And there are no "indoor/outdoor" tricks going on here -- the space between the two buildings is completely open air, without any sort of roof to protect it from the elements. There are breezeways running along the front and back of the building complex, but if you're shopping here and it's raining, the only thing that will protect you as you go from one side of the store to the other is a small fabric awning. Of course, this isn't Seattle, so the rain isn't nearly as much of a concern as I always imagine it to be!
That "stop" sign must date back to the very early days of COVID, considering its vague reference to "the virus". Or maybe whoever wrote it was just very concerned about being able to reuse it in a future pandemic! Honestly, if that happens, we have bigger things to worry about than being able to dig old signs out of storage to use again.
Ha, I have to admit that I thought you had already done a series about this store! Then I remembered that the Houston retail enthusiast group had discussed this store in-depth several months ago, maybe even a couple of years ago, and I was thinking of that. But, anyway, it'll be neat to get interpretations of this store from someone who actually went there!
ReplyDeleteRain? In San Diego? I think that's even more rare than clear winter days in Seattle! If there is any city in the US where a retailer could pull off something like this, it is probably San Diego! Even still, it is still very bizarre. Safeway sometimes gets accused of running cookie-cutter looking stores, but this isn't quite that!
Ha, don't say that! I've had literal nightmares in the past about posting a store that I've already done! 😃 A significant number of the California stores I visited have been covered by the Socal Supermarket Blogger on Flickr since the time of my trip. However, I don't think this is one that they've posted.
DeleteSan Diego has a much more moderate climate than most of Southern California, but it is certainly still quite dry compared to what I'm used to! I suppose the lack of excessive heat is probably a good thing for this outdoor store too, since otherwise the courtyard could get pretty unpleasant without much in the way of shade, along with the air conditioning losses from the doors opening even more often as people walk between the two halves of the store.
Safeway's late-00s stores definitely didn't have a lot of variety most of the time, but this is clearly a huge exception to that rule!