The First Whole Foods In Prince George's County (Laurel, Adelphi: incomes, shoppers)

[G1..]

Originally Posted by Khemistry

It surely does count. The Cheesecake Factory is not on the same tier as Red Lobster's or Olive Garden.

Hold on a second Red Lobster is a very good restaurant and yes should be a can be used in the same breath as the Cheesecake Factory .

[CBMD]

Significant drops in sales growth in the last two weeks of the previous quarter, and the first three weeks of the current quarter. I expect most people will eventually forget about it, but there will be some residual loss.

Whole Foods Sales Hurt by Bad Publicity from Overcharging “Whole Foods Market Inc. says its sales are hurting from bad publicity over its overcharging of customers in New York City.” (Los Angeles Times)

[CBMD]

Apropos of the discussion up thread on the proximity of grocery stores, and the fact that there are four within one mile on Route 1 in Laurel. Of the four, Safeway is the weakest based, on cars in the lot.
Sunday, at the intersection of Route 1 and Contee Rd there were two kids twirling arrows for the Shoppers which had a Grand Reopening Balloon. IIRC don't believe I've ever seen that before for a grocery store.
I pass that way most days and was unaware it had closed. May be a sign that HT is having a serious impact.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by CBMD

Apropos of the discussion up thread on the proximity of grocery stores, and the fact that there are four within one mile on Route 1 in Laurel. Of the four, Safeway is the weakest based, on cars in the lot.
Sunday, at the intersection of Route 1 and Contee Rd there were two kids twirling arrows for the Shoppers which had a Grand Reopening Balloon. IIRC don't believe I've ever seen that before for a grocery store.
I pass that way most days and was unaware it had closed. May be a sign that HT is having a serious impact.

In the grocery business stores don't have to close it can be a "Grand Re-Opening " after a big remodel so the store might never had closed .What I think people are forgetting is it just isn't "grocery stores " that are in competition any more ,Giant ,Safeway ,Harris Teeter etc are all in competition for your food dollar with ,Wal-mart ,Target ,K-mart ,Dollar stores,Sams Club, BJ's and Costco , also add in Royal Farms ,Wawa and 7-11 and the new small organic places like Dave's and Mom's plus during the summer farm stands and home grown it is an very tough business to be in and promote.

[selhars]

^^ Yes. Isn't the country's number one grocer Walmart -- NOT an actual grocery store?
Thanks for pointing out info a lot of people either don't know....or forget.

[CBMD]

Originally Posted by G1..

In the grocery business stores don't have to close it can be a "Grand Re-Opening " after a big remodel so the store might never had closed .What I think people are forgetting is it just isn't "grocery stores " that are in competition any more ,Giant ,Safeway ,Harris Teeter etc are all in competition for your food dollar with ,Wal-mart ,Target ,K-mart ,Dollar stores,Sams Club, BJ's and Costco , also add in Royal Farms ,Wawa and 7-11 and the new small organic places like Dave's and Mom's plus during the summer farm stands and home grown it is an very tough business to be in and promote.

Thing is, that particular SFW store is large, modern, and only about 8-10 years old. So not a likely candidate for a remodel. I'll take a look this week, and see if there is anything obvious..
Oh, and you left Aldi and TJ off your list........

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by selhars

^^ Yes. Isn't the country's number one grocer Walmart -- NOT an actual grocery store?
Thanks for pointing out info a lot of people either don't know....or forget.

That is true, but a lot of people may not prefer the Wal-Mart experience or its product offering. And it has nothing to do with, "I wouldn't be caught dead in a discount store." snobbery for some but everything to do with presentation, atmosphere, and customer service.

The DC area is unique in that we are one of about three or four major metro areas that enjoy relatively high incomes. Therefore, we can shun Wal-Mart for a more refined experience across the street at Safeway or Whole Foods if we desire to. While most of us appreciate a good deal, we don't necessarily run to the cheapest stores to shop. and Wal-mart isn't the center of retail for us as it is in a lot of small towns across the country.

In conclusion, even though Whole Foods may be in close proximity to competition such as Wal-Mart and Safeway, they know that they can attract those who are willing to pay for a more upscale shopping experience. I think both Wegmans and Whole Foods both have exceptional shopping experiences. That alone is enough to pull those that can afford it away from the stores with more pedestrian shopping experiences and even the bare bones experience you find in Wal-Mart and Costco. That's what makes Wegman's and Whole Foods stand out from the rest. They both found that niche that they can profit from just like Costco and Wal-Mart focuses on the bargain shopper. Other people are just brand loyal which is probably how 4 different grocery stores can co-exist in Laurel.

[selhars]

^^ Yes.
My word, yes, .....some areas seem to have a LOT of grocery stores to choose from...
With all the grocery options we have it IS interesting to see WHO survives WHERE.
I’d say the main factors are population density (of course) can the number of shoppers support a given store...
And as you say, [b]Adelphi[/B,]...which stores have what kind of support...and IS that support strong or variable.

Some areas like Laurel have LOTS of supermarkets, yet I’ve heard that in some areas of southern P.G. people don’t seem have that much choice at all.

That’s why I find the CP/Hyattsville developments regarding grocers so interesting to observe.
How will Whole Foods, Mom’s, Yes, and Trader Joe’s perform – all in relatively close proximity?
We’ll see.

As a totally separate issue I wish there was a BALDUCCI’s GOURMET MARKET near me...THAT would be great.

[CBMD]

Originally Posted by selhars

^^ Yes.
My word, yes, .....some areas seem to have a LOT of grocery stores to choose from...
With all the grocery options we have it IS interesting to see WHO survives WHERE.
I’d say the main factors are population density (of course) can the number of shoppers support a given store...
And as you say, [b]Adelphi[/B,]...which stores have what kind of support...and IS that support strong or variable.

Some areas like Laurel have LOTS of supermarkets, yet I’ve heard that in some areas of southern P.G. people don’t seem have that much choice at all.

That’s why I find the CP/Hyattsville developments regarding grocers so interesting to observe.
How will Whole Foods, Mom’s, Yes, and Trader Joe’s perform – all in relatively close proximity?
We’ll see.

As a totally separate issue I wish there was a BALDUCCI’s GOURMET MARKET near me...THAT would be great.

Do you know something the rest of us don't?

[CBMD]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

That is true, but a lot of people may not prefer the Wal-Mart experience or its product offering. And it has nothing to do with, "I wouldn't be caught dead in a discount store." snobbery for some but everything to do with presentation, atmosphere, and customer service.

The DC area is unique in that we are one of about three or four major metro areas that enjoy relatively high incomes. Therefore, we can shun Wal-Mart for a more refined experience across the street at Safeway or Whole Foods if we desire to. While most of us appreciate a good deal, we don't necessarily run to the cheapest stores to shop. and Wal-mart isn't the center of retail for us as it is in a lot of small towns across the country.

In conclusion, even though Whole Foods may be in close proximity to competition such as Wal-Mart and Safeway, they know that they can attract those who are willing to pay for a more upscale shopping experience. I think both Wegmans and Whole Foods both have exceptional shopping experiences. That alone is enough to pull those that can afford it away from the stores with more pedestrian shopping experiences and even the bare bones experience you find in Wal-Mart and Costco. That's what makes Wegman's and Whole Foods stand out from the rest. They both found that niche that they can profit from just like Costco and Wal-Mart focuses on the bargain shopper. Other people are just brand loyal which is probably how 4 different grocery stores can co-exist in Laurel.

Well bang, there goes another theory, there are 55 Wal-Mart's within a 50 mile radius of Laurel. Take any small town you like in the US, and see how many Wal-Mart's are within a 50 mile radius.