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Mourning the lost potential. There is a grocery store near me that sat vacant for several years. Finally a storage company took it over. It's a good thing that

Mourning the lost potential. There is a grocery store near me that sat vacant for several years. Finally a storage company took it over. It's a good thing that something is there, just wish it was an actual grocery store.

massysett 5y ago
My area in suburban Washington DC USA is filled with old grocery stores. Just within several miles of my home, one is now a trampoline park, one is an Amish market, and one is an LA Fitness. My theory is that between huge warehouse stores, newer huge supermarkets, Dollar General, and Walmart (even non-supercenter ones) selling lots of food, and online shopping nibbling at the margins, marginal supermarkets are getting pushed out. There's another supermarket not far from my house that I doubt will make it. I have no idea what it's like near you but where I am I don't think I'll be seeing any new supermarkets.
- bobthepanda 5y ago
  This is how it's been though. Before the supermarkets and malls there were just markets and corner grocery stores and Main Streets. But those mostly existed in walkable cities, and when they started being depopulated a generation ago the new suburban supermarkets and department stores and malls ate their lunch. When the flow started going back into cities again during the '00s, a bunch of firms like Walmart and Target thought they would have a go at operating smaller "urban" stores but that seems to have had mixed results. Retail's a tough business.
- vidarh 5y ago
  I don't think I'll visit a large supermarket again more than a handful times in my lifetime. I get my groceries delivered from a company without retail outlets. It seems likely big supermarkets are doomed. The company I use (Ocado) have started licensing their tech worldwide, and includes mostly robotic warehouses.
- loonster 5y ago
  My local grocer was bought out by a competitor 2 miles away. They figured that most of the customers would shop at the 2 mile away store instead of the 2.7 mile away supermarket. They closed the store and maintained the lease. They were willing to sublease to anyone as long as they weren't a grocery store. With the lack of an anchoring grocery store, the small stores around it died.

massysett 5y ago

My area in suburban Washington DC USA is filled with old grocery stores. Just within several miles of my home, one is now a trampoline park, one is an Amish market, and one is an LA Fitness. My theory is that between huge warehouse stores, newer huge supermarkets, Dollar General, and Walmart (even non-supercenter ones) selling lots of food, and online shopping nibbling at the margins, marginal supermarkets are getting pushed out. There's another supermarket not far from my house that I doubt will make it. I have no idea what it's like near you but where I am I don't think I'll be seeing any new supermarkets.

bobthepanda 5y ago
This is how it's been though. Before the supermarkets and malls there were just markets and corner grocery stores and Main Streets. But those mostly existed in walkable cities, and when they started being depopulated a generation ago the new suburban supermarkets and department stores and malls ate their lunch. When the flow started going back into cities again during the '00s, a bunch of firms like Walmart and Target thought they would have a go at operating smaller "urban" stores but that seems to have had mixed results. Retail's a tough business.
vidarh 5y ago
I don't think I'll visit a large supermarket again more than a handful times in my lifetime. I get my groceries delivered from a company without retail outlets. It seems likely big supermarkets are doomed. The company I use (Ocado) have started licensing their tech worldwide, and includes mostly robotic warehouses.
loonster 5y ago
My local grocer was bought out by a competitor 2 miles away. They figured that most of the customers would shop at the 2 mile away store instead of the 2.7 mile away supermarket. They closed the store and maintained the lease. They were willing to sublease to anyone as long as they weren't a grocery store. With the lack of an anchoring grocery store, the small stores around it died.