Despite its size and low ceilings, this store has the full 3D Lifestyle v2 signage, rather than the cheaper versions I've seen elsewhere. (Safeway tends to do a surprisingly good job adapting their decor packages to low-ceiling stores, despite having relatively few of them -- the opposite situation to QFC!) The only thing that seems to be missing is the uplighting that is normally in the large box that the lettering stands on -- and, in fact, it appears that this store didn't get any of the fancy lighting that the original Lifestyle packages were known for (the lighting here appears to be old florescent tubes, not the new tube fixtures that Albertsons stuck in local Safeways after the merger).
While I was looking at Hawaii's Safeways on Google Maps, I noticed one location in a Marina store where it got the cheaper 2D Lifestyle v2 decor. Oddly enough, it appears the store only got renovated into Lifestyle v2 in 2017 or 2018! That seems like a pretty late date for a store to get Lifestyle v2, but hey, I guess Safeway thought it was still a pretty fresh look. I can't say I disagree. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/2cS8FDWGmgo3aMG2A
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Safeway and Lifestyle v2, I was at the local Lifestyle v2 Randall's earlier and I notice that they've put up some new artwork in one of the store entryways. The artwork is a giant black-and-white photo of an Albertsons store from the 1940s or 1950s (I'm guessing)! I'd call it local flair, but it's not local so I guess we'll have to call it just Albertsons flair at a store that isn't really an Albertsons! I wonder if any Safeways in your area will be getting similar Albertsons flair.
This is a bit of a shameless plug, but you may want to check out my latest guest post over at HHR. I found some more vintage retail videos from Dallas, but these are from a different news channel than the ones I found about a year ago. These were all filmed on actual film so the quality is very good...it's pretty much high definition. It's hard to find stuff from the 1970s that is as high quality as this. There's a great clip from a Kroger Superstore, some Safeway clips, a couple of Sears clips, and scenes from Dallas-area malls. I think you'll like this: https://houstonhistoricretail.com/2022/01/14/vintage-texas-retail-videos-in-1080p-from-the-jones-film-collection/
Honestly, I'm not particularly surprised by that late Lifestyle v2 remodel -- Safeway's NorCal division (which is responsible for Hawaii too) was known to use v2 much later than the rest of the chain. I'm not sure if they ever used v3, or if they skipped straight to Modern and Ultra-Premium (the other Hawaii decor package we were just discussing). I guess I'll know that when I eventually get around to the California part of the Safeway decor list project, but I haven't made much progress on that lately (I still just have Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska done), and California is rather daunting with how many stores and how many different brands they have!
DeleteThat Albertsons picture is certainly a strange addition! I can't see that happening around here -- after that one remodeled Albertsons we looked at recently, they've gone on another conversion spree, with pretty much all of the interesting Albertsons in Eastern Washington that I was hoping to see one day (along with plenty of others) about to be converted. ☹️
That's some cool stuff! The Safeway video is particularly interesting, showing what appears to be a Marina store with its original decor. The Superstore Kroger is also cool!