Where I come from, Fred Meyer is a Jewelry Store (prices, groceries)

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by christiner81

hmm i would fork over that kind of cash for the right swimsuit. it would have to be a magical suit, for sure!

Me too!

I used to shop for clothes at Fred's when the Hawthorne Fred Meyer's sold them. Sometimes you could find good bargains when they had sales.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by christiner81

interesting! All this time i thought they were grocery only.

Fred Meyer veteran here. There are 8 (out of 160-some odd number) Freddy's stores that do not carry apparel. 7 of those stores are in Portland, and the other is the Gig Harbor, WA location. Two of those stores (the Stadium Fred's downtown and Gig Harbor) are almost exclusively grocery. They have electronics and a very small home department. There used to be one in Seattle (the Greenwood location) that did not have a grocery section, but it is closed now for a remodel that will add a full grocery section.

I would probably be pretty shocked too to come from Texas to find Fred Meyer sold groceries and not just jewelry.

[Nell Plotts]

Fred Meyer's first store was at what is now Pioneer Place in Portland. I think his second store was what is now called the Portland Stadium Store on W. Burnside. That store had several levels connected by ramps. My Mother knew Fred, when I was in high school her business processed their inventory. He was a great, honest, businessman.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Fred Meyer's first store was at what is now Pioneer Place in Portland. I think his second store was what is now called the Portland Stadium Store on W. Burnside. That store had several levels connected by ramps. My Mother knew Fred, when I was in high school her business processed their inventory. He was a great, honest, businessman.

Nell, do you know when the Fred's on 5th and Alder came into being? I worked not far from there in Morgan's Alley when I first came to Portland.

[Nell Plotts]

They could have moved it after the store on 4th & Morrison closed. In the 60s the Woolworth's on 4th at Alder closed so there may have moved to a better spot (Meyer & Frank's was oriented to 5th and Alder). FYI, my husband worked on the design of Morgan's Alley for Stanton, Boles, Church & Magurie back in the day.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

They could have moved it after the store on 4th & Morrison closed. In the 60s the Woolworth's on 4th at Alder closed so there may have moved to a better spot (Meyer & Frank's was oriented to 5th and Alder). FYI, my husband worked on the design of Morgan's Alley for Stanton, Boles, Church & Magurie back in the day.

Small world. I really liked working in Morgan's Alley. I haven't been there in a long time. I know the stores change quite often. I think the entrance on Alder has also been redone but I could be wrong about that.

[Nell Plotts]

Let me think, DH is 73 and he did that when he was in high school. The building above was a medical building with really antique plumbing.

[pw72]

This is interesting. Fred Meyer is the third largest jewelery store in the US. Yes, many operations in the midwest and elsewhere are stand alone Fred Meyer jewelers.

The Fred Meyer grocery chain is now owned by midwest based Kroger. (Who operates many hundreds of "Kroger" groceries in that region.) In fact, you can buy Kroger brand products at most Fred Meyers.

Most Fred Meyer stores in the west are still "general" stores, but use most of their space for groceries. Unlike Wal-Mart Superstores, where grocery space is outnumbered by "general" merchandise.

For years, I have had the impression that Fred Meyer is higher quality than most such stores, also with higher prices. In the past year or two, I have noticed Fred Meyer's grocery items are more competitive. They have a "preferred card" program, but it isn't real effective in my mind, as it doesn't discount your bill, it just gives you points. I don't think most consumers relate to that, IMO.

[christiner81]

Originally Posted by pw72

They have a "preferred card" program, but it isn't real effective in my mind, as it doesn't discount your bill, it just gives you points. I don't think most consumers relate to that, IMO.

i can use my arizona Frys (Kroger) card here, but in arizona many of the stores had gas stations attached/nearby and after certain numbers of points, you'd get 10 cents off per gallon of gas. I don't know if any local kroger stores have gas station incentives or not. with gas as expensive as it is now, I'm hoping some do!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by christiner81

i can use my arizona Frys (Kroger) card here, but in arizona many of the stores had gas stations attached/nearby and after certain numbers of points, you'd get 10 cents off per gallon of gas. I don't know if any local kroger stores have gas station incentives or not. with gas as expensive as it is now, I'm hoping some do!

If you sign up for a Fred Meyers reward card you can earn points for gas milage.

www.fredmeyer.com/fuel