Alpine Meijer To Get New Face

[tamias6]

Finishing Updates: (Yesterday)

In the frozen food aisles new graphics have appeared forming parapets over all of the coolers to obscure unattractive pipework while enhancing the look of the aisles. Secondly, Meijer seems to be intensifying its "Price Drop" sales strategy again at the Alpine Store as price drop banners have now appeared in all action alleys intermixing with the normal store event banners. Temporarily dropping prices on what seems to randomly selected yet fairly commonly purchased items on a whim without prior notice has proven a very potent tool for Meijer in its bid to stand its ground against Wal-Mart and other competition. So building on that strategy will help the Alpine store to keep customers from being lured away to the super smiley face going in just down the road. Lastly the lights were on in the Vision Center. However, it is still not open yet.

A Side Note:

In addition to the Vision center not being open yet, the Alpine store is still listed on Meijer.com's remodel page. So officially the renovation is not complete yet. So at least one of two things will need to happen in order sign seal and deliver the Alpine store. One: a grand re-opening taking place which I hope will happen as I'd like to be there to shoots and posts some pics. Doing so would provide a fitting book end to this thread. And/or two: the completion and opening of the vision center and the removal of the Alpine store from the remodel web page.

[pcdoctor]

Actually I was at the store on Friday around noon or so and the vision center was open!

[pcdoctor]

The vision center is now fully open and a new vision center sign is installed at the entrance.

[tamias6]

Sweet. Haven't been up at the Alpine Meijer in a while due to some other obligations. Hopfully I can get back up there to check things out fairly soon.

The vision center is now fully open and a new vision center sign is installed at the entrance.

[tamias6]

Finishing Updates:

I took a quick drive by of the Alpine Meijer. It looks like finish details as still going on at least on the outside. The parking lot has been remarked. This remarking consists of a realignment of the front drive and in turn the realignment of the parking slot rows. All markings directly in front of the store and the garden center has been pushed towards Alpine Ave. by about three feet. Also new 24 foot wide pedestrian cross walk markings are now present in front of both entrances.

In addition to the new markings on the parking lot, parking curbs have been installed along the front edge of the concrete walkway under the front canopy. These new parking blocks, located between the two entrances, serve to coral shopping carts now being stored in this area.

[pcdoctor]

Finishing Updates:

Beginning Outside, they were doing some cementing work near the entrance of the pharmacy drive up window. Because of that, the pharmacy drive up window was closed off. This was on Thursday I believe.

Anyways going inside through the grocery entrance. One will now notice a payphone has been installed, but it wasn't working. Maybe still trying to get it hooked up yet. And the HVAC unit in Aisle 7 still has somewhat of a hornet buzzing noise. I think that will always be there. Also, the red aisle markers that were posted on like Aisles 2 and 3 have now disappeared, but they don't have anything on them now.

[tamias6]

Finishing Updates:

Outside, the outdoor garden center canopy has been painted the same light tan body color as the rest of the building. Inside as mentioned by pcdocter in the main Meijer thread, the south half of aisle 5 has received a new floor consisting of alternating patches of butterscotch colored and avocado green floor tiles. I'm not sure why that revision was done as their is nothing really eye catching in that aisle. Lastly new "Price Drop" banners have appeared throughout the store. But that is due to changing store events rather than the renovation.

[pcdoctor]

I was told that over at Alpine yesterday that the u scanners were causing all kinds of problems like crazy. It seems that when they did install the new u scanners after the remodel, they've been causing nothing but a bunch of problems. I don't know if they ever fixed lane 10 yet. We've not used it since we had the problems that one day. But mainly on lane 6 it was unexpected item on belt and to remove the item. There was nothing on the belt.

[Veloise]

I was told that over at Alpine yesterday that the u scanners were causing all kinds of problems like crazy. It seems that when they did install the new u scanners after the remodel, they've been causing nothing but a bunch of problems. I don't know if they ever fixed lane 10 yet. We've not used it since we had the problems that one day. But mainly on lane 6 it was unexpected item on belt and to remove the item. There was nothing on the belt.

[tamias6]

I've only encountered just a few minor problems with the new U-scanners. However the big item on my wish list is a scanning gun for scanning big 40 lbs. bags of bird seed. Wrestling such monsters up and into position to scan them does a number on one's back. So if big heavy items are in my cart, I choose a regular check out lane.

[pcdoctor]

I've only encountered just a few minor problems with the new U-scanners. However the big item on my wish list is a scanning gun for scanning big 40 lbs. bags of bird seed. Wrestling such monsters up and into position to scan them does a number on one's back. So if big heavy items are in my cart, I choose a regular check out lane.

[tamias6]

Maybe the cashier's at the cashier stand have a scanning gun?

[tamias6]

Finishing Update:

Outside a new four foot high, black, rod iron fence has been installed along the driveway leading up to the drive up window. The fance was placed just behind the phalanx of bollards protecting the garden center.

[pcdoctor]

Ladies and Gents: There is a construction note that everyone needs to be aware of before heading over to the Alpine Meijer today:

Some of you may have noticed in the "Meijer" topic that stores like Standale and the Kalamazoo/m6 store have had some stock moving around in some aisles. Well guess what! It is happening over at Alpine today. Aisles 4 and 5 were under quite a bit of construction with shelves being emptied. Coffees and coffee creamers have already been moved from Aisle 2. They were no where to be found while there. In it's place are now hard liquors and wines. But as to what I believe. Aisle 5 will be the new home for coffees and possibly an expanded selection as well. In the pop aisle. Pops were moved to the other side of Aisle 4. I think that's where they were in the past. So be prepared for the mess and chaos going on overthere today.

Also over by the breads/bakery area. There is now an area where you can grind coffee beans.

[tamias6]

^There's one thing we've got to love Meijer for. It never gets boring. I'll have to hit the Alpine Store to have a look at what's going on.

[wolverine]

Really? They don't have an option for oversized items like the ones here in Ann Arbor have?

[tamias6]

Really? They don't have an option for oversized items like the ones here in Ann Arbor have?

[pcdoctor]

Well I did make it over to the Alpine Meijer store today. Aisle 5 is now home to expanded coffees. It offers quite a bit than what it used to offer and you can even smell the coffees as well. So now Aisle 5 is coffees and juices. And in Aisle 5, you can cut over to Aisle 4 1/2 way down where the sodapops and waters are. both aisles are fully stocked. There are also lights shining on the coffees as well. And finally up by the checkout lanes, you will now notice on the floor self checkout signs at the self checkouts. I found this by the grocery entrance and maybe the retail entrance has them too. Also at night, both entrances are well nicely lit. It's so bright in there. I wish I had pictures of it.

[Veloise]

Apparently the chain's upgrade plans include emergency power capability.

West Michigan didn't get to enjoy the 2003 blackout (August, caused by an issue in Ohio). I was in Dearborn at the time, and when it became apparent that the Detroit area was going to be hot and awful for at least a day, I headed west. Fred's store on Ann Arbor-Saline Road was on generator power, and doing a land-office business...but the frozen foods weren't for sale (cooler issues) and the fountain drinks were on a boil-water advisory.

The other night (10 pm-ish) I was in the Alpine store, and immediately noticed the intimate lighting levels. Produce looked like a cocktail lounge. Throughout the store it was hard to match colors and read small print. Finally asked the greeter, and she explained that they had been on generators for two days. Said that when the reno occurred, they'd added this capability. She mentioned that the A/C was out, and since the last couple of days had been temperate it hadn't been too bad. Unlike in A2 in '03, the frozen products were rock hard cold.

This makes a lot of sense. In a power outage, where are you going to go? If Fred doesn't have to change the way they do business for an emergency, it'll only help their bottom line.

[pcdoctor]

I was told that the power is fully back on now at Meijer. I think Meijer has always had generators. There's never really been power outages that lasted in the store. I know the old plainfield meijer had them.

[Veloise]

I was told that the power is fully back on now at Meijer. I think Meijer has always had generators. There's never really been power outages that lasted in the store. I know the old plainfield meijer had them.

[aowwt]

Well from my experince meijer had back gens just for the computers and what not. the main issue is most of the old stores and even the newer stores have open freezers and coolers for product. Well the key is keeping the HVAC working right so that the food units dont over work themselves to death. Having no power tends to kill HVAC units and hence puts extra strain on the food units.

[tamias6]

I did some shoping at the Alpine Meijer today and noticed patches of replaced flooring through out the store that were not there before the power outage incident. Could be coincidence as far as the timing of when the patches appeared. But the floors never looked in need of repair since the renovation.

[pcdoctor]

Something's going on in the front promenade of the store today:

Today I had to go do some shopping over at the Alpine Meijer and I noticed that in between the vision center and the chase bank, there is some construction going on in that space. I wonder what they could possibly be doing? There were no signs stating what was going there. I'm assuming that maybe they could be building a new bottle return room or possibly expanding the chase bank or possibly building a new in store tenant. I don't remember what was there before though.

[tamias6]

Something's going on in the front promenade of the store today:

Today I had to go do some shopping over at the Alpine Meijer and I noticed that in between the vision center and the chase bank, there is some construction going on in that space. I wonder what they could possibly be doing? There were no signs stating what was going there. I'm assuming that maybe they could be building a new bottle return room or possibly expanding the chase bank or possibly building a new in store tenant. I don't remember what was there before though.