The tall, very industrial metal shelves in the liquor section are an unusual look for Safeway, very different from the furniture-like wood shelving they used in the Lifestyle era (and which most stores I've visited still have today). I'm not really sure what they were thinking here -- this is a real overbearing look, especially with the thick bars along the top of the shelving (which kind of look like the light bars that some stores used to have, but these hold signs instead of lights) and the narrowness of this aisle (I don't know why Safeway didn't shift the shelf on the right over a few feet, since the other side is the bakery area which has plenty of extra space).
Since I don't buy wine, not often at least, I suppose I don't really mind the shelving here that looks more like something from a liquor big box store than a supermarket. That isn't a knock against the liquor big box stores, some of them look quite nice like Total Wines and Goody Goody (I have no idea if either of these are in the Northwest). I guess they are trying to go for the big liquor store look though.
ReplyDeleteThat triangular department sign caught my attention more than the racks. Not only is that unusual for Safeway signage, in my experience at least, but they are totally giving away that the wood is fake wood by the inner panels being exposed like that! Granted, I doubt many people think that is real wood, but still, lol.
I've never been to a liquor big box store. I know we hate Total Wine and probably others, but they just aren't my sort of thing!
DeleteYeah, I should have mentioned the triangular sign, since (I'm pretty sure) it's another Woodgrain Lifestyle exclusive thing. At least the wood on that sign (and on the main department signs) looks less fake than a lot of other woodgrain patterns stores often use, including on the aisle markers in this picture!