🛒 Kroger-Albertsons Merger: California Impact

[HCal]

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

I doubt shoplifters are arriving by train. They usually want to have a getaway car waiting close to the entrance.

I have ridden that train line before, and it's mostly UCSD students and staff, VA people, and other local workers. Before the train opened, there was plenty of bus service, so it's not like those without cars couldn't access the neighborhood.

Public transit is often blamed by NIMBYs for bringing "undesirables" to their neighborhood, but much more likely, it's simply that general economic conditions in the area have caused more people to struggle financially, and some of those turn to shoplifting.

[ClownLoach]

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

I doubt shoplifters are arriving by train. They usually want to have a getaway car waiting close to the entrance.

I have ridden that train line before, and it's mostly UCSD students and staff, VA people, and other local workers. Before the train opened, there was plenty of bus service, so it's not like those without cars couldn't access the neighborhood.

Public transit is often blamed by NIMBYs for bringing "undesirables" to their neighborhood, but much more likely, it's simply that general economic conditions in the area have caused more people to struggle financially, and some of those turn to shoplifting.

I wish that I could agree but it is the 2nd richest area in San Diego. The problem is localized to the center because of the new train station parking garage which has many cars inside that appear to be for homeless persons, which I now realize is the differentiating factor between that location and UTC. If you are not familiar with the area, it is insanely expensive and there is no deterioration of the economics. One of the last lease situations I was involved in was for a site there and five other big box chains were fighting to pay as much as humanly possible for a site. It absolutely is the train station that has changed this center and brought this crowd there.

[retailfanmitchell019]

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

That’s the MTS Blue Line- opened in 2021.
I suspect most of the folks shoplifting are homeless imported by train from Downtown. Many of the homeless in San Diego are bussed in from other states. What Todd Gloria needs to do with the homeless people causing trouble is: put them on buses and have a state like Texas deal with them. I mean, states like Texas and Florida rely on us to babysit the homeless, now it’s their turn. And I’m no conservative.

I’m hoping San Diego elects a tough on crime mayor similar to Eric Adams.

The overall economy in San Diego has historically been strong compared to the US as a whole, as it isn’t reliant on industrial jobs (unlike places in the Rust Belt like Cleveland, Dayton, Erie, Toledo, Buffalo, etc). San Diego has a more high-tech economy reliant on biotech/information jobs. There is a larger wealth gap between wealthy and poor folks compared to other places.

[storewanderer]

I went to the La Jolla Ralphs and new Pavilions yesterday. I mentioned before they're way too far apart to be considered overlaps, and now they're totally a tale of two cities.

The La Jolla Ralphs Fresh Fare I believe is 2nd to the store by UCLA in volume, a very large old Smiths conversion if I recall correctly, probably a 70,000 Sq ft store with a full Kosher dept. Including separate service bakery, deli and meat with a Rabbi supervising.

The store has gone straight to Hell for reasons both external and internal. The external reason is the new train station in the center. The store had multiple angry and disturbed looking individuals walking around, some who you could smell aisles away. One bumped into me rudely as he couldn't keep his balance walking the aisles. The store has now installed alarming gates around the front end like Walmart but with large panic bars as you would expect on a fire exit. They removed the test for the self-scan groceries, closed all but one bank of self checkouts which is closely supervised now. The liquor department has been slashed from the fresh fare assortment although there's still a ridiculous amount of beer (it's next to UC San Diego). I don't recall seeing the bar that they had installed in the middle of the store so I'm assuming it's been removed although I didn't remember it until now. The liquor has been remerchandised onto a short gondola with limited selection of lower end brands and a 3rd party security guard was marching around the department. I think the high sales volume of alcohol prevents them from putting everything in a glass case otherwise they probably would have. This store always felt upscale and delightful, now it feels like something in a rough neighborhood. The Fresh Fare signage needs to be removed as it is anything but. The Starbucks next door has been changed to a "inhospitable" version where all furniture has been removed, restrooms are closed, and more amusingly all the electrical outlets have been covered. The frozen yogurt shop inside Ralphs left over all these years from Smiths apparently closed and the space is being converted to a replacement for the kiosk Starbucks inside the Ralphs, which will place two Starbucks all of 30 ft apart. I'm expecting the company store is going to close, used to be packed with college students but the homeless express train line killed it in no time. Somehow Westfield is keeping the problems out at UTC but the owner of this Plaza isn't. Maybe Ralphs could build a new store on that site.

All that pales to the store conditions which are inexcusable and the worst I've seen yet with Kroger. This store was remodeled not long ago to the newest decor being used in Fred Meyer and other Kroger formats, with some additional "local" art from a design school if I recall correctly. The floor is peeling up everywhere and only half of the areas are held down with black duct tape. Others are loose and bubbling everywhere, capturing dirt and filth under and around fresh food displays. The roof leaks I noticed last winter have not been fixed and even more alarming the drop ceiling has large patches of visible green blue fuzzy mold everywhere, the entire depth of the store in the frozen area. This is an incredible health hazard and the entire store should be closed until all leaks are addressed and more importantly the site can be remediated for this obvious excess of mold. I was so disgusted that I put the few items I had selected back and walked out empty handed.

Later I hadn't planned it but I visited the newly converted Pavilions on the opposite side of town. Although the entrances are odd and seem to open up into nothing on the left side, and the ceiling is very low which forced a reduced size decor package, the store is very nice. They have what I would say is hands down the finest meat department I've seen at any of these chains. They had 4 different seafood vendors featured, each with their own case. They have a huge section of Wagyu, Snake River Farms, and Harris Ranch prime meats including whole sections in cryovac available, and the butcher was out in front of the counter greeting every customer and constantly facing and straightening the self serve cases. The seafood and beef were absolutely beautiful and the cases had the old fashioned decorations cut out of peppers and kale and such. Obviously a real professional running this department. Mind you this isn't a grand opening, it's just a regular Saturday night and it's relatively slow because it's dinner time. Produce was impeccable, and Bakery was outstanding - they have a different type of oven I have never seen at a Pavilions or Vons which is enabling them to have a large selection of actual scratch made breads, it's a 4 level oven with different temps for each. Plus three rotary ones next to it for a total of 7 ovens all brand new. I got some sourdough rolls and aside from inconsistent length (two are like three inches shorter than the rest) they are fabulous, with a bubbly crackling crust and delightful sourness. The store also has a large Kosher section obviously to compete with the Ralphs although no separate bakery or meat or deli. The lighting is nice and they actually maintained the louvers on the lifestyle era fixtures to reduce glare, the LED strips elsewhere plus a new high spectrum intensity specialty LED rail to light all of the perimeter signage so it really pops. Where the two different types of LED are near each other it's obvious that the signage lights are a specialty type with far more color spectrum. The only flaw was the concrete floor conversion which shows decades of trenches and patches all different colors of cement, really takes away from the upscale expectation. But it was a delightful store with many specialty brands and items I'm not familiar with all interspersed on the shelves. Easily the best Pavilions in the chain from a merchandise perspective even if the building shows it's age as a old Vons with new shelves and fixtures.

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

I don't know... if Kroger is still pumping high sales volume out of that Ralphs, maybe they're better off keeping it. That is pushing 30 years old building by now so it is going to need more and more work despite how many times it has been remodeled.

I've never seen Safeway execute anything like what you're describing at that Pavilions but do you think Kroger could actually keep up/maintain that? I don't.

Mass transit can be a huge benefit for a store to be near as it makes it easier for more people to shop there but like you point out it can also make it easier for people to go to the store who otherwise wouldn't have gone there who aren't there to spend money but just there to loiter or something.

As far as the multiple Starbucks situation goes it is interesting Kroger is doing that. Safeway has been doing that kind of thing for many years now and it makes no sense to me but it must make sense to Starbucks since Starbucks is approving the licensee locations/expansions.

[ClownLoach]

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

That’s the MTS Blue Line- opened in 2021.
I suspect most of the folks shoplifting are homeless imported by train from Downtown. Many of the homeless in San Diego are bussed in from other states. What Todd Gloria needs to do with the homeless people causing trouble is: put them on buses and have a state like Texas deal with them. I mean, states like Texas and Florida rely on us to babysit the homeless, now it’s their turn. And I’m no conservative.

I’m hoping San Diego elects a tough on crime mayor similar to Eric Adams.

Ralphs is arguably the highest volume tenant in that center which as we know has astronomically high rents. But even with all that volume if they experience a large enough spike in theft the financials are not going to be good. If they're smart, which doesn't seem to be the case right now, they would be all over their center management demanding the same level of security that is in place one train station away at UTC which is clearly "off limits" to anyone homeless (and also anyone lacking a triple Platinum Diamond Ruby Sapphire Amex card). And I would imagine that the Pavilions conversion might have something to do with what's happening there because that banner landed with a swift thud when it first landed in San Diego in the Sorrento Valley area, that should have been enough to cause them to pause going deeper into a market where nobody has heard of the name. The very rich people in $15 Million dollar mansions around that Pavilions are not going to tolerate shopping alongside the homeless that have taken over the Ralphs Fresh Fare. A similar situation happened in Long Beach, the 7th St. Ralphs was the first there to be upgraded to Fresh Fare and it received a full gut to the brick walls remodel, no expense spared. It serviced the three richest areas in Long Beach, Park Estates, Naples and Belmont Shore. (They actually left the store closer to the shore as a regular Ralphs at the time because it never caught on and Whole Foods was cleaning their clock). The ownership of the center changed and they pulled back on security and the homeless took over the center. It was also a super convenient location as all of the major Orange County, LA and Long Beach bus lines converged there as a transfer point bringing in traveling homeless. The store was under siege immediately and shoplifting went through the roof; I had a high school buddy working there who said it was losing money as a store for the first time in it's existence of over 40 years. The same issue I described occurred with the affluent customers who held the store up abandoning it. The same kinds of changes started, reduction of higher end liquor, meats, etc. And the store was closed within 5 years despite being in the best location in Long Beach from a road traffic perspective (a meeting of the Boulevard at the end of CA-22, PCH, and Bellflower Blvd). It's now a small format Target and being shoplifted out of business too. Ironically if the same thing happened there I'm sure Target would gladly take over the Ralphs slot as they could get a decent medium size box in there...

Ralphs is going to have to get aggressive with the property management in La Jolla and fix this fast, because college students buying endless cases of Coors Light aren't going to keep that store in business. When I went with my VP to look at a small site there we learned that to break even it would have had to be the highest volume store in our entire multinational chain, even more than NYC stores which obviously wasn't going to happen. I actually wonder if the store is already losing money so they aren't investing in maintenance, yet ironically they also fear being outbid for their spot at the next lease renewal which has to be very close based on the opening and closing of the Smiths chain. The removal of the high end liquor, which definitely was selling as the store used to be a designated recipient of allocated product, means they have been forced to surrender a lot of sales volume and profits to stop the bleeding from the shoplifters. They are no longer the fanciest store in town with the new Gelsons and now what seems to be a slightly evolved rendition of the Pavilions brand (where it seems the store is being given more autonomy to select product and bring in local vendors as I saw in bakery, produce, and meats). They should have been skyrocketing in sales too with the forced closure of the high volume Bristol Farms up the street (for a mixed use center under high rise ultra luxury condos, the project has seemingly been aborted after booting out dozens of stores and very busy restaurants leaving a multi-block boarded up eyesore in the heart of University City). If they don't take aggressive action they're going to kill the golden goose here. If I was a shareholder I would be raising holy Hell over the incredible neglect of what must have been one of the highest grossing stores in the Kroger chain.

Worst thing is that even though San Diego has gone straight to Hell under Todd Gloria's short tenure as Mayor, I saw a news story that apparently he doesn't appear to have any real competition for reelection. Apparently the situation is so incredibly bad, and happened so quickly, that nobody wants to do the heavy lifting that it would take to clean up his mess. If you think Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco went downhill fast, the crash of San Diego has been even faster with the same entire vast areas of nice parks and open spaces turned into tent cities and homeless encampments. There are some areas near downtown only a few blocks from Petco Park where you cannot walk on the sidewalks as they are all tents and the streets are filled with garbage; I saw one video of this area with a disturbed individual walking up and down swinging a machete at people and objects. The homeowner in his once luxury condo across the street was being threatened by the person over calling the police who did absolutely nothing; personally I thought the social media video contained multiple accounts of attempted murder as he swung the machete at other people who had to duck, fall and or run as he likely did not have enough control to refrain from killing them. It's already so bad nobody sane will come in to try to fix it.

[storewanderer]

Ralphs is arguably the highest volume tenant in that center which as we know has astronomically high rents. But even with all that volume if they experience a large enough spike in theft the financials are not going to be good. If they're smart, which doesn't seem to be the case right now, they would be all over their center management demanding the same level of security that is in place one train station away at UTC which is clearly "off limits" to anyone homeless (and also anyone lacking a triple Platinum Diamond Ruby Sapphire Amex card). And I would imagine that the Pavilions conversion might have something to do with what's happening there because that banner landed with a swift thud when it first landed in San Diego in the Sorrento Valley area, that should have been enough to cause them to pause going deeper into a market where nobody has heard of the name. The very rich people in $15 Million dollar mansions around that Pavilions are not going to tolerate shopping alongside the homeless that have taken over the Ralphs Fresh Fare. A similar situation happened in Long Beach, the 7th St. Ralphs was the first there to be upgraded to Fresh Fare and it received a full gut to the brick walls remodel, no expense spared. It serviced the three richest areas in Long Beach, Park Estates, Naples and Belmont Shore. (They actually left the store closer to the shore as a regular Ralphs at the time because it never caught on and Whole Foods was cleaning their clock). The ownership of the center changed and they pulled back on security and the homeless took over the center. It was also a super convenient location as all of the major Orange County, LA and Long Beach bus lines converged there as a transfer point bringing in traveling homeless. The store was under siege immediately and shoplifting went through the roof; I had a high school buddy working there who said it was losing money as a store for the first time in it's existence of over 40 years. The same issue I described occurred with the affluent customers who held the store up abandoning it. The same kinds of changes started, reduction of higher end liquor, meats, etc. And the store was closed within 5 years despite being in the best location in Long Beach from a road traffic perspective (a meeting of the Boulevard at the end of CA-22, PCH, and Bellflower Blvd). It's now a small format Target and being shoplifted out of business too. Ironically if the same thing happened there I'm sure Target would gladly take over the Ralphs slot as they could get a decent medium size box in there...

Ralphs is going to have to get aggressive with the property management in La Jolla and fix this fast, because college students buying endless cases of Coors Light aren't going to keep that store in business. The removal of the high end liquor, which definitely was selling as the store used to be a designated recipient of allocated product, means they have been forced to surrender sales volume and profits to stop the bleeding from the shoplifters. They are no longer the fanciest store in town with the new Gelsons and now what seems to be a slightly evolved rendition of the Pavilions brand (where it seems the store is being given more autonomy to select product and bring in local vendors as I saw in bakery, produce, and meats). They should have been skyrocketing in sales too with the forced closure of the high volume Bristol Farms up the street (for a mixed use center under high rise ultra luxury condos, the project has seemingly been aborted after booting out dozens of stores and very busy restaurants leaving a multi-block boarded up eyesore in the heart of University City). If they don't take aggressive action they're going to kill the golden goose here.

Could the high end liquor possibly have been locked up? I think in the past they had actual staffing dedicated to the liquor department in that store. Sounds like that is no longer the case. Staffing would also really help mitigate potential theft risk.

I was at Smiths and thought they had a greeter at the door but it turned out they had Spectrum set up with a table right by the door to harass customers going in/out trying to sell them service. These folks go to Wal Mart and set up their table too and do it in front of the electronics department. I take a LONG walk around the area to avoid them. They are sometimes there during slow times like 8 PM, etc., when there are few customers, and they see me coming, see me circle to avoid them, and will find me 5-6 aisles away from their table as I am trying to avoid them.

Hopefully that is an important enough store for Ralphs that they will get control of the loitering problem that has happened. It also sounds like the parking problem which has been a problem for a while has also gotten worse.

How are the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's nearby the Ralphs doing? I think there is a fair amount of cross shopping happening between those three stores. But parking lot issues can make cross shopping very tiring.

[ClownLoach]

Ralphs is arguably the highest volume tenant in that center which as we know has astronomically high rents. But even with all that volume if they experience a large enough spike in theft the financials are not going to be good. If they're smart, which doesn't seem to be the case right now, they would be all over their center management demanding the same level of security that is in place one train station away at UTC which is clearly "off limits" to anyone homeless (and also anyone lacking a triple Platinum Diamond Ruby Sapphire Amex card). And I would imagine that the Pavilions conversion might have something to do with what's happening there because that banner landed with a swift thud when it first landed in San Diego in the Sorrento Valley area, that should have been enough to cause them to pause going deeper into a market where nobody has heard of the name. The very rich people in $15 Million dollar mansions around that Pavilions are not going to tolerate shopping alongside the homeless that have taken over the Ralphs Fresh Fare. A similar situation happened in Long Beach, the 7th St. Ralphs was the first there to be upgraded to Fresh Fare and it received a full gut to the brick walls remodel, no expense spared. It serviced the three richest areas in Long Beach, Park Estates, Naples and Belmont Shore. (They actually left the store closer to the shore as a regular Ralphs at the time because it never caught on and Whole Foods was cleaning their clock). The ownership of the center changed and they pulled back on security and the homeless took over the center. It was also a super convenient location as all of the major Orange County, LA and Long Beach bus lines converged there as a transfer point bringing in traveling homeless. The store was under siege immediately and shoplifting went through the roof; I had a high school buddy working there who said it was losing money as a store for the first time in it's existence of over 40 years. The same issue I described occurred with the affluent customers who held the store up abandoning it. The same kinds of changes started, reduction of higher end liquor, meats, etc. And the store was closed within 5 years despite being in the best location in Long Beach from a road traffic perspective (a meeting of the Boulevard at the end of CA-22, PCH, and Bellflower Blvd). It's now a small format Target and being shoplifted out of business too. Ironically if the same thing happened there I'm sure Target would gladly take over the Ralphs slot as they could get a decent medium size box in there...

Ralphs is going to have to get aggressive with the property management in La Jolla and fix this fast, because college students buying endless cases of Coors Light aren't going to keep that store in business. The removal of the high end liquor, which definitely was selling as the store used to be a designated recipient of allocated product, means they have been forced to surrender sales volume and profits to stop the bleeding from the shoplifters. They are no longer the fanciest store in town with the new Gelsons and now what seems to be a slightly evolved rendition of the Pavilions brand (where it seems the store is being given more autonomy to select product and bring in local vendors as I saw in bakery, produce, and meats). They should have been skyrocketing in sales too with the forced closure of the high volume Bristol Farms up the street (for a mixed use center under high rise ultra luxury condos, the project has seemingly been aborted after booting out dozens of stores and very busy restaurants leaving a multi-block boarded up eyesore in the heart of University City). If they don't take aggressive action they're going to kill the golden goose here.

Hopefully that is an important enough store for Ralphs that they will get control of the loitering problem that has happened. It also sounds like the parking problem which has been a problem for a while has also gotten worse. They say nature abhors a vacuum. Whatever center has the least security personnel, or is the most tolerant is the one the homeless take over. I've experienced this too much in my career; take over a broken store and find it's in the only center at the intersection without full time security on site. I raise hell with the landlord and record every incident and complain until they install security. Incidents happen with security for a while thus validating my concerns, and then the store gets better and shrink goes down. Suddenly sales are up double digits and everyone wants to know what is the secret sauce...

How are the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's nearby the Ralphs doing? I think there is a fair amount of cross shopping happening between those three stores. But parking lot issues can make cross shopping very tiring.

I didn't have time to get into the Trader Joe's next door but it looked very busy. The Whole Foods center across the street did not appear to have any issues with the homeless; I think they're staying contained in the Ralphs center.

One more issue worth mentioning is the basement parking, it was empty. Like no cars at all. While the surface level was so packed you could hardly park. Putting two and two together, I'm guessing that the basement level garage has become unsafe to park in with all the homeless people, assuming they have break in problems and such down there so that the customers don't feel safe going down there anymore. That parking at surface level is inadequate for these stores and if the employees aren't parking there either anymore out of safety then these stores will definitely start losing sales volume simply from running out of parking spaces. The MTS garage is built on the freeway side on what was a surface lot, I believe they bought it with eminent domain. That connects to the train station and is where the homeless are living in their cars and such. The constant turnover and noise probably renders the surface lots inhospitable plus I think they have posted time limits of two hours in the Ralphs/TJs area.

[storewanderer]

I didn't have time to get into the Trader Joe's next door but it looked very busy. The Whole Foods center across the street did not appear to have any issues with the homeless; I think they're staying contained in the Ralphs center.

One more issue worth mentioning is the basement parking, it was empty. Like no cars at all. While the surface level was so packed you could hardly park. Putting two and two together, I'm guessing that the basement level garage has become unsafe to park in with all the homeless people, assuming they have break in problems and such down there so that the customers don't feel safe going down there anymore. That parking at surface level is inadequate for these stores and if the employees aren't parking there either anymore out of safety then these stores will definitely start losing sales volume simply from running out of parking spaces. The MTS garage is built on the freeway side on what was a surface lot, I believe they bought it with eminent domain. That connects to the train station and is where the homeless are living in their cars and such. The constant turnover and noise probably renders the surface lots inhospitable plus I think they have posted time limits of two hours in the Ralphs/TJs area.

Also what is happening with Best Buy in that shopping center?

I'm trying to figure out what happened with the corporate Starbucks. It appears to me they took away the inside seating during COVID and just never brought it back.

I haven't been to this center since before COVID and I took a look at photos of that MTS garage. I understand the placement but it isn't good and it isn't good for the shopping center. Doesn't that MTS have a police force to patrol the garage to ensure people are not living in the garage? I have parked days (multiple overnights I mean) in BART garages before at edges of the bay area and while I was warned about potential vandalism risks etc., I never observed people living in the garages.

[veteran+]

I went to the La Jolla Ralphs and new Pavilions yesterday. I mentioned before they're way too far apart to be considered overlaps, and now they're totally a tale of two cities.

The La Jolla Ralphs Fresh Fare I believe is 2nd to the store by UCLA in volume, a very large old Smiths conversion if I recall correctly, probably a 70,000 Sq ft store with a full Kosher dept. Including separate service bakery, deli and meat with a Rabbi supervising.

The store has gone straight to Hell for reasons both external and internal. The external reason is the new train station in the center. The store had multiple angry and disturbed looking individuals walking around, some who you could smell aisles away. One bumped into me rudely as he couldn't keep his balance walking the aisles. The store has now installed alarming gates around the front end like Walmart but with large panic bars as you would expect on a fire exit. They removed the test for the self-scan groceries, closed all but one bank of self checkouts which is closely supervised now. The liquor department has been slashed from the fresh fare assortment although there's still a ridiculous amount of beer (it's next to UC San Diego). I don't recall seeing the bar that they had installed in the middle of the store so I'm assuming it's been removed although I didn't remember it until now. The liquor has been remerchandised onto a short gondola with limited selection of lower end brands and a 3rd party security guard was marching around the department. I think the high sales volume of alcohol prevents them from putting everything in a glass case otherwise they probably would have. This store always felt upscale and delightful, now it feels like something in a rough neighborhood. The Fresh Fare signage needs to be removed as it is anything but. The Starbucks next door has been changed to a "inhospitable" version where all furniture has been removed, restrooms are closed, and more amusingly all the electrical outlets have been covered. The frozen yogurt shop inside Ralphs left over all these years from Smiths apparently closed and the space is being converted to a replacement for the kiosk Starbucks inside the Ralphs, which will place two Starbucks all of 30 ft apart. I'm expecting the company store is going to close, used to be packed with college students but the homeless express train line killed it in no time. Somehow Westfield is keeping the problems out at UTC but the owner of this Plaza isn't. Maybe Ralphs could build a new store on that site.

All that pales to the store conditions which are inexcusable and the worst I've seen yet with Kroger. This store was remodeled not long ago to the newest decor being used in Fred Meyer and other Kroger formats, with some additional "local" art from a design school if I recall correctly. The floor is peeling up everywhere and only half of the areas are held down with black duct tape. Others are loose and bubbling everywhere, capturing dirt and filth under and around fresh food displays. The roof leaks I noticed last winter have not been fixed and even more alarming the drop ceiling has large patches of visible green blue fuzzy mold everywhere, the entire depth of the store in the frozen area. This is an incredible health hazard and the entire store should be closed until all leaks are addressed and more importantly the site can be remediated for this obvious excess of mold. I was so disgusted that I put the few items I had selected back and walked out empty handed.

Later I hadn't planned it but I visited the newly converted Pavilions on the opposite side of town. Although the entrances are odd and seem to open up into nothing on the left side, and the ceiling is very low which forced a reduced size decor package, the store is very nice. They have what I would say is hands down the finest meat department I've seen at any of these chains. They had 4 different seafood vendors featured, each with their own case. They have a huge section of Wagyu, Snake River Farms, and Harris Ranch prime meats including whole sections in cryovac available, and the butcher was out in front of the counter greeting every customer and constantly facing and straightening the self serve cases. The seafood and beef were absolutely beautiful and the cases had the old fashioned decorations cut out of peppers and kale and such. Obviously a real professional running this department. Mind you this isn't a grand opening, it's just a regular Saturday night and it's relatively slow because it's dinner time. Produce was impeccable, and Bakery was outstanding - they have a different type of oven I have never seen at a Pavilions or Vons which is enabling them to have a large selection of actual scratch made breads, it's a 4 level oven with different temps for each. Plus three rotary ones next to it for a total of 7 ovens all brand new. I got some sourdough rolls and aside from inconsistent length (two are like three inches shorter than the rest) they are fabulous, with a bubbly crackling crust and delightful sourness. The store also has a large Kosher section obviously to compete with the Ralphs although no separate bakery or meat or deli. The lighting is nice and they actually maintained the louvers on the lifestyle era fixtures to reduce glare, the LED strips elsewhere plus a new high spectrum intensity specialty LED rail to light all of the perimeter signage so it really pops. Where the two different types of LED are near each other it's obvious that the signage lights are a specialty type with far more color spectrum. The only flaw was the concrete floor conversion which shows decades of trenches and patches all different colors of cement, really takes away from the upscale expectation. But it was a delightful store with many specialty brands and items I'm not familiar with all interspersed on the shelves. Easily the best Pavilions in the chain from a merchandise perspective even if the building shows it's age as a old Vons with new shelves and fixtures.

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

Wow, that was the most impressive LARGE Fresh Fare I have seen. Loved that store!!! An exigent stop on your way to Blacks Beach! The layout was supreme, especially comparing to the Westwood store by UCLA (chopped up and weird, plus the parking ).

No excuse IMO for Kroger, regardless of the Train issue. Put on your big boy pants and adjust to the situation. Oh wait, that's right, you are always blaming others for "things".

Shame, shame, shame!

[veteran+]

I went to the La Jolla Ralphs and new Pavilions yesterday. I mentioned before they're way too far apart to be considered overlaps, and now they're totally a tale of two cities.

The La Jolla Ralphs Fresh Fare I believe is 2nd to the store by UCLA in volume, a very large old Smiths conversion if I recall correctly, probably a 70,000 Sq ft store with a full Kosher dept. Including separate service bakery, deli and meat with a Rabbi supervising.

The store has gone straight to Hell for reasons both external and internal. The external reason is the new train station in the center. The store had multiple angry and disturbed looking individuals walking around, some who you could smell aisles away. One bumped into me rudely as he couldn't keep his balance walking the aisles. The store has now installed alarming gates around the front end like Walmart but with large panic bars as you would expect on a fire exit. They removed the test for the self-scan groceries, closed all but one bank of self checkouts which is closely supervised now. The liquor department has been slashed from the fresh fare assortment although there's still a ridiculous amount of beer (it's next to UC San Diego). I don't recall seeing the bar that they had installed in the middle of the store so I'm assuming it's been removed although I didn't remember it until now. The liquor has been remerchandised onto a short gondola with limited selection of lower end brands and a 3rd party security guard was marching around the department. I think the high sales volume of alcohol prevents them from putting everything in a glass case otherwise they probably would have. This store always felt upscale and delightful, now it feels like something in a rough neighborhood. The Fresh Fare signage needs to be removed as it is anything but. The Starbucks next door has been changed to a "inhospitable" version where all furniture has been removed, restrooms are closed, and more amusingly all the electrical outlets have been covered. The frozen yogurt shop inside Ralphs left over all these years from Smiths apparently closed and the space is being converted to a replacement for the kiosk Starbucks inside the Ralphs, which will place two Starbucks all of 30 ft apart. I'm expecting the company store is going to close, used to be packed with college students but the homeless express train line killed it in no time. Somehow Westfield is keeping the problems out at UTC but the owner of this Plaza isn't. Maybe Ralphs could build a new store on that site.

All that pales to the store conditions which are inexcusable and the worst I've seen yet with Kroger. This store was remodeled not long ago to the newest decor being used in Fred Meyer and other Kroger formats, with some additional "local" art from a design school if I recall correctly. The floor is peeling up everywhere and only half of the areas are held down with black duct tape. Others are loose and bubbling everywhere, capturing dirt and filth under and around fresh food displays. The roof leaks I noticed last winter have not been fixed and even more alarming the drop ceiling has large patches of visible green blue fuzzy mold everywhere, the entire depth of the store in the frozen area. This is an incredible health hazard and the entire store should be closed until all leaks are addressed and more importantly the site can be remediated for this obvious excess of mold. I was so disgusted that I put the few items I had selected back and walked out empty handed.

Later I hadn't planned it but I visited the newly converted Pavilions on the opposite side of town. Although the entrances are odd and seem to open up into nothing on the left side, and the ceiling is very low which forced a reduced size decor package, the store is very nice. They have what I would say is hands down the finest meat department I've seen at any of these chains. They had 4 different seafood vendors featured, each with their own case. They have a huge section of Wagyu, Snake River Farms, and Harris Ranch prime meats including whole sections in cryovac available, and the butcher was out in front of the counter greeting every customer and constantly facing and straightening the self serve cases. The seafood and beef were absolutely beautiful and the cases had the old fashioned decorations cut out of peppers and kale and such. Obviously a real professional running this department. Mind you this isn't a grand opening, it's just a regular Saturday night and it's relatively slow because it's dinner time. Produce was impeccable, and Bakery was outstanding - they have a different type of oven I have never seen at a Pavilions or Vons which is enabling them to have a large selection of actual scratch made breads, it's a 4 level oven with different temps for each. Plus three rotary ones next to it for a total of 7 ovens all brand new. I got some sourdough rolls and aside from inconsistent length (two are like three inches shorter than the rest) they are fabulous, with a bubbly crackling crust and delightful sourness. The store also has a large Kosher section obviously to compete with the Ralphs although no separate bakery or meat or deli. The lighting is nice and they actually maintained the louvers on the lifestyle era fixtures to reduce glare, the LED strips elsewhere plus a new high spectrum intensity specialty LED rail to light all of the perimeter signage so it really pops. Where the two different types of LED are near each other it's obvious that the signage lights are a specialty type with far more color spectrum. The only flaw was the concrete floor conversion which shows decades of trenches and patches all different colors of cement, really takes away from the upscale expectation. But it was a delightful store with many specialty brands and items I'm not familiar with all interspersed on the shelves. Easily the best Pavilions in the chain from a merchandise perspective even if the building shows it's age as a old Vons with new shelves and fixtures.

Anyway a tale of two cities in La Jolla. I wouldn't be surprised if they were forced to divest a store if they didn't let the big Ralphs box go because it's clearly on a horrible downward trajectory and looks like it's going to get shoplifted out of business thanks to the new multi billion dollar train line that has also ruined the parking situation despite adding a 4 story deck. Looks like a very dark day there at Ralphs while you see a bright future at the Pavilions.

I don't know... if Kroger is still pumping high sales volume out of that Ralphs, maybe they're better off keeping it. That is pushing 30 years old building by now so it is going to need more and more work despite how many times it has been remodeled.

I've never seen Safeway execute anything like what you're describing at that Pavilions but do you think Kroger could actually keep up/maintain that? I don't.

Mass transit can be a huge benefit for a store to be near as it makes it easier for more people to shop there but like you point out it can also make it easier for people to go to the store who otherwise wouldn't have gone there who aren't there to spend money but just there to loiter or something.

As far as the multiple Starbucks situation goes it is interesting Kroger is doing that. Safeway has been doing that kind of thing for many years now and it makes no sense to me but it must make sense to Starbucks since Starbucks is approving the licensee locations/expansions.

Pavilions in Rancho Mirage had some of the elements that Clown is talking about (at its peak). We also had Panda, Jamba and Starbucks (I think was Peets at one time?).