Is Downtown Ready for an Urban Grocery Store?
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/images/urban_grocery/Publix-FortLauderdale.jpg)
Many grocery companies have responded to downtown and inner city growth areas with urban designed stores, such as this Publix in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There may be an opportunity for Winn-Dixie to create a flagship location in or near downtown Jacksonville.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/162
YES. primarily the one reason why i would not move to Springfield right now is its lack of a decent grocery store.
Weird timing, my friend Kim has a business where she takes groceries to you. She spends time downtown at The Strand Condos. delivering stuff. Anyway, if anyone cares in the meantime it's wegoshop.com, I think.
We are far from needing another downtown grocery. As much as people don't want to admit, the Winn-Dixie is it for now, and the foreseeable future.
I live in Springfield and the winn-Dixie has everything I need and less than 1 mile away. Until everyone who lives in Springfield and DT, supports the DT Winn-Dixie there will be no other grocery store built! So quit driving to Publix in Riverside or Atlantic and University and support what we have in our neighborhood.
Here is a Publix that is BOTH downtown AND an historic renovation. It's in downtown Columbia, South Carolina:Before:(http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/Photoz/Dispensary.jpg)
After:(http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/Photoz/Publix.jpg)
QuotePublix, Gervais Street, Columbia
Holmes Smith Developments
Publix Supermarkets, Inc.
Columbia Development Corporation/City of Columbia
The Confederate Printing Plant, built in 1864, housed the printing firm of Evans & Cogswell, one of only two producers of bonds, stock certificates, and currency for the Confederate government. In 1865, the building burned during General William T. Sherman's siege of Columbia. It was later rebuilt and a second story added. In the 1890s, the building served as a dispensary warehouse for liquor when the state government controlled and taxed the distribution of liquor across the state. In the twentieth century the building was used by the U.S. Seed Loan Program and then as a warehouse until 1977. After that the building sat vacant and was repeatedly threatened with condemnation and demolition. Between 2001 and 2004, Marty Holmes and Bill Smith of Holmes Smith Developments forged a creative partnership with the City of Columbia, the Columbia Development Corporation, and the Publix grocery store chain to save the building and bring a much-needed resource to the Congaree Vista area. The Confederate Printing Plant is now enjoying its new life as a vibrant Publix grocery store.[/color]
http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/hpawards2006.htm
Can you find the Publix in this Greenville, SC photo?(http://www.greenvilledailyphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/20080630_publix_600x400.jpg)
There's just something about the Winn-Dixie Downtown that deturs people. I can't really articulate it, but I regularly bypassed it for Riverside or the one in Lakewood all the time.
Maybe it's the old stigma of it appearing "dirty"...and it's your food. You don't want to get your food from a place that looks dirty.
I don't think Downtown is in need of a large grocery store. It will be interesting to see how the small market in the library works out.
Umm....i can tell you eaxctly what is is:
1) They don't have the selection of Publix
2) It's frequented by homeless & "rough" looking people that make many others feel uncomfortable...starting at the parking lot and sidewalks.
Quote from: David on July 23, 2009, 04:43:13 PM
There's just something about the Winn-Dixie Downtown that deturs people. I can't really articulate it, but I regularly bypassed it for Riverside or the one in Lakewood all the time.
Maybe it's the old stigma of it appearing "dirty"...and it's your food. You don't want to get your food from a place that looks dirty.
maybe you should check it out asgain...it hasn't been dirty since they renovated the store over a year ago...to be fair, Publix will always be somewhat better....but they're also more expensive and not as good as they used to be.
Wow, this thread came back from the grave!
QuoteCan you find the Publix in this Greenville, SC photo?
Stjr, the McBee Station Publix is the building with the green sign. That center has an interesting design. The Publix and Office Depot face the interior of the property and the parking lot. The front of the development (rear of Publix) lines the street with two/three story buildings with street level retail facing McBee Avenue.
(http://www.mcbee-station.com/images/masterplan_02.gif)
http://www.mcbee-station.com/masterplan.htm
The Vista's Publix in Columbia is also a nice project. Like Greenville's, the store's main entrance and parking lot are both located behind the building or interior of the lot.
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-5542-gervais_street_publix.jpg)
That's a very cool Publix. In the past few months we've been buying more and more at the Winn Dixie. Maybe it's our luck but we haven't been pan-handled at all there since the remodel, which is vastly more that I can say for the Publix in riverside. If I'm over that way, I'll go to the Publix at Gateway on occasion, it's usually very clean on the inside as has just as much of a selection as the Riverside location. We used to love getting the big Coke Zero fountain drinks at the Publix on Roosevelt until about three weeks ago we were getting some more ice in our cups and I noticed a very large black gelatinous mass fall out of the ice dispenser and into her cup. That kinda killed that for us. The deli clerk kinda freaked out when we showed it to her, that was funny at least.
Isn't there suppose to be a Publix bulit in San Marco? That'd be the 3rd with the one in Riverside and down Atlantic BLvd. within a 5 mile radius. The only thing wrong I see with the WD location is that, it's tucked away near the sheriff's office and an on ramp to the bridge. They've greatly remodeled the store but if you don't pay attention to it, you'd drive right pass it.
Quote from: Prax_N_Jax on July 24, 2009, 07:55:21 AM
Isn't there suppose to be a Publix bulit in San Marco?
With the attached condos a must, it won't be built until the real estate market recovers. So...maybe never.
Being part of the sherriff's office is a good thing. I'd hate to see it if it WASN'T attched to the shreriff's office....
QuoteThere's just something about the Winn-Dixie Downtown that deturs people. I can't really articulate it, but I regularly bypassed it for Riverside or the one in Lakewood all the time.
It's the freaking people who shop there! The place looks nice and it's clean now and they are somewhat responsive to carrying items when you ask for them, but their clientele is not who I want to be shopping next too. I gave it a few chances and it failed consistently. I'm not returning. I would attribute part of their rise in sales to the closure of Quality Foods and some of the whole in the wall convenience stores in the area.
QuoteCan you find the Publix in this Greenville, SC photo?
Oh look another shout out to my home town of Greenville. BTW, there's an office supply store there too and within walking distance a vet and a top quality wine store with a high end restaurant attached. As for jobs, there are plenty within walking distance too, and the very nicely landscaped dowtown park & zoo are also within walking distance. Jump in the car and in ten minutes you can be at the two main suburban shopping destinations in the city. Kinda of makes me sick to my stomach.
As for downtown grocery stores, I want a freaking Whole Foods! Is anyone familiar with Kudzu at Litchfield Beach, SC. http://kudzubakery.com/ (http://kudzubakery.com/)
Quote from: Deuce on July 24, 2009, 09:12:55 AM
QuoteThere's just something about the Winn-Dixie Downtown that deturs people. I can't really articulate it, but I regularly bypassed it for Riverside or the one in Lakewood all the time.
It's the freaking people who shop there! The place looks nice and it's clean now and they are somewhat responsive to carrying items when you ask for them, but their clientele is not who I want to be shopping next too. I gave it a few chances and it failed consistently. I'm not returning. I would attribute part of their rise in sales to the closure of Quality Foods and some of the whole in the wall convenience stores in the area.
As for downtown grocery stores, I want a freaking Whole Foods! Is anyone familiar with Kudzu at Litchfield Beach, SC. http://kudzubakery.com/ (http://kudzubakery.com/)
I totally agree with you on both points.
Winn-Dixies in general, because of their low prices, lesser-quality generic products, the people to whom their advertising is geared, the design of their stores (not talking cleanliness here folks, talking DESIGN), and the locations they choose, are ALWAYS going to attract different people and convey a different atmosphere than Publix, Whole Foods, or Native Sun.
People who shop at Publix go there not for low-prices, but because they feel paying a higher price for the same or similar product available at Winn-Dixie, is well worth shopping in an environment that FEELS nice, is good to look at, and employees clean-cut, half-way intelligent people.
Even the name itself determines the customer. Winn-DIXIE. This is a southern grocery store...born and bred. People hear the word, Dixie, and automatically associate the south...whether that's good, bad, or indifferent. Go into the store and then the 'south' becomes, hick, dirty, and slow. Granted, Publix, is only a letter away from sounding like an uncomfortable subject from a high-school health class, but it's unique in a way that the only association you can make with it is based on your personal experiece from shopping there. When you walk in, you see modern displays, up-to-date and well-designed surroundings from the floors to the lighting, to the way the produce is washed. Everything makes sense as to where it is located and it's consistent among it's stores...you don't have to go hunting and pecking for items. Design is applied even to the less-costly Publix brand generic items, depicting graphic images that are fresh, modern, and at times, humorous. I once saw a depiction of a cyclist on a package of Publix-brand 'Depends'. I'm sure you can guess the millions of thoughts I had about what they were trying to say, exactly, lol.
Speaking of what's-in-a-name: anyone ever heard of the grocery store, Piggly-Wiggly?? We had those growing up in Tennessee. Their signs had an image of a cartoon pig with a butcher hat on. Disturbing.
I noticed the same thing in Atlanta. The Krogers I went to were messy, less appealing and with less helpful associates. Tthe Publix stores were cleaner and the associates were much friendlier.
I like to think that I frequent downtown far more than most citizens of our fair city (once or twice a week), but I have never seen the Winn Dixie. Part of the reason it does poorly could be lack of awareness of the nearby residents (southbank, San Marco, etc).....
When we drove back home from North Carolina, we stopped @ a Piggly Wiggly on our way back. It's like Winn Dixie's long lost cousin. Very southern in deed!
Quote from: second_pancake on July 24, 2009, 09:36:14 AM
Speaking of what's-in-a-name: anyone ever heard of the grocery store, Piggly-Wiggly?? We had those growing up in Tennessee. Their signs had an image of a cartoon pig with a butcher hat on. Disturbing.
Not only that, but there is also a chain called Hoggly Woggly in the panhandle of Florida....
Quote from: second_pancake on July 24, 2009, 09:34:01 AM
Winn-Dixies in general, because of their low prices, lesser-quality generic products, the people to whom their advertising is geared, the design of their stores (not talking cleanliness here folks, talking DESIGN), and the locations they choose, are ALWAYS going to attract different people and convey a different atmosphere than Publix, Whole Foods, or Native Sun.
Actually Winn Dixie is currently going through a new branding and ad campaign to help get rid of this stigma you speak of. They seem to be having success with this(their earnings reflect this). The Winn Dixie by my house is very nice and is where I do the majority of my shopping.
Good point about brand identity second_p. To twist the Sprite tagline: Image is everything. I can't afford to shop at Whole Foods all the time, but I want one because of the image it conveys and the products therein.
Also, the store I mention in Litchfield Beach is right behing a Piggily Wiggily that is quite nice, nicer than most Publix we have in town. Most folks just call it The Pig.
All of you who refuse to shop at the downtown Winn Dixie because of the "lesser than you" people who shop there should be ashamed.
Guess what....part of being an urban pioneer is a willingness to live in neighborhoods that aren't upscale and may include neighbors that you would not normally socialize with.
Not ashamed at all. I realize that being a pioneer means living next to people "lesser than me" as you put it, but I don't have to shop with them.
I am merely using my buying dollar to shape my community. Companies track who spends what and where to the penny. Every time I'm asked for my zipcode at SJTC, I proudly give it so that those stores will begin to see that a lot more buying dollars are coming out of 32206. This data impacts their decisions to build second stores and where they build it.
Back in the 90's and early 2000 I would say Publix was better- but now I think it's just based off which building is newer. When I lived off Gate Parkway and 9A I would go to the new Winn Dixie and liked it more than the Publix across the street. Now I live across from another new Winn Dixie and go to it rather than the Publix down the street. As long as the building was built in the last few years, they are really nice. Have you ever been to the Publix on Merril or at University/Powers- just as bad as an old Winn Dixie
As far as private label items go- they are all the same. The potato chip factory has one line filling Winn Dixie brand chips and the other line filling Publix.
If all is equal I would rather support a locally headquartered business.
Quote from: second_pancake on July 24, 2009, 09:36:14 AM
Speaking of what's-in-a-name: anyone ever heard of the grocery store, Piggly-Wiggly?? We had those growing up in Tennessee. Their signs had an image of a cartoon pig with a butcher hat on. Disturbing.
Piggly Wiggly was started decades ago by investors in Winn Dixie that got bought out. Maybe that explains their similarities to this day. Legend is that part of the deal was they couldn't open any stores in W-D's backyard of Jacksonville but for a very long time their headquarters were right here in Jax!
Quote from: iluvolives on July 24, 2009, 11:20:09 AM
Back in the 90's and early 2000 I would say Publix was better- but now I think it's just based off which building is newer. When I lived off Gate Parkway and 9A I would go to the new Winn Dixie and liked it more than the Publix across the street.
The WD at Baymeadows/9A is by far the nicest I have ever been to. I usually go there if I need to get something after 10pm. That is probably the only WD I would go to before a Publix.
Quote from: stjr on July 24, 2009, 11:28:17 AM
Piggly Wiggly was started decades ago by investors in Winn Dixie that got bought out. Maybe that explains their similarities to this day. Legend is that part of the deal was they couldn't open any stores in W-D's backyard of Jacksonville but for a very long time their headquarters were right here in Jax!
Wrong. Piggly Wiggly was actually founded before Winn Dixie in the early 1900's.
tufsu1,
I didn't say they were "lesser", i don't feel that way at all.
Publix has a much better selection first & foremost. That's most important to me. They have everthing I want as far as products. Thier produce (like bananas & oranges) are 100 times better as well.
I have heard a few posters mention that Publix costs more. Anything specific you have seen where Publix is higher than WD? I know meat and produce might be because they are higher quality.
Quote from: cline on July 24, 2009, 11:38:52 AM
Quote from: stjr on July 24, 2009, 11:28:17 AM
Piggly Wiggly was started decades ago by investors in Winn Dixie that got bought out. Maybe that explains their similarities to this day. Legend is that part of the deal was they couldn't open any stores in W-D's backyard of Jacksonville but for a very long time their headquarters were right here in Jax!
Wrong. Piggly Wiggly was actually founded before Winn Dixie in the early 1900's.
My apologies for overstating my understanding. Here is the actual story below. At one time, Bill Lovett sold his company, Winn-Lovett into what is now Winn-Dixie. When he sold out, he eventually acquired 200 Piggly Wiggly stores and became its President and Chairman of the entire corporation. Full story below:
QuoteTHE ANONYMOUS POTENTATE? -- When Jax resident William "Bill" Lovett passed away in 1978, the Times-Union called him "perhaps the South's least known multimillionaire." The eighty-seven-year-old tycoon had created a corporate empire reportedly worth $100 million -- or over $285 million in today's currency! In large part, the Lovett fortune came from ships, shipyards, supermarkets, and a partnership in Merrill Lynch. (CLICK HERE for a photo of Mr. Lovett.)
A flyweight who stood 5'7'' and weighed 130 pounds, Mr. Lovett proved a heavyweight in the retail industry. Based in Jax, the Winn-Lovett Grocery Company consisted of 73 stores, a sizeable chain at the time. In 1939, Mr. Lovett sold his controlling interest in this business to a company that eventually became Winn-Dixie. Although Mr. Lovett no longer owned the stores, the future Winn-Dixie company retained the Lovett name, as shown above.
Later, Mr. Lovett possessed full or part interest in 200 Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, and he headed the Piggly Wiggly Corporation itself as president and chairman of the board. This pioneer grocery chain was comprised of about 1,000 stores.
During the 1960s, moreover, Mr. Lovett purchased two locally-known, competing shipyards. These were the Merrill-Stevens yard on East Bay Street downtown and the old Gibbs Shipyard on the Southbank, located in the vicinity of today's Charthouse Restaurant. After merging them into Jacksonville Shipyards Inc., he sold the business to Fruehauf Corporation in 1969. At one point, the multimillionaire also commanded a fleet of 70 steamships.
Mr. Lovett hailed from the small Florida town of Monticello, near Tallahassee. For many years, the publicity-shy financier lived in a handsome home overlooking the St. Johns River. The dwelling still stands on Challen Avenue in the historic Jax neighborhood of Avondale. Until late in life, Mr. Lovett drove himself to work in one of two 1966 Cadillacs, arriving at about 10:00 A.M. at a spartan downtown office on East Adams Street. He toiled steadily, breaking only for a meal of peanut butter crackers and buttermilk. The magnate would leave each evening at 6:00, taking home more work. One family member described him as being quite devoted to his enterprises.
In addition to his financial achievements, Mr. Lovett often contributed to a range of charitable causes. His family has remained one of the River City's most affluent, a mover & shaker on the business scene.
Photo capiton (photo missing): The road running into the northern horizon is Blanding Boulevard, and seen in the distance is a traffic light over the intersection of Blanding and San Juan. This Westside view has changed quite a bit since 1948, the time of the photo. Blanding is now multilane, and it is crowded with businesses. A motorcycle dealership, for example, sits in the location of the billboard to the left. The Lovett's building has survived as the home of Barnett's Art & Frame Shop.
http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Picture%20of%20Supermarket,%20Lovett's%20and%20Stewarts.htm
QuotePiggly Wiggly corporate site:
Piggly Wiggly®, America's first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 by Clarence Saunders. In grocery stores of that time, shoppers presented their orders to clerks who gathered the goods from the store shelves. Saunders, a flamboyant and innovative man, noticed this method resulted in wasted time and man hours, so he came up with an unheard-of solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: he developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves.....
The original Piggly Wiggly Corporation became owner of all Piggly Wiggly properties: the name, the patents, etc., and Saunders began issuing stock in the Corporation. This stock was successfully traded on the New York Stock Exchange for some time, but through a series of stock transactions in the early '20s, Saunders lost control of Piggly Wiggly and had no further association with the company.
Piggly Wiggly Corporation continued to prosper as franchiser for the hundreds of independently owned grocery stores franchised to operate under the Piggly Wiggly name and over the next several decades, functioned successfully under various owners.
Piggly Wiggly® Today
Today there are more than 600 Piggly Wiggly stores servicing communities in 17 states. All Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and operated, and are located primarily throughout the southeast and as far north as Wisconsin.
Piggly Wiggly LLC, the corporate headquarters, is located in Keene, New Hampshire and issues Piggly Wiggly franchises to qualified independent grocery retailers. The Company also provides the retailers with services such as retail support, marketing programs and a line of promotional items.
Piggly Wiggly LLC is an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., ranked as the 8th largest privately held company in the nation. For 85 years, C&S has provided first-class warehousing & distribution services to their customers. From over 36 warehouse facilities throughout the United States, C&S Associates serve some of the largest supermarket chains in the nation. Their corporate offices are located in Keene, New Hampshire.
QuoteWikipedia:
The success of Piggly Wiggly was phenomenal, so much so that other independent and chain grocery stores changed to self-service in the 1920s and 1930s. At its peak, the company operated 2,660 stores and posted annual sales in excess of $180 million. In November 1922, Saunders attempted a squeeze on the substantial short interest in the stock, running the share price up from 40 to 120 and profiting by millions on paper. The Stock Exchange Governors responded by deciding that a corner had been established in Piggly Wiggly and removed the stock from the Board eventually forcing Saunders to turn over his assets to the banks that had financed his leveraged position. Saunders reputedly lost nine million dollars in the attempted corner.[3]
Following these events, the company was soon carved up by Merrill Lynch and sold off to regional grocery chains, including Kroger, Safeway, National Tea, and Colonial.[4]
After losing control of Piggly Wiggly, Saunders had no further association with the company although he remained interested in the concept of automated shopping which he experimented with initially with the Keedoozle store until his death in 1953.[5]
The smaller Piggly Wiggly Corporation continued to prosper as franchiser for the hundreds of independently owned grocery stores licensed to do business under the Piggly Wiggly name. During the decades following the 1920s divestment, the company has operated successfully under a variety of owners.
Management of the Toyota Corporation were inspired by Piggly Wiggly's Just-in-time inventory strategy and used this model to develop its Toyota Production System (TPS), a philosophy by which the company organizes its manufacturing and logistics, including its interactions with suppliers and customers.[citation needed]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piggly_Wiggly
There's one advantage to shopping at Winn-Dixie and Walmart. No snobs. Just my peeps.
I would like to shop more often at Winn-Dixie but it has always seemed like they always have long lines at the one or two checkouts that are open. I have rarely been at a Winn-Dixie where they had more than three cashiers on duty - even during the busiest times. I like to shop at Publix because I spend less time waiting in line to pay for my groceries.
Piggly Wiggly, good lord. The last one I saw is in Bristol, FL in Liberty County, the state's least populated county.
Quote from: reednavy on July 24, 2009, 09:55:04 PM
Piggly Wiggly, good lord. The last one I saw is in Bristol, FL in Liberty County, the state's least populated county.
actually, its in Blountstown (Calhoun County)....just across the Apalchicola River from Bristol
View of Christmas decorations in the produce section at a Lovett's Food Store : Jacksonville, Florida picture (no date):
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00669.jpg)
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00668.jpg)
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00666.jpg)
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00665.jpg)
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 24, 2009, 10:23:17 PM
actually, its in Blountstown (Calhoun County)....just across the Apalchicola River from Bristol
No, it is on the eastern edge of Bristol, just east of the high school.
11325 NW State Road 20
Bristol, FL 32321
Also in Blountstown:
20118 Central Avenue West
Blountstown, FL 32424
Quote from: reednavy on July 24, 2009, 09:55:04 PM
Piggly Wiggly, good lord. The last one I saw is in Bristol, FL in Liberty County, the state's least populated county.
They still have three in the Savannah area. It is where my mother does all of her grocery shopping. I have been in there with her when visiting, and you can easily see the similarities to Winn Dixie.
Side note: This is the home of the Piggly Wiggly empire/family, down on the Charleston Battery - if you look closely you can see the pig statues!
(http://cache.virtualtourist.com/4053347-Mansion_of_Piggly_Wiggly_owner_on_the_Battery-Charleston.jpg)
Quote from: reednavy on July 27, 2009, 01:08:20 AM
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 24, 2009, 10:23:17 PM
actually, its in Blountstown (Calhoun County)....just across the Apalchicola River from Bristol
No, it is on the eastern edge of Bristol, just east of the high school.
11325 NW State Road 20
Bristol, FL 32321
Also in Blountstown:
20118 Central Avenue West
Blountstown, FL 32424
I've driven through there many times and never saw a store in Bristol....now the Piggly Wiggly website does list one and it does show up on the Streetview of Google maps...but on the aerial, the site is vacant....maybe its a new store?
Before the economic meltdown, it seemed to me that Publix was almost always higher in price than the Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Food Lion, etc. chains. Now, it seems like they are more in line with the others. Now some items are more, but some are less. Before, they seem to be higher on almost everything.
Most Piggly Wiggly's in SC are now as upscale (and pricey) as Publix. Their sale items are very cheap, but otherwise, not at all.
I agree that the age of the building and to some degree the neighborood demographics determines the overall appearance of the store, regardless of chain. A new W-D will look better than a 10+ year old Publix in most cases.
Publix does a good job of making their stores appealing looking, but you usually pay for the atmosphere and wider selection too. Publix lovers tend to exaggerate the chains' positives IMO. They do a good job, and their store brands are pretty good, but a banana is a freaking banana. You only think it tastes better because you didn't have to wait in line with a blue collar worker in front of you.
WalMart has the best prices,and I do more shopping there when I am watching pennies in my budget. The difference in price often is quite substantial versus Publix or even other chains.
If Walmart were more convenient I would probably do most of my grocery shopping there. Since it is not, the DT Publix in Greenville sees most of my $ these days. Also, I want to support the DT store, which I hear is doing quite well. The penny item on Sunday helps too.
No, a banana is NOT a banana. funny you should use that as an example.
The main reason why I don't use the Downtown Winn-Dixie is b/c thier produce sucks.....thier bananas, in general, are subpar. At least the times that i have gone....
Well, i bought some bananas there yesterday and they taste just fine to me, as a matter of fact I am eating it now.
I am actually eating a banana right now from Publix and it is subpar.
Since bananas are the hot topic here...the one I ate this morning was from Beaver Street Farmers' Market and it was great. Best of all they were selling for 8 for a dollar yesterday.
As for this thread, I do my shopping at the Riverside Publix beacuse it is the closest to me. However, in trying to check out more core neighborhoods, I drove around the downtown Winn Dixie parking lot yesterday. In my brief pass through, the outisde was very similar to the Riverside Publix to me. It seemed to have a mix crowd and a couple sketchy/pan handler types to the side, but i didn't see much difference between the two from the outside. I know that my short pass through doesn't show much, but I am more open to the idea of trying it in the future to get more of a perspective of the place.
I recently visited the W-D at Baymeadows and 9A and the experience from a customer service perspective was remarkable. Everywhere I went in the store someone was stopping to ask if I needed anything, etc. It was clean. The restrooms were like a nice restaurant. It was all terrific. It showed me that W-D is obviously making an effort to change the culture that permeated their stores.
I typically shop at the Riverside Publix as I live across the street - no need to go anywhere else. Nonetheless, W-D is making great strides based on what I've observed. I've also seen improvements in the Southside/Baymeadows W-D store as well - cleaner, friendly, nicer uniforms, upgraded food selections, etc.
Just my 2 cents.
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 27, 2009, 08:04:33 AM
I've driven through there many times and never saw a store in Bristol....now the Piggly Wiggly website does list one and it does show up on the Streetview of Google maps...but on the aerial, the site is vacant....maybe its a new store?
It is relatively new.
FYI, one of the family members that founded PW lives here, I believe in Avondale. She is a nice old lady and is loaded beyond imagination beacuse of Piggly Wiggly.
QuoteFYI, one of the family members that founded PW lives here, I believe in Avondale. She is a nice old lady and is loaded beyond imagination beacuse of Piggly Wiggly.
I am guessing you are referring to Betsy Lovett, a very generous philanthropist and prominent member of the community in Jax. See the story I previously posted in this thread about the Lovett family founding the beginning of part of Winn-Dixie (at one time, Winn-Lovett) and owning 200 Piggly Wiggly stores and presiding over the franchising corporation. Not to mention owning the shipyards, etc.(http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/i/list/EuropeLIST/DiamanteLovetts.jpg)Donna Diamante dalle Ore, Larry Lovett, and Betsy Lovett
Below is the picture caption from the New York Social Diary coverage of a party in Italy. I note she supports historic renovations so maybe should could help save what's left in Jax along with heritage sites in Italy. ;) :
QuotePhotographed at the Villa Coin outside Asolo. From left: Signora alle Ore is the owner of Villa Barbaro where she and her husband played hosts to the Venetian Heritage friends one Monday night. One of Palladio’s greatest villas, built in the mid-1500s, was purchased by Diamante’s grandfather Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata in 1934. From then on, the family, especially Diamante’s mother Marina embarked on restoration of the beautiful property. Although she has siblings, Diamante, as she is called, was most passionately interested in the preservation and maintaining of Villa Barbaro which sits on a knoll in the village of Mazer.
In the center of the photo is Larry Lovett, the chairman of Venetian Heritage and one of the major forces in bringing people together and raising funds. Mr. Lovett, an American who has lived much of his adult life in Europe, for years, up until recently, was the proud owner of a palazzo on the Grand Canal. He has long been actively involved in restoration not only in Venice but all over the world.
On the right: Betsy Lovett, widow of Larry’s brother. A very outgoing and gracious woman, Mrs. Lovett is a longtime resident of Jacksonville although she has lots of friends in New York, and has been involved in the restorations for many years also. While some of us are slow to warm to “new†people, Betsy Lovett is quick to warm and to spread that warmth.
http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1978
Quote from: vicupstate on July 27, 2009, 08:27:08 AM
You only think it tastes better because you didn't have to wait in line with a blue collar worker in front of you.
That's so very false it's funny...my father in law is a retired janitor and he shops at Publix. Why? Quality.
Quote from: CrysG on July 27, 2009, 06:54:17 PM
Quote from: vicupstate on July 27, 2009, 08:27:08 AM
You only think it tastes better because you didn't have to wait in line with a blue collar worker in front of you.
That's so very false it's funny...my father in law is a retired janitor and he shops at Publix. Why? Quality.
Sometimes a Chiquita Bananna is just a Chiquita Bananna
I'm all about Food Lion. Personally, I can't handle the selection available at Publix. I walk out of there with all sorts of expensive exotic items.
Quote from: civil42806 on July 27, 2009, 07:25:57 PM
Sometimes a Chiquita Bananna is just a Chiquita Bananna
And sometimes it's a banana. :P
Quote from: CrysG on July 27, 2009, 06:54:17 PM
That's so very false it's funny...my father in law is a retired janitor and he shops at Publix. Why? Quality.
Sarcasm anyone?
I'm grateful to have access to the NAS Commissary on Roosevelt, but when I need a quick item, it's a matter of economics for me.
I live in Riverside. I can walk or drive to the Riverside Publix, wait in line for 5 minutes and spend more (I have a log of every food item I have purchased in the past 3 months, so I have sufficient data to say for my needs, Publix is more expensive) or go to a Winn-Dixie downtown or on Normandy. If the prices beat Publix's, then I stock up and save more.
My average Commissary bill, though, averages at least 30% less than any other grocery outlet.
Quote from: JaxNole on July 29, 2009, 02:58:09 AM
I'm grateful to have access to the NAS Commissary on Roosevelt, but when I need a quick item, it's a matter of economics for me.
My average Commissary bill, though, averages at least 30% less than any other grocery outlet.
Amen
I visited the DT Winn-Dixie this afternoon. It was a very pleasant experience.
Fleet of trucks with drivers for Winn Lovett:
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00681.jpg)
Workers in the tabulating department of Winn Lovett:
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00680.jpg)
Women working a coffee bar at the Lovett's Food Store on McDuff Avenue : Jacksonville, Florida picture:
(http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/rfisher/RF00678.jpg)