Artie wrote:The rearranging of shelves is often deliberate. When you're a frequent shopper somewhere you usually know exactly where the products you purchase are located. Thus you probably miss a whole lot of other items simply because you follow a familiar shopping route. Rearranging the shelves helps to solve that by making you search for things. It is a PITA if you ask me.

Absolutely agree, but honestly, you end up with a frustrated customer who is still looking for their specific items, only with more frustration and the clock ticking. Unless they are a professional lingerer like me , they are not going to be happy.

I couldn't agree more with the recent posts regarding the numerous changes to Jewel strategy (to compete with the Mariano expansion). I tend to shop at a greengrocer for veggies, the butcher for meat, and various specialty / ethnic shops, but still shop at chain markets for other things. While "change" is a concept which can be very difficult for many people, I always try to give things a chance to work themselves out. I've waited for 4 months now for some of the kinks to be worked out at both of the Jewel stores in the Andersonville area, but to no avail. Customer service has really become a major problem. On 2-3 occasions recently, I had to return the items I was attempting to purchase because I couldn't wait in the long checkout lines. (When self-checkouts were removed, there was no attempt made to add additional cashier attended lanes). The revised deli, bakery, and produce departments leave much to be desired. And the poorly tended salad bar.....OMG....very sad. Last but not least, those awful plastic produce and shopping bags. One banana too many, and you risk the entire contents of the bag on the floor! Maybe there's still hope for improvement.

Hi- If anybody is unhappy with their Jewel store, I recommend that they do a survey. On the bottom of the receipt they tell you where to go to do a survey, and if you do one you are entered in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. I did one last Saturday, and I had the manager of the store call me up the next day. Last Saturday afternoon I was in the Chicago Avenue store in Evanston, and it was super busy. When I go to Jewel, I always check the clearance section to see if there is anything I want to buy. Last Saturday they had a ton of cheap coffee, and some Muir Glen canned organic tomatoes and pasta sauce marked down 50%. I was sure that I could find a coupon for Muir Glen on line, which would have made the large cans of tomatoes $.69, and I was also interested in some of the coffee. Jewel lets you post redeem coupons up to 60 days after the purchase. Before I purchase anything off of the clearance section, I always scan it to make sure that it really is marked down. I took 5-6 items to the scanner, and discovered that none of them had been marked down, even though there were shelf tags up indicating that they were marked down. I did go to customer service, and told the employee there that none of the clearance stuff on the cart had been marked down. He said he would inform the manager. I don't know if the manager was ever informed, but I decided to complete a survey on line when I got home, and explained the whole situation, and that this is not the first time I have found stuff put out on clearance, and not marked down. The next day the manager got back to me, and apologized, and said that they were changing their routine, to make sure that this never happened again. I asked him if the stuff did finally get marked down, and he said yes. BTW- I also mentioned in the survey, that I had been in the store several months ago, and was in the self checkout lane. I had a bag of frozen soybeans that were supposed to be on clearance for $.99, and they rang up for $2.99. When I told the person in charge of self checkout about that she said apparently they were not on clearance, and I told her that I did not want them then. She said the same thing to another customer who was also purchasing them the same time I was. The manager told me that she should have marked down the price for me. Hope this helps, Nancy

My friend is the frozen food manager at Jewel HP and I know some of the staff including the store director, so I can talk to them directly about issues. Plus you can go online to Jewel's website to voice your own concerns.

The title of this thread is starting to seem a bit of a shame to me. I wonder if the OP, riddlemay, could be prevailed upon to rename it something more general, such as "The Jewel thread"? Especially in light of recent improvements by Jewel to step up its game after the departure of Dominick's and the growing competition from Mariano's. Two Jewels near me have been remodelled recently and I must say I'm enjoying shopping there more than I used to.

I have a question that maybe only north suburbanites or industry insiders can answer. I get a flyer in the mail for the Lewis Market up in Waukegan. Occasionally they'll have an item or two in the flyer with the "Everyday Essentials" label --- that is, the Jewel store brand. How does some store other than Jewel get to sell Jewel-store-brand products? I'm just curious.

"Essential Everyday" is a brand owned by SuperValu, Jewel's former owners. Most of SuperValu's current and former stores carry it, and SuperValu also sells it to independents. So, in a strict sense, it really isn't a Jewel store brand.

Katie wrote:The title of this thread is starting to seem a bit of a shame to me. I wonder if the OP, riddlemay, could be prevailed upon to rename it something more general, such as "The Jewel thread"?

I'm willing to do that, but don't know how. I'm looking for the place that says "change thread title" (or anything of the kind) and not finding it. If you can point me in the right direction, I'll do it.

That said, a lot of recent posts about the remodeling/rearranging make the current thread title as apropos as it ever was.

Hi- I mostly either shop at the Jewel on Green Bay in Wilmette or the one on Chicago Avenue in Evanston, and the one on Green Bay in particular does not seem to be effected that much by Mariano's opening in Northfield. It certainly helped them that the Dominick's store, which was only a mile down the street closed. When Dominick's closed, I heard that business at the Jewel store on Green Bay almost doubled. The Jewel store on Chicago Avenue is even further away from a Mariano's, but is right across the street from Whole Foods and right down the street from Trader Joe's. From what I can see TJ, WF, and Jewel are all doing fantastic business. Maybe when Mariano's opens up at Touhy and McCormick and they finally get the Meijers built in Skokie, I will have less reason to shop at Jewel.

riddlemay wrote:I'm looking for the place that says "change thread title" (or anything of the kind) and not finding it. If you can point me in the right direction, I'll do it.

Just click "edit" on the original post. You can edit the subject as well as the body text.

nr706 wrote:

riddlemay wrote:I'm looking for the place that says "change thread title" (or anything of the kind) and not finding it. If you can point me in the right direction, I'll do it.

Just click "edit" on the original post. You can edit the subject as well as the body text.

Done. Thanks.

The missus was at the still-remodeling Ashland-Wellington Jewel yesterday and texted me a picture showing that there's a Starbucks in it!

She said the store looks about 90% done; a manager told her that what remains is to tear apart the counter where people took their pictures to be developed, since no one does that anymore. I think maybe that's where the eat-in area is going to be.

I am only visiting to see what the thread name-of-the-day is today. Very entertaining! --Joy

I like the name change. Thanks, riddlemay.

riddlemay wrote:The missus was at the still-remodeling Ashland-Wellington Jewel yesterday and texted me a picture showing that there's a Starbucks in it!

It may be a "licensed" Starbucks and not the real thing. This means that you can't use certain kinds of cards, or get rewards (like a free drink on your birthday). Buyer beware!

leek wrote:

riddlemay wrote:The missus was at the still-remodeling Ashland-Wellington Jewel yesterday and texted me a picture showing that there's a Starbucks in it!

It may be a "licensed" Starbucks and not the real thing. This means that you can't use certain kinds of cards, or get rewards (like a free drink on your birthday). Buyer beware!

I suppose I shouldn't be so excited about it anyway, since most Dominick's I was in had Starbuckses in them. So it's not like this is a potent upgrade or anything. It's a tribute to Starbucks' branding, however, that my knee-jerk reaction was to think of it that way.

Another thumbs up on the name change; thanks.

I was talking to a friend who manages at Jewel in HP. I asked why the new hot bar items always seem to look all dried out and nasty most of the time when I've checked it out - he said they are understaffed and that nothing is being done to fix that. If they don't keep the hot bar looking appealing, no one will buy anything from it and it will just sit there.

Ram4 wrote:I was talking to a friend who manages at Jewel in HP. I asked why the new hot bar items always seem to look all dried out and nasty most of the time when I've checked it out - he said they are understaffed and that nothing is being done to fix that. If they don't keep the hot bar looking appealing, no one will buy anything from it and it will just sit there.

And of course they will conclude that the hot bar was a bad idea.

I picked up a cauliflower today at a Jewel near my house today - no price anywhere near it in the produce department. I was shocked when the clerk rang it up SIX BUCKS! She said it was $2.29/#. That seems really excessive. I ended up not being it. Is that the going price now for cauliflower?

Hi- Was the cauliflower organic? That seems like a lot of money. At the Evanston farmer's market, you can get a large cauliflower for $4.

For the hot bar they have to have a fast turnover too. Whole foods always seems to have a decent salad bar and hot bar, but they have a lot more customers that use it too. Does Jewel even have a salad bar in most of their stores? I know Dominick's used to have a salad bar, but I never saw it doing much business.

NFriday wrote:For the hot bar they have to have a fast turnover too. Whole foods always seems to have a decent salad bar and hot bar, but they have a lot more customers that use it too. Does Jewel even have a salad bar in most of their stores? I know Dominick's used to have a salad bar, but I never saw it doing much business.

Somehow, Whole Foods cultivates a feeling that it's actually fun to shop for groceries there, while Jewel has never been anything but utilitarian. There is nothing wrong with being utilitarian--usefulness is good!--and Jewel has been about the best around at being utilitarian. But I don't sense that anybody enjoys going there. So Jewel is about getting in, getting what you need, and getting out. And that's great! Jewel is not about lingering, enjoying the process, enjoying the journey, and having lunch. I wonder if they ever could be.

NFriday wrote:Hi- Was the cauliflower organic? That seems like a lot of money. At the Evanston farmer's market, you can get a large cauliflower for $4.

I don't think it was. I'm going to stop at the Elgin Fresh Market and check out their price.

The remake of the Ashland-Wellington Jewel seems completed now and...I kind of like it.

I see the logic now, not only from a marketing angle but from a consumer point of view, of moving all the cleaning supplies (detergents, paper towels, etc.) into what used to be the Osco Ghetto. As a consumer, it makes sense to me in that these items are not food. The value of this to me as a shopper is that all the (now-increased) real estate up to the cleaning supply aisles is unified by one concept as it was never before--it is all food. This unity makes satisfying sense to me as a shopper as I make my way through the store.

The store seems brighter also.

The salad bar and hot food bar looked pretty good to me--not neglected by the store personnel--although at times not a single customer was at them. (At other times a single customer was at them.) This however could be because I was there at 3:30 in the afternoon, not mealtime for much of anybody.

The eat-in area is where the counter for getting your photos developed used to be, as expected. It actually seemed like a comfortable place to have a bite, if anybody wanted to do that.

The produce department seems better organized.

There is now a (Mariano's-inspired?) refrigerator case of assorted bottles of craft beers in which one is invited to put together one's own six-pack for a fixed price.

One maddening-to-me thing I wish they had changed, that they didn't (although I get the marketing logic), is they're still segregating all the "healthy," organic foods in their own aisles next to produce. The effect of this is to make the shopper go two places in the store if he's shopping for yogurt, soup, tea, cereal, or anything else that exists in organic and non-organic form. The marketing logic is clear--Jewel has wanted to signal to organic-customers that "Hey, we've got organic stuff, just like Whole Foods (and now Walmart)!" Nothing says that like an aisle labeled "Organic." (And at least the aisle now is explicitly labeled "Organic," rather than the aggravatingly vague "Wild Harvest.") But it still imposes a ridiculous shoe-leather penalty on those who just want some herbal tea or whatever and don't happen to memorize whether the item they're looking for is organic, and therefore where in the store it can be found, and therefore inevitably go to the wrong place first.

On balance, I think the store is better, and found myself hoping for its success.

I am not a fan of Mariano's I think they have a few items value-priced, but overall their stock is expensive.
Furthermore, I do not find their employees helpful or nice. So....
I have been trying to be loyal to Jewel. I am another person who goes to many different places for our groceries:
Warehouse clubs, produce markets, T-J's, Aldi. However I make it a point to get to a Jewel at least once a week.
I have noticed a real change at the Jewels I frequent (Patriot-Glenview and Waukegan/Willow-Glenview.)
No one seems apathetic. Everyone I ask a question of goes out of their way to help. The employees are upbeat, pleasant, responsive. This is of real importance to me. I will go out of my way to support my local Jewels. If they do not make it, it will be a real blow for the Chicago consumers. The changing of the store's layouts may be a bother to some people, and I understand that. However staying fresh is not something I can be critical of.

Artie wrote:The rearranging of shelves is often deliberate. When you're a frequent shopper somewhere you usually know exactly where the products you purchase are located. Thus you probably miss a whole lot of other items simply because you follow a familiar shopping route. Rearranging the shelves helps to solve that by making you search for things. It is a PITA if you ask me.

I knew it! The Pete's Market by my house does this all the time and it drives me abso-fucking-lutely batty. (Just ask my wife how often I come back from Pete's bitching like Old Man Binko about how they moved this or that to another shelf or completely different aisle.) They don't even update their aisle signs half the time, either. I don't know of any other store that does it as regularly as my particular Pete's.

Hi- I've heard that Kroger is interested in buying Jewel, but for some reason if they decide to take it over, they will have to get rid of all or at least some of their Food 4 Less stores in the Chicago area. The outfit that took over Jewel last year, apparently never keeps a grocery store property more than a few years, and so it was a given that they would not hold on to it that long. At least the current owners are actually making money right now, which the former owners weren't able to.

Hi- Mariano's has some deals if you know where to look. I personally think their produce is really reasonable, and no it is not as cheap as Jerry's, but the quality is way better. They also have double coupons on Wednesdays, but you have to buy $25 worth of groceries I believe before they will double coupons, and there is a limit of five coupons they will double. They also have coupons on their website that you can print. The only reason I don't go to Mariano's more is because there is not one that is super convenient for me. I've been to the one in Northfield twice, and the one in Roscoe Village once. I prefer the one in Northfield. I don't care for the parking lot at the Roscoe Village store. I personally wish they would have converted the Dominick's on Green Bay in Evanston to a Mariano's, but it is going to be another Whole Foods instead. This makes three Whole Foods in Evanston when that one opens up. If I had a Mariano's more convenient to me, I would go there more, but right now, I mostly shop at Jewel and the Evanston farmer's market. I buy a few things at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods too. There happens to be a Jewel, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's within a few blocks of one another in Evanston. BTW- The farmer's market is going to be open again next Saturday. I don't think they had a huge crowd today, because it was so cold and windy today. Next Saturday it is supposed to be a little warmer. Hope this helps, Nancy

Nearly driven crazy by the ongoing "renovations" at the Howard and McCormick Jewel. It's dirty, chaotic, hard to find things. And they've discontinued several items they used to carry. I don't like the Jewel on Chicago in Evanston. I'm trying to reduce my shopping at WF due to prices, but where do I go? I'm awaiting the Mariano's at Touhy and McCormick; I'd go to the one on Elston, but it's so far. How have they screwed up the Howard Jewel so badly -- why don't they close for a week and get the renovations done instead of dragging it out and making shopping so unpleasant?

Ok, rant over, I guess.

But I think the lousy renovation process, if that's what it is, will drive some customers away permanently.

Hi- I was in the Jewel on Howard and McCormick about a month ago. My doctor who used to be in the professional building at St. Francis, has relocated to Lincolnwood, and so I was in the neighborhood. That Jewel does tons of business with people in the neighborhood that keep kosher, and I can't see those people switching over to Walmart, which is the only other possibility in the neighborhood. The last time I was at the Jewel on McCormick, they had not started remodeling yet. I am just waiting for the Chicago Avenue one to start, although when I asked a few weeks ago, the employee I asked, had no idea when they were going to get rid of the self checkouts, although he hoped it was soon. Have you tried going to the Jewel on Howard near the Howard red line station where Dominick's used to be? I am not sure when it is going to open, but somebody is moving into the old Dominick's location on McCormick and Pratt, and I don't care for it, but there is Food4Less on Main and McCormick. There is also Aldi's on Oakton and the super Target on Howard and McCormick as well as the new Walmart on Touhy.

Since Dominick's closed, I have found myself going a lot more to Jewel than I used to. The problem for me is that there are no middle of the road options in Evanston other than Jewel since Dominick's closed. I've been spending 90% of my food dollars at Jewel and the Evanston farmer's market the last 6 months. I had a $10 off $50 coupon for the downtown Evanston Whole Foods that just expired, and I was tempted to use it, but I never spend $50 at Whole Foods, and I was not sure if the $50 was pre or post coupon.

I am waiting for the Mariano's to open up on McCormick, but it looks like it is going to be a while, and for the Meijer's to open up in Skokie. When I lived in Michigan, I shopped at Meijer's for groceries fairly regularly, and I loved it. I don't think they have even broke ground on the Skokie store yet though. I am waiting for the Valli produce to open up at Dempster and Dodge too, but that is also going to be a long time off.

I am going to go to the Jewel on Chicago avenue later this morning, because they have a two day sale on bananas, Hills Brothers coffee and Edy's ice cream, and I am out of bread. Some of the people on the couponing boards that I also post on are boycotting Jewel right now, but those people have other options such as Meijer's, Pete's, Ultra, Caputo's and Mariano's, or they do price matching at Walmart. Evanston has none of that. Hope this helps, Nancy