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Albertson's Grocery Warehouse

Posted: 07 Dec 2005 23:04
by gmjim
This is in reply to store wanderer that asked about the history of Albertson's Grocery Warehouse on his link. I worked at an Albertson's Grocery Warehouse from 1986 to 1989 in Klamath Falls Oregon. The sign on the store only said Grocery Warehouse with no reference to Albertson's. All the signage, bags, and aprons said Grocery Warehouse. We had all the Albertson's Brands though including Janet Lee. This store had originally been a conventional Alberson's that I don't think did very well. Before I started working there they had remodeled including taking out the bakery. The store had conventional shelving but all the products were kept in there boxes on the shelf. I remember that the prices were very good and during the the time I worked there it was a very busy store often being one of the top performers in the Oregon Division. During the time I was at that store they built on and put in a deli and bakeoff bakery. After I moved away Albertson's built a new building a few miles down the street. This was a very nice store but the sign out front said Albertson's Grocery Warehouse. The only other Grocery Warehouse I was ever in was in Southern California.

Posted: 08 Dec 2005 01:58
by Jeff
Grocery Warehouses were opened in the 80's in Southern California. The three I knew were in Alhambra, Montebello, and Huntington beach.

The one in Alhambra opened in the 60's as a Fazio, then Albertsons when tehy merged, then sometime in the 80's turned into a grocery warehouse. It retained the original Albertsons interior until the early 90's when it was remodeled to a bland looking interior. A few years later, Albertsons rebranded all the stores as Max Foods. This store is still Max Foods and hasnt been remodeled since the conversion to Grocery Warehouse.

The Montebello Grocery Warehouse was built in the shell of a former Zody's Department Store and opened around 1989. It initially was Grocery Warehouse. This replaced an albertsons store that was built in the early 70s next door. This store has never been remodeled since opening. It was funny, when they changed to Max Foods, you could see the old label scars from Zodys, then Grocery Warehouse above it. This store is open today still, even though there is an Albertsons across the street (former Luckys).

Gro Warehouse

Posted: 08 Dec 2005 02:35
by storewanderer
I noticed that store in Klamath Falls earlier this year. Looked like a normal Albertsons, with Grocery Warehouse below the sign. I think I have a photo somewhere, but cannot locate it. The store looked like the typical 1995-1997 Albertsons blue gray prototype inside.

Went to another odd store in Klamath Falls, Ray's Warehouse Market. Looked like it had been that format for a while; perhaps Albertsons got the Grocery Warehouse idea from them. The store had clearly seen better days. It was having a store closing sale when I went in.

They never bothered to re-brand any of the Grocery Warehouse locations in Colorado to Max Foods as far as the signage goes. The stores, a few years ago, had various names on their uniforms, bags, receipts, ads, and in-store signage; including Albertsons, Max, Grocery Warehouse, Max Grocery Warehouse, and Grocery Warehouse by Albertsons.

I guess they have kept the Monte Mart Grocery Warehouse name on the locations in Hanford and Porterville. They divested the ones in Salinas and Monterey/Del Rey Oaks to Ralphs in 1999. Monterey was remodeled beyond recognition into the largest Ralphs I've ever seen, and the Salinas one was converted to FoodsCo and apparantly recently remodeled inside.

At the Albertsons Super Saver Stores in TX, FL, and LA they are using Acme as the primary store brand. I guess this related to Super Saver being originally an Acme brand in the 1960's.

Meanwhile one Super Saver still operates in NorCal in Woodland but does everything as the conventional NorCal Albertsons Stores do, including ads, uniforms, bags, etc. Nothing but the sign on the building (and a few banners on the stark walls) say Super Saver.

Ray's Food Warehouse

Posted: 08 Dec 2005 04:06
by gmjim
The Rays Food Warehouse in Klamath Falls was originally called Duffy's Warehouse when it was first opened. Probably in the late sixties or early seventies. It was opened when grease pencils were popular in warehouse operations and before scanners were popular. Duffy's eventually sold out and it became just Food Warehouse. I'm not sure if it was an independent or part of a small chain. Ray's is a good size operation with 40 plus stores in Oregon and Northern California. Word is that the Ray's is closing because the Wal-Mart down the street is becoming a Super Wal-Mart. Sherm's Thunderbird Market down the street the other way is also building a new store to replace an old store that was originally built as a Mayfair in the sixties.

I have a picture somewhere of the old Grocery Warehouse in Klamath Falls. I'll post it when I find it.

Re: Gro Warehouse

Posted: 08 Dec 2005 11:15
by Groceteria
storewanderer wrote:Meanwhile one Super Saver still operates in NorCal in Woodland but does everything as the conventional NorCal Albertsons Stores do, including ads, uniforms, bags, etc. Nothing but the sign on the building (and a few banners on the stark walls) say Super Saver.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there's also still one in one of the towns around Palm Springs too, maybe Indio. We stopped in when I was moving east about six months ago. It was pretty much all-Alberstons too, except for the lack of decor...

Posted: 08 Dec 2005 23:06
by Jeff
There were several Super Savers in LA. I remember one In East LA that was a former Lucky, then Super Saver, then Albertsons, then closed.

Then there was one near buena Park, I dont know what that is today.

Posted: 30 Dec 2005 17:21
by runchadrun
There was a Grocery Warehouse/Max Foods on the corner of Palms and Sepulveda in West LA. It was a former Fazio's and it was a real dump inside. The prices were OK but there was no selection and I would never buy produce there. On the outside if you looked closely you could see where the "F" in Fazio's used to attach to the building.

Across the street was a Lucky and for some reason they decided to close that store after the Albertsons merger and convert the Max Foods into an Albertson's/Savon while the Lucky became a Longs Drugs and Trader Joe's.

here are pictures from a9 maps:
Former Max Foods, now an Albertsons
Former Lucky
The shape of the sign gives away its Lucky heritage The Coffee Bean used to be a 76 gas station.

Posted: 07 Jan 2006 00:53
by Super S
I remember what I believe to be the first Maxx Food & Drug located at Glenwood and Chinden in Garden City (Boise). It seems to me that at first it had two x's in the name, then changed to Max Foods.
The store originally was D'Alessandro's "whole world of shopping" and was a very nice store at the time (mid-80s) If memory serves me right, somebody in the office embezzled a lot of money forcing D'Alessandro to close the store, then Albertsons bought it but since they had a store nearby on State Street, decided to try something different there. Last time I was in Boise, the Max Foods sign was still up but the store was closed, not sure if this was the only Max Foods in Boise or not.

Posted: 14 Jan 2006 05:37
by storewanderer
To add to this post, the Monte Mart in Porterville will be closing within the next week or so, or has already closed. Does anyone have pictures?

We can soon see it at http://www.grafeauction.com.

Re: Gro Warehouse

Posted: 10 Aug 2007 14:04
by Dean
Groceteria wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there's also still one in one of the towns around Palm Springs too, maybe Indio. We stopped in when I was moving east about six months ago. It was pretty much all-Alberstons too, except for the lack of decor...
Yes, I have been to this desert area location before as well. Thought I read on this site that it had closed...I'd have to search the threads.

San Bernardino had a conventional Albertsons on Highland Avenue @ Sterling. It converted to Grocery Warehouse. It closed, and then sat vacant for ~10yrs.

It has now reopened as HIGHLAND GALLERIA...an indoor mall/swapmeet.

Re: Gro Warehouse

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 15:30
by Dean
Dean wrote:
Groceteria wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there's also still one in one of the towns around Palm Springs too, maybe Indio. We stopped in when I was moving east about six months ago. It was pretty much all-Alberstons too, except for the lack of decor...
Yes, I have been to this desert area location before as well. Thought I read on this site that it had closed...I'd have to search the threads.

San Bernardino had a conventional Albertsons on Highland Avenue @ Sterling. It converted to Grocery Warehouse. It closed, and then sat vacant for ~10yrs.

It has now reopened as HIGHLAND GALLERIA...an indoor mall/swapmeet.
Highland Galleria closed. Site is vacant...again!

As is the former PayLess Drugs next door, turned Staples, turned vacant.

Re: Gro Warehouse

Posted: 18 May 2011 19:23
by MikeRa
storewanderer wrote:At the Albertsons Super Saver Stores in TX, FL, and LA they are using Acme as the primary store brand. I guess this related to Super Saver being originally an Acme brand in the 1960's.

Meanwhile one Super Saver still operates in NorCal in Woodland but does everything as the conventional NorCal Albertsons Stores do, including ads, uniforms, bags, etc. Nothing but the sign on the building (and a few banners on the stark walls) say Super Saver.
Super Saver was created by Acme Markets Inc. (This was the name American Stores called themselves in the 1960's) to go up against Penn Fruit Company's Dale's, Food Fair's Pantry Pride, and A&P's WEO formats.