Anyway, that's it for this look at yet another Albertsons that is no longer! I don't expect to be back in this area in the foreseeable future, but if I do end up here for some reason, I'll definitely have to check out the world's first Pavilionbertsons. 🙂 While it's sad to see such a rare interior go away, the new Ultra-Premium decor looks quite nice here, judging by the pictures the SoCal Supermarket Blogger posted!
Speaking of Grocery Palace Gonebertsons, I figured it would be a good time to check in on the Hillsboro, OR Grocery Palace Albertsons that was in the process of becoming a Safertsons the last time we checked in on it some months back. This is the one that still had an operating Albertsons Express in 2023! Anyway, there are a number of photos of it up now wearing, what else, Lifestyle v3. Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/49vJhZ7p7wai3WLn6
ReplyDeleteI guess this isn't too much different from the Troutdale Grocery Palace Safertsons I went to. Still, it is strange seeing those early Lifestyle like checkout area signs and such! It is sad that the Grocery Palace floor is gone, but the new floor looks good. Say what you want about Lifestyle v3, but I think it looks a lot better than the dull decor that Albertsons had previously!
Also, some Lifestyle v3 photos are starting to pop up of the Cully Neighborhood Albertsons which I went to. I know I mentioned it, but here is photographic proof of the somewhat strange Lifestyle v3 and Blue & Grey Market Tetris floor combo! Also, clearly 3's a Crowd doesn't apply here, lol. Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yeDh6YKPvZd3HEAP8
Hmm, looks like Safeway has finally updated Lifestyle's front end signage! I can't tell about the register lights, but the "Express" and "Self Check Out" signs are a different color and font, and also title case! The aisle markers also have a plainer font and are title case. The front end signs are particularly weird to see since they remained pretty much unchanged for 20 years!
DeleteLooks like the Blue & Grey Market store has the original signage, so it must be a very recent change... or another weird Portland Division one-off tweak to Lifestyle v3, something they've done in other ways before. I've been to some Blue & Grey Market-era stores with Lifestyle v3, but never one with the original flooring still in place!
There are a couple of oddities with the Cully Albertsons you may have noticed. One, is that an old Lifestyle v1 era restroom sign? I actually didn't notice that when I was there, but it was probably there at that time. Also, and I noticed this when I was there, it says "serving Portland since 1926," but that is clearly a Safeway date and not an Albertsons date even though that store is still an Albertsons! Perhaps that is not so unusual at Albertsons which are carrying Safeway decor.
DeleteI believe that restroom sign was used in all versions of Lifestyle, but maybe some divisions are using a newer design with Lifestyle v3 -- the one that store has is the only one I'm familiar with, though! I've even seen some Modern stores that still have the Lifestyle sign.
DeleteI didn't even think about that fact with the decor, and I bet the designers didn't either! Or perhaps the plan was to rebrand that store as a Safeway and that just didn't happen for one reason or another. Either way, I doubt there are many stores that still carry the Albertsons name, have Lifestyle decor, and are in areas where Safeway had a presence before Albertsons even existed! (Maybe some in California, though...)