Surprise! Surprise!

November 8, 2017, 11:04 am

Acme store closing:
ACME / FORMER A&P,
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ

Location: 907 Oak Tree Road, South Plainfield, NJ

A lot of us saw this coming. I sure did when I visited the store last month. The place was completely dead at 6:00 pm. The new ShopRite across the street has won over nearly every Acme shopper. News of the store closing was mentioned in an article on northjersey.com which covered the final day of the Bergenfield store. No closing date was given.

An interesting quote from the story...

"Acme confirmed in September that it was closing the store, two years after it moved into the former Pathmark following the bankruptcy of the A&P and Pathmark chains. Industry experts at the time speculated that the chain, which paid $256 million to purchase leases on 76 A&P-owned stores, had reopened too quickly and missed an opportunity to differentiate itself from A&P."

Truth be told, Acme DID differentiate itself from A&P by reducing product selection and running the worst front-ends in the retail industry, let alone the supermarket industry. South Plainfield is the perfect poster child for everything that is currently wrong with Acme these days. You can run all the stunningly beautiful, super-clean, well-stocked stores you want but you're still not going to be successful if you offer horrible service and mediocre prices. As I've mentioned before, Acme's prices have improved but when you can still get better deals at Shop&Shop (and get checked out a lot faster) then why bother going to Acme?

Who's ShopRite coming for next... Elmwood Park! Plans are underway to open in the former Kmart just up the street. Check out the plans by clicking here.

Thanks to GSP163 for the link to the northjersey.com article!

↧

Self-checkouts >>>

November 9, 2017, 5:09 am

≫ Next: No store post today

≪ Previous: Surprise! Surprise!

NOW IN MY ACME!!!

Location: 481 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ

Couldn't believe my eyes! Walked into the Edgewater store yesterday and saw five brand-new self-checkouts. The store had five full-serice registers open as well bringing the total registers open to ten! You don't see that happening in many Acmes. All registers were busy with minimal lines. Should have been this way from day one.

So the three registers to the right are for small orders. There is only one bag rack and no additional space to set items. The registers to the left have two bag racks and space to set items not being bagged. The smaller registers might be a challenge if you fill up one bag. Where do you start putting the rest of your stuff? If you take the full bag off, the system will lock up. Guess you just have to cram everything onto the small platform until you pay.

The interface is totally generic and identical to what is used at other stores like Home Depot. Doesn't even have the ACME logo on screen like A&P and Pathmark did or like Stop&Shop does now. I believe the interface is what Acme used to have on their self-checkouts. Can't say for sure as I rarely shopped at Acme before they returned to my area.

I mentioned to the cashier that it was about time they brought these back. As she was walking away from another customer she said (and I'm paraphrasing) "I was just saying... all the money they wasted ripping out the other registers to put these back in. Such a waste." She then pointed to the floor under the registers on the left that still needs to be redone. For a second time. Oh well. Hey, there was TEN registers open in Edgewater yesterday! That's a big step in the right direction.

↧

No store post today

November 17, 2017, 5:24 am

≫ Next: Quality Built in Centreville!

≪ Previous: Self-checkouts >>>

Posting is going to be a little spotty between now and the end of the year. I'm on a huge project at work for the next month and the approaching holidays are going to eat up a lot of free time as well. Next week, there will be a post on Monday and a Big Store Post on Wednesday!

↧

Quality Built in Centreville!

November 20, 2017, 5:59 am

≫ Next: Happy Thanksgiving!

≪ Previous: No store post today

Photo above courtesy of Ben from Delaware

Location: 611 Railroad Avenue, Centreville, MD

Photos courtesy of Jacob V

Quality Built has replaced one of the most bizarre décor packages we've ever seen in an Acme. The remodel also appears to have improved the layout which was a little awkward.

The service departments have now been enclosed. Previously they were completely exposed to the rest of the store. You can see this in the "before" photos of the Deli and Bakery below.

BEFORE >>>

An interesting comment left on the original Centreville post:
"There are gas stations at two other locations,Smyrne,Del and in Philly at Red Lion and Bustleton. As for the decor, it was their crate theme for the farm area location. All the equipment for this store came from the remodeled/closed store in Millsboro, Del."

The beautiful new bread display made it into this store! Not every remodeled store gets this new feature, unfortunately. Now if only if Acme would carry better bread! As beautiful as this display is, Acme has the worst selection of fresh baked breads of any major chain out there.

Interesting new cake display which we haven't seen on the blog before.

This store used to have a lot of strange alcoves which look to have been removed during the remodel. You can have a look at more of the "before" photos in the original post by clicking here.

Strange to see such old-school lighting in a store that opened in the early 2000's.

BEFORE >>>

Topping out at 12 aisles. Certainly not as large as many of the new stores Acme built in the early 2000's.

BEFORE >>>

Premium Fresh & Healthy signage mixed in with the Crate and Stripes décor.

I believe this is the first time we're seeing this light blue wall color. Not my favorite. Also strange the the "Freshest Food Guaranteed" sign is in the Health and Beauty department. No Pharmacy at this location.

Customer Service bumped out of its alcove to make room for Starbucks.

BEFORE >>>

Of course the store used to have self-checkouts.

Snazzy Starbucks now open!

↧

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2017, 6:54 am

≫ Next: Self-checkouts to the rescue in Fort Lee!

≪ Previous: Quality Built in Centreville!

Well gang, I could not get the big store post planned for today finished. Work has been murder! It will be going up next week for sure. Until then, I am getting out of town and as far from my laptop as I can get. Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving!

↧

Self-checkouts to the rescue in Fort Lee!

November 28, 2017, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Happy Thanksgiving!

Location: Location: 2160 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ

What a beautiful sight! 5 brand-new self-checkouts in the exact spot where A&P had theirs. This area has been completely dead space since Acme took over. Despite having a beautiful Quality Built décor update, Fort Lee did not receive a new Customer Service/express register desk which would have made perfect sense in this area. And check this out... they even have an express register open beside all the self-checkouts! More often than not, this store has zero express registers open.

The self-checkouts could not have come sooner. Fort Lee has been getting hammered on yelp for its lack of open registers. Same complaints that we've been seeing at so many other stores... only 2 to 3 registers open, long lines, employees standing around doing absolutely nothing. It's been the Acme way for two years now. This past Saturday, Fort Lee had NINE registers open and ready for customers. Hopefully this store can win back disgruntles shoppers!

For a full tour of the Fort Lee store, please click here.

↧

Article 0

December 1, 2017, 5:25 am

≫ Next: Article 2

≪ Previous: Self-checkouts to the rescue in Fort Lee!

Discussions:

Have an off-topic comment or question?

Post it here for all to see.

View previous monthly discussions by clicking here.

↧

Article 2

December 1, 2017, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Merry Christmas from Acme Style!

≪ Previous: Article 0

Discussions:

Have an off-topic comment or question?

Post it here for all to see.

View previous monthly discussions by clicking here.

Store posts will resume on Friday, January 12!

↧

Merry Christmas from Acme Style!

December 18, 2017, 8:59 am

≫ Next: Acme – Montclair, New Jersey

≪ Previous: Article 2

Acme Style has signed off for the year
and will return in 2018!

Apologies for the blog going dark for the month of December. My day job turned into a round-the-clock job for the past 6 weeks leaving me no time to work on posts. The next two weeks are all about having some much needed fun so I am officially closing the blog at this time. Posting will resume on Friday, January 12, 2018.

↧

Acme – Montclair, New Jersey

January 12, 2018, 5:56 am

≫ Next: Welcome to...

≪ Previous: Merry Christmas from Acme Style!

Location: 510 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ

The Montclair Acme has made an appearance on the blog but with very few photos. After visiting the store several times last year, I realized it need more extensive coverage. It's a relatively small store with the A&P fresh remodel crammed into the existing space creating a very unusual
layout

Our fist look at the Montclair Acme after opening on October 11, 2015. Shockingly tiny sign most likely due to local ordinances. Fortunately, Acme was able to work things out and replaced the small letters with regular sized ones...

A&P's Pharmacy sign was also replaced.

The original barrel roof A&P can be seen towards the rear. The store was expanded out of the front and to the left side back in the 70's.

This I know for sure... the floral department here is top notch! Also relatively large considering the overall size of the store. It has never been less than stunning every time I have been in the store.

Produce extends across the front wall of the store with the far wall in the photo being the left side of the store.

The view along the front wall.

A quick look to the right of the entrance where you can see the front-end beyond the floral department.

Coffee bar is just across from Floral. Self-serve now. The pizza oven is completely shut down too. Sad to see A&P "fresh" additions now just dead space.

Never very busy when I've been here. This visit was on a late Saturday morning. I've actually seen the store busier on a weekday.

Jumping back over to Produce.

Some grocery aisles are located between Produce and the Bakery. Salad dressing and condiments are located here. The "fresh" remodel killed off a big chunk of the grocery department by having service departments moved from the perimeter to the sales floor.

Update 1.13.18: Comment left by TheCheckoutCounter
It wasn't the Fresh remodel which moved the service departments in Montclair to the middle of the store; it was the Futurestore remodel during the 1980's. The store retained most of its Futurestore layout until well into the late 90's, when it got The Food Market remodel. At that time, the pharmacy (and customer service) were moved to their current location from the front center (where floral is now). The Futurestores always tried to put the service departments around the center of the store.

Dairy is aisle 1 with Frozen taking up the right side of the store.

The first 3 aisles of grocery are a bit strange. Half aisles located behind the Deli and Cheese departments.

You have to zig zag your way around this place!

The wall on the left runs behind the Deli.

Very few full-lenght aisles in the store.

I was shocked to see this much of a mess on a prime shopping day. This wasn't the only aisle in this condition.

Frozen Foods line the right side of the store.

The Health and Beauty department is located in the front half of the store between Frozen and the Pharmacy.

The Pharmacy is located behind the Deli and faces Frozen Food. Hope this is all making sense. I'm not sure it would to me if I hadn't actually been to the store!

A small Customer Service counter is next to the Pharmacy.

I have't been here since October so I'm not sure of the self-checkouts are back. Lots of complaints over on yelp for the lack of open registers. Someone even included a photo of a very long line a the one open express register back in May. I'm glad I shop at the Edgewater Acme which consistently has TEN registers open and ready for shoppers!

Yep, no Acme sign on the wall. No Quality Built check out lights. You have to wonder what Acme's plans are for the stores that still have had no updates. It's been two years now. Every store should have had, at the very least, a décor swap by now.

ON A PREVIOUS VISIT...

Apparently there were issues with the barrel roof this past Summer. Supports were added throughout the original section of store. Looked like it was a pretty major project. They were all gone when I returned about a month later.

It was a little disconcerting. I asked a cashier if the roof about to cave in!

AERIAL VIEWS

From the air we see a hodge-podege of buildings, additions and expansions. The original barrel roof A&P with the Centennial Roof update still clearly visible. I wonder if A&P ever tried to get Kidville kicked out so it could expand even further.

Don't know what is going on with the brown roofed structure to the rear. Looks like a completely separate building and it appears to have existed in the spot long before the A&P expanded around it.

HISTORIC AERIALS

2002

1987

Big crowds in 1987!

1979

1970

1966

THE FORMER MONTCLAIR ACME

49 Claremont Avenue, Montclair, NJ
Opened late 50's
Closed June 2000

For additional coverage of the Claremont Avenue Acme,

please click here.

OTHER FORMER MONTCLAIR ACMES

Location: 220 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ

Opened June 13, 1951

Closed May 4, 1968

Location: 565 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, NJ

Opened August 10, 1957

Closed August 6, 1966

NEARBY COMPETITION

Location: 650 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ 07043

Stopped in to have a look at Kings. Wow, what a nice store! About half the size of the Acme with twice the amount of customers. I've only ever seen 3 registers open at the Montclair Acme which has been more than adequate for the amount of shoppers. Kings had 5 registers open with lines.

Beautiful fresh food options here. After not being able to find anything decent for lunch at Acme, I came over here and spent too much for lunch because everything looked so good!

Carpeted columns to cushion crashes.

ANOTHER SHOPRITE
COMING SOON?

Pathmark (Now Closed), Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair, NJ

More competition might be coming to Montclair with ShopRite hoping to open a brand-new store at the Lackawanna Plaza, home to an abandoned Pathmark. Redevelopment plans for the property were revealed by the township last June and do include space for a new supermarket. You can read more about the plans and see a rendering at NorthJersey.com. Click the photo above for a look at the former Lakawanna Plaza Pathmark.

↧

Welcome to...

January 12, 2018, 5:56 am

≫ Next: UPDATED STORE LIST

≪ Previous: Acme – Montclair, New Jersey

ACME STYLE'S

10th AND FINAL YEAR!

The Acme Style Blog launched 10 years ago today and will call it a wrap at the end of 2018. I know this is disappointing news, for both you and me, but all will not be lost. The blog and all of its content will remain on the internet after closing and I will continue to explore Acme's history on Acme Style's flickr account. Unfortunately, I no longer have the time to invest and maintain the blog format. Not to mention, I have talked about Acme just about all I can at this point... and I'm sure some of you would agree! Switching over to simplified photo coverage with a minimal amount of writing and maintenance will help keep Acme Style going long into the future. But for now, let's all enjoy the Acme Style Blog's final year of posts!

↧

UPDATED STORE LIST

January 15, 2018, 3:31 am

≫ Next: Store Count

≪ Previous: Welcome to...

COMPLETE STORE LIST
UPDATED JANUARY 15, 2018

Connecticut
4 stores
Greenwich - 160 West Putnam Avenue / #2494
New Canaan - 288 Elm Street / #2633
Riverside - 1261 East Putnam Avenue / #2497
Stamford - 1201 High Ridge Road / #2439

Delaware
16 stores
Bear - 146 Fox Hunt Drive / #7817
Dover - 1001 North Dupont Highway / #7822
Hockessin - Route 7 and Valley Road / #7828
Middletown - 460 East Main Street / #7816
Newark - 100 Suburban Drive / #7806
Newark - 100 College Square / #2680
Ogletown - 1 University Plaza / # 7871
Rehoboth Beach - 18578 Coastal Highway / #2679
Smyrna - 236 East Glenwood Avenue / #7836
Wilmington - 1401 North Dupont Street / #7808
Wilmington - 2098 Naamans Road / #7813
Wilmington - 4720 Limestone and Pike Creek / #7826
Wilmington - 1308 Centerville Road / #7872
Wilmington - 1901 Concord Pike / #7874
Wilmington - 4365 Kirkwood Highway / #2682
Wilmington - 1812 Marsh Road / #2831

Maryland
6 stores
Centreville - 611 Railroad Avenue / #7820
Chestertown - Route 213 / #7849
Easton - 210 West Marlboro Road / #7841
Elkton - 101 Big Elk Mall / #7862
Ocean City - 9507 Coastal Highway / #0293
Salisbury - 751 South Salisbury Blvd / #896

New Jersey
79 stores
Allendale - 45 De Mercurio Drive / #1095
Audubon - Route 168 and Nicholson Road / #7931
Barnegat - 912 West Bay Avenue / #7921
Beach Haven - 97th Street and Long Beach Blvd / #7812
Blairstown - 152 Route 94 / #1851
Boonton - 550 Myrtle Avenue / #1582
Bordentown - 260 Dunns Mills Road / #7961
Brigantine - 4236 Harbor Beach Blvd / #7997
Brown Mills - 18A Broadway / #7908
Cape May - Lafayette and Ocean Streets / #7845
Cape May Court House - 15 Avalon Blvd / # 7859
Cape May Court House - 11 Court House South Dennis Road / #7890
Clark - 1060 Raritan Road / #1782
Clayton - 20 South Delsea Dr / #7925
Denville - 123 East Main Street / #1077
Edgewater - 481 River Road / #1777
Elmwood Park - 58 Broadway / #1755
Fair Haven - 576 River Head / #7949
Fort Lee - 2160 Lemoine Avenue / #1065
Freehold - 3241 Route 9 / #7960
Haddonfield - 2 Walnut Street / #7945
Hamilton Square - 953 Route 33/ #7919
Hoboken - 614 Clinton Street / #1744
Jefferson Township - 5724 Berkshire Valley Road / #1099
Jersey City - 125 18th Street / #1083
Jersey City - 321 Route 440 / #1092
Kenilworth - 801 Kenilworth Blvd / #1096
Lawrenceville - Route 1 and Texas Avenue / #7979
Lincroft - 616 Newman Springs Road / #7932
Little Silver - 507 Prospect Street / #0292
Logan Township - 1619 Center Square Road / #7943
Mahwah - 125 Franklin Turnpike / #1058
Manahawkin - 609 East Bay Avenue / #0776
Manasquan - 71 Taylor Avenue / #7936
Maple Shade - 41 West Main Street / #7910
Maple Shade - 590 Kings Highway and Lenola Road / #7963
Mays Landing - 4454 Black Horse Pike / #7852
Medford - 175 Route 70 / #7964
Middlesex - 125 Bound Brook Road / #7937
Midland Park - 136 Lake Avenue / #1054
Milltown - 300 Ryders Lane / #7916
Montclair - 510 Valley Road / #1764
Morris Plains - 329 Speedwell Avenue / #7924
Mount Holly - 531 High Street / #7982
New Providence - 1260 Springfield Avenue / #2847
North Cape May - 3845 Bayshore Road / #7855
North Wildwood - 2400 Delaware Avenue / #2838
Ocean City - 100 West Avenue / #2649
Ocean City - 3428 Simpson Avenue / #7824
Old Bridge - 3500 Route 9 / #2827
Park Ridge - 199 Kinderkamack Road / #1852
Pennsville - 251 North Broadway / #7995
Randolph - 690 Millbrook Avenue / #7927
Runnemede - 501 East Evesham Road / #7998
Saddle Brook - 75 Mayhill Street / #1992
Sea Isle City - 63rd and Landis Avenue / #7996
Seaside Heights/Ortley Beach - 5 Ortley Plaza / #0295
Seaville - 2087 Shore Road / #7835
Sicklerville - 515 Berlin-Cross Keys Road / #7956
Somers Point - 212 New Road / #7831
Sussex - 455 Route 23 North / #1787
Tinton Falls - 990 Shrewsbury Avenue / #2823
Tuckerton - 425 US Highway 9 / #7858
Ventnor City - 5100 Wellington Avenue / #0294
Vernon - 530 Route 515 / #2820
Vineland - 301 South Main Road / #7833
Voohees - 700 Haddonfield - Berlin Road / #7992
Wall Township - 2007 Route 35 / #0780
Warrenville - 177 Washington Valley Road / #2675
Washington Township - 415 Egg Harbor Road / #7994
Weehawken - 4100 Park Avenue / #1893
West New York - 19-21 Avenue At Port Imperial / #1856
Westmont - 400 Cuthbert Road / #7974
Wildwood - 5300 Park Blvd / #7821
Willingboro - 2091 Route 130 North/Levitt Parkway / #7926
Woodbury - 631 Mantua Avenue / #7970
Woodcliff Lake - 500 Chestnut Ridge Road / #1069
Woodstown - 857 Route 45 / #7920
Yardville - 4400 South Broad Street / #7914

New York
17 stores
Brewster - 1511 Route 22 / #2422
Briarcliff Manor - 1886 Pleasantville Road / #2495
Bronxville - 12 Cedar Street / #2437
Eastchester - 777 White Plains Road / #2498
Goldens Bridge - 100 Route 22 / #2424
Greenburgh - 103 Knollwood Road / #2499
Hopewell Junction - 829 Route 82 / #2428
Mahopac - 272 U.S. Route 6 / #2446
Mohegan Lake - 3105 East Main Street / #2418
New Rochelle - 23 Quaker Ridge Road / #2630
Patterson - 3101 Route 22 / #1063
Pleasant Valley - 13 North Avenue / #2632
Rye - 261 South Ridge Street / #2450
Shrub Oak - 1366 East Main Street / #2830
Thornwood - 60 Columbus Avenue / #2416
Yonkers - 660 McLean Avenue / #2417
Yorktown Heights - 100 Triangle Center / #2411

Pennsylvania
53 stores
Avondale - 851 Gap Newport Pike / #7730
Bala Cynwyd - 121 East City Line Avenue / #7711
Bensalem - 2301 Pasqualone Blvd / #7719
Boothwyn - 643 Conchester Pike / #2693
Broomall - 567 Sproul Road / #7798
Bryn Mawr - 601 West Lancaster Avenue / #7788
Chester Springs - 400 Simpson Drive / #7703
Clifton Heights - 5300 Baltimore Pike / #7796
Cornwall Heights - 100 Woodhaven Mall / #7779
Downingtown - 3951 Lincoln Highway / #7767
Doylestown - 422 North Main Street / #7784
Dresher - 1825 Limekiln Pike / #7722
Feasterville - 105 East Street Road / #7739
Flourtown - 1640 Bethlehem Pike / #7723
Folsom - 124 Morton Avenue/ #7893
Gladwyne - 1025 Youngsford Road / #2845
Glen Mills - 101 Byers Drive / #7735
Granite Run/Media - 1067 West Baltimore Pike / #7876
Havertown - 1305 West Chester Pike / #0773
Holmes - 503 South Macdade Blvd / #7770
Horsham - 200 Blair Mill Road / #7774
Jenkintown - 323 Old York Road / #7769
King of Prussia - 320 West Dekalb Pike / #7756
Lansdale - 1150 West Welsh Road / #7749
Levittown - 6800 New Falls Road / #7977
Media - 527 East Baltimore Pike / #7809
Newtown - 48 West Road / #7913
Newtown Square - 3590 West Chester Pike / #7786
Norristown - 2761 Ridge Pike / #7727
Paoil - 39 Leopard Road / #7792
Penn Valley - 829 Montgomery Avenue / #7713
Philadelphia - 7010 Germantown Avenue / #7714
Philadelphia - Bustleton and Northeast Avenue / #7747
Philadelphia - 180 West Girard Avenue / #0291
Philadelphia - 2101-41 Cottman Avenue / #0299
Philadelphia - 1400 Passyunk Avenue / #7726
Philadelphia - 8500 Henry Avenue / #7731
Philadelphia - 6640 Oxford Avenue / #7787
Philadelphia - 8200 Roosevelt Blvd / #7725
Philadelphia - 309 South Fifth Street / #2638
Philadelphia - 1001 South Street / #2668
Philadelphia - 6601 Roosevelt Blvd / #7704
Philadelphia - 5927-59 Ridge Avenue / #7762
Philadelphia - 7700 Crittenden Avenue / #2833
Philadelphia - Academy Road / #7742
Philadelphia - 1901 Johnston Street / #7715
Philadelphia - 29 Snyder Avenue
Phoenixville - 785 Starr Street / #7721
Richboro - 800 2nd Street / #0778
Upper Darby - 7901 Lansdowne Avenue / #7789
Wayne/Devon - 700 West Lancaster Avenue / #7753
West Chester - 907 Paoli Pike / #7882
Wynnewood - 250 East Lancaster Avenue / #2860

↧

Store Count

January 15, 2018, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Home Delivery Now Available!

≪ Previous: UPDATED STORE LIST

The following Acmes have closed:

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY

Location: 907 Oak Tree Road, South Plainfield, NJ
Opened November 1, 2015
Closed November 2017

SAINT MICHAELS, MARYLAND

Location: 114 Talbot Street, St. Michaels MD
Opened July 9, 1959

Closed October 8, 2017

The following Acme has opened:

SNYDER PLAZA, PHILADELPHIA

Photos courtesy of John P

Location: Front and Snyder, Philadelphia, PA
Opened September 8, 2017

↧

Home Delivery Now Available!

January 17, 2018, 6:12 am

≫ Next: Signature brands get simplified!

≪ Previous: Store Count

Acme finally rolled out home delivery a little over a week ago. Instacart is handling the service for Acme stores, as well as others under the Albertsons umbrella. I have never ordered home delivery. It's too much fun going to the grocery store than to have it delivered!

It would be great if someone could give us the rundown on instacart. I have no idea how it all works. Does instacart do the actual shopping in the stores? I realize they do the delivery but I'm not sure who's responsible for fulfilling the orders in store. I haven't seen any Acme employees shopping for delivery customers like I do at ShopRite. The Hoboken ShopRite does a HUGE home delivery business. Employees are always shopping the store first thing in the morning to fulfill orders. I'm always surprised to see some of these employees' carts filled to the max. I can't imagine letting someone else to do my food shopping. A couple of quick items is one thing but a whole week's worth of groceries? Never. Anyway, I'd appreciate if someone could explain how Acme is handling home delivery. Who shops for the food? Where is it stored prior to delivery? (ShopRite has very visible home delivery departments in their stores). Is instacart on call at each store to do deliveries quickly? (Acme says delivery can happen in as little as two hours). This is a whole new aspect of grocery shopping that I have no knowledge of and have absolutely no plans to use.

↧

Signature brands get simplified!

January 18, 2018, 6:08 am

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Home Delivery Now Available!

BEFORE>>>

AFTER >>>

Just before the holidays, I spotted some updated ice cream cone boxes at my local Acme. Wasn't in the market for cones but the new packaging caught my eye. I was immediately impressed with the new design and the vastly improved logo. The awful Signature Kitchens logo, which replaced Safeway's logo on the products to make them multi-banner friendly, is getting phased out. In my opinion, it never should have seen the light of day in the first place. The white "Signature" logo is barely visible on most of the packages. Add to that the awful leaf growing out of the "h" which brings back memories of Alberstons plastering their leaves all over Acme. Now the logo has been redone as an eye-catching black tag with the words "Signature Select Quality Guaranteed". "Signature Select", which was previously used on the higher-end items, appears to be transitioning to the standard name for all private label products. It's impossible to confirm for sure since the new packaging is just now popping up in random categories throughout the store.

The Signature brands are thankfully losing their generic elements for more uniquely designed elements. The new packaging for the cones makes them look more like a specialty product rather than a mass produced generic brand.

TOO MANY BRANDS!

The image above is from Acme's website showing all of their in-house brands. Ever since Safeway's brands came to Acme I thought there were too many of them. I even had a neighbor tell me "I can't figure out their brands". Who can? It's branding overkill. 19 private-labels shown above and they didn't include the logo for the Value Corner brand! Way too much but that all seems to be changing. Not sure who's calling the shots for the house-brands these days... Safeway or Albertsons but whoever it is realized the branding needed some serious simplification.

Just this week I spotted some canned veggies with the new design. The black tag adds a huge visual impact and identity that was completely missing before.

Product photography for the veggies now includes a fresh image and an image of what the veggies in the can look like.

As you can clearly see above, the black tag is much easier to spot than the Signature Kitchens logo.

Before and after cracker packaging above.

Frozen food photography is being redone to outstanding results. The food actually looks really good!

When I first saw these frozen items, I thought they were from a restaurant chain like Fridays but nope... they're Acme's brand.

New and old packaging side by side.

So it looks like Signature Home branding is getting phased out as well. Very few items currently have the new logo on them so it's hard to know for sure. I always enjoyed the flower/house around a circle logo and will be sorry to see it go, if it does.

AS GREAT AS THE NEW LOGO IS,

DON'T WE ALL WISH IT WAS THIS >>>

Ain't happening but it would be nice if it did. Just need a plate change at the printer to slap on the white ACME logo. Adds too much cost both in producing the packaging and distributing it to the correct banners.

And another brand bites the dust! Mom to Mom is on it way out. All baby products are getting rebranded with the Signature Care logo which is used throughout Health and Beauty.

A few baby products are showing an updated Open Nature logo. Hoping the logo gets rolled out to grocery as well. The current Open Nature logo is among the worst in the entire collection.

PANTRY ESSENTIALS IS NOW

VALUE CORNER >>>

Finishing up with some old news. Pantry Essentials was rebranded last Spring as Value Corner. Another HUGE improvement! I had been working on a post just for this topic but it never got finished. The news turned out to be a perfect addition to this post.

Huge improvements all around! I spent several years of my career in packaging design so I probably get a little more excited about these sorts of things than most people do. I really think the redesigns are a huge step forward for Acme and all the Alberstons banners.

↧

Article 0

January 19, 2018, 5:10 am

≫ Next: Acme – Suburban Plaza, Newark, Delaware

≪ Previous: Signature brands get simplified!

Bonus Store:

Location: 120 Orlando Dr, Raritan, NJ

The Stop & Shop in Raritan closed this past November. Not a terribly exciting store but I always enjoyed how the interior layout had a 70's supermarket vibe. Endless aisles of groceries with service departments tucked out of the way around the perimeter of the store. S&S expanded and extensively remodeled the store in the early 2000's shortly before the fresh craze swept through the industry.

The Raritan Stop & Shop began as a Foodtown in the late 80's and became an Edwards in the 90's when the store was acquired by Ahold. The Edwards banner was retired in the early 2000's with the stores being converted to Stop & Shop. Many converted stores had interior and exterior remodels similar to the one seen here. New Jersey stores have remained largely untouched ever since with the exception of exterior signage updates. Is it just me or does Ahold sort of ignore its New Jersey fleet of stores? Giant stores of PA and Maryland are remodeled and updated far more often. I don't know of any Stop and Shops in New Jersey with the last round or two of the company's updated décor. The last round of remodels was done in the late 2000's with the Yellow/Purple/Fruit Bowl décor and I don't think much remodeling has been done since then.

Stop & Shop dismantled the store within days of closing.

I made one last visit during the store's final week...

Produce was on the right side of the store with the Deli to the right side of Produce. Floral and the Health Food departments were tucked away in the corner behind where I'm standing. The entrance on this side of the store was actually quite a distance away from this area. Neither entrance here funneled shoppers into any of the fresh departments.

Stop & Shop could have easily killed off two or three aisles of groceries to expand the fresh offerings here. Selection and variety was limited in these departments, especially considering the overall size of the store.

Service Seafood long gone with self-serice cases in its place.

Meat and Dairy along the back wall.

I've always been pleased with Stop & Shop's Health and Beauty Aid departments. Great selection and prices competitive with discount stores. Not something Acme is willing to do.

Leaky cases throughout this end of the store. It's been a problem for years.

The Bakery was updated recently with the new gray cases. Another fresh department tucked in a corner far from the entrance. You'd pass the bank and the bathrooms before you see any fresh bread.

Endless registers which is a pretty standard feature at Stop & Shop. 17 or 18 here. A few years ago they shut down the last 6. Computers were removed and shelving was added around them to keep them blocked off but the counters and lights all remained in place.

Stop & Shop has managed to survive the past seven years just a five minute drive from the new ShopRite in Sommerville. The store is also about 10 minutes away from the Wegmans with Whole Foods coming soon to Bridgewater.

The Raritan Mall has been in decline for years now despite assurances from the mall owners that improvements are in the works. Very few store fronts are occupied at this point, many closing in the past few years. Stop & Shop ultimately decided not to renew it's lease here with deteriorating conditions at the mall being a likely influence for that decision.

A few weeks after closing...

The ShopRite took over an abandoned Pathmark after expanding and drastically renovating the existing building. Pathmark closed in 2007. I've read the closing was hastened by Sommerville's attempts to get the store condemned. It was in that bad of shape!

Stop&Shop/Former Mayfair Foodtown/Edwards Hillsborough, NJ

Another Shop & Shop along Route 206 closed last year as well. The Hillsborough store, which was never updated from it's Edwards day, closed laar August. For more pictures of this store store, please click here.

↧

Acme – Suburban Plaza, Newark, Delaware

January 23, 2018, 5:43 am

≫ Next: Acme – Mahwah, New Jersey

≪ Previous: Article 0

Photos courtesy of Gary A. unless noted otherwise

Location: 100 Suburban Plaza, Newark, Delaware

Photo courtesy of Will on flickr

Lots of unusual things to see here! For starters, a large vestibule that runs along the front of the store.

I have never been to this store so giving a full analysis of the interior is out of the question. In fact, I had some trouble making sense of the interior since the layout doesn't match other stores built in the late 80's/early 90's. Not sure if the the store was originally built this way or if the Industrial Circus remodel in the early 2000's brought the changes. The Meat Department is in its traditional spot in the rear corner.

The Deli and Bakery run along the left side of the store. Of course, we're used to seeing the Produce alcove straight ahead. Instead, the Produce cases run along the first aisle and face towards this area of the store. This configuration was implemented in many of the late 90's remodels creating what Acme referred to as The Grand Aisle. I would say the layout here is likely due to that remodel but cannot confirm that. We'll see a bit of evidence that the Deli was originally located along the rear of the store.

Industrial Circus, a favorite of mine, is looking great! The store has been remarkably well maintained over the years.

Photo courtesy of catnapped retail central

Looks like this store never had the spot lights in Produce. The ample overhead lighting all seems to be in its original condition.

Meat and Seafood service counter along the back of the store. All new flooring was installed during the last remodel. Many Delaware stores retained their oritianl checkerboard flooring through various remodels.

This odd space runs along the back of the store just beyond the Meat counter. Quite possibly the original home to the Deli. Makes total sense but I can't say for sure.

Healthy Snack Center making its way into the older Acme stores. These are arely seen in any of the A&P acquired stores, even in the ones that have been remodeled.

The hard flooring would have most likely been installed in recent years.

Photo courtesy of catnapped retail central

Premium Fresh & Healthy aisle and category markers have been installed here.

We've never seen a contraption like this before! Floral was often moved from the perimeter of the store to the sales floor during the late 90's remodel. The relocated departments would consist of a few cases and a small service counter with nothing more than a sign hanging above. The Suburban Plaza store got the deluxe treatment!

Old checkout lights still in place. Have to say there isn't a photo in this whole post that makes this store look anything less than pristine! And the photos are from multiple contributors taken and different times. I would love to see this place in person someday and wouldn't mind shopping here on a regular basis!

Lucky store... self-checkouts survived!

Bucks County Coffee, formally Starbucks, is still up and running. Located the right of the entrance along the front-end. You can see the registers and Pharmacy off in the distance.

AERIAL VIEWS

A view of the west side of Newark showing the former Acme on Main Street and Elkton Road. Closer view is below. The map also shows the former Pathmark at College Square which became an Acme in 2015. And finally the former Newark Superfresh that was among the stores acquired by Acme but was dropped before the final deal went through. Now Food Lion is planning to take over the space. You can read more about that here. There is another Acme on the East side of Newark in University Plaza. That store will be coming to the blog soon.

Location: 263 S Main St, Newark, DE
Opened: May 15, 1957
Closing date likely when the Suburban Plaza store opened.

Home Depot was built behind the Suburban Plaza between 2007 and 2009. Must have been a nice boost for Acme with the additional traffic coming to the shopping center.

2009

2007

1992

Last available satellite image. Not sure of the store opened in the late 80's or early 90's.

↧

Acme – Mahwah, New Jersey

January 26, 2018, 4:40 am

≫ Next: Society Hill Acme...

≪ Previous: Acme – Suburban Plaza, Newark, Delaware

Location: 125 Franklin Turnpike, Mahwah, NJ

Finally found one... a fully remodeled Acme/former A&P in North Jersey! They're not easy to find up here. Most locations acquired over two years ago remain mostly untouched with just a handful getting décor swaps. I saw some photos online of the Mahwah store which indicated an extensive remodel, the likes of which have not been seen in these parts. Took a trip here last weekend to see for sure and was pleasantly surprised to find a thoroughly remodeled Acme! Upgrades plentiful inside and out. This is clearly a very successful location despite being about 5 minutes away from a popular ShopRite.

Acme even sprung for enough gray paint for the whole facade!

Starbucks is a hold over from A&P with Acme installing a black floor which doesn't look it's best in the winter. The spacious seating area is among the most deluxe you'll find in an Acme...

Even has a fireplace in the back corner!

New hardwood flooring in Produce. Not sure if the lighting here was changed when Acme took over. A&P didn't put the spot lights in all of its "fresh" remodels.

The kerning of "Y" and "o" will drive me nuts til the end of time. It's done the same way in every store and it is completely wrong!

Acme added Produce cases to the right side of the department. A&P had an unusual set up with Floral and grocery aisles.

BEFORE >>>

Before photos courtesy of Dan Asnis' flickr collection

All new wooden Produce cases.

The entire front-end of the store has been reconfigured. The Pharmacy used to be located in this spot.

BEFORE>>>

Bulk Foods! I mentioned in the post for the Suburban Plaza store that these displays are not being added to many of the converted stores.

Just love this crazy A&P ceiling!

Corner Deli out! Boar's Head in! The Corner Deli signage was installed here during the remodel but has since bitten the dust. (You can catch a glimpse of it on the store's yelp page.) The new signage has nice detail with the Brooklyn Bridge but it's hardly noticeable unless you look closely.

Hot Foods on one side, salad bar on the opposite side.

Aisle light covers now all black. The panels in this aisle are brand-new while other aisles still have A&P's cover but now painted black.

New flooring around the entire perimeter of the store. A&P's floors remain in the aisles.

Ok, this drives me nuts. I've seen it in other stores. Acme removed A&P's Kitchen Shop lighted awnings and replaced them with... nothing. Since the store has no overhead lighting, the left side of this aisle is left in the dark. For all the money poured into this store was there not enough left to install lights over this aisle? Half of the next aisle is in the dark too. Below is a "before" view from the Warren store...

Mahwah even got the deluxe bread displays! Unfortunately the bread selection at Acme continues to be the worst of any supermarket chain in the state. Sorry to keep complaining about it but it's true. Why don't they bring back the ACE breads A&P carried? ACE is a "local" brand and would give Acme a unique product not found elsewhere.

New refrigerated bakery case with a nice selection of smaller sized desserts. Not everyone wants huge containers of baked goods even if they're only 5 bucks.

Brand new Pharmacy in this corner. Painted green which I don't believe we've seen before. Customer Service used to be in the area...

BEFORE >>>

Health and Beauty in half high aisle across from the Pharmacy.

Brand new bathrooms too! Love these futuristic sinks.

Sky high ceiling! So unusual for a grocery store these days. The cavernous front-end wasn't as noticeable in the A&P days with the lighting hung down from the ceiling...

All new registers.

Self-checkouts have not been reinstalled. Unlike most Acmes, this store had a large number of employees along the front-end to keep checkout running smoothly.

BEFORE >>>

Cool new 3D view on google maps. Bing does not have birds eye view available for this area.

Acme's close proximity to the Ramsey ShopRite doesn't seem to effect business.

1966

1995

Looks like the new store is just being fished in the image above. The original A&P has been torn down by this point. You can see where it stood in the image below.

1987

With all that land it's hard to believe the tiny A&P wasn't expanded sooner.

1966

Mahwah has officially been transformed into one of Acme's most premiere locations!

↧

Society Hill Acme...

January 31, 2018, 4:31 am

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Acme – Mahwah, New Jersey

HERE TO STAY!

Photos courtesy of PlazaACME

Location: 309 South 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Former Superfresh

Opened as Acme: November 18, 2015
Will continue as an Acme for at least the next 10 years!

Additional exterior views courtesy of Google maps

A wrecking ball will not be knocking down this Acme after all! The store was to shutter about a year from now to make way for a 5 story condo building. The developer of the proposed building faced fierce opposition from the community and has officially abandoned the project. Acme now has a 10 year lease in place as well as plans to expand the 13,000 square foot building. You check out an article on Curbed.com for more details.

The store has A&P's "funky fresh" remodel. Not an official name, just the one I gave it due to the absurd layout A&P used in the stores. Society Hill kept a traditional layout due to its small size but clearly received extensive upgrades throughout. For a look at the official version of this remodel, checkout the Holmdel A&P by clicking here.