2009.03.23
Two local Kroger upgrades
May is the month that you can expect renovations to be complete at two Roanoke Valley Kroger stores. The store in Vinton and one at Smith Mountain Lake are getting larger, and they will have some new features.
Here are the details:
Approximately 30,000 square feet will be added to the Vinton Kroger, making it as large as the newest Kroger store which opened in the Bonsack area last year. The changes to the Vinton Kroger include an expanded wine department, a pharmacy with a drive-up window, a new floral department, a new section selling home furniture, an additional frozen foods aisle and a new Natures Market section.
The Smith Mountain Lake (Westlake) Kroger is adding about 23,000 square feet of space, for a total of 74,000 square feet once all of the work is done. The additions there will include a new Kitchen Place department, an expanded frozen foods area, a new pharmacy and drive-up window, a new deli department with a sushi island and a cheese and an olive bar, seven new check-out lanes and six new Uscan machines.
Once the remodels are finished, let me know what you think about the changes at these Kroger stores.
Also, do you have any ideas for Kroger? Let me know what you'd like to see added or changed at local Kroger stores, if it's not already on the list above.
Any info on when the Blacksburg Kroger will complete their renovations?? I've heard it will now be the largest Kroger in the state-any confirmation on that?
Comment by nicole09 — March 23, 2009 @ 8:59 am
There are other stores (Kroger included) in various parts of the country that provide childcare, so Mom/Dad can shop in peace.
Comment by Rich — March 23, 2009 @ 9:01 am
The Kroger on South Main in Blacksburg has also been going through an expansion to add something in the rainge of 30,000 SF to it's floorspace. We went there last night for the first time in a few months, and I'm not sure I like the change, though the work is still ongoing. THe new larger store makes it very hard to find things, whereas with the old store it was pretty easy. I'm sure a big part of this can be tagged to the work not being done and products not being in their final locations yet, but the sheer size of the new store is very forboding. It's about half the size of a Super Wal-Mart, so having that much area to have to search through to find groceries is going to be a challenge. I think I prefer the smaller format stores more, because things are more compact and easy to find, even if the selections are a bit more limited.
Comment by Other John — March 23, 2009 @ 9:08 am
They have been renovating the Vinton Kroger for a long time. I think last summer they were working on it.
Only thing I can think of that they could do is when they have a sale make it a real sale. More than once I have purchased or seen something that is "on sale" at Kroger and seen it later at another place cheaper at their regular price. Wine was one as I found it about $1 cheaper at a local owned store vs. Kroger's sale price.
Comment by Mike D — March 23, 2009 @ 1:14 pm
Kroger should work with the developer of Spartan Square to relocate the Dollar Tree to the old Goody's space, so that Kroger can expand the woefully inadequate Spartan Square store. The Spartan Square store (and for that matter Ridgewood Farms as well) are too small, poorly arranged, and lack many of the amenities and selection of the newer stores.
Comment by Wilson Weaver — March 23, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
Nicole, I'll check in with Kroger about when the Blacksburg renovations will be complete and other details. Other John, thanks for commenting on some of the changes that you've noticed at the Blacksburg Kroger.
Comment by Jenny Kincaid Boone — March 23, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
No matter how big they make 'em or how many furniture, flower and wine departments they add, what they need to do to improve the shopping experience is have enough personnel on hand to staff the check-out lanes to get us out of the store without the long waiting times! They also need to enforce the 15-items-or-less guidelines. I've been told they're not supposed to offend the customers by sending them to another lane, but they offend ME every time I have to wait in line with three items while some ignoramus checks out with 25 or 30 items and then has to write a check!
Comment by Jeff Hunt — March 23, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Jeff,
Sometimes it's not the ignoramus's fault. I was in the Tanglewood Kroger one afternoon and they were very busy with few registers open. I had more than 15 items and was walking past that register to go to another one, when the clerk motioned me to go ahead and get it the line for that register. At that time, there was just one person ahead of me and no one else in the line. I unloaded my groceries and while he was checking me out a couple people w/just a few items walked by and gave me dirty looks. I wanted to yell, it's not my fault.
Comment by Debbie — March 24, 2009 @ 11:57 am
I am so glad Vinton didn't hack up the aisles like the one at Bonsack! I think the bakery/deli in Vinton needs to be modeled like the one in Bonsack.
Comment by jamie — March 24, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
Yes Debbie & we should commend that clerk for taking the initiative to take on extra work & keep things moving. If the few item people that came behind you have never run into this, hopefully they'll understand after reading your post.
My experiences with Vinton Kroger is more along the lines of the kid employees playing games with one another and not taking care of the customers. Then there's the outside cart racks overflowing while these same employees are huddled around the service desk.
It's all in the management!
Comment by Steve — March 24, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
I agree that Sparton Square Kroger needs a major overhall. That store and the one at Ridgewood Farms are terrible!!
Comment by Chris and Sharon — March 24, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
I shop at Ukrop's for most of my groceries mainly in part because of the wonderful customer service I recieve there that I rarely (but sometimes) see at Krogers. I have been pretty impressed with there price slashes as well which I do notice throughout the store, I think the upgrades at Krogers may have pushed their pricing team to slash them in hopes to lure more customers into their failing location. Ukrop's is in line with Krogers if not less expensive. Sadly I think Krogers will win the battle and Ukrops will succumb to them. Meanwhile Krogers keeps expanding their stores but their service lacks.
Comment by Chelsey Cummings — March 25, 2009 @ 3:35 pm
I went to the Vinton one tonight. What a mess! Just how big does a Kroger need to be. The place takes up like 2/3 of that part of the shopping center. I felt like I walked a mile and a half in the place and it was hard to find anything. Why does Kroger need to sell lawn furniture? When I need a lawn chair I would never say "lets go to Kroger". What next Kroger tire and auto care? The case I got my orange juice out of did not feel cold enough. The ventilation system near the milk was so loud you nearly need ear plugs. The roof at the self check outs was leaking!!!! They apparently do not check their meat and seafood very well as there was some nasty looking packages on the shelf. Some of it looked very spoiled. I been shopping Kroger a little more lately because my shift changed and I can go there late but I think it's time to stick to Ukrops. I have next to no unrepresentable products there.
Comment by Mike D — March 26, 2009 @ 2:06 am
Whoops Mike, they already sell gas & oil!
In reality Kroger is right behind WalMart in trying to carry everything, create impulse sales, and drive the independents out of business.
Kroger IS a "Big Box" store...
Comment by Steve — March 26, 2009 @ 10:48 am
I noticed that the Kroger in Blacksburg sells things like TV's, DVD players, patio sets, grills, some limited clothing, and a menagerie of other non-food items. I suspect that when their expansion is complete, it will only be worse. Like I mentioned, I prefer the smaller market-type grocery stores better. I can get in, find what I need easily, and get out without much hassle. The larger and larger super grocers make it hard to find things in the expanse of shelves and floor space, and it also makes it take a lot longer than I prefer.
Comment by Other John — March 26, 2009 @ 1:22 pm
It has been good to be able to purchase sushi at the new Bonsack Kroger. It would be awesome if the expanded Vinton store would offer sushi as well.
Comment by Lowell C — March 26, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
I do most of my shopping at Kroger mainly out of convenience (it's closer to my house). And I do love the double coupons they offer, as I try to stick to only buying something when it's on sale. However, I hate that it takes me an hour and a half to get through Kroger now (I shop at Bonsack). Yes, it's better than Towers because things aren't so crowded, but for me the size of the new store is overwhelming. I shop at Ukrops as well, and like Chelsey really enjoy their customer service. Not every associate of Kroger's is lacking in this department it just seems to be out of the norm when I do find someone at Kroger who is helpful. My husband and I found the butcher at the Kroger at Williamson & Peter's Creek to be most helpful and accommodating. And I really hope that Chelsey is wrong about Kroger winning the battle - Ukrops is such an asset to Roanoke!
Like other commenters, I am tired of aisles at Kroger being taken up with lawn furniture, grills, clothing and other nonsense. I'm going for FOOD not a lawn chair!
Comment by Lori — March 26, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
Jenny, thanks for keeping us apprised of changes in the retail scene. I know that Kroger is not in the fast food business, but they generate a lot of ill will when they advertise rotisserie chickens and then don't have them. Often by 4:00 or 5:00 the deli has shut down and cleaned the oven. You see a lot of busy moms and young professionals stopping to pick up a relatively healthy meal only to be forced to buy more expensive fried chicken or rush to another Kroger where they may find the same situation. Hope you will pass this along. Thanks.
Comment by Tom Adams — March 31, 2009 @ 2:24 pm