Hill District Shop n Save opens today (Oakland: sales, 2015)

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by zman63

In a year they will probably opt out of the lease and close the store. It has been tried before. The hill hasn't been able to support a grocery in years

The fact that someone else failed in the supermarket business on the hill many years before, doesn't mean that this can't be successful.

I'm sure that the owners of this new enterprise have plans to get enough customers to make this a success.

I would have thought a different location in the hill district, someplace like Herron near Centre, would be a better site for a supermarket with a lot more auto traffic going by. But I'm not the professional, I'm not risking my money on it.

[Geeo]

I kow this is technically in the Hill District, but it's only two blocks from the Consol Center, so wouldn't this be a "downtown grocery store?" It has all the trappings: full service, a parking lot, pharmacy, deli, etc. Downtown residents can get there up six-lane Centre Avenue in about two minutes.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by zman63

In a year they will probably opt out of the lease and close the store. It has been tried before. The hill hasn't been able to support a grocery in years

Why do you think that? Please be explicit in your reasoning because I don't understand.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by doo dah

Why do you think that? Please be explicit in your reasoning because I don't understand.

It's pretty explicit, because previous stores there couldnt make it he believes this one won't either.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by Geeo

I kow this is technically in the Hill District, but it's only two blocks from the Consol Center, so wouldn't this be a "downtown grocery store?" It has all the trappings: full service, a parking lot, pharmacy, deli, etc. Downtown residents can get there up six-lane Centre Avenue in about two minutes.

I think it is a tough walk. My guess is that most of the posters here feel that the people who live down town want to walk to a grocery store and not drive. Just a guess.

I think it will really depend on whether or not there are enough Hill District residents to support the store or not. I wouldn't count of many people going there from other neighborhoods. Again, just a guess.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

I think it is a tough walk. My guess is that most of the posters here feel that the people who live down town want to walk to a grocery store and not drive. Just a guess.

Well, yeah, I don't think it'll serve downtown as in the area where most of the residential is downtown. But new residential in the arena area might walk to it.

Once you're driving anyway, I'd bet most downtown residents would opt to drive to something other than the new Shop n Save or Giant Eagle on Cedar, at least for any significant shopping. Maybe if you need something quick that isn't available in current downtown stores you go there.

A few folks looking for exercise along with a modest carryable grocery run might walk it. But it would take some time. At least it would be quicker on the way back (downhill).

There's probably a bus one could take up there.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

I think it will really depend on whether or not there are enough Hill District residents to support the store or not. I wouldn't count of many people going there from other neighborhoods. Again, just a guess.

I think the new store is definitely going to need customers coming from outside the Hill. There are only about 12,000 people in the Hill District, and most of them aren't in easy walking distance of the store. Unless practically everyone in the neighborhood virtually gives up on going elsewhere for their grocery needs, the Shop n Save is going to have to have some appeal for customers coming from outside.

[Impala26]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

I think the new store is definitely going to need customers coming from outside the Hill. There are only about 12,000 people in the Hill District, and most of them aren't in easy walking distance of the store. Unless practically everyone in the neighborhood virtually gives up on going elsewhere for their grocery needs, the Shop n Save is going to have to have some appeal for customers coming from outside.

Not exactly within "walking" distance, but your next closest possible customers could come from Uptown, Duquesne University or western parts of Oakland.

[SteelCityRising]

Polish Hill only has ~1,300 people or so, but we don't have a grocery store, either. We currently go to Target and/or the Shakespeare Street Giant Eagle, both in the East Liberty area, for our grocery needs. I DO plan to give this new store in the Hill District a shot. By the time we hoof it all the way down Centre Avenue from Herron Avenue via Bigelow it will be negligbly quicker (if at all) for us to go here vs. just taking Bigelow to North Craig to Baum into East Liberty. I still want to scope it out, at least to try to show some solidarity with the Hill District.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Impala26

Not exactly within "walking" distance, but your next closest possible customers could come from Uptown, Duquesne University or western parts of Oakland.

Duquesne University could certainly provide customers for the new store's junk food section.

Maybe it would be advisable for the owners to discuss with the powers that be at DU to route the campus shuttle bus to include a stop at the store.