One of these (aisle 29) things is not like the others
As with most Fred Meyers, this store has a mid-aisle cut-through in the grocery department. This one lines up quite nicely with the bulk foods sign in the distance!
It's a bit odd that yogurt is mixed in with cosmetics! Also, it's a bit strange that Kroger/FM lists the brand names of the cosmetics on the aisle markers instead of just sayings cosmetics. I suppose that makes sense since at least the local Kroger stores usually have separate displays for each cosmetics brands. Still, it's a bit strange.
This is a shameless plug for sure, but you might want to check out the latest guest blog post I did at HHR. It's certainly a 'broken chain' post as Retail Retell might put it. It's about a very short-lived toy store chain in Houston in the early-mid 1970s that was kind of like the Incredible Universe of toys. At the very least, it is the earliest example of a big box store having a major name fast food chain in their store. The next earliest example I can think of, Kmart experimenting with putting Wendy's in their store, was over a decade later! Link: https://houstonhistoricretail.com/2021/10/22/kids-kounty-goodness-grace-ious-what-a-toy-store/
Presumably, the left side of the aisle is part of dairy and the right side is cosmetics, but that's certainly a weird combination! I know I've discussed this sort of thing before with Retail Retell, and he seemed to think it was relatively normal, but I agree that it seems a little weird.
That's certainly a cool store! It's always interesting looking at stores from the past that really pushed the limits. I wonder what stores of today people will look back at in the same way a few decades down the line!
It's hard for me to think of any modern retailer that is as revolutionary as what Kids' Kounty must have been at the time. Some supermarkets now have in-store bars which seemed almost unthinkable a few years ago. Also, the Brookshire Brothers supermarket chain in East Texas (not to be confused with the Brookshire's supermarket chain also of East Texas...the same family spawned two major grocery chains!) recently built a new supermarket near Texas A&M University which has a terrace where they supposedly hold concerts and such. I guess that's pretty revolutionary.
Photos of the terrace are a bit hard to come by, but here is one photo of it: https://goo.gl/maps/sSKN4jeGUtpV2vW37
The inside of the store also has a mezzanine area where Texas A&M University students can study: https://goo.gl/maps/6f97ncNpy1nBKcCVA
The store itself is a bit of a HEB clone in many ways, but it does have some unique features like an enclosed produce department like a 1970s supermarket. Here are all of the photos of the place: https://goo.gl/maps/CDicoTranH4oBroz6
That's about the closest thing I can think of to a revolutionary retail experience!
Ironically enough, some of the most oddball concepts in physical retail these days are from Amazon! They seem to be the only ones doing anything innovative around here, at least.
I've seen yogurt and other dairy products in the same aisle as unrefrigerated juice in Marketplace stores, but sharing an aisle with cosmetics is a new one for me!
Around here, most Safeways have dairy on one side of an aisle with some sort of non-refrigerated grocery products on the other side, but having non-food products sharing an aisle with dairy is just weird!
It's a bit odd that yogurt is mixed in with cosmetics! Also, it's a bit strange that Kroger/FM lists the brand names of the cosmetics on the aisle markers instead of just sayings cosmetics. I suppose that makes sense since at least the local Kroger stores usually have separate displays for each cosmetics brands. Still, it's a bit strange.
ReplyDeleteThis is a shameless plug for sure, but you might want to check out the latest guest blog post I did at HHR. It's certainly a 'broken chain' post as Retail Retell might put it. It's about a very short-lived toy store chain in Houston in the early-mid 1970s that was kind of like the Incredible Universe of toys. At the very least, it is the earliest example of a big box store having a major name fast food chain in their store. The next earliest example I can think of, Kmart experimenting with putting Wendy's in their store, was over a decade later! Link: https://houstonhistoricretail.com/2021/10/22/kids-kounty-goodness-grace-ious-what-a-toy-store/
Presumably, the left side of the aisle is part of dairy and the right side is cosmetics, but that's certainly a weird combination! I know I've discussed this sort of thing before with Retail Retell, and he seemed to think it was relatively normal, but I agree that it seems a little weird.
DeleteThat's certainly a cool store! It's always interesting looking at stores from the past that really pushed the limits. I wonder what stores of today people will look back at in the same way a few decades down the line!
It's hard for me to think of any modern retailer that is as revolutionary as what Kids' Kounty must have been at the time. Some supermarkets now have in-store bars which seemed almost unthinkable a few years ago. Also, the Brookshire Brothers supermarket chain in East Texas (not to be confused with the Brookshire's supermarket chain also of East Texas...the same family spawned two major grocery chains!) recently built a new supermarket near Texas A&M University which has a terrace where they supposedly hold concerts and such. I guess that's pretty revolutionary.
DeletePhotos of the terrace are a bit hard to come by, but here is one photo of it: https://goo.gl/maps/sSKN4jeGUtpV2vW37
The inside of the store also has a mezzanine area where Texas A&M University students can study: https://goo.gl/maps/6f97ncNpy1nBKcCVA
The store itself is a bit of a HEB clone in many ways, but it does have some unique features like an enclosed produce department like a 1970s supermarket. Here are all of the photos of the place: https://goo.gl/maps/CDicoTranH4oBroz6
That's about the closest thing I can think of to a revolutionary retail experience!
Ironically enough, some of the most oddball concepts in physical retail these days are from Amazon! They seem to be the only ones doing anything innovative around here, at least.
DeleteI've seen yogurt and other dairy products in the same aisle as unrefrigerated juice in Marketplace stores, but sharing an aisle with cosmetics is a new one for me!
ReplyDeleteAround here, most Safeways have dairy on one side of an aisle with some sort of non-refrigerated grocery products on the other side, but having non-food products sharing an aisle with dairy is just weird!
Delete