Harris Teeter

[mediamongrel]

Not a Harris Teeter post (which is why I asked to change the topic name) but another post about the Bi-Lo chain. Since A-Hold recently sold the Bi-Lo Chain, I am trying to list all the Bi-Lo stores that are still in existence with the "bull" logo in between the BI and LO. The newer ones (say after 1990 or so) just had a slash mark in between the Bi and LO, but the older Bi-Lo stores actually had the bull logo. I can faintly remember three locations I know of that had the bull logo style and they have all since closed. They were located on Leicester Hwy north of I-40 in Asheville, in the town of Fletcher in NC, and a third was on 74 near the Shelby/Forest City area. Seems like this was a mountain store trend, because I dont remember seeing the bull logo in Charlotte anywhere. Maybe someone knows of some in SC, or somewhere out of Charlotte.

[monsoon]

The really old BiLo stores had 3 (I believe) cows on the roof above the sign.

[kingofqueensinsc]

The really old BiLo stores had 3 (I believe) cows on the roof above the sign.

There is still a Bi-Lo with the bull's head in between the words on John B. White Blvd. in Spartanburg. This is one of the oldest stores in the chain and is located in a pretty rough area of the city.

[mediamongrel]

There is still a Bi-Lo with the bull's head in between the words on John B. White Blvd. in Spartanburg. This is one of the oldest stores in the chain and is located in a pretty rough area of the city.

thanks, it's kind of a drive for me to get there but I might get a picture of it because the rest are gone that I know of.

[DigitalSky]

http://www.groceteria.com/stores/graphics/...-wellfordSC.jpg

This one, via groceteria, is in Willford, SC

http://www.groceteria.com/stores/capsules.html

[mediamongrel]

is that actually the one in sptbg

[DigitalSky]

I don't know. Here's another one

[mediamongrel]

I don't know. Here's another one

Bi Lo is probably my all time favorite, might have something to do with the fact that they stock Finast products and my family used to shop at Finast regularly during childhood. Aslo if I remember right, Bi-Lo's "Walter" produce gimmick was apparently a leased gimmick. It was also used in the now defunct Edwards grocery store chain in the NE part of the US throughout the 80's.

[otherstream]

Bi Lo is probably my all time favorite, might have something to do with the fact that they stock Finast products and my family used to shop at Finast regularly during childhood. Aslo if I remember right, Bi-Lo's "Walter" produce gimmick was apparently a leased gimmick. It was also used in the now defunct Edwards grocery store chain in the NE part of the US throughout the 80's.

The connection was that Bi-Lo, Finast, and Edwards were all purchased by Royal Ahold, a Dutch company, starting in the 1980s. Edwards and Finast were merged into other Ahold-owned chains over the years and Bi-Lo was sold off last year. So you can't even get Finast products at Bi-Lo anymore (or at least you won't be able to once any remaining stock is gone).

[kingofqueensinsc]

The connection was that Bi-Lo, Finast, and Edwards were all purchased by Royal Ahold, a Dutch company, starting in the 1980s. Edwards and Finast were merged into other Ahold-owned chains over the years and Bi-Lo was sold off last year. So you can't even get Finast products at Bi-Lo anymore (or at least you won't be able to once any remaining stock is gone).

The Bi-Lo in Wellford moved about a half mile down the road to a new location about 3 years ago. If this pic is newer than that it must be the one in Spartanburg. I am pretty sure that the old store in Wellford did have the bull's head. The replacement store was actually the last new Bi-Lo construction in this area. Coincidentally, the first new Food Lion entry into the Greenville-Spartanburg market is going up across the street from the old Bi-Lo store in Wellford, looks like it will be ready by early summer.

[mediamongrel]

The connection was that Bi-Lo, Finast, and Edwards were all purchased by Royal Ahold, a Dutch company, starting in the 1980s. Edwards and Finast were merged into other Ahold-owned chains over the years and Bi-Lo was sold off last year. So you can't even get Finast products at Bi-Lo anymore (or at least you won't be able to once any remaining stock is gone).

Figured it was due to A-Hold. In Greensboro stores I always thought Bi Lo's produce was far superior to Harris Teeter's. Like I mentioned before though, for some reason Greensboro's Bi Lo stores were very upscale for some reason. A lot different than the crappy Charlotte Bi Lo stores.

[monsoon]

The Bi-Lo store in Rosedale in Huntersville was very upscale when it opened. It's next door to a fairly upscale HT that was recently expanded. However very bad management of that Bilo store means that it is staffed by uncaring kids, the store is dirty, service is bad and they have lost a lot of business as a result. Nothing turns me off more than to walk into a store and smell rotten fish from the back all the way in the front.

Because of the bad management and loss of sales, they have downgraded the store by removing things such as the sushi bar because people who normally buy stuff such as that quit shopping there. I suspect this is a problem with Bilo across the CLT area.

[mediamongrel]

The Bi-Lo store in Rosedale in Huntersville was very upscale when it opened. It's next door to a fairly upscale HT that was recently expanded. However very bad management of that Bilo store means that it is staffed by uncaring kids, the store is dirty, service is bad and they have lost a lot of business as a result. Nothing turns me off more than to walk into a store and smell rotten fish from the back all the way in the front.

Because of the bad management and loss of sales, they have downgraded the store by removing things such as the sushi bar because people who normally buy stuff such as that quit shopping there. I suspect this is a problem with Bilo across the CLT area.

I understand, but why would there be uncaring kids in Charlotte, but not a lot in Greensboro? Overall, teenagers are pretty careless at part time jobs, so there just must be a better management team in Bi Lo's Greensboro region I assume.

[otherstream]

I understand, but why would there be uncaring kids in Charlotte, but not a lot in Greensboro? Overall, teenagers are pretty careless at part time jobs, so there just must be a better management team in Bi Lo's Greensboro region I assume.

The biggest issue, I think, is that Bi-Lo started fresh with all new construction in Greensboro, while its current presence in Charlotte is still largely centered around a bunch of old Kroger stores it took over in 1989. While some new stores have been built in the Charlotte area, Bi-Lo never had the whole "clean slate" thing here that they started out with in the Triad.

Lowes Foods, on the other hand, has a similar advantage here in Charlotte, where all their stores are pretty much brand new. In other parts of the state, their reputation is considerably less "upscale". I've been in some older and more rural Lowes stores that (almost) made Food Lion look good by comparison.

[monsoon]

I understand, but why would there be uncaring kids in Charlotte, but not a lot in Greensboro? Overall, teenagers are pretty careless at part time jobs, so there just must be a better management team in Bi Lo's Greensboro region I assume.

It is the management who chooses who works there and when to fire them. The very upscale HT next door to that Bilo (so close you can walk from one to the other), also employs a bunch of teenagers, but the difference there is they are attentive, doing their job and are not standing around gossiping. That Harris Teeter is also extremely clean, and well staffed.

Both of these stores are brand new and opened within a week or so of each other, but the differences in how they are run couldn't be more dramatic. As a result Bilo has related itself to a much lower demographic.

[DigitalSky]

It is the management who chooses who works there and when to fire them. The very upscale HT next door to that Bilo (so close you can walk from one to the other), also employs a bunch of teenagers, but the difference there is they are attentive, doing their job and are not standing around gossiping. That Harris Teeter is also extremely clean, and well staffed.

Both of these stores are brand new and opened within a week or so of each other, but the differences in how they are run couldn't be more dramatic. As a result Bilo has related itself to a much lower demographic.

I saw the same thing myself, here in Greensboro actually... when I went to the Super Bi-Lo [Now SFMarkets] the teenagers/college students who were working there one night weren't exactly the nicest of service at the checkout. I was trying to get a BonusCard too, and they gave me the application and i filled it out and then there was no one at the counter and I was like wtf... I'm sure they can be nice but that expereince was just odd, compared to HT and Lowes...

[mediamongrel]

All things considered, I give HT kudos for probably the best all around attitude of their employees, but I guess there is good and bad seeds here and threre at every chain. The presentation of the product you are trying to sell is most of the battle. If they project high quality and good service from the start, most people will take at face value that all other attributes of the store will be similar. It may be the old cliche of fooling enough people some of the time to make a profit.

One little tidbit I did confirm is that HT and FL use different grades of beef. I will not mention whose grade of beef is higher, but the answer may not be what you expect. I have confirmed this with many meat buyers across the area. I was certainly surprised when I found this out!

[DigitalSky]

All things considered, I give HT kudos for probably the best all around attitude of their employees, but I guess there is good and bad seeds here and threre at every chain. The presentation of the product you are trying to sell is most of the battle. If they project high quality and good service from the start, most people will take at face value that all other attributes of the store will be similar. It may be the old cliche of fooling enough people some of the time to make a profit.

Well said

One little tidbit I did confirm is that HT and FL use different grades of beef. I will not mention whose grade of beef is higher, but the answer may not be what you expect. I have confirmed this with many meat buyers across the area. I was certainly surprised when I found this out!

Well if you put it like that, then it's obvious.

[f0xym0p]

One little tidbit I did confirm is that HT and FL use different grades of beef. I will not mention whose grade of beef is higher, but the answer may not be what you expect. I have confirmed this with many meat buyers across the area. I was certainly surprised when I found this out!

What is the point of even posting that if you aren't going to tell us whose is higher? Yes, the answer seems obvious, but why not just state it? Did you sign a confidentiality agreement?

[mediamongrel]

What is the point of even posting that if you aren't going to tell us whose is higher? Yes, the answer seems obvious, but why not just state it? Did you sign a confidentiality agreement?

If you already figured it out from my inference, then why worry about it? Go ask a butcher at Food Lion and then at HT and you'll get your answer.

I was just pointing out that the national and local media had it in for Food Lion ever since the re-wrapped meat thing was blown WAY out of proportion many years back. Come to find out their meat isn't really so bad after all. I mean look at it this way, Winn Dixie was supposed to have the best beef, and they went under.

[DigitalSky]

Do you have any updates on HT @ Mintworth Commons?

[Ryepow]

I drove by last week and drove around the parking lot around dusk. All the lights were on inside so I could see inside it. All the shelves are up, the new shopping carts are in their place. The only thing missing is the food. From what I could tell from my drive by is it looks completely done to me and really nice inside. For the rest of the shopping center, there is a sign at the entrance. There are a couple of different shops on the side of the HT including a Great Clips, a Chinese restaurant, and I think a dry cleaners but am not positive about that one. There is also a drug store, I believe it's Walgreens in a separate building in the parking lot. I was hoping for more retail in this shopping center, but it seems like they have a lot more space to expand if need be in the future.

[DigitalSky]

Thanks for the info, Ryepow

[mediamongrel]

Cotswold & McKee Rd. HT updates;

Look for Cotswold's new "unveiling" in about 10 days, which includes Produce in the front and a salad bar.

With these additions, Cotswold's sales could be nearing the 1,000,000/wk mark by late fall/early winter.

McKee Rd. store eyes lease to expand in 2008 with adjacent space currently occupied.

[DigitalSky]

I knew the McKee store would expand soon! Any new word on Eastland store or Mint Hill store?