It's hard to say what the least common department is in these small/old stores, but my guess would be that it's the pharmacy. I'm not sure exactly when Safeway started building stores with pharmacies, but it was certainly far later than the Marina era! This picture also gives a good sense of the somewhat futile placement of the signage on the back wall soffit -- though I've seen far worse, and these signs are at least somewhat visible from the front end.
That's a good question about when Safeway started including pharmacies in their stores. They certainly had them in the 1970s at some point because I shopped at 1970s era Safeways which had pharmacies, but I don't know if I can remember any 1960s Safeways here in Houston which might have had pharmacies added to them by the time I saw them.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about the original Houston Safeways is that at least at some point in the early 1970s and through at least part of the 1980s, almost every Safeway here opened in a shopping center which also had an Eckerd pharmacy. I suppose Safeway must have acknowledged that not every one of their shoppers was going to use their pharmacy and they decided to still try to serve those who would rather use Eckerd. We also have some old shopping centers which would have had a Kmart (with a pharmacy), Eckerd, and Safeway!
As far as unusual departments at Safeway, do any Safeways in your area have Kosher Markets? The Randall's in the Meyerland neighborhood of Houston, which has a large Jewish population, has a fairly significant Kosher department. Here's a look at it: https://goo.gl/maps/YDeBpKk92EREZXS47
If you look at the pictures of the store I linked above, you'll see that it had a Lifestyle package similar to the store you photographed, but it has been renovated into a modern Lifestyle package in the last year or two. Fortunately, Safeway kept the existing flooring. A concrete floor at that location most certainly would not look nice. It's good that Safeway/Albertsons is renovating stores in this area because there are always questions about their commitment to this area.
On the topic of a previous conversation, we talked about how Albertsons-era Safeways have unmanned floral departments. I found a photo from 2018 of my local Randall's store and the floral department there. The floral desk has a sign with the hours of the department and it also has a modern looking register there. Does that mean that it is still manned or did Albertsons start phasing that out after 2018? Link: https://goo.gl/maps/cMDRK7Ed4emFJsrA6
I shared this with Retail Retell on his blog, but here's an awesome retro Kroger in the small east Texas town of Henderson which is an old Safeway (I'm 99% sure). It's amazing how many 1970s-80s Safeway features Kroger has kept here including the old Food & Drugs signs on the outside of the store, the little 'S' medallion logo (covered with a Kroger logo, of course), and check out the inside of it! Look at the back of the produce department (you may need to zoom in) and you'll see a bread section with very retro looking wooden roofing shingles. Also, there are mirrored columns in the store and all kinds of retro touches. If you want a taste of 1970s Safeway, this Kroger might be the place to be! Link: https://goo.gl/maps/JDajKwSqg9URwTNz7
Around here, it was quite common for grocery stores to be paired up with pharmacies (typically Pay N Save, later Payless and now Rite Aid), with Albertsons being the most common grocery store but Safeway and QFC showing up too. It's interesting to hear that stores in your area were doing that even when the grocery store had a pharmacy too -- I've only seen that with grocery stores that don't have pharmacies! But I think it was a bit later here that grocery store pharmacies started showing up around here -- which wouldn't be surprising since the northwest seems to be the last to get any new grocery concept.
DeleteI'm not sure about kosher departments in Safeways around here. I haven't seen any myself, and I kind of doubt they'd want to put in a specific department for that in the smaller stores we have, but who knows. When you say it kept its flooring, do you mean the beige vinyl in the perimeter or just the white and woodgrain vinyl (with the beige being swapped for more white)? I really don't like what Safeway is doing around here with swapping the beige for ugly white, while keeping the (extremely) worn-out white flooring in the aisles and woodgrain in produce intact. It looks terrible!
Regarding the floral counters, I honestly don't know. It's odd to see an hours sign like that, but the legacy Safeways around here do still have registers in their floral departments. In terms of timing, they started cutting staff right around the time of the merger, and I know the floral department staff were gone well before 2018 (though I don't know exactly when).
That vintage store is a cool find! It doesn't look like any old Safeways I've seen, but that's not saying much (and Safeway had somewhat more regional differences in those days from what I can tell).
Oh, and while I have you, someone on Flickr has posted pictures of the new Rite Aid decor! I've asked if they were able to tell if the trees were real or fake... I'll have to see if I hear back.
Thanks for sending over the Rite Aid photos. That Grab-N-Go section makes sense given the seating area. Je and I were looking at the photos of the place and wondering if there was a place for people to buy drinks and such if they are using the sitting area while using the Wi-Fi.
DeleteAs for the flooring at the Randall's, I think the store has some combination of the wood-like vinyl in the front of the store and produce department, darker tan vinyl around the back actionway, and then more of a lighter tan/white vinyl in the aisles. I don't think that's changed from the previous Lifestyle decor package, but I'm not 100% sure. If anything, I think the woodgrain tile would have replaced some of the darker beige ones.
Here's an image of how the store looks with the new decor: https://goo.gl/maps/7q7jcxzZjx4yByHY6
Here's an older image from the old decor package, but it shows how Randall's here takes pretty good care of their floors. These aren't old, scuffed vinyl tiles, they're maintained at a pretty high standard: https://goo.gl/maps/ChQqNrjsJAewawBM8
One thing Randall's was known for in their pre-Safeway days was having a grand vestibule and/or entryway into the store. Old Randall's locations which are still operating have maintained this. Check out this vestibule at that location. There's a mini-produce department on one side and then a selection of vases for the floral department on the other side. It's quite impressive. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/JZnwpMaq46MTo5BTA
Here's another view: https://goo.gl/maps/L5NLrkukqGvmxoWKA
In addition to the Kosher Market, the bakery, deli, and other area of the stores serve Kosher products. I suspect Safeway only has Kosher departments like that in areas with high Jewish populations. Smaller stores may not be able to have a full Kosher Market, but maybe they still have Kosher bakery items and such. Here's a link to some Kosher cakes: https://goo.gl/maps/UUm3ZeuVxZvoRyHm7
Given all of this, you can probably see why Randall's is considered a pretty high-end store here in Houston, but I'm not sure how much of this is also at your local Safeways. As much as our Lifestyle Randall's look like NW Safeways, maybe there are some subtle regional differences, but maybe not. Sometimes it's hard to say without actually visiting several stores in both areas!
If you remember that old Safeway commercial I showed you with the carts, at the end they showed a Safeway which looks like the one in Henderson. The difference is that the Henderson one has a Spanish tile roof which is a common feature of old Texas Safeways. While you guys had Marina stores up where you are, we had Spanish tiles and big columns. Here's a Fiesta Mart in an old Safeway which has the features of an old Houston area Safeway: https://goo.gl/maps/usJLb7ippgQvgjS38
Yes, here in Houston, it was common for Safeways, Randall's, and a bit less commonly Krogers to be in shopping centers with pharmacy stores (usually Eckerd, but sometimes Walgreens) even though they had pharmacies themselves. It was a strange thing that never made a ton of sense to me, but I guess they thought they'd get more traffic that way. Even in modern times, it's not unheard of for Kroger stores here to have a Walgreens or CVS as an outparcel in the same shopping center.
Sorry, that image of the Fiesta Mart in the old Safeway that I posted above was not a very good angle. Here's a better angle. It might not be obvious, the the Fiesta sign has neon outlining the letters and also chasing lights which are animated at night kind of like something from Las Vegas. It's quite impressive!
DeleteLink: https://goo.gl/maps/THcYRRbRmrqJ25yg6
Here's a night shot, the animated lights aren't highly obvious but I do think you can make them out: https://goo.gl/maps/eZgqrcxg7mC1GfiQ7
Ah, so that's Lifestyle v3, rather than "Modern", which is what the Washington stores are using. Lifestyle v3 still uses the traditional Lifestyle flooring, while Modern typically uses either plain vinyl or polished concrete. It's good to hear that your stores are doing a good job of keeping the floors looking good... ours don't seem to be.
DeleteI like that vestibule thing! Yeah, that certainly looks pretty high end. The closest thing I know of is the Port Angeles Safeway, which doesn't have a vestibule but does have produce displays spilling out into the entryway and even onto the sidewalk when the weather is nice. Some other Safeways have a similar setup, but I haven't found one yet around here that's quite as nice as Port Angeles (strangely enough)!
I actually really like that Port Angeles Safeway. I wonder if that was built sometime around the period where Safeway was not in Houston (~1988-1998) in between having their own stores and buying out Randall's. The stores that Safeway opened after they bought Randall's look somewhat similar, but a little different. I prefer the design of the Port Angeles Safeway though even though those early 2000s Randall's were pretty nice as well. I quite like the different bricks on the side with the angle. That's neat. Also, is there an old fire engine in the store?
ReplyDeleteI know you like concrete floors, but to me, that Port Angeles store is almost the perfect environment for grocery shopping. Nice, warm colors on the walls, a tall drop ceiling with ample, but not excessive lighting, and tan non-industrial flooring which contributes to the warm feeling of the store. That feels like a nice environment to be to unwind a bit after a long day at work. The industrial look that is popular now just feels cold and uninviting, but that's just me.
As for what I assume the "Modern" decor, I think the only Randall's to have that in Houston is the Midtown store on the edge of downtown. With the recent closure of the Midtown Fiesta (which was not Fiesta's choice, it was forced on them by their landlord), that Randall's is the only major chain grocer in or near downtown Houston if you can believe that. As you can imagine, the store does quite well AFAIK due to it having near-monopoly status. I suppose other grocers don't want to play in that area since it's very expensive to build in that area since something will have to be torn down to make room for a store, the space will be limited with almost required use of an underground parking lot, and there is a mix of wealthy and poor customers in the downtown/uptown area which might make it difficult to operate a store which works for everyone. Nonetheless, Randall's/Safeway seems to have made things work for them. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/bXanGJqKu2wUoMPDA
In the Dallas area, Randall's is known as Tom Thumb. It's pretty much the same thing aside from a different name. Both are considered upscale grocers. In Dallas, Albertsons is still around as well so I assume Tom Thumb takes the upscale approach and Albertsons the more mainstream approach. They have Tom Thumb in Dallas close to downtown which is very, very nice (though there is one even closer to downtown which is also nice). It has the "Modern" decor (I assume), but with some kind of ceramic tile or something like that. It's a very nice, upscale looking combo. This is the best I've seen that decor package look: https://goo.gl/maps/hzMTmSE3yrBjG5D1A
One thing you'll notice about that Tom Thumb, and also the Midtown Houston Randall's, is that the aisles are named after streets in town in addition to having numbers. I don't know if that's a common thing with that decor package.
Here's a Lifestyle Tom Thumb in a somewhat inner suburb of Dallas, Irving. The store has a lounge area in the center of the store with a grand piano! The store might not look too different from NW Safeways aside from that piano, but I suppose you can see why we might consider Randall's/Tom Thumbs to be higher end grocers. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/M15EJWJCCURC21z99
Of course, maybe the Port Angeles Safeway has a fire truck so maybe that counts as being upscale, but I don't know. But, yeah, it's funny to see the subtle differences at Safeways which contribute to very different feelings about them!
Ha, no, the fire truck is in the fire station across the street! But I do agree that the PA Safeway is a pretty nice store. That store was built in 1995, and the 90s stores (which I call the "Brick and Block model") are my second-favorite architectural era for Safeway (after the Marina era, obviously). I have pictures of quite a few stores from that era, but this one (which I don't have pictures of) is probably my favorite.
DeleteYep, that's the Modern decor -- though neither of those stores have quite the same version as what we have up here. Our stores have soft colors on the walls instead of plain white, which I think looks a lot nicer. I also have tons of pictures of stores with that decor package, many of which can be found with the Safeway tag on here. I really like that Tom Thumb store -- certainly a much nicer version of the package than what I'm used to! I'm jealous -- though, then again, we have fancy stores like that around here (QFC and the very high end stores), I just don't shop at them.
Those street name/local landmark plaques on the aisle markers are an original thing from the Florida Safeways that were the first users of that decor package. For some reason, almost none of the stores around here have them, even though the aisle markers have 7 slots (meaning that there's an extra one that should have the landmark plaque!).
I've definitely seen some Safeways with nice lounge/seating areas (my current Safeway has a very nice indoor and outdoor seating area, or at least it did prior to COVID), but not a piano! That store also has my all-time favorite Safeway decor package, Colorful Lifestyle v2, which sadly hasn't ever appeared in the northwest. Safeway's Washington region has gone all in on the Modern decor, and the Oregon region has been experimenting with various (ugly) versions of Lifestyle v3 instead. Gone are the days of a standardized Safeway decor package, sadly.
I think that Colorful Lifestyle v2 package is pretty popular here at Randall's and Tom Thumb stores. That's a shame that you guys don't get it up in the NW. It seems like it would be one of those standardized Lifestyle things, but I guess not!
DeleteIf that Randall's store I shared with you earlier, the one with the Kosher Market, has Lifestyle v3, I must say that I do like it. Maybe it's because most of the rest of the store kept the older Lifestyle aspects, I don't know. I don't mind a little color in the decor as long as it's tastefully done and matches well with everything else. Of course, I'm the weirdo who thinks that the so-called Food 4 Less Kroger decor package, which is not uncommon here in Houston, looks better than just about anything else Kroger is using these days!
Here's another Tom Thumb in Dallas which has that Modern decor with a ceramic tile floor (it might not be ceramic, but something like it). This looks very nice on the outside and inside. I especially like what they've done with the register area. Maybe they should take the Rite Aid approach and add some plants to those wooden beams. Anyway, the store is exceptionally nice for a modern supermarket, don't you think? Link: https://goo.gl/maps/RfycrY1qghD31Z3P7
Yes, most Randall's stores here to have nice sitting areas. It seems to be something Safeway has emphasized more than other grocers. The newer, larger stores tend to have even better sitting areas, but still I've never seen one with a piano! I wonder if they hire professional pianists to perform on it or if it's open for the public.
I kind of figured that Port Angeles Safeway was from the period when Safeway was not in Houston. It's a shame we didn't get that design. That Kirkland store has a nice exterior, but the interior is bland with either the Lifestyle or Modern decor. I much prefer the Port Angeles store on the inside.
You know, I've shopped in the Port Angeles store probably thousands of times, so I've never thought of it as being particularly interesting. That's especially true when it still had Lifestyle v1, like in the Google Maps pictures, which I've always thought is one of the most boring decor packages out there. But there must be something there that I wouldn't really even think about, since in my mind it's way more boring than the stores you're mentioning!
DeleteI really want to like Lifestyle v3, with the nice color palette, but I just can't get over the script font. That's why I like Colorful Lifestyle v2 so much -- it combines the colors I like from Lifestyle v3 with the wall signage I like from Lifestyle v2. That's also why I like many of the recent Kroger decor packages, especially Marketplace/Banner and Urban Mix. I like the pictures I've seen of the Food 4 Less decor too, but I've never seen it in person since Krogers up here are far too upscale for that decor package!
Looking at that store, it used to be a Fresh Market -- no wonder it looks so upscale! I've never been in a Fresh Market since they are an east coast chain, but from the pictures I've seen online, it appears that Tom Thumb kept quite a bit of the Fresh Market decor, which is why those stores look so nice. But still, the fact that they're taking over former Fresh Markets shows how upscale they are!
Good catch about that being a former Fresh Market. I didn't realize that. We had The Fresh Market very briefly here in Houston when they purchased all but one location from the upscale local chain Rice Epicurean Market, but the The Fresh Market failed quickly and I didn't get a chance to visit one of their stores. We still have one Rice Epicurean though fortunately. It's a store which looks quite 1980s-like on the inside, but they do have superior service.
DeleteHopefully the Safeway/Albertsons people saw how nice the Fresh Market-"Modern" decor mix works and might steal some ideas from it in future revisions of the decor package. It's a bit strange to see a mixed approach look so good. Then again, some of those The Fresh Market touches are probably quite expensive and are more than what Safeway is willing to spend.
As far as QFCs and such getting the Kroger Food 4 Less package, well, that's probably not going to happen! That said, Kroger did open a newly built large store here in Houston a few years ago which opened with, and still has, the Food 4 Less package. It opened as a Kroger Signature store which is what Kroger calls their more upscale stores in this area. However, the use of the Signature designation sometimes is rather random and it seems that Kroger is either becoming more picky about what they call Signature stores or are eliminating the designation in general as some stores, including the Food 4 Less package store, have become de-signed for a lack of a better word, lol.
Although the Food 4 Less package is usually used in older Greenhouse type stores in areas which can be described as being diverse in terms of demographics, the Food 4 Less package has been put into some stores here which are newer and are Signature type stores. When the new store that had the Food 4 Less package opened, the newspaper covering the opening quoted a Kroger person saying how diverse the store's area is. However, it's not clear if that's why they picked the Food 4 Less package. Anyway, Houston is quite a diverse town, even sometimes in better neighborhoods, and so perhaps that's why the Food 4 Less package gets used in stores that are seemingly more upscale.
Here's a link to that newly built Kroger store with the Food 4 Less package: https://goo.gl/maps/qQMGRdTqTENjrsTt7
I have shopped at stores with the Food 4 Less package and I very much like it. It makes the stores brighter and more cheerful. I should say that I've never shopped at a location which has that package and concrete floors though so I don't know if that makes a difference.