I'm Spreading the Rumor of a Downtown Grocery Store! (Detroit: buy, public schools)

[Dave Wojo]

Wow! This thread took a dark turn.

Dave

[fmax]

"Wow! This thread took a dark turn."


Let's organize a Death Pool on the new shop owner.

Will the new owner get shot on an odd day/even day?

Will the shooter be under/over the age of consent? Will the shooter be charged as an adult?

[Retroit]

Will Jesse Jackson get his car stolen when he comes to town to defend the poor family man who was only trying to feed his family.

[us66]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Just wait till the first underprivileged, oppressed minority gets shot by security guards while stealing a jacket full of prime cuts of beef.

That happened a few years ago at the Royal Oak Township Kroger. A co-worker of mine's (since retired) son was working at that store at the time. It was a huge story, probably 2001, 2002. I believe Geoff Fieger was retained.

[rdub1968]

Originally Posted by us66

Actually, there are. The Super K Mart on Telegraph is in Detroit. There is also an Aldi in Highland Park and two in Detroit (Mack/Alter, 8/Gratiot) and several Save-A-Lots (Houston-Whittier/Queen, Harper/Conner, Tireman/Schaefer, also one way down Gratiot (don't remember exactly where).

Thank you for pointing that out us66. I read an article about a year ago and it called Detroit a food desert.

[us66]

Originally Posted by rdub1968

Thank you for pointing that out us66. I read an article about a year ago and it called Detroit a food desert.

There's also independent supermarkets all over the place of varying quality. Also there is a Super Wal*Mart a half-mile outside the city limits (Ford/Southfield). Parts of Detroit are food deserts, but most parts of Detroit with sizable populations or some household income have a halfway decent market not too far away.

[edub]

There are many grocery stores in Detroit. There are no super markets in Detroit.

The executives of the large super markets stay out of Detroit for obvious economic reasons. First, they know they can't combat theft. Second, the legal costs of attempting to do so would be cost prohibitive. Third, they would also be facing sub-standard employee performance and employee theft which would reduce their margins even further.

And then, they would have to deal with the negative publicity and anti-discrimination suits that would arise every time an employee was fired.

The owners of small grocery stores can put up bullet proof glass, jack up their prices and carry a couple of guns. Plus, their family members make up the staff and they aren't worried about public image.

No, for big super markets doing business in Detroit is a lose, lose proposition.

When will people learn that crime causes poverty.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by edub

There are many grocery stores in Detroit. There are no super markets in Detroit.

The executives of the large super markets stay out of Detroit for obvious economic reasons. First, they know they can't combat theft. Second, the legal costs of attempting to do so would be cost prohibitive. Third, they would also be facing sub-standard employee performance and employee theft which would reduce their margins even further.

And then, they would have to deal with the negative publicity and anti-discrimination suits that would arise every time an employee was fired.

The owners of small grocery stores can put up bullet proof glass, jack up their prices and carry a couple of guns. Plus, their family members make up the staff and they aren't worried about public image.

No, for big super markets doing business in Detroit is a lose, lose proposition.

When will people learn that crime causes poverty.

Have you been to any of the grocery stores in Detroit or are you just talking nonsense as usual? They don't have bulletproof glass, nobody is carrying guns. The ones I shop at are very nice, very clean, and the employees are very friendly.

I would put the place I usually shop at up against any of the chain grocery stores in the suburbs, both in terms or service and quality of food. The produce at Honeybee is superior to anything I can find in the suburbs, where I usually have to dig through a pile of rot to find a mediocre fruit or vegetable. Prices are not jacked up because the food is purchased right at the docks in Detroit. There's a full deli counter and butchery that has everything Kroger does, plus local stuff like Dearborn Hams and Polish Sausage from Hamtramk.

Honeybee Market is my neighborhood grocer and I wouldn't trade it for a Kroger or Farmer Jack's or any other chain grocer. The service is great. They carry specialty products, the meat and produce is always fresh, and it is near where I live. The only thing I'd like is a downtown grocer that has a selection of produce and packaged meats. Midtown has Kim's Produce, which is great if you live in Midtown, but I can't walk that far and because we don't have mass transit, I'd have to drive there, which defeats the purpose of living in a city.

As usual, your wild generalizations of what it's like to do business in Detroit are incorrect and over-exaggerated. I don't see anyone stealing stuff from where i shop. There's no security at the door. There are no "shady characters" trying to steal t-bone steaks in their pants. Your schtick is absolutely ridiculous. To bet honest, I don't care if a chain store ever opens up in Detroit. I just wish I had a grocer within a few blocks walking distance. Until then, I'll continue patronizing Honeybee, University, and Kim's.

[us66]

Originally Posted by ForStarters

Have you been to any of the grocery stores in Detroit or are you just talking nonsense as usual? They don't have bulletproof glass, nobody is carrying guns. The ones I shop at are very nice, very clean, and the employees are very friendly.

I would put the place I usually shop at up against any of the chain grocery stores in the suburbs, both in terms or service and quality of food. The produce at Honeybee is superior to anything I can find in the suburbs, where I usually have to dig through a pile of rot to find a mediocre fruit or vegetable. Prices are not jacked up because the food is purchased right at the docks in Detroit. There's a full deli counter and butchery that has everything Kroger does, plus local stuff like Dearborn Hams and Polish Sausage from Hamtramk.

Honeybee Market is my neighborhood grocer and I wouldn't trade it for a Kroger or Farmer Jack's or any other chain grocer. The service is great. They carry specialty products, the meat and produce is always fresh, and it is near where I live. The only thing I'd like is a downtown grocer that has a selection of produce and packaged meats. Midtown has Kim's Produce, which is great if you live in Midtown, but I can't walk that far and because we don't have mass transit, I'd have to drive there, which defeats the purpose of living in a city.

As usual, your wild generalizations of what it's like to do business in Detroit are incorrect and over-exaggerated. I don't see anyone stealing stuff from where i shop. There's no security at the door. There are no "shady characters" trying to steal t-bone steaks in their pants. Your schtick is absolutely ridiculous. To bet honest, I don't care if a chain store ever opens up in Detroit. I just wish I had a grocer within a few blocks walking distance. Until then, I'll continue patronizing Honeybee, University, and Kim's.

I really like reading your stories (and I owe you a rep point or two), but as they say in old car ads regarding fuel economy, your mileage may vary. If most people in Detroit had such good times and optimism there would still be one million people living in the city. You also spend your time in the city around places that aren't gangrenous sores on the city. If you lived at someplace like Houston-Whittier and Gratiot, your experiences would be much different. In the outer portions of the city, there are security guards waiting for people to steal meat, the baby formula and razor blades are heavily guarded, and the customer service desk is often equipped with bullet-resistant glass. Heck,even my local store at 16 and Harper (not a great area but not the ghetto) has bullet-resistant glass at customer service.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by us66

I really like reading your stories (and I owe you a rep point or two), but as they say in old car ads regarding fuel economy, your mileage may vary. If most people in Detroit had such good times and optimism there would still be one million people living in the city. You also spend your time in the city around places that aren't gangrenous sores on the city. If you lived at someplace like Houston-Whittier and Gratiot, your experiences would be much different. In the outer portions of the city, there are security guards waiting for people to steal meat, the baby formula and razor blades are heavily guarded, and the customer service desk is often equipped with bullet-resistant glass. Heck,even my local store at 16 and Harper (not a great area but not the ghetto) has bullet-resistant glass at customer service.

Certainly, every part of a city is not the same. I happen to live in one of Detroit's nicer areas. I've seen the worst parts of Detroit, and I think all of the city has potential. I am cautiously optimistic about the city as a whole, but why would I focus on what's bad when I can focus on what's good. I mean, the reality of my daily life is not some negative depressing world that some people would like to believe it is. Detroit is an interesting place. There's history here, and there's a lot of neat stuff happening here. If I lived in New York's Upper East Side, or Chicago's Wicker Park, why would I lament about the ailments of the Bronx or the Southside?

Detroit has upperclass, high-income parts, middle-class parts, lower middle-class parts, and impoverished parts. I am somewhere around middle-class professional, and that's the lifestyle I live. There are people in nicer buildings with 2,500 sq. ft. condos, and valet parking. I don't have that so I don't really focus on that lifestyle either. Would I like to reach that point in Detroit someday? Yes, that's my ambition. But, my reality is drinking at divebars, enjoying the parks and museums, sitting in the nosebleeds at ballgames, and walking to local stores. I'm just saying that I am not atypical in Detroit. There are lots of young professionals, as well as starving artists, average joes, bankers, real estate moguls... the whole mix. Detroit's a diverse city, and you can't paint the whole place with the same brush. I just try to explain things from MY perspective living in Detroit.