Alpine Meijer To Get New Face

[pcdoctor]

Was there today:

The new vision center could possibly open up as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. It just needs to be stocked from the looks of it.

Also one could notice in the produce Aisle that some floor tiles already need to be replaced. There's damage to some tiles.

[tamias6]

Finishing Update:

Folks fearing the end of the purple cow, fear not. That most "Meijer" of Meijer traditions is still alive and kicking. New graphic decals have been applied to the purple cow cooler while a new very visible sign was hung over head. Meanwhile, the new vision center appears to have all of its furniture in place and ready to be stocked. So I say its should be ready to put glasses on to people's heads in a matter of a couple of weeks, maybe sooner. Lastly, a large map of the store as appeared at the north end of the checkout lanes next to the grocery entrance greeter.

[Rybak 187]

Finishing Update:

Folks fearing the end of the purple cow, fear not. That most "Meijer" of Meijer traditions is still alive and kicking. New graphic decals have been applied to the purple cow cooler while a new very visible sign was hung over head. Meanwhile, the new vision center appears to have all of its furniture in place and ready to be stocked. So I say its should be ready to put glasses on to people's heads in a matter of a couple of weeks, maybe sooner. Lastly, a large map of the store as appeared at the north end of the checkout lanes next to the grocery entrance greeter.

[tamias6]

I believe the vision center is its own business independent of Meijer.

Is the vision center a name brand place or is it a Meijer owned and operated? We don't have any up here.

[Rybak 187]

I believe the vision center is its own business independent of Meijer.

[pcdoctor]

Finishing Update:

Folks fearing the end of the purple cow, fear not. That most "Meijer" of Meijer traditions is still alive and kicking.

[Timize]

I went to this store yesterday while I was in the Alpine area. I noticed that that have a couple of self-scan stations that have no item limit and you get to bag your items yourself. Is this new to the Alpine Meijer (are the just testing it there or does Meijer already have them in other newer stores)?

[pcdoctor]

The meijer on 28th street near cascade/I96 was also another recipent to add the full size self checkout lanes. Otherwise as far as we can tell, only Alpine and the cascade store have these lanes. I am pretty certain that the new plainfield store will also get these lanes as well.

[jbr12]

I know I've seen them somewhere else too. I want to say the Meijer out by GVSU, but it might have been in Big Rapids

[tamias6]

The full size order self checkouts arrived first (As far as I know) to the Alpine Meijer about two months ago. The Cascade Meijer followed suit by receiving its own set about three weeks ago. No other Meijer, at least in the GR metro area have full size order self checkouts lanes yet. However almost every Meijer store in the chain feature the normal U-Scanners ether of the first generation models or the smaller and more advance second generation models.

[Rybak 187]

They actually tested them in Indianapolis.

[tamias6]

Then I read that as Meijer felt the full size order self checkouts were satisfactory and is either installing them in a few more stores to test them at a wider scale or chain wide implementation has begun. Thanks for the info. What I find mysterious is how quiet Meijer has been about them. The company trumpeted the U-scanners when they were first implemented several years ago.

They actually tested them in Indianapolis.

[Rybak 187]

They are also testing out some other types of checkouts there too. So if the shoppers respond well to them threr will be others coming your way.

[tamias6]

Finishing updates:

New bulletin boards have made an appearance in the grocery entrance next to the restrooms. On one of them is hung a map of the store. Also all the price check kiosks through out the store now display finalized maps of the store. Heading inside, the bakery, deli, and Delicious to go have received most of the item lists on their new menu boards. Meanwhile other at the meats and seafoods, the lobsters have finally been moved to their new home, a bulbous shaped tank at the far end of the seafood display cases. Last but not least, the new vision center appears to have most of its display cases stocked. So it won't be too long before its open.

[pcdoctor]

I went there on Wednesday and I think really for the most part, construction is done. But here are some updates:

In the grocery entrance, I saw this electric box type of thing sitting on a table and plugged into the wall. Not sure of what it is though. I also saw the new bulletin boards up as well. The retail entrance has these bulletin boards too.

At the space of the vision center, it looked to be about fully stocked, but it wasn't open. I think there was still construction going on in the backrooms yet.

Heading to the grocery section: The HVAC Unit in Aisle 7 dosen't really have the hornet buzzing noise anymore, or is real real faint. Also, toe kicks looked to be installed on all the shelves.

[pcdoctor]

Was there today:

One will notice that when you enter the store through each entry, there are new lcd monitors up on the ceiling that were recently installed. I don't think they were running yet, but I believe they will be of either a shot of the parking lot or something in the store.

Also, something else I must say to everyone. Avoid using u scan lane 10. You scan an item, then you have to wait until the item gets all the way down to the belt before you can scan the next item. Also, a lot of unexpected item errors come up on that lane as well. I've been told that they've been calling for service on it like every other day, and they say nothing's wrong with it. The employees bring it up at the meetings too about that lane. So if you can, avoid using lane 10.

Finally, the vision center is still not open yet. What's holding them up?

[tamias6]

If the LCD monitors are like those at the Standale Meijer, they will broadcast a special in-store "Meijer" channel powered by ABC network. The purpose of this channel is to convey store information, and meijer advertisments. Since ABC is powering the channel, customers will also see a few ABC related advertisments along with some Disney ads here and there. The channel repeats itself about every 10 to 20 minutes and seems to be updated once a month. This ABC/Meijer channel is different than the Meijer channel already airing on the televisons sets located in E4. If the LCD monitors are indeed what I think they are, they will be located throughout the store while smaller LCD's equiped with highly directional loudspeakers may show up on all cashier run checkout lanes.

As for Lane 10. Yes that one is the most troublesome one. The rest seem to work just fine.

Was there today:

One will notice that when you enter the store through each entry, there are new lcd monitors up on the ceiling that were recently installed. I don't think they were running yet, but I believe they will be of either a shot of the parking lot or something in the store.

Also, something else I must say to everyone. Avoid using u scan lane 10. You scan an item, then you have to wait until the item gets all the way down to the belt before you can scan the next item. Also, a lot of unexpected item errors come up on that lane as well. I've been told that they've been calling for service on it like every other day, and they say nothing's wrong with it. The employees bring it up at the meetings too about that lane. So if you can, avoid using lane 10.

Finally, the vision center is still not open yet. What's holding them up?

[pcdoctor]

Update:

The LCD Monitors at each entrance are a camera pointing at the entrances of people going in/out of the store. Also, vision center still dosen't seem to be open yet.

[tamias6]

finishing update:

The LCD monitors also look to be for new parking lot security cameras that have recently appeared on the roof. These cameras are mounted to polls just behind the front parapets adjacent to each entrance. These parking lot cameras and LCD monitors replace the older setup in place before the renovation began.

Anyway. New green colored graphics have been installed on top of the coolers in the produce dept. giving them a more finished look while helping in drawing attention to products inside. I'm hoping similar graphics are installed atop of the frozen food aisles to obscure the pipework.

Also it seems that Meijer is intensifying the "Price Drop" marketing campaign at the Alpine Meijer as new blue dot sphere's have appeared through out the store along with more "Look for the Blue" graphics in the action alleys. Call these one of countless preparations for the pending fight with a certain smiley face's supercenter being built just down the road.

Lastly the opening of the Vision Center is still being awaited. I'm predicting the first or second week of August.

[Veloise]

When I was there last night, I noticed disarray in the women's sleepware department; racks of PJs crammed into the adjacent merch area. Why?? Are they trying to make extra room in the reading material department?

Wouldn't have anything to do with a book release?

[it would be really cool to have a HP party at RB Books...ah well]

[tamias6]

^ I was at the Schuler's book store this evening. It's was a mad house. So I bet Meijer was thankful for having 200,000 sq. ft. stores to squeeze all those Harry Potter heads in.

[Veloise]

They must've had some kind of fun at the HP book release party. Tonight I noticed the new book on shelves all over the store (not displayed; near housewares, hardware, groceries) and at least one copy of an older book also lovingly placed in a cross-merch pattern.

Spoilers anyone? I read the last few pages there just to find this out. Another shopper: "you're supposed to read the whole book!"

Harry doesn't die.

Scroll over to read, save yourself several hundred pages.

[tamias6]

Finishings Update: (as of yesterday):

Most of the menu items have been inserted on the menu boards of delicious to go, deli, and bakery. Also "Bread" has been hung on the wall above the bread section. The Vision center is still not open yet.

[ericlw]

I wasn't at the store today, but my brother was there and he tells me the biggest news of the visit there today. The retail entrance is now open and running. However, the outer exit door is being a little problematic just to let you know. It dosen't close all the way and then it keeps opening. Otherwise, the other doors appear to be ok.

Also, does anyone know if the old awning is still planned to come down yet?

[tamias6]

Okay, I found this thread by looking up Meijer's new Large Order Self Checkout Lanes. First the door issue, may not be so much of a glitch but people messing around with the doors. I work at the Meijer in Lowell, on the top of the door frame there is a tab that comes down to keep the door from continually opening by it's self. The doors will open up and swing back far enough to set off the sensor again. The tab just keeps them from swinging back enough to set off the sensor. Reading of this thread makes me homesick. I miss the second Meijer store. It had character unlike the newer stores. The second Ionia store had a 3rd entrance, right outside of it was the curbside service and what made it nice was that the pick up area was covered. The ceiling just beyond the checkout lanes was curved, plus the store had the security windows for Loss Pervention to watch out of. Some of the other notables I will remember about the second Ionia store. It had a bank with an actuall driveup, even though it had been closed for some time and was the clearance center at store closing. There also used to be a video/game rental in the store. I also remember the cash registers that dispensed the change and the bagger stations at the end of the lanes. The second Ionia store was 30 years old when they closed it up. It lasted from 1974-2004. Where it sat is now a Lowes. Ionia is growing too much, new Meijer, Super Walmart, Lowes, Tractor Supply Company, Applebees, and a Menards is going up. We don't need all this here, that is why they built 28th St in Grand Rapids and I-96.