The back of the (surprisingly busy, and not quite monochrome) parking lot gives a decent view of the entire store, thanks to the leaves being gone from most of the parking lot trees. I get that this is pretty much the only thing around within this strictly-residential bit of sprawl, but it's still surprising to see a random strip mall drawing such a crowd on a weekday afternoon!
Ha, at least there are a couple of cars with a nice shades of blue, and an orange Dodge Charger, to save this image from monochrome monotony!
ReplyDeleteI read a blog post at a non-retail blog today where a guest contributor from somewhere near Seattle, Kirkland maybe based on the license plate frame in the photo, was ranting about today's wide trucks and SUVs taking up too much space in parking spots which are too small. The author took photos of badly parked SUVs and not-so-mini minivans in a Safeway parking lot. Hey, maybe you'll even recognize this Safeway! Rather shockingly, there isn't a photo of a badly parked Subaru. The only Subaru in the photos is a Legacy sedan which appears to be parked correctly! Anyway, I am amused that you have a parking lot photo today given what I read earlier, lol. Link: https://www.autoblog.com/2024/01/24/our-vehicles-got-bigger-so-why-are-we-parking-them-in-little-spaces/
This is not really related to anything Haggen, but maybe it fits the theme of a newer (well, not really in the case of the Haggen) supermarket which looks nice and a bit high-end in modern times. The link here shows a Market Basket supermarket in Massachusetts. You might think that this is a well-maintained 1990s supermarket like the Haggen, but your eyes are deceiving you if that is what you think because this supermarket was built in 2022-3! Not only is the design something 'established', but the customer service here is a real throwback as well. Notice the front end photos, they don't have any self-checkouts. They do have 10-12 open manned check outs and all have baggers with front end floor walkers assisting the baggers when necessary. All the male employees are wearing ties. The prices are pretty good too based on the ad. Their hot deli has a lot of offerings and they are cheap as well at least based on sale prices. They have a 19" deli pizza for $10.99 and a whole turkey & cheese sub for $4.99. In fact, the regular boxed sandwiches are $4.99, regular price, which I'm sure is less than what I paid at Safeway in Portland!
Anyway, it is neat that at least one grocer still believes in older styles of store design and customer service! I know Publix and Wegmans gets a lot of credit for doing that, but it looks like this blows away Publix and Wegmans even. Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/B9Ji73KDZBBo5vV27
That store does compete against a nearby Shaw's (Albertsons). It's not too bad looking for something from under the Albertsons umbrella, but I'm sure the customer service is quite lacking compared to the Market Basket. Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1poTpW6w2aAc4uncA
Ha, I do recognize that store, and it is in Kirkland! I don't think I've ever been there, but it's one of the only locations with Gesa Credit Union in it -- really, one of the last locations with any sort of bank.
DeleteI'm definitely not a fan of that Market Basket. I've honestly never much liked that style of decor from the late 90s and early 00s, and I generally don't shop at stores that don't have self checkout! I'm not a big fan of that Shaw's either, with its low ceiling and particularly bland version of PF&H -- their stores tend to be nicer than that! Not surprised about the pricing, though -- grocery prices have already gotten out of hand in Washington and Oregon, perhaps because Kroger and Safeway already don't have much motivation to compete due to their planned merger. Their prices have gone up so much that the local upscale stores are now somehow cheaper on some items!