Tag: albertsons
Coming not quite soon (ongoing)
A couple of months ago I brought up the lack-of-movement in renovating the super market space at Shoppes at Boot Ranch that formerly housed Albertsons. Blame it on the economic downturn or perhaps on the fact Publix has to convert a total of 49 locations, but the Shoppes at Boot Ranch remain untouched more than six months after the final closing of that location.
Yeah, the mess on the windows still remain, along with laminates that display hours of operation for Albertsons and the OPEN signs bold and in white. The store is a void, though. 
It was Saturday (March 14) when I stopped by and another sign of the dormancy of the plaza was the parking lights being on the fritz. That’s one minor, yet significant thing Publix would not play around with: lighting in the parking lot.
No interior work was going on, Albertsons signs in the Deli and Bakery area faccade were still up. I could go on with details but the fact is the building is untouched, sans for the “Coming Soon” sign in one of the enterance ways. Last time I was at the store, the sign had fallen down. It was back up.
At the same time, I didn’t notice until this very post, that there had been some chairs brought out and a table, minor things moved around. This isn’t significant and you can only guess the why for each but it was something… even if the store changes at current are a whole lot of nothing.
For those of you as curious about this as me, Publix keeps a very small list of stores and their opening dates. There is no information on Boot Ranch on that link… There’s also nothing suggesting right now that the store would be converted into a Greenwise location instead of a standard Publix store… But then again, with so many standard stores in close proximity (Coral Landings, Seabreeze Plaza, East Lake Woodlands – which will likely close regardless, Brooker Creek, Riviera Plaza) Publix must have at least flirted with the idea.
Coming not quite soon
Riviera Plaza Publix opened at the corner of Alderman Road and US 19 before the Holiday season came out in full force. Sunset Point and Belcher Road Publix in Clearwater opened on the same day. The latter of the two stores was a former Jewel Osco location, that later became an Albertsons.
I happened to check that store out last week while in the area and, while I thought they wasted a ton of space and hadn’t put everything together in the best way possible (which is what one would expect from Publix), I thought it was nice. It was nostalgic in fact, because of how much it resembled the Tampa Road/East Lake Road Albertsons location to a T.
This made me curious to see how things were progressing at Boot Ranch and the conversion between Albertsons and Publix.
What I was left wondering was, what conversion?
The ghost of the old sign for Albertsons as still prominent when I looked at the retail space from a distance… The parking lot directly in front of the store was void, of course. All the retail shoppers focused on CVS or Target in the northern part of Shoppes At Boot Ranch. To the south, it was also busy with people coming and going from Blockbuster Video, Subway or the other boutique restaurants in the plaza.
The missing signage was my focus, though. Missing signage and lack of changes to the storefront. I walked in for a closer look.
While the promise was there that Publix would be taking over 400 East Lake Road… But from the looks of things, no one had messed with the building for quite a while besides putting up the sign behind the glass. The glass doorways at the right and center entrances were strewn with cobwebs and the disgusting things that got caught in them. Plenty of Albertson’s laminates were still covering the doors and windows… Including the bold white-faced “OPEN” sign that contradicted the truth: this location hadn’t been open in months and wouldn’t be for some time to come.
I wondered from the start if Publix was simply going to renovate the location or perhaps tear down the front and interior of the building and start from scratch? Of course, there is also the negotiations with the owner of the Shoppes at Boot Ranch plaza if they wanted to make even simple changes to the structure (read: a paint job) or even reconfiguring the parking lot for better traffic flow. All that could be a drag on things…
Oh, and there is that little issue with the economy, right?
But peering into the windows and seeing the proverbial ghost of a supermarket, I wonder what is the deal? No painting had taken place, no demolition. No obvious signs of re-wiring or electrical work. The store simply sits in silence as the world bustles on around it.
Yeah, it might be strange to take a keen interest like this in a forthcoming supermarket, but color me curious. I wanna’ know what’s next.
"It's Your Store" – almost no more
The Shoppes at Boot Ranch started to be constructed around the time I moved into Palm Harbor 19 years ago. The first major tennent was a mid-west food chain named Jewel Osco… The plaza was still under construction and by the time it was finished, there would be a Target and a Eckerd Drug store as well.
By the time I was in middle school — I think seventh grade (circa 1992) — Jewel Osco was being sold to another supermarket chain that had a bigger presence in Florida: Idaho-based Albertsons.
AlbertsonsAnd so it went for 17 years. I’ve shopped at this location from time to time, I’ve worked at this location and made a bunch of friends (and lost a few along the way)… There have been highs and lows… But the standard that has been maintained is that Albertsons was around and I had a history there. I have nostalgia hit me often at this location.
But this morning I ventured to Albertsons to do some shopping and what I encountered was just plain sad. Of course, it’s already known that Publix bought Albertsons locations throughout Florida and the new location in Boot Ranch would and will serve Publix well and dandy compared to their antiquated store across the street in East Lake Woodlands…
But to see Albertsons on the way out was painful. 10-20 percent off signs were up on every aisle, the meat racks were bare, and the store was not receiving shipments from certain grocers or companies any more it seemed. I mean, how many supermarkets do you go into and find the Little Debbie snack rack completely empty?
Of course, other racks remained full because of poor decisions by whoever made them initially — why were George Foreman grilles on sale in a supermarket? Or Hummingbird feeders/food? Their boxes were worn down from sitting on racks for extended periods of time with no one actually purchasing the items. This was the case for a lot of things in this store and I would not be surprised if any of these items I am thinking of (mostly small appliances) had been on the shelves since I worked at the store 12 years ago.
Certain bulk racks had been taken down near the entrance and the store seemed void while filled. Yes, it was a Sunday morning at a supermarket but for one reason or another, this location never drew in the teeming masses that Publix draws in across the street and elsewhere in Palm Harbor.
I really wish I had brought my camera when I was at the store. I don’t know what Publix plans for the location. A renovation? Or just a retrofit? I really hope they don’t rebuild the building, but I could honestly see it happening with how aged and infrastructure is.
I ache with nostalgia, thinking of bagging groceries inside that store and hauling shopping carts in the parking lot back into the building from October 1995 until December 1996. There are good and bad memories that come to mind, along with current troubles in my head and heart that also have roots at that store. But in the end, I bow to the hand of commerce and progress. I hope I get to the store again before it closes and changes to Publix… But that remains to be seen if it shall happen.
Albertsons to Publix for Cash Considerations
It finally happened.
Albertsons Tampa Bya locations have been sold to Publix supermarkets. Why do I say it finally happened? Because I had posted in the past that East Lake Woodlands publix was done for in it’s current incarnation. Now it is assured.
Meanwhile I hope everythign turns out ok for long time friends who work at the 500 East Lake Road Albertsons that will become Publix.
RIP Dina Cullers
Daylight Savings Time is over, rejoice!
And now for something completely different. Or completely the same but not on topic to me whining about current events. I’m going to bring up something from my past. From far in my past — 6 or 7 years ago to be exact. It’s something I need to get off my chest and something I need the general masses to see not because I think it is of dire importance but it’s of importance to me.
You see, when I was back in high school I got my first job in 1995 bagging groceries at Albertsons supermarket about 2 miles from my house. When I think of the job now, I just think of how I loathed bagging groceries for other people who didn’t treat me like anything. People who laughed because of my hearing problems and such like that.
What I only once-in-a-while think of are the people I worked with, the people that I hung out with, those who I made friends with.
I think back and I can’t even remember everyone’s name now but I can think of one person I wronged. Well, two people I wronged when you bring up my mouth and my insults. One hurt led to another and the other hurt might have gone way too far and physically inflicted pain on someone.
Would you believe someone could cause another person a heart attack if they have feelings for that person and that person upsets them?
Dina Cullers. The name Dina Cullers brings back the memory of a friend of mine who had feelings for me – or at least I think she did. I turned on Charisma on that job like I had never known before I started working, and one of the people who got caught up in the humor was Dina. Dina was in her 20’s and a former Countryside High School student. She had diabetes and she….
I also had a friend named Nina… I can’t remember her exact last name but it was Beards or Beers or something like that. Nina was someone I had a slight crush on and unfortunately we ended up going in opposite directions as friends. One day I blew up at her while I was frustrated and tired and annoyed she didn’t help out pack groceries while I was overworked… I held that against her.
A few days later the whole situation came to a head and everything just went very very bad… I think I should have gotten fired but I didn’t…. The point isn’t the fact I blew up at Nina (which I’d apologize for if I could), it’s the fact that Dina thought I was mad at her… She asked me if I was mad at her and I just got frustrated because I didn’t want to explain it and…
And now Dina’s dead.
I think that was the last time I ever interacted with her… With someone I knew had a thing for me, with a person that didn’t have many bright spots in her life. She was a diabetic, she still lived at home. She couldn’t drive. So many things that are like me now and for so many years I’ve taken responsibility or felt like I was responsible in part for her death.
How? Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me but it was Broken Heart that did it. The fact I acted the way I did, she left to go home and she died of a diabetes related heart attack. Sure that says right there that she had a reason other than me, but I still think I upset her enough to help it along. Or did I? Have I kept her in my head in some ways all these years just for the sake of someone remembering her? Have I given myself too much “credit” for amount of hurt I caused?
In either case. I’m sorry Dina…. Too little, too late, but I’m sorry and I won’t forget you.
