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Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 05 Mar 2009 23:31
by jeafla
I was born in Florida and have always lived in Florida and Georgia. We used to have a chain store called Pic-n-Save that went back at least to the 1960 and went bankrupt and closed in the 1990s. I always remember the chain as a drug and discount general merchandise store, but it did have groceries at least as far back as the mid-1980s.

We have a local appliance store here by the name of Setzer’s. My mother remembers a Setzer’s grocery chain in town from her teen years in the early 1960s and I have a neighbor from Minnesota who recognizes the local Pic-n-Save stores as Setzer’s grocery stores which she had in Minnesota. But I was always under the impression that Pic-n-Save was a locally owned chain that headquartered in the city where I was born. I remember Setico being the name of the Pic-n-Save store and if I remember right there was a warehouse division that operated under another name as well.

But, there was a chain named Pic-n-Save http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pic_%27n%27_Save that started in California in the 1950s, then expanded into the southwest and then the south before going bankrupt in the 1990s- selling many of its stores to Big Lots in the process. Big Lots came to town about the same time that Pic-n-Save went under, but none of the Big Lots stores went into any of the Pic-n-Save storefronts (which were a good 2 or 3 times the size of a typical Big Lots store).

Does anyone know if the Pic-n-Save from California is the same as what was here in Florida and Georgia? What about the connection between Setzer’s and Pic-n-Save?

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:00
by jamcool
Pic-N-Save (later called MacFrugals) out west was a close out chain, which later was bought out by Big Lots

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 06 Mar 2009 06:38
by Steve Landry
Setzers grocery stores were purchased by Food Fair Stores inc.

I believe the Setzers family either had a separate division or created a separate division after Food Fair's purchase, to sell appliances.

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 06 Mar 2009 12:22
by buckhead
The only Pic-n-Save I recall visiting in Florida was in Longwood back in 1989 or 1990. I don't know what ultimately became of the store since I left in 1991. The store was huge for its time. The logo they used was a yellow/gold seal with serrated teeth and the store name in emblazoned in the middle in white on a blue background...I might be mistaken on this, but the "seal" emblem itself I'm pretty sure is what they uses.

I do not know if Pic-n-Save had Gerogia stores, but when moving to Atlanta upon leaving Florida there was indeed a MacFrugal's located in Marietta, Georgia on Roswell Road. This store operated under that name until around 2002 when it rebadged to Big Lots.

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 06 Mar 2009 18:07
by rich
There were several MacFrugal's in the Atlanta area. I think they all were bought by Big Lots.

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 06 Mar 2009 19:19
by dooneyt63
In Madison, FL, the long-running Pic N' Save on U.S. 90 (closed in the 1990's bankruptcy) was in a building which once also included a Setzer's supermarket. The mosaic tile entry floor bearing "Setzer's" remained into the 1990's. Though Setzer's was acquired by Food Fair and many stores became Food Fairs, some later became Pic N' Save stores. Leonard Setzer and family owned Pic N' Save which originated in 1955-6. Pic N' Save started as a discount drug store and evolved into a discount store/pharmacy operation. The Setzer family held a lot of the real estate housing their stores. They defended their trademark Pic N' Save which had been registered in 1968 and used since around 1956 against infringement from the closeout retailer Pic N' Save based in California. That entity ultimately changed its name to MacFrugals and later was absorbed by Big Lots.

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 08 Mar 2009 01:38
by jimbobga
PIc 'n Save did operate in Georgia. There was a Pic 'n Save in Jesup, Georgia, on US 25/301 in the downtown area. I only saw this store while it was open a couple of times, and it looked smaller than the Pic 'n Save stores in Jacksonville, so it most likely had been a Setzer's supermarket when it was built. It was definitely the same chain, however, because of the aforementioned logo on the front. If there was a Pic 'n Save in Jesup, then it wouid be very likely that Setzer's/Pic 'n Save also operated stores up through the sixties and early seventies in perhaps Waycross and Brunswick since these cities are closer to Jacksonville and larger in population, as well.

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 06 Aug 2009 23:25
by Ephrata1966
Pic 'n Save was owned by MacFrugal's, which was acquired by Big Lots in 1998. Both chains were rebranded Big Lots in 2001 or 2002. Apparently, some (but not all) Pic 'n Saves converted to MacFrugal's at some point. One of these that I know of was a Marina Safeway originally. Another was a Kmart Foods, then Safeway. I remember MacFrugal's (but not Pic 'n Save) in Houston (I live in the Philadelphia area now). Horrors. Their stores were awful. Filthy and very run down. The one near me was a Kroger Greenhouse.

I remember on the old Big Lots website, there was a stock photo of a Big Lots store, but on another page it was a Pic 'n Save! Their old store locator used to offer the choices of Big Lots, MacFrugal's, or Pic 'n Save. Interesting is that later Big Lots stores with the old logo had "Bargains/Closeouts" signage, like MacFrugal's did before the merger.

There also was a grocery chain somewhere called "Pick 'n Save" (Midwest?)

try this link:
http://www.amesfanclub.com/forum/viewth ... 296&page=2

and this: http://www.amesfanclub.com/forum/viewth ... 469&page=2

Re: Pic-n-Save/Setzers

Posted: 07 Aug 2009 18:20
by dooneyt63
The Pic 'N Save associated with Setzer's had no connection with the MacFrugal's that was absorbed by Big Lots. My post above outlines the Jacksonville operation's defense of its trademark for its stores located only in the Southeast (FL & GA).