The Death of A&P and Pathmark (and the Horror that Awaits) (Edison: lease, co-op)
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For all their flaws, A&P / Pathmark (at least those I'm familiar with) are/were heads and shoulders above stop & shop; or more accurately I guess about as good but cheaper.
For people with a nearby Shop-Rite it's not that bad since it just means more Shop-Rite trips and Shop-Rite was always better than any of A&P / Pathmark / Stop & Shop, but for someone without access to a good core grocery now that's going to suck. Especially for people in urban areas who don't own cars.
I will miss the A&P across the street from me. If nothing else, they have a great beer selection and a great salsa I can't find anywhere else. Meat rarely looked appetizing though, and seafood never.
No word on who, if anyone, will be taking over our location. Probably not Stop & Shop, as there's already one of those one town over. I can't remember the last time I saw any kind of establishment with a worse beer selection than that, including gas stations in the middle of nowhere.
I actually saw a mice running around my A&P !!!! Horrible!!
Different locations different management I guess.
Eh they weren't great, but the companies looking into buying their stores are either more expensive without bringing sufficient additional value to cover the difference (S&S) or just plain not as good (the others). Would have been a huge win for area shoppers if they liquidated and Shop-Rite, Whole Foods, TJs, or even local/ethnic stores had a chance to grab the locations but those suitors buying their locations wholesale, not a good thing.
Pathmark never should've gotten rid of James Karen as a spokesperson. Mr. Pathmark knew how to run a supermarket.
So now it looks like A&P, Pathmark, and the other family brands are going for good. What a shame. A&P actually was decent for a couple of years about a decade ago, and Pathmark really gave Shop-Rite a run for its money in the 70s and 80s. But now, they're poor, tired, and just plain horrible.
What's even more disturbing, aside from the fact that managerial ineptitude and greed is going to put tens of thousands of people out of work, is that the replacements for these stores are equally horrible.
What's replacing them? Wegman's? Nope. Trader Joe's? Nope. Whole Foods? Nope. Publix? Not a chance.
The main replacements are...
Stop & Shop - The worst supermarket chain in the area. Insane prices, low-quality products put in fancy packaging, and non-existent customer service.
Acme - The low-rent version of Stop & Shop. Yeech.
Key Foods - A typical "hood" supermarket chain.
This is what we have to look forward to? Looks like I'm going to be going to Shop-Rite a lot more, as I wouldn't touch any of those chains with a ten-foot-pole. What a disappointment, on multiple fronts.
These stores don't fit Wegmans model, as most Wegmans are very large stores. Also, Wegmans plans to open 3-4 stores a year.
Also, these A&P were all unionized stores, so that also rules out a sale to Wegmans, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes.
However, I do think there will be more stores shed off here and there as these stores merge into their new companies, and Whole Foods might pick up some locations.
I also wonder if Weis Markets will expand more in Northern and Central NJ, if it can find some good locations. Could Weis pick up the former Stop&Shop in Monmouth Junction off Route 1?
Whole Foods did acquire a former Genuardi's in Cherry Hill, but it did an extensive redevelopment before moving in. And the whole shopping center consequently got a facelift and many new tenants. But Whole Foods or even Trader Joes would be selective and not take on too many stores, but I think Whole Foods did acquire several Dominick's locations in Chicago.
In Delaware, it's really grocery merger mania, as Acme's parent merged with Safeway, and now is picking up Pathmark and Superfresh. Giant-MD parent Ahold merged with Food Lion, and that creates another combination where both chains exist. My guess is the Acme name will survive in New Castle County while Safeway in central and southern DE and Maryland, and Giant-Landover will survive over Food Lion. I'm hoping Whole Foods will open one new store in Northern Delaware maybe at a divested site from these mergers, as I might move down there and will want one nearby.
Last edited by marltonguy; 07-21-2015 at 07:44 PM..
Fairway? My fave grocery, nice balance btwn Whole Foods which is overpriced and too organic, and Trader Joes which has great prices but not enough selection and a crappy produce section.
Pathmark never should've gotten rid of James Karen as a spokesperson. Mr. Pathmark knew how to run a supermarket.
So now it looks like A&P, Pathmark, and the other family brands are going for good. What a shame. A&P actually was decent for a couple of years about a decade ago, and Pathmark really gave Shop-Rite a run for its money in the 70s and 80s. But now, they're poor, tired, and just plain horrible.
What's even more disturbing, aside from the fact that managerial ineptitude and greed is going to put tens of thousands of people out of work, is that the replacements for these stores are equally horrible.
What's replacing them? Wegman's? Nope. Trader Joe's? Nope. Whole Foods? Nope. Publix? Not a chance.
The main replacements are...
Stop & Shop - The worst supermarket chain in the area. Insane prices, low-quality products put in fancy packaging, and non-existent customer service.
Acme - The low-rent version of Stop & Shop. Yeech.
Key Foods - A typical "hood" supermarket chain.
This is what we have to look forward to? Looks like I'm going to be going to Shop-Rite a lot more, as I wouldn't touch any of those chains with a ten-foot-pole. What a disappointment, on multiple fronts.
Perhaps A&P and Pathmark are outdated supermarket business models, and that's why they're disappearing. Apparently, they're not doing something right anymore, and not able to compete with other supermarkets. Hence, they're facing irrelevancy. I do like Trader Joe's, but wish they carried wine in the stores by my location. As for hood supermarkets, it doesn't get anymore ghetto than C-Town supermarkets.
Last edited by izannimda; 07-21-2015 at 09:31 PM..
Fairway? My fave grocery, nice balance btwn Whole Foods which is overpriced and too organic, and Trader Joes which has great prices but not enough selection and a crappy produce section.
Fairway still has great stuff, but they've set records for increasing prices and reducing sales. I used to shop there every week, but now hardly ever go there. In fact, I think they're more expensive than Whole Foods these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lkb0714
Shoprite, food town, etc.
I'd definitely take Foodtown over Acme, Stop & Shop, or Key Foods. The Foodtown in North Haledon is an excellent supermarket. As for Shop-Rite, if they could figure out a way to get rid of the zoo-like atmosphere and crowds, I'd be all for building more of them. They're not perfect, but they're the best full supermarket chain we have right now until Wegman's starts expanding its NJ footprint. Maybe Shop-Rite needs to build more stores to alleviate the crowds at the existing stores.
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I am sad
I couldn't care less about Pathmark, but A&P is the granddaddy of supermarkets -- over 150 years old 
