Are "we" too hard on QFC?

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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by storewanderer »

marshd1000 wrote: November 11th, 2022, 8:12 am If Kroger keeps the Safeway banner in WA and QFC too, could they thin out some location to Soinco and have a joint QFC/Safeway ad in Western Washington? Also will Kroger keep the Albertsons fried chicken recipe?
Kroger probably needs to exit the hot food business entirely. Their food is unbelievably bad and they appear to throw more of it away than they sell, even after trying to markdown, sell stuff cold, make chicken salad out of it, etc. It has gotten progressively worse and worse in the past few years too; it used to be sometimes edible, now it is never edible.

Albertsons hot food business is certainly better quality but also has a ton of throw away.
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by VibeGuy »

QFC can be at least three different stores though:

The flagship locations (Seattle U Village, Redmond Bella Bottega, Bellevue Downtown, to some extent the two Broadway locations in Seattle) - strong perimeter, high service levels, better than average wine and spirits set (the adjacent QFC Liquor store at U Village may be the single best spirits operation in all of Krogerdom - the manager really knows spirits and they get stuff that is remarkably rare). These are still very good stores (produce quality is down since they were independent, however).

The “nicer than average grocery store” locations: Seattle Mercer St, Ballard, Crown Hill, Belfair - precisely what I think a better grocery store should be.

But the problem is the other tranche. Interbay, the former 15th Avenue Seattle, Westwood Village, Normandy Park, Tacoma Parkland, most of the stuff outside King County, frankly. The service and perimeter don’t justify the center store assortment or pricing.

When both QFC and Larry’s were operating, QFC competed with them on price, Larry’s won on perimeter, but QFC was objectively good. Now, they’re just More Expensive Fred Meyer Without Socks or TVs. I have to say, the Fred Meyer in Gig Harbor (no GM, but not branded Marketplace nor Northwest Fresh) is a better QFC than 80% of QFCs.
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by storewanderer »

VibeGuy wrote: November 11th, 2022, 10:10 pm QFC can be at least three different stores though:

The flagship locations (Seattle U Village, Redmond Bella Bottega, Bellevue Downtown, to some extent the two Broadway locations in Seattle) - strong perimeter, high service levels, better than average wine and spirits set (the adjacent QFC Liquor store at U Village may be the single best spirits operation in all of Krogerdom - the manager really knows spirits and they get stuff that is remarkably rare). These are still very good stores (produce quality is down since they were independent, however).

The “nicer than average grocery store” locations: Seattle Mercer St, Ballard, Crown Hill, Belfair - precisely what I think a better grocery store should be.

But the problem is the other tranche. Interbay, the former 15th Avenue Seattle, Westwood Village, Normandy Park, Tacoma Parkland, most of the stuff outside King County, frankly. The service and perimeter don’t justify the center store assortment or pricing.

When both QFC and Larry’s were operating, QFC competed with them on price, Larry’s won on perimeter, but QFC was objectively good. Now, they’re just More Expensive Fred Meyer Without Socks or TVs. I have to say, the Fred Meyer in Gig Harbor (no GM, but not branded Marketplace nor Northwest Fresh) is a better QFC than 80% of QFCs.
Westwood Village would have gone into the "nicer than average" bucket before they did the last remodel to it (2017?) into that "Fresh & Local" decor (same decor they put onto 2 Reno Smiths a few months ago in 2022). Despite high traffic the perimeter seems marginal in that store.

Normandy Park I think is quite good for its size and recall a new build independent nearby (Myers tried to run it for a while, I think someone else was trying before it closed; it was running IGA under Myers but never got signs for IGA) failed (that is putting it lightly; doubt it did $50k a week) nearby so that QFC store must do something right; I do find it a little bit messed up on size; it feels like deli has too little space, bakery has too much space, liquor doesn't have enough space, produce barely has enough space. Turnover of fresh items in that store is excellent though.
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by marshd1000 »

I agree that Westwood Village would had been in the “better than average” category. I do think that the “fresh and local” decor doesn’t help it look upscale! I don’t know what the decor is called for the Renton Highlands QFC, but that feels more upscale. I Westwood does ok as they converted the generic cheese counter into a Murray’s. But I’m sure theft has gone up there as Metro and Sound Transit made that area into a transit hub! So I’m sure a lot of zombies get off the bus and rob the stores at Westwood Village blind!
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by storewanderer »

marshd1000 wrote: November 12th, 2022, 10:37 pm I agree that Westwood Village would had been in the “better than average” category. I do think that the “fresh and local” decor doesn’t help it look upscale! I don’t know what the decor is called for the Renton Highlands QFC, but that feels more upscale. I Westwood does ok as they converted the generic cheese counter into a Murray’s. But I’m sure theft has gone up there as Metro and Sound Transit made that area into a transit hub! So I’m sure a lot of zombies get off the bus and rob the stores at Westwood Village blind!
Unless Renton remodeled in the past couple years, it had what I call "standard Kroger" decor. But it got the cement floor. There was another QFC with that decor too in Seattle, NE 145th Street, and it kept the old 00's era floor.

Westwood Village is probably a good location for a transit hub, ferry not too far away either.

Whoever ends up with the Safeway near Westwood Village is going to pick up the busier and more attractive by far of the two stores... I'd go so far as to say putting Fred Meyer branding on that Safeway would work.
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by BillyGr »

marshd1000 wrote: November 11th, 2022, 10:11 am
BillyGr wrote: November 11th, 2022, 10:07 am
marshd1000 wrote: November 11th, 2022, 8:12 am If Kroger keeps the Safeway banner in WA and QFC too, could they thin out some location to Soinco and have a joint QFC/Safeway ad in Western Washington? Also will Kroger keep the Albertsons fried chicken recipe?
Soinco? ;)
Spinco! LOL I had a case of fat fingers!
Ppos ;) - Makes sense :)
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by VibeGuy »

I’m shocked at how good that Safeway is - the layout ex-Larry’s is much, much better than Admiral and I’ve always found it well-staffed.

I agree that even the third-tranche QFCs do significant business and there’s never a question of perimeter freshness. When I gripe about produce quality going down since the FM buyout, it’s mostly been a buying standards issue, not a presentation or freshness one. Two examples: single baking potatoes at QFC were usually Grade A Large, now they’re usually Grade A Medium, and apples were usually Extra Fancy and towards the larger size/smaller count per box. They’re all perfectly wholesome, but the QFC standards were definitely more premium.
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Re: Are "we" too hard on QFC?

Post by storewanderer »

VibeGuy wrote: November 13th, 2022, 2:57 pm I’m shocked at how good that Safeway is - the layout ex-Larry’s is much, much better than Admiral and I’ve always found it well-staffed.

I agree that even the third-tranche QFCs do significant business and there’s never a question of perimeter freshness. When I gripe about produce quality going down since the FM buyout, it’s mostly been a buying standards issue, not a presentation or freshness one. Two examples: single baking potatoes at QFC were usually Grade A Large, now they’re usually Grade A Medium, and apples were usually Extra Fancy and towards the larger size/smaller count per box. They’re all perfectly wholesome, but the QFC standards were definitely more premium.
In Portland on multiple trips since 2020, I found the nicer, larger produce at Fred Meyer. Freshness was also significantly better at Fred Meyer. QFC had more specialty vegetables but they didn't look very fresh and they seem confused about what they are selling with price signs posted with item descriptions like "FRUIT JACK." I know they use the same warehouse, so I don't know if QFC just gets the rejects, just gets few deliveries, or what.

Smiths produce is much better under Kroger the past 10 years than it ever was before. Smiths still can't figure out how to procure, distribute, and actually sell decent quality berries, their grapes could be fresher but quality is there, and the rest of produce they have down very well especially for the prices they charge. Fred Meyer has much better looking produce though than Smiths, and it costs more too.
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