Hi,
I have a question as to Safeway's "Super Store" format: This was the big prize during the '60s-'80s: besides selling just food products; that is, Safeway Super Stores had also carried other stuff ranging from outdoor power equipment to home electronics. My question now is: When in the '80s did Safeway abandon this particular format to concentrate on food products?
And exactly how big were Safeway Super Stores in the late '70s and early '80s?
~Ben
Safeway Super Stores - When Was the Format Abandoned?
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StoreLiker2006
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Re: Safeway Super Stores - When Was the Format Abandoned?
I've seen some stores that seem to be in the neighborhood of the 60-80k foot range. I'm sure others were smaller.
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wnetmacman
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Re: Safeway Super Stores - When Was the Format Abandoned?
I'd like to say that the Super Store format was ended when all stores began falling in to the mold. I remember that the store in Longview, TX downtown was made a Super Store in its last remodel. The remodel coincided with the closure of the Skaggs Drugstore next door, and ASC opened a Skaggs Supercenter (later Skaggs Alpha Beta) on the other side of town.
I worked in this store for two of Safeway's successors. It was 45,000 square feet. I remember it in its previous configuration. On the left side of the entrance, against the front wall, there was an electronics/camera counter. A lot of the general merchandise was on that side of the store to account for the Blue Laws in Texas at the time. In the left rear was the beer and wine section. Between the two on the left side wall was the produce section. Along the back was dairy, complete with a pass through from the main dairy cooler to the milk section. Immediately next to that, near the middle back, was the pharmacy. From that point on, the entire back was meats. There were three aisles of coffin freezer cases in the middle. On the right front of the store was a sit down deli area, and the bakery. Manager offices were above the back middle of the store. The most interesting thing Safeway did to these stores was the corridor over the checkouts. Loss prevention could sit up there and watch the whole store. It was accessible via stairs at the front of the store.
The camera/electronics section was removed in the subsequent remodel to County Market, and the pharmacy was moved to the middle of the store (though it wasn't opened until Brookshire took the store over and made it a Super 1 Foods). In addition, the gondola shelving was turned from front/back to left/right, and the entire Safeway decor package was removed and painted over. I watched this store get repainted in 1990 for Super 1 Foods from the County Market package (which was quite plain) to the Super 1 Foods package at the time, which was green paint with 4-5 yellow stripes all the way around the store. Brookshire remodeled that store in 5 days, including full cleanup, complete restocking, and decor package. It took County Market 5 months to undo all of what Safeway left behind.
This store was closed and mostly demolished in 1992 to make way for the county jail.
I worked in this store for two of Safeway's successors. It was 45,000 square feet. I remember it in its previous configuration. On the left side of the entrance, against the front wall, there was an electronics/camera counter. A lot of the general merchandise was on that side of the store to account for the Blue Laws in Texas at the time. In the left rear was the beer and wine section. Between the two on the left side wall was the produce section. Along the back was dairy, complete with a pass through from the main dairy cooler to the milk section. Immediately next to that, near the middle back, was the pharmacy. From that point on, the entire back was meats. There were three aisles of coffin freezer cases in the middle. On the right front of the store was a sit down deli area, and the bakery. Manager offices were above the back middle of the store. The most interesting thing Safeway did to these stores was the corridor over the checkouts. Loss prevention could sit up there and watch the whole store. It was accessible via stairs at the front of the store.
The camera/electronics section was removed in the subsequent remodel to County Market, and the pharmacy was moved to the middle of the store (though it wasn't opened until Brookshire took the store over and made it a Super 1 Foods). In addition, the gondola shelving was turned from front/back to left/right, and the entire Safeway decor package was removed and painted over. I watched this store get repainted in 1990 for Super 1 Foods from the County Market package (which was quite plain) to the Super 1 Foods package at the time, which was green paint with 4-5 yellow stripes all the way around the store. Brookshire remodeled that store in 5 days, including full cleanup, complete restocking, and decor package. It took County Market 5 months to undo all of what Safeway left behind.
This store was closed and mostly demolished in 1992 to make way for the county jail.
Scott Greer