Safeway Sterling closing

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storewanderer
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Safeway Sterling closing

Post by storewanderer »

Nice exterior and store supposedly got self checkout recently added.

https://www.theburn.com/2021/09/21/safe ... -sterling/
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by BatteryMill »

Perhaps it was situated in a rather offbeat location, Safeway is fading from the area, or simply competition like Harris Teeter, Aldi, Walmart Supercenter and Wegmans did it in. Sad to see this one go.
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by buckguy »

Looks like a very high maintenance facade with all the rooflines. The comments make it sound like retail is fading from this particular area. Safeway has another store closer to what looks like the retail hub of this area, a few miles away.
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by Bradford011 »

I was saddened to hear this. I help build the McDonald's in the parking lot back when I was a geotech and used to shop there from time to time.

My though is that Safeway is facing massive competition from not only Giant but Aldi and Lidl and is feeling the pressure. The store here in Leesburg seems to be doing well although I don't shop there much anymore, prices are lower elsewhere and it's worth the drive.

I wonder who might consider taking over the space...
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by mjhale »

BatteryMill wrote: October 1st, 2021, 12:39 pm Perhaps it was situated in a rather offbeat location, Safeway is fading from the area, or simply competition like Harris Teeter, Aldi, Walmart Supercenter and Wegmans did it in. Sad to see this one go.
The store is pretty much hidden off the side of Route 7. If you weren't looking for the store you'd drive right on by. Also, as you say, there is plenty of better stores close by that have likely been eating at Safeway. All the ones you mention plus the new Lidl that replaced Shoppers further down Route 7 towards Sterling proper. Lastly, when I have visited, this Safeway has always been on the dirty and cluttered side. It didn't seem like the store was being kept up. Yes they had the newest self-checkout machines of any Safeway I've been in, but the rest of the store was blah at best. I've also noticed Safeway's pricing has been headed towards the high side again. It is getting to be like back in the 80s and 90s when Safeway's pricing made Giant look like a discount store.

I'm not sure what to think of Safeway now. I shop there more than other stores because it is the closest grocery store to my house. However the higher pricing as compared to even Giant (though not Harris Teeter high), blah stores and inconsistent execution have me doing my major shopping at the competition. I have to wonder if Safeway is starting to retract to concentrate on the stores that are in the immediate DC suburbs. If Leesburg closes or another store further out like Culpeper, Warrenton or Gainesville there might be some truth to this.
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by BatteryMill »

mjhale wrote: October 1st, 2021, 4:41 pm
The store is pretty much hidden off the side of Route 7. If you weren't looking for the store you'd drive right on by. Also, as you say, there is plenty of better stores close by that have likely been eating at Safeway. All the ones you mention plus the new Lidl that replaced Shoppers further down Route 7 towards Sterling proper. Lastly, when I have visited, this Safeway has always been on the dirty and cluttered side. It didn't seem like the store was being kept up. Yes they had the newest self-checkout machines of any Safeway I've been in, but the rest of the store was blah at best. I've also noticed Safeway's pricing has been headed towards the high side again. It is getting to be like back in the 80s and 90s when Safeway's pricing made Giant look like a discount store.

I'm not sure what to think of Safeway now. I shop there more than other stores because it is the closest grocery store to my house. However the higher pricing as compared to even Giant (though not Harris Teeter high), blah stores and inconsistent execution have me doing my major shopping at the competition. I have to wonder if Safeway is starting to retract to concentrate on the stores that are in the immediate DC suburbs. If Leesburg closes or another store further out like Culpeper, Warrenton or Gainesville there might be some truth to this.
Correct, although it was close. It certainly did better 10-15+ years ago when none of the above stores were around and neighboring Ashburn was sparsely populated with retail. Pricing-wise, was it better at any point? I will admit these stores have just become more cluttered in the Albertsons years though, that is true.

These locations seem to be holding on for now. The Bristow location has remodeled.
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by mjhale »

BatteryMill wrote: October 1st, 2021, 5:00 pm Correct, although it was close. It certainly did better 10-15+ years ago when none of the above stores were around and neighboring Ashburn was sparsely populated with retail. Pricing-wise, was it better at any point? I will admit these stores have just become more cluttered in the Albertsons years though, that is true.

These locations seem to be holding on for now. The Bristow location has remodeled.
After the Albertsons buyout I noticed that pricing was better and they cleaned up the stores. Pricing wise, we are back to where Safeway was historically before the Albertsons buyout. The clutter and random shipping display type units all over the store make the stores look dumpy to me. It is like Albertsons just throws out any type of promotional display the manufacturers throw at them. Giant limits these sorts of things to the area between produce and the center grocery aisles in the store nearest me. It is sort of like they have a mini promotional area sort of like "action alley" at Walmart. Safeway has never been inexpensive. However, leading up to the Albertsons buyout if you shopped the sales and utilized Just 4 U pricing was reasonable for common items. Since the buyout, Just 4 U promotions that are worth it are few and far between. Albertsons also seems to like to rely on buy some quantity, get some quantity free as well as low price promotions but you have to purchase 3, 4 or more of a product or product selection to get the sale price. I rarely need multiples of an item so those promotions are lost on me. I'm thinking that after this remodeling phase is over any Safeway store that still has the Lifestyle interior or something before that is a potential target for closure. Safeway sure waited long enough to remodel. Lifestyle came out in the early 2000s.
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Re: Safeway Sterling closing

Post by BatteryMill »

mjhale wrote: October 1st, 2021, 5:48 pm

After the Albertsons buyout I noticed that pricing was better and they cleaned up the stores. Pricing wise, we are back to where Safeway was historically before the Albertsons buyout. The clutter and random shipping display type units all over the store make the stores look dumpy to me. It is like Albertsons just throws out any type of promotional display the manufacturers throw at them. Giant limits these sorts of things to the area between produce and the center grocery aisles in the store nearest me. It is sort of like they have a mini promotional area sort of like "action alley" at Walmart. Safeway has never been inexpensive. However, leading up to the Albertsons buyout if you shopped the sales and utilized Just 4 U pricing was reasonable for common items. Since the buyout, Just 4 U promotions that are worth it are few and far between. Albertsons also seems to like to rely on buy some quantity, get some quantity free as well as low price promotions but you have to purchase 3, 4 or more of a product or product selection to get the sale price. I rarely need multiples of an item so those promotions are lost on me. I'm thinking that after this remodeling phase is over any Safeway store that still has the Lifestyle interior or something before that is a potential target for closure. Safeway sure waited long enough to remodel. Lifestyle came out in the early 2000s.
I remember that, although the new lighting, introduced around that time, really threw the Lifestyle concept off. In all it's not as bad where Safeway runs on another decor package.

I do quite wonder anyway why Albertsons decided to go this route. And I'm not sure if a major remodel wave is going on; even then it'd be surprising to me to see these places close considering it has still been included in the vast majority of Safeway's eastern stores.
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