Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

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mjhale
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Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by mjhale »

https://www.dailypress.com/business/con ... story.html

They are saying it is to "manage labor in this difficult employment environment" - aka labor shortages. Also I thought it was interesting that they say that this will give them time to focus on Fast Lane orders. Fast Lane is their online shopping, pick up at store option. I guess their online business is more than their in store business?

The Harris Teeter near me is never busy and very expensive. I'm not sure how they have hung around all the time they have been open.
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Re: Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by storewanderer »

mjhale wrote: September 14th, 2021, 4:56 pm https://www.dailypress.com/business/con ... story.html

They are saying it is to "manage labor in this difficult employment environment" - aka labor shortages. Also I thought it was interesting that they say that this will give them time to focus on Fast Lane orders. Fast Lane is their online shopping, pick up at store option. I guess their online business is more than their in store business?

The Harris Teeter near me is never busy and very expensive. I'm not sure how they have hung around all the time they have been open.
Smiths did 7 AM to 8 PM for a while in 2020. Smiths lost so much of my business (and never got it back) due to that move.

Harris Teeter is making a real mistake. At least go until 10 PM.

Did Harris Teeter already eliminate 24 hour stores?
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Re: Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by mjhale »

storewanderer wrote: September 14th, 2021, 5:14 pm Smiths did 7 AM to 8 PM for a while in 2020. Smiths lost so much of my business (and never got it back) due to that move.

Harris Teeter is making a real mistake. At least go until 10 PM.

Did Harris Teeter already eliminate 24 hour stores?
The Harris Teeter near me was initially open 24 hours and then cut back to 6 AM to Midnight. Harris Teeter continued to keep their busier stores open 24 hours. That ended in March/April 2020 when most everyone who was open during the closures cut back their hours. Until the most recent announcement Harris Teeter around me was open 6 AM to 11 PM. Giant is 6 AM to Midnight except Sunday when they close at 11 PM. Safeway is 5 AM to Midnight. Wegmans is 6 AM to Midnight.

My perception is that Harris Teeter is never really busy. Not sure if it is because of their high pricing or if people just don't go there with Wegmans nearby and Safeway and Giant ever present and the "hometown" stores. However in Loudoun County, VA apparently Harris Teeter is neck and neck with Giant and beating them out by about half a percent as the highest market share grocer.

I'm not saying that Harris Teeter (or Kroger) is going down but it seems like we are closing early is AKA for we are trying to save money for whatever reason. Maybe I'm just not seeing it but Giant, Safeway and Wegmans around me don't seem to be understaffed or unable to operate as they normally would because of the labor situation. Even the Walmart Supercenter near me doesn't seem to suffer from the stock and employee problems we've been discussing in the Walmart thread on here.
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Re: Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by cw06 »

mjhale wrote: September 14th, 2021, 6:09 pm ...trying to save money for whatever reason.
The reason is probably to save money on benefits. They could keep the stores properly staffed if they increased part-timers' hours, but then those workers would be eligible for health insurance, mandatory paid sick leave in Maryland and DC, etc.
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Re: Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by buckguy »

Shorter hours might actually help a lower volume store if it can reduce its costs relative to sales. They have stores in DC that probably aren't losing many sales by closing at 9 and I wouldn't be surprised if this was true, too, in inner Northern Virginia. Stores with a mostly walk-in trade don't get large volumes later in the evening.

H-T seems to have some very low volume stores--they have one in the North Bethesda/Rockville area that always seems dead with a second floor "food court" that does no meal time business; it probably shouldn't survive the Wegman's planned for next year. It's also close to a popular Whole Foods and a large, high volume Giant. I wonder if they keep stores going like this because they want to representation or they don't have an easy way out of their leases.

One thing that's interesting: H-T pulled out of the redevelopment of the old Walter Reed campus in upper DC; I wonder if they're beginning to get cautious about new locations. They previously had planned to go into a small space on the DC/Silver Spring border and then were tied to the Walter Reed which originally had promised (but could not deliver) Wegman's. Walter Reed made more sense than the DC/SS border--better sized space. They also would have been a suitable alternative to the Walmart and Safeway further down Georgia Avenue and more convenient than Silver Spring for neighborhoods around Takoma Park. Instead, Whole Foods will go into this space---I wonder if WF will keep their awkward, cramped store in downtown Silver Spring.
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Re: Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by storewanderer »

buckguy wrote: September 15th, 2021, 7:59 pm Shorter hours might actually help a lower volume store if it can reduce its costs relative to sales. They have stores in DC that probably aren't losing many sales by closing at 9 and I wouldn't be surprised if this was true, too, in inner Northern Virginia. Stores with a mostly walk-in trade don't get large volumes later in the evening.

H-T seems to have some very low volume stores--they have one in the North Bethesda/Rockville area that always seems dead with a second floor "food court" that does no meal time business; it probably shouldn't survive the Wegman's planned for next year. It's also close to a popular Whole Foods and a large, high volume Giant. I wonder if they keep stores going like this because they want to representation or they don't have an easy way out of their leases.

One thing that's interesting: H-T pulled out of the redevelopment of the old Walter Reed campus in upper DC; I wonder if they're beginning to get cautious about new locations. They previously had planned to go into a small space on the DC/Silver Spring border and then were tied to the Walter Reed which originally had promised (but could not deliver) Wegman's. Walter Reed made more sense than the DC/SS border--better sized space. They also would have been a suitable alternative to the Walmart and Safeway further down Georgia Avenue and more convenient than Silver Spring for neighborhoods around Takoma Park. Instead, Whole Foods will go into this space---I wonder if WF will keep their awkward, cramped store in downtown Silver Spring.
Probably more Kroger putting a rope around H-T's neck with regards to new locations. Similar to how Kroger handles new locations for Ralphs, QFC, and Fred Meyer out west. I think we can count on one hand the number of new locations those 3 divisions have opened collectively in the past decade (I'm talking straight new locations- not relocations or rebuilds). All 3 of those divisions should have been opening 3-5 stores per year every year. It seems like Kroger likes to buy chains that have been opening a good number of new locations, and they do continue to let them open new locations for a few years, but then they just stop. I think the situation is similar there in Chicago with Marianos.
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Re: Harris Teeter Hours 6 AM - 9 PM effective 9/15/21

Post by cw06 »

storewanderer wrote: September 15th, 2021, 11:14 pm
buckguy wrote: September 15th, 2021, 7:59 pm Shorter hours might actually help a lower volume store if it can reduce its costs relative to sales. They have stores in DC that probably aren't losing many sales by closing at 9 and I wouldn't be surprised if this was true, too, in inner Northern Virginia. Stores with a mostly walk-in trade don't get large volumes later in the evening.

H-T seems to have some very low volume stores--they have one in the North Bethesda/Rockville area that always seems dead with a second floor "food court" that does no meal time business; it probably shouldn't survive the Wegman's planned for next year. It's also close to a popular Whole Foods and a large, high volume Giant. I wonder if they keep stores going like this because they want to representation or they don't have an easy way out of their leases.

One thing that's interesting: H-T pulled out of the redevelopment of the old Walter Reed campus in upper DC; I wonder if they're beginning to get cautious about new locations. They previously had planned to go into a small space on the DC/Silver Spring border and then were tied to the Walter Reed which originally had promised (but could not deliver) Wegman's. Walter Reed made more sense than the DC/SS border--better sized space. They also would have been a suitable alternative to the Walmart and Safeway further down Georgia Avenue and more convenient than Silver Spring for neighborhoods around Takoma Park. Instead, Whole Foods will go into this space---I wonder if WF will keep their awkward, cramped store in downtown Silver Spring.
Probably more Kroger putting a rope around H-T's neck with regards to new locations. Similar to how Kroger handles new locations for Ralphs, QFC, and Fred Meyer out west. I think we can count on one hand the number of new locations those 3 divisions have opened collectively in the past decade (I'm talking straight new locations- not relocations or rebuilds). All 3 of those divisions should have been opening 3-5 stores per year every year. It seems like Kroger likes to buy chains that have been opening a good number of new locations, and they do continue to let them open new locations for a few years, but then they just stop. I think the situation is similar there in Chicago with Marianos.
Kroger corporate announced a company-wide new store reduction a year or two ago (so much of my IRAs are in Kroger stock that I listen to the earnings calls). I know of a few stores in Maryland that were planned but never pursuei: Bel Air and Towson in Baltimore County, and Kent Island just past the Bay Bridge.

This is just pure speculation, but HT's base pay only increased when the state raised the minimum wage. Their business model assumes NC/SC wages and cost of living, and it's possible DC and MD raising it threw a wrench in that.

They were also supposed to open a full distribution center near Fredericksburg VA, but nothing seems to have come of that. I wonder if they're done expanding in the DMV, or are going to rely on the Kroger/Ocado Fulfilment Center in Frederick, MD that opens next year.
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