The main point of the island is to hold a large walk-in wine fridge, something that definitely makes this store feel fancier than the typical Safeway! These are more of a QFC thing, and even they have removed them in some recent remodels. Until looking back at this picture, I had no idea Safeway sold store-brand wines -- that seems like a strange concept. (Sure, Costco sells all sorts of store-brand alcohol, but it seems different at a relatively normal store like Safeway.)
Ugh, Blogger was giving me trouble again last night!
ReplyDeleteThis looks pretty neat actually! As you mentioned with one of the other photos, this store is not-so-deluxe looking with the current decor, but this does make up for at least a little bit of the problems this store has with ugly floors, ugly lighting, and an ugly ceiling.
The typeface and lowercase lettering for cellar almost reminds me of Macy's 'the cellar' logo. I'm not sure if Macy's still uses that, but it was popular in the 1980s at least. Oddly enough, 'The Cellar' at my local Macy's in the 1980s was on the top floor of the store! Go figure!
Yep, not only does Safeway (and Albertsons I suppose) have their own Signature Reserve brand wine, but I also saw online that they also have their own Canadian and Tennessee straight whiskey in areas where they are allowed to sell such things (which would not be Texas). I couldn't tell you if any of these products are any good, but I do know they exist! Of course, I remember when Safeway sold their own brand beer under their Scotch Buy label in the early 1980s! Link: https://canmuseum.com/Detail.aspx?CanID=67170
Yeah, the decor here certainly makes up for at least a little bit of this store's shortcomings! Sadly, most Safeways these days have ugly floors (though a different type of ugly) and basically all have ugly lighting, so the nicer decor/less cheap remodel here does actually make a big difference in how the store looks, even if it's not apparent from the pictures.
DeleteInteresting! I had heard of grocery stores selling store-brand liquor in the 80s or so, but didn't realize that was becoming a thing again.