Safeway Portland- sectioning off high theft items/separate checkout

[SamSpade]

What do you mean by "customer issue"?

Off Topic

(Removed by original poster- see reply by SuperS later in thread)

[retailfanmitchell019]

I wonder if stores in this kind of a location should have a different banner. In Downtown Reno for many years there was a Mayfair then when Mayfair left, the store was sold to Scolaris locally, but they didn't rebrand the store as Scolaris, they rebranded it to "JJ's Food Co." The JJ's Food Co. ran a tiny little ad, had a smaller center store mix, and had higher shelf prices than the other Scolaris locations. There was always loitering in the parking lot and it was not a pleasant store. It was demolished in the 90's to build Silver Legacy Casino.

Unless they were to use Super Saver, that would give Albertsons another name to keep track of.

This reminds me: Buttrey Foods had a very small store in downtown Great Falls, MT that they converted to "1st Avenue Market" in 1985 (ASC days). This store may have converted back to the Buttrey name later on. Albertsons ultimately closed that store 15 years ago as it was too small for them I guess.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2860180 ... s-tribune/

[storewanderer]

What do you mean by "customer issue"?

Could be many different things. That is why I asked the question. Maybe I go in with a wool coat after getting soaked out in the rain- those can start to really smell bad. Maybe I bring a wet dog into the store and the dog decides to shake itself. Maybe I failed to take a shower for a while. Maybe a skunk sprayed me when I was on the bike (this actually happened to me- lost a pair of shoes/socks over that). Could be a lot of things.

[veteran+]

These aren't fun stores. The employees don't like working here. The stores smell. The atmosphere is awful but they serve a purpose in these urban areas to keep people living there carefree. If they go away, it's a huge loss. They should charge higher prices and do whatever they need to control the theft problem.

I wonder if stores in this kind of a location should have a different banner. In Downtown Reno for many years there was a Mayfair then when Mayfair left, the store was sold to Scolaris locally, but they didn't rebrand the store as Scolaris, they rebranded it to "JJ's Food Co." The JJ's Food Co. ran a tiny little ad, had a smaller center store mix, and had higher shelf prices than the other Scolaris locations. There was always loitering in the parking lot and it was not a pleasant store. It was demolished in the 90's to build Silver Legacy Casino.

So to your point I am curious- why do you think they did interior remodels to these stores?

Also the stores smell- is that due to something the store can control or is that a customer issue?

If they were to use a different banner on these stores, they could make mix adjustments and also not run as many promotions as the standard locations which could enable them to cut out some costs and increase some profits to pay for the other costs associated with operating in this type of environment. For example maybe City Foods Store just doesn't sell Olay moisturizers or Tenderloin steaks, and maybe it only sells tiny generic bags of beef jerky. But with the Safeway banner all of these items are expected/have to be there to meet the schematic.

Stores smell because there is a plumbing, ventilation issue or drain issue. Sump pumps and grease collectors and other things like that.

[Super S]

What do you mean by "customer issue"?

Could be many different things. That is why I asked the question. Maybe I go in with a wool coat after getting soaked out in the rain- those can start to really smell bad. Maybe I bring a wet dog into the store and the dog decides to shake itself. Maybe I failed to take a shower for a while. Maybe a skunk sprayed me when I was on the bike (this actually happened to me- lost a pair of shoes/socks over that). Could be a lot of things.

And there is also the fact that recreational Marijuana is legal in Oregon as well as Washington, and people who use this often have the unmistakable odor of marijuana smoke and smell BAD. I am not exaggerating when I say you can smell it from 8-10 feet away sometimes. This is a problem that is not limited to Portland.

[SamSpade]

What do you mean by "customer issue"?

Could be many different things. That is why I asked the question. Maybe I go in with a wool coat after getting soaked out in the rain- those can start to really smell bad. Maybe I bring a wet dog into the store and the dog decides to shake itself. Maybe I failed to take a shower for a while. Maybe a skunk sprayed me when I was on the bike (this actually happened to me- lost a pair of shoes/socks over that). Could be a lot of things.

And there is also the fact that recreational Marijuana is legal in Oregon as well as Washington, and people who use this often have the unmistakable odor of marijuana smoke and smell BAD. I am not exaggerating when I say you can smell it from 8-10 feet away sometimes. This is a problem that is not limited to Portland.

Both of you put this better than I did. Thank you.

[babs]

These aren't fun stores. The employees don't like working here. The stores smell.

Pearl used to be a fun store. Even when they converted the deli seating area into "BluePearl Taproom" (to compete with Fred Meyer I guess?) it was a good place to grab a quick pint and catch up with friends or watch live sports. It was kind of an improvement over the former "Safeway flagship" seating area with the gas fireplace/TV.

It is wild to think that this store was supposed to be the Portland division's crown jewel though, like Seattle's downtown Bellevue location that replaced the old Marina in a rebuild/new apartment building in the early '10s.

10th and Jeff has its own challenges, which I suspect have significantly worsened as fewer college students are attending PSU and/or living near campus, downtown's office core remains emptier, and delivery services for groceries catch on with the condo crowd. It's always had a few colorful nicknames, even when Safeway had a small Marina store one block over. Coworkers and I used to regularly visit the current store's sandwich bar and deli employees, who were some of the best around the chain if they stayed there long term, tbh. Checkout there has always been terrible.

The urban Portland grocery stores used to be pretty awesome. As you mentioned, the BluePearl Taproom at Safeway was a great place to get a drink. The Pearl Whole Foods is a shadow of it's former self. The deli was better and I recall taking a class in the now-closed mezzanine cooking school. The Stadium Fred Meyer had a bar where I would meet friends Timbers games and have a cheap pre-game pint of beer, no idea if this will ever open again. The store also had a grill cheese sandwich station that went well with the beer. Plus the deli was more like the QFCs in Bellevue and University Village but now it's a boring old FM deli. The Hawthorne Fred Meyer also had some cool things like a hamburger bar and some sort of cool, custom hot dog stand. But now most of this is gone thanks to both COVID and the deterioration of inner Portland.

The unmistakable BO and Pot smell of customers in these stores also makes them hard to shop. But again these stores are necessary for life in urban centers. They add vitality and necessary services but the theft challenge has to be overcome without making them unshoppable or having special forces-style security guards watch you like a hawk. RFID chips that close the gates if they aren't scanned could be an alternative. When I've been to Europe, you have to scan your receipt at the door to get past the gates at some stores which an employee looking over everything, that might be also an alternative to look into.

[SamSpade]

Back to Portland, Macys left downtown, Nordstrom Rack left downtown, Target downsized its store; numerous retailers have left downtown. I guess they did get a new CVS (and the Rite Aid closed) in downtown. Many retailers left before the 2020 incidents, which I found odd, as I had a very positive impression of Portland before.

Just to correct the record here, Nordstrom Rack (and Nordstrom) is still in downtown Portland, albeit closing earlier than some suburban stores might.
Possibly you were confusing the nearby Ross Dress for Less, which did leave downtown but is nearby in Lloyd Center.

[storewanderer]

Possibly you were confusing the nearby Ross Dress for Less, which did leave downtown but is nearby in Lloyd Center.

Not only that, but it is being relocated to a larger space...
https://press.nordstrom.com/news-releas ... s-downtown

[Super S]

Possibly you were confusing the nearby Ross Dress for Less, which did leave downtown but is nearby in Lloyd Center.

Not only that, but it is being relocated to a larger space...
https://press.nordstrom.com/news-releas ... s-downtown

That article is from 2005....