This has got to be one of the most welcoming supermarkets I've ever been to. Unlike many supermarkets nowadays (such as huge multinational companies that owns chains of supermarkets with no attention to detail what-so-ever), this supermarket is locally owned. From the outside, it has a vintage feel to it, with it's slightly vintage exteriors and fainted colours. 
We were on our way to our competition when we decided to pickup some food for lunch. From our hotel to Venue 510 (where our competition was held) this supermarket was on the way. One of the biggest differences that I noticed was the pricing between the goods here and the prices of things back in Vancouver. For example, avocados are only 50 cents each, while in Vancouver, things are $1. Apples are only 33 cents and cheese, like for a bag of Kraft Shredded cheese, it is only $2.99 which is like half the price of what it is in Vancouver.That said, many things are around the same price such as bread (where they are roughly $1) per loaf, for a package of bottled water (24 bottles), they are both roughly $3. So not everything is cheaper here, but many things are.
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What is really special about this supermarket is that it has a really nice small town feeling to it. The cashiers are all so friendly. Not to mention, for just making a purchase you get free ice cream. When we were there, everyone made a purchase all together. We asked the cashier if we can all get ice cream, and she was so happy to say yes. The ice cream itself was very creamy and had a nice milky taste to it. Also,In addition, what was really cool was that for the conveyor belt that normal supermarkets have that is linear, City Market had a circular conveyor belt. Actually, it wasn't a belt, but more like a wooden disk. It's really cool because I never seen this before.
I guess this is what the difference between independently owned supermarkets and the huge multinational chains is. The huge multinational supermarket chains don't really have attention to detail and once you've been to one, you've been to them all. Also, at these multinational chains, you get employees who are like zombies who does not want to be there (mind you, there are great employees there too). At this supermarket, you get a really warm feeling.
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The fake wood veneer stand holding the avocados and the rotating checkout have a retro feel for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe Safeway store we always went to in the 80s when I was growing up had these. Even the lower half of the checkout had the dark wood paneling like the produce holder but still had that khaki 'pebbled' pattern on the turntable. And the upper rubber bumper was brown like the wood. I always thought this type of conveyor was fun, until you had a lot of groceries and had to wait for the cashier to scan some things before you could finish emptying the cart. These were also the days when using paper bags was still common and usually preferred. There was even the small white paper bags in the freezer section to use with things like ice cram and frozen veggies to help them stay a bit more insulated for the trip home. And the vending machines still had penny candy. Not the greatest but it was there.
I'm not surprised that the big chains don't use these anymore. Because they are all about the highest turnover for the best profits. This style of checkout may have started being used in the 40s or 50s as a small step for convenience. Back then buying masses of food at once was just not what was regularly done. On the flip side I'm not surprised that the small stores still use these. If you have already paid for something and it still works, it doesn't make financial sense to change it. I grew up in a ranching town in Washington State. It was common and expected that there would be a conversation with the cashier. They were your neighbors, church members, or the acquaintance of your acquaintance. They asked about you family, your kids, how your grandparents were doing, or what the local news was in the town. Life was such a different pace. Small stores still know the value in the personal connection, even if you are just passing through town. There are still small town stores like this in Washington State and they always remind me of home, even if my hometown Safeway has been upgraded to the modern style of supermarket with no distinct personality of it's own anymore.
Thank you for letting me see and remember a bit of my childhood. :D