Groceries, Grocery stores, & Supermarkets (York: place, drive, sell)

[Fireshaker]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

One of the things that has surprised me most about the supermarket picture hereabouts is how Acme has managed to migrate from being one of the most price-competitive chains as recently as 10 years ago to the absolute least price-competitive. I think that even Giant supermarkets, which have historically had prices on the high side, undercut Acme now. That chain once defined this region; now, it's just one among many. Beer and wine, however, may keep them afloat in many locations; they seem to have been pretty aggressive about locating not only beer and wine sections but even mini-pubs in their stores.

It's really baffling to me how much Acme costs. Living in greater P'Unk Square, a weekly shopping bill will cost me far more than Sprouts or even the South Street Whole Foods (yes, true). I still do pick up some stuff there out of necessity, but I think Sprouts is really going to hurt the 10th & Reed Acme (and may have already).

From what I've seen of Lidl so far, I'd like to see them expand as well. The MacDade one is not far from my office, so I pick some things up there over my lunch break sometimes. They have some legitimately great options for staggeringly low prices.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by cpomp

There is a Wegmans in KoP, Malvern, Collegeville, Warrington, and the newest one is in Glen Mills. There may be another somewhere in Montgomery County, but I forget.


Wegmans is very strategic and only opens new construction large footprint stores in high-income zipcodes, nothing like Walmarts business model.
So a Wegmans anywhere in the city of Philadelphia will never happen due to the lack of space and high amount of poverty.

There is a Wegmans in Downingtown also. We also now have a Whole Foods not far away from there in Exton as well. The closest Trader Joe's is in Wayne. Possibly because we have an ALDI in Exton, and they are owned by the same company. There is an old Genaurdi's in Lionville that has been vacant since their buyout and there was some speculation Trader Joe's may go in there, or a Kimberton Whole Foods.

Acme, and Giant seem to dominate Chester County. Acme is the absolute WORST, and highest priced it seems, although I haven't been in a Whole Foods since I lived in Colorado.

[selhars]

Add me to the list of people who is mystified by ACME. I can't imagine that some of its locations won't be hurt by the changing supermarket landscape.

if a person lives or works near any of the other grocers we've mentioned, how could ACME possibly be their go-to grocery store? I know for me -- let alone the high prices, ACME has no product (s) that would entice me to shop there. None. Nothing about ACME appeals to me.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Depends on where the stores are located.

I don't think Jeff Brown was talking completely through his hat; the sweetened-beverage tax wasn't the only reason that store is closing, but it probably left it more vulnerable to competition from a new Aldi, especially one located just over the city line.

I think that the city supermarkets that would be most vulnerable to an Aldi or Lidl opening near them would be:

--stores serving neighborhoods close to the city line, especially if the store opens on the other side of it and close enough to it to draw customers from the other store's patronage area

--Acme supermarkets serving neighborhoods with no other competition nearby

One of the things that has surprised me most about the supermarket picture hereabouts is how Acme has managed to migrate from being one of the most price-competitive chains as recently as 10 years ago to the absolute least price-competitive. I think that even Giant supermarkets, which have historically had prices on the high side, undercut Acme now. That chain once defined this region; now, it's just one among many. Beer and wine, however, may keep them afloat in many locations; they seem to have been pretty aggressive about locating not only beer and wine sections but even mini-pubs in their stores.

I was greatly disappointed by Acme's prices when Albertsons acquired them.

I was in Lidl and Aldi yesterday. They are rearranging the Lidl store again. This time they are shrinking the nonfood area and putting back more groceries. The initial US manager had such a weird assortment of nonfood items that they were selling so slowly that they shrank the food area. The German co-managers have pretty much righted the ship.

They don't sell very much soda, but they had a few varieties of 2 liter bottles for 79 cents. That will be a draw. It will get people in, in the city stores.

Wait till you see a Lidl beer and wine department. They will trounce Acme.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

There is a Wegmans in Downingtown also. We also now have a Whole Foods not far away from there in Exton as well. The closest Trader Joe's is in Wayne. Possibly because we have an ALDI in Exton, and they are owned by the same company. There is an old Genaurdi's in Lionville that has been vacant since their buyout and there was some speculation Trader Joe's may go in there, or a Kimberton Whole Foods.

Acme, and Giant seem to dominate Chester County. Acme is the absolute WORST, and highest priced it seems, although I haven't been in a Whole Foods since I lived in Colorado.

Lidl might look at the vacant Genuardi store.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Fireshaker

It's really baffling to me how much Acme costs. Living in greater P'Unk Square, a weekly shopping bill will cost me far more than Sprouts or even the South Street Whole Foods (yes, true). I still do pick up some stuff there out of necessity, but I think Sprouts is really going to hurt the 10th & Reed Acme (and may have already).

From what I've seen of Lidl so far, I'd like to see them expand as well. The MacDade one is not far from my office, so I pick some things up there over my lunch break sometimes. They have some legitimately great options for staggeringly low prices.

How much are the eggs?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

The closest Trader Joe's is in Wayne. Possibly because we have an ALDI in Exton, and they are owned by the same company.

Kinda-sorta.

There are two Aldi companies, legally separate but joined at the hip under a provision of German law that permits this arrangement.

Brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht, who founded the chain in Germany in 1946, split the company in two in 1961 over an argument about whether or not to sell tobacco products in the stores (I think Theo wanted to and Karl didn't). One Aldi company, Aldi Nord, operates stores in northern Germany, most of northern Europe, Iberia and Trader Joe's in the US; the other, Aldi Süd, operates the southern German stores as well as stores in most of southern Europe, China, and all the Anglophone countries where it does business (Australia, Great Britain, Ireland and the Aldi stores in the US).

You can find Trader Joe's-branded products at Aldi stores in northern but not southern Germany.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Kinda-sorta.

There are two Aldi companies, legally separate but joined at the hip under a provision of German law that permits this arrangement.

Brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht, who founded the chain in Germany in 1946, split the company in two in 1961 over an argument about whether or not to sell tobacco products in the stores (I think Theo wanted to and Karl didn't). One Aldi company, Aldi Nord, operates stores in northern Germany, most of northern Europe, Iberia and Trader Joe's in the US; the other, Aldi Süd, operates the southern German stores as well as stores in most of southern Europe, China, and all the Anglophone countries where it does business (Australia, Great Britain, Ireland and the Aldi stores in the US).

You can find Trader Joe's-branded products at Aldi stores in northern but not southern Germany.

+5

You do such a wonderful job explaining the Aldi/Trader Joe's relationship.

One rainy day I googled Aldi and got the main site. I poked around on it and stumbled on Aldi Nord. It was interesting and, sure enough, there were some Trader Joe's products, identified in English. German retail is sort of an odd experience. It straddles German and English. For instance, there is a very, very long German word for computer. If you see a display of computers in a store, they are labeled "computer"...

[salonva]

Been shopping more and more at Aldi. I can't do my full shopping but have been finding that more of their merchandise is really good and sometimes even preferable. (their bread, their produce,their milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, sausages, cold cuts...PRETZELS).
Giant is a very nice store (new to me as I am from out of the area) and their sales are good, produce is really nice but overall not great price wise but respectable.
Acme is just a turn off to me sorry to say.
Wegman's is not as convenient, but always nice (but I am very careful about what I buy there as they can be rather pricey.) Their own brand is excellent.
We are avid Costco shoppers and also at BJ's as there are some specific items that Costco does not have.
The bulk of our shopping is usually done at Shop Rite as their prices are just better.
We do not have a Trader Joe's convenient and hardly ever go to Whole Foods.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by salonva

Been shopping more and more at Aldi. I can't do my full shopping but have been finding that more of their merchandise is really good and sometimes even preferable. (their bread, their produce,their milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, sausages, cold cuts...PRETZELS).
Giant is a very nice store (new to me as I am from out of the area) and their sales are good, produce is really nice but overall not great price wise but respectable.
Acme is just a turn off to me sorry to say.
Wegman's is not as convenient, but always nice (but I am very careful about what I buy there as they can be rather pricey.) Their own brand is excellent.
We are avid Costco shoppers and also at BJ's as there are some specific items that Costco does not have.
The bulk of our shopping is usually done at Shop Rite as their prices are just better.
We do not have a Trader Joe's convenient and hardly ever go to Whole Foods.

Keep your eyes on the Lidl website for grand openings. If you like Aldi, you will also like Lidl.