New WinCo slated for Sparks, NV

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Grocery101
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Re: New WinCo slated for Sparks, NV

Post by Grocery101 »

I stopped in the day after opening. Nice store. Definitely feels better than the one on Northtowne Lane. Save Mart did respond with a mailer to nearby customers. $10 off $50 purchase, some various free items, as well as a few other coupons.
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Re: New WinCo slated for Sparks, NV

Post by storewanderer »

Grocery101 wrote: June 17th, 2022, 10:37 am I stopped in the day after opening. Nice store. Definitely feels better than the one on Northtowne Lane. Save Mart did respond with a mailer to nearby customers. $10 off $50 purchase, some various free items, as well as a few other coupons.
That is good Save Mart did something to market to the nearby customers. As a shopper from way out of the store's trade area going into Save Mart, I did not get to see any of those efforts. I just saw a very high priced store. Also a store with a very disorganized aisle layout (don't know what coffee/tea is doing over in the middle of the horizontal aisles with drug sandwiched between pet products and cleaning supplies). Also can't believe they kept floral (which Save Mart staffs with produce staff) in no man's land in drug department over at the end of checkstands by pharmacy despite having ample space to move it right by the front door and then right by produce who staffs it during their remodel.

First thing Save Mart needed to do was to get pricing on key perishables down at least close to WinCo. Don't start a price war but at least come within 5%. Bananas .77/lb, Gallon Whole Milk 4.19, Dozen Large Eggs 3.69- these prices are all way too high. Even higher than Safeway. They just look stupid pricing like that.

Bigger problem for Save Mart would be if another conventional opened out there. I think Smiths would do fantastic and also think Safeway could do well. Not sure Smiths is equipped to open a new store in the market at this point; they seem to be having major operational issues in Reno/Carson City. Safeway pulled it off very well with South Reno though so anything is possible. And the other area Safeways look better too after the company had that record breaking opening in South Reno and got a rejuvenated attitude for the market.
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Re: New WinCo slated for Sparks, NV

Post by storewanderer »

Looks like the Sparks Smiths has been adversely impacted by this new WinCo. The two stores are 7 miles apart but the Sparks Smiths sits on one of the 2 major commuter routes to/from the area where the WinCo is (Spanish Springs) and evidently a lot of folks who were shopping there must also live out in Spanish Springs.

I've been noticing all month business seems down in the Sparks Smiths, there is more perishable out, and more markdown product. Also less traffic, more recently, fewer open self checkouts and less staff; I was thinking maybe I just kept hitting the store at off times. It took me a while to realize the WinCo must be impacting this store.

Now this week I see the Sparks Smiths is on a lower price ad than the other area Smiths. Peaches/Nectarines .99/lb (1.29 at the other locations), Chips 1.88 (1.99 at the other locations), Chuck 4.49/lb (4.99/lb at the other locations), 6 1L Coke/etc. 4/11.88 (4/12.00 at the other locations... not sure 12 cents is going to mean much...).

Too bad, Kroger has had all the chances in the world to add stores in Reno area in the past decade as competitors closed store after store and did not open stores. Looks like they are going to miss out on the current explosive growth in Reno area since Kroger doesn't like to build stores out west unless the market is called Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Salt Lake City. A real shame. Fortunately Safeway and WinCo have stepped up. For better or worse.

I suppose WinCo needs to look at Dayton and far North Valleys of Reno for new stores. The overpriced CA operators like Raleys and Safeway would be a terrible fit for those areas. Save Mart still needs to keep making improvements before I'd suggest they add any stores. Food Maxx would probably limp along profitably but really isn't the right store. Smiths has done very well in those areas, but it is time for competition.
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