Advantage Super Markets

Uh...California.

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steps
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Advantage Super Markets

Post by steps »

I was recently on wikipedia reading about Gemco, and I ran into this

"National City: Lucky converted the GEMCO location into a high-end prototype supermarket called Advantage"

I've NEVER in my life heard of this store! Does anyone know this store/chain?

Thanks!
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storewanderer
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Post by storewanderer »

I think they got it wrong. National City was a Super Saver which closed sometime in the 2000 era.

Super Savers were originally named Price Advantage. They were sued by Price Club due to the name being too similar so the Super Saver name was brought to CA.

High end? What a farce.
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Re: Advantage Super Markets

Post by klkla »

steps wrote:I've NEVER in my life heard of this store! Does anyone know this store/chain?
I vaguely remember these stores. It was Lucky's initial reaction to Vons Pavilions stores (although not as upscale) in the Los Angeles area. They built three of them in the San Diego area which eventually became Lucky's Advantage and then just Lucky.
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Post by runchadrun »

Were these former Gemco stores, and was is more like the Ralphs' Giant format rather than Pavilions?
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Post by J-Mac »

runchadrun wrote:Were these former Gemco stores, and was is more like the Ralphs' Giant format rather than Pavilions?
Hmmph. I didn't think that first Clairmont Mesa Advantage store fit with any of the Gemco locations, but upon further review maybe it was the National City store.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_h ... _n15135060

I can't read the actual article, but the stores were originally just "Advantage." The timing comes from 1988, which was pretty shortly after the last Gemco turned off its lights in early 1987. Thus the timing is about right, but I don't have any knowledge of such.

At least 7 former Gemco sites in So Cal did become grocery stores.

For clarity, the Lucky Advantage banner referred to in the original post is not the same as American Stores' 'Price Advantage' banner from 1994:

http://archive.supermarketnews.com/Arch ... 6&mag=sn94
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Advantage

Post by surfingdude »

The following is from a letter from Lucky Store's CEO to Lucky Store's employees announcing the restructuring of the company, including the closing of Gemco, regarding the development of Advantage. It is dated October 9, 1986.
...we will be assessing a number of the surplus (not sold to Target) Gemco sites for a new break-through food store concept which has been under development...In the Lucky tradition, it will be a powerful and exciting store aimed at the efficeient shopper we have served so well through the years. You'll see the first of them in 1987.
The first two where in the San Deigo area.
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Post by klkla »

runchadrun wrote:Were these former Gemco stores, and was is more like the Ralphs' Giant format rather than Pavilions?
I remember them being more upscale than a Giant but directed more towards Lucky's core middle income shoppers than Pavilions upper income shoppers. They carried more convenience items like prepared foods. I don't remember them being a warehouse-type store.
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Lucky/Advantage store locations

Post by luckysaver »

Anybody have a complete list of all original Price Advantage/Advantage/Super Saver locations in California? I plan to post a reply to this list of what those buildings are today based on a simple Google search of its addresses.

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Post by Jeff »

I remember one Super Saver. It was located in East Los Angeles on Cesar Chavez and Indiana. It was a Lucky prior and then became an Albertsons before closing. Today its El Super.



I know of another Super Saver that was in Orange County on Beach Bl. But I can't remember the location.



Here is the link to the store. In some views you can see it closed, others as El Super.
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Post by ieguy441 »

Ok, I remember these quite well from growing up in the San Diego/North County area. I believe the original "Advantage" stores were rebranded "Lucky Advantage". The signage was a peach color, very modern for the early 90's. I remember the interior looking like an upscale Lucky of that era on steriods. Lots of track lighting, peach and sea-foam green colors. Everything very muted. Looking back on it, it reminds me of a Lucky version of the "Black and white style" Ralphs stores from the late 80's early 90's. I can't remember which store that I visted, but I want to say it was off of the 78 or the 805. (I am leaning towards National City).It was an east facing store from what I can recall with signage visable from the freeway.

These stores ended up being a failure, and the concept was shelved and a few years later ASC revived the "Advantage" banner and modified it to "Price Advantage". Two completely different concepts. The logo had the word PRICE printed in yellow over dark blue, with the word ADVANTAGE directly under it, prined blue over yellow. The "V" of the ADVANTAGE looked like a check mark, with it extending up to create the "I" in PRICE. At zero hour, Price Club sued and a temporary sign with "FOOD" on it was put up just hours before grand opening. We went on opening day (I need to find the photos, I have some of the interior and the outside signage). All of the price tags had Price scratched out with marker. The temp. signage remained until a sign more similar to the original "Lucky Advantage" signage was put up that read "Food Price Advantage". The colors of the signage changed to dark peach background with a grey/black font. At this point, at least at the Oceanside location, it was still marketed as a warehouse style market in the same fashion as Food 4 Less and Mega Warehouse. Within a few months, the yellow and blue "Super Saver" signage was installed. Instantly, it was advertised more as a Mexican discount food store, with the Spanish more obvious than the English on the ads.


It's interesting to go into this store now that it is "Stater Bros". All of the "Advantage" layout was removed and the store is nearly a carbon copy of the old Food Basket and Lucky that was once there.

Ok, now I am just rambling on again.... I am going to see if I can find some of the "Advantage" locations.

Do we have a list of the former Gemco locations?
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Post by ieguy441 »

Ok, found Jeff's list of Gemco locations. I am 100 percent sure that the location I went to was the Escondido one. It is now an Albertsons/Savon.
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Post by J-Mac »

Question:

Was 7212 Edinger, Huntington Beach, CA, 92647 ever a "Lucky Advantage" location? This is a former Gemco turned Lucky, ABS, and recently vacated... was wondering if it spent time as Advantage or not.

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