At long last, here's a first look at the actual cartoons of this store! The produce one is mounted on a large corrugated metal background that wraps around the produce prep area ceiling (which is an extra-tall one like Mill Creek used to have -- so clearly this design was used in the Cartoon era, which I didn't originally think it was), along with some corrugated metal awnings on the sides. I personally can't stand the aesthetic of corrugated metal, so I'm glad Fred Meyer limited its use to only being on the island ceiling thing!
Interestingly, this store either has an unusual variant of Cartoon with pastel colors, or the decor here has faded severely. Personally my guess is the latter, but there's evidence here for both theories. In my opinion, the lighter colors make the anthropomorphized food look even more creepy!
I think it would be quite strange for Fred Meyer to purposely use such muted colors. Then again, it would be strange for Kroger to continue to use this decor if it originally had normal colors, but has faded to the condition that it is in now.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the corrugated metal looks pretty ugly. I typically associate such decor with modern industrial retail, but I guess it was in use even ~20 years ago. Then again, with the warehouse-like open ceiling and concrete floors, this store was an early adopter of the industrial look.
Speaking of times that were about 20 years ago, I found this randomly while searching for something. The box says only 4,700 of those were made, but I wonder if they even sold that many. I can't imagine this was too hot of a seller for Kroger/Fred Meyer, lol. Link: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/381048030379-0-1/s-l1000.jpg
Yeah, it's certainly weird either way. There are a few more pictures coming that will only confuse the matter more, haha!
DeleteI feel like Fred Meyer was trying out some of these industrial-style design concepts well before they became the mainstream design. Which is somewhat ironic, since by the time they became mainstream Fred Meyer had shifted to a more upscale look!
That toy car is certainly amusing, but it's also cool to see all of their logos from back whenever this was made! I wonder if they forgot QFC, though, or if it's hiding somewhere out of view in that picture.