I was about to write about how I somehow managed to take a picture with the "meat" sign completely blocked by that column, but then I looked back at my older pictures and it turns out the sign was instead supposed to say "
poultry"... and there's no way that would fit in the space blocked by the column. So apparently, this store now has a blank department sign, and somehow,
I didn't notice that at all when I was here. I was actually shopping for a few specific things I can't get at my local Safeway while I was here, and this is a clear sign of why I absolutely should
not combine my shopping and photography trips -- apparently I only have space for one of those things in my head at a time, and not only did I miss something as unusual as this, I also repeatedly forgot I was supposed to be shopping and had to circle back around to places I had just walked by. Anyway, at least the blank wall sign goes nicely with the blank aisle markers, which were already lacking any plaques on my first visit here in 2017, meaning this store has gone over 6 years with aisle markers that are pretty much useless. (Which is especially strange to see in a store that is otherwise in quite good shape!)
Huh, I guess the Cypress Station Kroger Signature store in February's HHR The Year of Kroger post wasn't the only Kroger property with missing department signage! Of course, there, all the departments were missing their signs! As for the missing aisle markers, maybe they were removed because they hang down too far? At least with this aisle that is in the photo, it's pretty obvious what is there so there isn't really a need for a more detailed aisle marker.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I like about shopping at a smaller Randall's as compared to something like a Kroger Marketplace, HEB, or even a regular Kroger Signature store is that it is a lot easier to shop in a disjointed manner at Randall's since the store is smaller and easier to crisscross if I need to go back and forth through the store. At the bigger stores, it's almost necessary to go in with a plan and stick to it or else it can become quite tiring to shop. Of course, at least with this QFC, it is hard to tell so far how easy the size and layout makes things for unorganized shopping trips!
Ha! Somehow, all the signs going missing at once seems a little less strange than just one being removed...
DeleteI've seen aisle markers like this in use at QFCs with much lower ceilings (which is pretty much every QFC) so I doubt that's it, but who knows!
This store has by far the most convoluted, disjointed layout of any store of any kind I've ever visited, and that includes the Coos Bay Fred Meyer! Here's a diagram I made previously, but it's even worse now with the security features at the entrance blocking circulation between produce and the service departments. It has, effectively, five separate salesfloors and four separate collections of aisles, across three levels, each of which has its own aisle numbering system (meaning that there are three individual aisle ones, for example). And almost none of those aisles actually tell you what's in them on their aisle markers. It's also the largest QFC out there. Most QFCs do have the advantage you mentioned, but this one is the complete opposite!