio had beer and wine everywhere, but state stores (now replaced with licensees) for liquor. Also, many states (usually ones with home rule constitutions) will allow variations through local option.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by cw06 »

buckguy wrote: February 11th, 2020, 6:42 am Alcohol laws are full of oddities and stores often don't help. When I lived in Georgia, alcohol could not be sold on Sunday but it was never blocked off. Indiana was a state that required a separate entrance for liquor. Ohio had beer and wine everywhere, but state stores (now replaced with licensees) for liquor. Also, many states (usually ones with home rule constitutions) will allow variations through local option.
Maryland doesn't allow grocery stores to sell beer or wine (except for a few grandfathered properties).

Harris Teeter got around it by having the property developer own the liquor license, and Harris Teeter "manages" the store for him.
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Re: PA Stores and strange perimeter layouts

Post by BillyGr »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: February 10th, 2020, 10:41 am I'm originally from Upstate NY where I live now but grew up in Pa. and could never understand why my Father could never buy beer in a grocery store as we could in New York state. I remember if you wanted beer in Pa. you had to go to a package store. I remember being in Pa. maybe 10 years ago and seeing a Shop-Rite where it was even a separate entrance to buy beer.
And of course NY stores have beer, but aren't allowed to have wine (only a limited amount of stuff like the Wine "Coolers" that were popular a couple decades back) or liquor, and those stores that do carry the wine & liquor are limited to a specific location (that is, you won't see chains of liquor stores).
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