Stores that never were: Sacramento edition

[FrankMoore99]

In the Sacramento area, and in studying retail, I've discovered certain trends of where retailers chose to locate at back in the day and here is the list of the stores that I thought could've existed starting in the 90s or 2000s that never did. Were any of these proposed, but then shelved?? How many of these would still be operating, with out of business chains aside.

Auburn- Since studying the office supply store scene in the early to mid 2000s, many of the towns that still have one office supply store usually used to have two of them. Since Staples still operates in Auburn, was an Office Depot or an OfficeMax proposed for Auburn also in the late 90s/early 2000s??
A PlayPlace for one of the Auburn McDonald's locations

Citrus Heights- I am surprised that Citrus Heights never had a Bed Bath and Beyond, because the demographics for Citrus Heights would've fit and Bed Bath and Beyond tended to operate stores with 200,000 people per store.

Elk Grove- Barnes and Noble-I know this could very well happen in the near future, with rumors already circulating of one proposed in the Ridge Elk Grove center. But was a Barnes and Noble proposed for Elk Grove in the early to mid 2000s??

El Dorado Hills- was a Thirty/Payless/Rite Aid drug store proposed for the Raley's center back in the late 80s/early 90s??

Placerville- an Office Depot or Staples with the now closed OfficeMax store, a department store (JCPenney, Mervyn's, or Gottschalks), and an Albertson's grocery store (pre Lucky merger. Most likely would've become Ralphs)

I'm surprised there wasn't a Carl's Jr playground at any of the Rancho Cordova or central Sacramento locations back in the day?? It appears from looking at the map of the Ferrari Ranch location in Lincoln that a playground was about to be built?? Was that true?? https://www.google.com/maps/place/Carl% ... ?entry=ttu

What are your thoughts??

[ClownLoach]

In the Sacramento area, and in studying retail, I've discovered certain trends of where retailers chose to locate at back in the day and here is the list of the stores that I thought could've existed starting in the 90s or 2000s that never did. Were any of these proposed, but then shelved?? How many of these would still be operating, with out of business chains aside.

Auburn- Since studying the office supply store scene in the early to mid 2000s, many of the towns that still have one office supply store usually used to have two of them. Since Staples still operates in Auburn, was an Office Depot or an OfficeMax proposed for Auburn also in the late 90s/early 2000s??
A PlayPlace for one of the Auburn McDonald's locations

Citrus Heights- I am surprised that Citrus Heights never had a Bed Bath and Beyond, because the demographics for Citrus Heights would've fit and Bed Bath and Beyond tended to operate stores with 200,000 people per store.

Elk Grove- Barnes and Noble-I know this could very well happen in the near future, with rumors already circulating of one proposed in the Ridge Elk Grove center. But was a Barnes and Noble proposed for Elk Grove in the early to mid 2000s??

El Dorado Hills- was a Thirty/Payless/Rite Aid drug store proposed for the Raley's center back in the late 80s/early 90s??

Placerville- an Office Depot or Staples with the now closed OfficeMax store, a department store (JCPenney, Mervyn's, or Gottschalks), and an Albertson's grocery store (pre Lucky merger. Most likely would've become Ralphs)

I'm surprised there wasn't a Carl's Jr playground at any of the Rancho Cordova or central Sacramento locations back in the day?? It appears from looking at the map of the Ferrari Ranch location in Lincoln that a playground was about to be built?? Was that true?? https://www.google.com/maps/place/Carl% ... ?entry=ttu

What are your thoughts??

I think all of this would be good for Groceteria which discusses retail history a bit more.

[BatteryMill]

Speaking of Elk Grove, the southern Walmart was initially planned as a Target. Walmart, however, stuck with the planned Target shell through construction, hence why it looks a lot like one.

[mjhale]

Speaking of Elk Grove, the southern Walmart was initially planned as a Target. Walmart, however, stuck with the planned Target shell through construction, hence why it looks a lot like one.

More on Elk Grove, the other Walmart at Elk Grove Blvd and CA 99 has a Neighborhood Market in the same center as the Division 1 store. Interesting setup. Can't expand to a Supercenter? Just lease in the center to put the "Super" close by. Given Walmart's heavy reliance on grocery, I'd be curious of the Division 1 store's performance vs the Neighborhood Market. Do most people go to the Neighborhood Market for grocery, HBA and paper/cleaning and then to the Division 1 store for the "other" stuff? I wonder if this sort of setup is common in areas where Walmart doesn't have larger penetrations of Supercenters.

[ClownLoach]

Speaking of Elk Grove, the southern Walmart was initially planned as a Target. Walmart, however, stuck with the planned Target shell through construction, hence why it looks a lot like one.

More on Elk Grove, the other Walmart at Elk Grove Blvd and CA 99 has a Neighborhood Market in the same center as the Division 1 store. Interesting setup. Can't expand to a Supercenter? Just lease in the center to put the "Super" close by. Given Walmart's heavy reliance on grocery, I'd be curious of the Division 1 store's performance vs the Neighborhood Market. Do most people go to the Neighborhood Market for grocery, HBA and paper/cleaning and then to the Division 1 store for the "other" stuff? I wonder if this sort of setup is common in areas where Walmart doesn't have larger penetrations of Supercenters.

Walmart regularly will drop a neighborhood market in where they are being restricted by a municipal ordinance from operating a supercenter, or otherwise restricted from expanding a Div 1.

The most infamous example is in Santa Maria, CA where they leased directly next door, the other side of the wall. It was either a Borders or CompUSA next door, can't remember which but it's a Walmart neighborhood market.

There is another example in San Diego with a Walmart that can't physically expand so there is a neighborhood market across the road.

I have heard from a Walmart manager that when they are side by side or across from one another the neighborhood market revenue is frequently the same or even higher than the Div 1 store. This makes sense as they usually would only do this in areas otherwise underserved by conventional grocery chains.

[storewanderer]

Speaking of Elk Grove, the southern Walmart was initially planned as a Target. Walmart, however, stuck with the planned Target shell through construction, hence why it looks a lot like one.

More on Elk Grove, the other Walmart at Elk Grove Blvd and CA 99 has a Neighborhood Market in the same center as the Division 1 store. Interesting setup. Can't expand to a Supercenter? Just lease in the center to put the "Super" close by. Given Walmart's heavy reliance on grocery, I'd be curious of the Division 1 store's performance vs the Neighborhood Market. Do most people go to the Neighborhood Market for grocery, HBA and paper/cleaning and then to the Division 1 store for the "other" stuff? I wonder if this sort of setup is common in areas where Walmart doesn't have larger penetrations of Supercenters.

The preexisting Div 1 store was paired with a Pak N Save. When Pak N Save closed, Wal Mart took part of it for the Neighborhood Market.

There is cross in merchandising between the two and they have separate management.

[Alpha8472]

However, it can backfire. Usually if they are next to each other customers will patronize both stores. In Pleasanton, California Walmart had an existing non-supercenter. It then opened up a Neighborhood Market perhaps a mile away and another in nearby San Ramon.

The two Neighborhood Markets took customers away from the big Walmart and caused sales to drop. Now the big Walmart is a ghost town. It lost so much in sales that the store looks like it will close down.

There is some overlap between a Neighborhood Market and a non-supercenter Walmart. They both have pharmacies, health and beauty/cosmetics, greeting cards, paper goods, cleaning supplies, curbside pickup, propane, water machine, Coinstar, Pet Department, Toys, Baby Food, diapers, Garden items, etc.

You could avoid the non-supercenter and get practically everything you need for daily life. You would only need to go to the big Walmart if you needed clothing, electronics, paint, or car parts.

[storewanderer]

However, it can backfire. Usually if they are next to each other customers will patronize both stores. In Pleasanton, California Walmart had an existing non-supercenter. It then opened up a Neighborhood Market perhaps a mile away and another in nearby San Ramon.

The two Neighborhood Markets took customers away from the big Walmart and caused sales to drop. Now the big Walmart is a ghost town. It lost so much in sales that the store looks like it will close down.

There is some overlap between a Neighborhood Market and a non-supercenter Walmart. They both have pharmacies, health and beauty/cosmetics, greeting cards, paper goods, cleaning supplies, curbside pickup, propane, water machine, Coinstar, Pet Department, Toys, Baby Food, diapers, Garden items, etc.

You could avoid the non-supercenter and get practically everything you need for daily life. You would only need to go to the big Walmart if you needed clothing, electronics, paint, or car parts.

They just closed the Neighborhood Market in Granite Bay. There are two Supercenters pretty close. It was sad to see that store empty with one rack of merchandise left (90% off mostly random baby/cosmetic items and hundreds of the regularly .74 reusable bags for 7 cents each). That wasn't the first time I saw that building empty like that, I saw it that way as Ralphs too. It will be interesting to see if Smart & Final jumps on it.

[FrankMoore99]

However, it can backfire. Usually if they are next to each other customers will patronize both stores. In Pleasanton, California Walmart had an existing non-supercenter. It then opened up a Neighborhood Market perhaps a mile away and another in nearby San Ramon.

The two Neighborhood Markets took customers away from the big Walmart and caused sales to drop. Now the big Walmart is a ghost town. It lost so much in sales that the store looks like it will close down.

There is some overlap between a Neighborhood Market and a non-supercenter Walmart. They both have pharmacies, health and beauty/cosmetics, greeting cards, paper goods, cleaning supplies, curbside pickup, propane, water machine, Coinstar, Pet Department, Toys, Baby Food, diapers, Garden items, etc.

You could avoid the non-supercenter and get practically everything you need for daily life. You would only need to go to the big Walmart if you needed clothing, electronics, paint, or car parts.

They just closed the Neighborhood Market in Granite Bay. There are two Supercenters pretty close. It was sad to see that store empty with one rack of merchandise left (90% off mostly random baby/cosmetic items and hundreds of the regularly .74 reusable bags for 7 cents each). That wasn't the first time I saw that building empty like that, I saw it that way as Ralphs too. It will be interesting to see if Smart & Final jumps on it.

Hey. What does Walmart Neighborhood Markets in San Ramon and Pleasanton have to do with figuring out why different stores didn't locate in certain areas of Sacramento back in their expansion days. Which makes me wonder, where was Walmart proposed in the area that never got built or hasn't been built yet (Auburn and South Folsom for example)?? Was a Supercenter expansion ever planned for the Placerville, Rancho Cordova, Woodland, Natomas, or Elk Grove locations??

[Alpha8472]

I was just comparing how in some cities such as Woodland, California near Sacramento, the Walmart was not able to become a supercenter. So Walmart opened up a Neighborhood Market in Woodland about a mile away from the bigger Walmart. It took away many customers and sales from the bigger Walmart. It is unlikely that people would shop for groceries at one and drive a mile to shop at the bigger Walmart. It actually decreases the sales numbers for the big Walmart store. Store performance is what Walmart looks at when closing stores, and since California is suffering from shoplifting then it pits the Walmart stores in line for possible closure due to poor performance and high theft.

Target wanted to expand their tiny 80s decor store which was originally a Gemco at County Fair Mall in Woodland, California. That was rejected. Target left the mall and built a new store farther away.

The mall suffered due to losing its main anchor of Target. It wasn't until Walmart Neighborhood Market moved in when customers came back.