Hi- I was at the Jewel on Green Bay in Wilmette today, and I could not believe how busy it was. The cashier attributed it to the fact that the Dominick's down the street closed last week. The weather might have had something to do with it to. I had a hard time finding a cart today. There was plenty of bread though, which is one of the things I needed. I also had some coupons that were going to expire today, and I happened to be in the neighborhood. BTW-Pasta Prima happens to be B1G1F through tomorrow, and you can print coupons for it on their facebook page. I bought some last week, and it is not bad.

Well, I hope you're all happy. You have hated Dominick's right out of business!

I went to the Jewel on 55th Street in Clarendon Hills yesterday for some snacking salami. Their large and well-stocked deli has... THREE different kinds. At roughly double the price at Shop and Save, which offers, as I recall, about twelve or fourteen different salamis. The Jewel one I picked is indifferent in flavor.

Except for convenience, I see no reason whatever to shop at Jewel.

Let's get them next.

Hi- Unfortunately in Evanston the only grocery stores that are convenient for me are Jewel, Whole Foods Trader Joe's and Food 4 Less. I go in Food 4 less every once in a great while, but I am not crazy about the store. I wish that Mariano's would have taken over the Dominick's on Green Bay, but they decided not to, and there is a chance that yet another Whole Foods will move in there maybe in August. We already have two WF. I personally don't think that Jewel is going to be hurting for business. The Jewel I went to on Green Bay in Wilmette yesterday, was super busy.

NFriday wrote:The coupon book also contained a $1 coupon for Imagine soup

I love imagine soup...especially with a wish sandwich.

Bow bow bow bow.

tcdup wrote:I don't know if it was early storm buying or the closing of the Dominick's across the street, but the Jewel on Rte 59 at 95th Street this afternoon seemed really short on product, with lots of sparse shelves. It was pretty crowded, so it could be storm related buying and supply problems due to the storm.

The Meijer north of there on Rte 59 and New York was also crazy busy. I think it was mostly due to the storm, but I can't discount Dominick's closing as well.

Just on the data point of how crazy-busy things were before the storm (versus because of Dominick's closing), it took me about forty-five minutes on Saturday afternoon to drive south on Clybourn from Fullerton to North.

Fresh Farms on Touhy was crazy busy on Saturday as well. I'm sure it was because of the impending snow and deep freeze because there is no Dominick's in the area and there is a Jewel right across the street.

riddlemay wrote:Just on the data point of how crazy-busy things were before the storm (versus because of Dominick's closing), it took me about forty-five minutes on Saturday afternoon to drive south on Clybourn from Fullerton to North.

riddlemay -

Isn't that the typical commute on the Clybourn Corridor on a Saturday afternoon?

The GP wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Just on the data point of how crazy-busy things were before the storm (versus because of Dominick's closing), it took me about forty-five minutes on Saturday afternoon to drive south on Clybourn from Fullerton to North.

riddlemay -

Isn't that the typical commute on the Clybourn Corridor on a Saturday afternoon?

Not far from it!

The whole time I was telling myself "I must be nuts to be doing this." But this was overridden by my stubborn belief that a diagonal ought to be the quickest way.

This was a rare "perfect storm" weekend in the grocery biz. A confluence of events led to the "crazy busy" status of many stores.
A. Snow-panic shoppers.
B. Cold-mageddon panic shoppers.
C. Back from Christmas break shoppers.
D. First of the month shoppers.
E. Displaced former Doms customers being absorbed by other stores.

In your perfect storm scenario, don't forget our favorite reason (overheard while waiting 30 minutes in the checkout line at Jewel): the kids are going back to school. (Apparently the kids didn't eat while they were home and not going to school....)

People buy special stuff for kids lunches they normally wouldn't keep on hand otherwise. Small individual bags of chips, fruit/pudding cups...

stevez wrote:Fresh Farms on Touhy was crazy busy on Saturday as well.

Which differentiates it from any other Saturday there how ?

I've been in there where there was absolutely no room to move in the produce section or deli section.

Seriously, I love that store. Seriously, I've discovered that I have to feel a certain amount of stamina to go in there on a weekend or the wrong time of evening. Occasionally I've just gone to the inferior Produce World because at least in there I'll be able to breathe.

"Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded."

Giovanna

Giovanna wrote:

stevez wrote:Fresh Farms on Touhy was crazy busy on Saturday as well.

Which differentiates it from any other Saturday there how ?

Parking lot was even more full than normal. Other than that, it was basically the same free for all inside, with checkout lines a bit longer than usual (and all of them open).

Back in the day I thought it was silly that Dominicks and Jewel were less than a mile away from each other on 127th street in Palos Heights, but ever since Dominicks closed the Jewel has been a mob scene. Almost any time of day they have every register open and I'm sure they underestimated how much product they would need to keep up with demand. I also agree with cito that it was probably the perfect storm. Just to give our own example, we went shopping last Friday morning and bought the last two green peppers (no red or yellow to be seen) and the last package of chicken breasts.

The cashier even lamented to us the need to hire more because of how busy they have been since before the Dominicks closing.

Hi- When I went to the Jewel on Green Bay yesterday, it was not nearly as busy as it was Saturday, but the parking lot was awful yesterday. Hopefully now that it has gotten warmer, the salt will work on the lot. Carts were still in short supply, but only because it was slow going for the person collecting carts.

Hopefully Whole Foods will eventually move into the old Dominick's location on Green Bay. Hopefully Mariano's will be opening up in a month or two too in Northfield, and that will help some.

Nobody has expressed an interest in taking over the Palos Heights Dominick's? As far as I know nobody has expressed an interest in moving into the Dempster/Dodge Dominick's in Evanston. The Evanston Green Bay store did a lot more business than the Dempster/Dodge one did.

I haven't heard anything, but they have a gas station which makes me think it's a perfect spot for a Food 4 Less. Someone earlier in this thread suggested maybe a Pete's Fresh Market but one is being built right now on Harlem and 99th or 100th or whatever that street is (by the Wal Mart).

Instead of my old Domincks I went to Whole Foods on Saturday, it was also insane. The check out guy told me that it was at least twice as busy as New Year's Eve. If you are in the grocery business, you have got to love a big storm.

NFriday wrote:Hi- Here are the list of Dominick's that are still open until 1/25.
Bannockburn, Westchester, Buffalo Grove, Gurnee, Shorewood, and 3145 S. Ashland in the city.

Can you tell me which Dominick's in Buffalo Grove is open until 1/25? There are three in Buffalo Grove: on Half Day Road, on Buffalo Grove Road, and on Lake-Cook Road.

Hi- I believe it is the one on Buffalo Grove and 22? Mariano's apparently is taking over that store, but I have no idea when. Maybe somebody else that lives up that way will know more. Since the store is still open, Mariano's is definitely not moving in there until at least some time in February and that is all I can tell you. I believe the Dominick's that closed on December 28th, that are going to be converted to Mariano's are going to reopen the end of January or the beginning of February. I know the Northfield Mariano's has their pharmacy open now, but the rest of the grocery store is not open.

Thanks, Nancy. I live nearby and the one on 22 is the closest to me. I'll stop by and report back if I learn anything new.

Hi- I believe it is the one on Half Day Road and 22, and not the Buffalo Grove Road one that I previously alluded to.They are opening up the pharmacy on January 26, but their website does not give a date for the rest of the store opening. Maybe somebody else that lives up that way will know more. Hope this helps, Nancy

According to the email newsletter of Debra Silverstein, 50th Ward alderman, Cermak Fresh Market has purchased the Dominick's store at Ridge and Damen. This is good news for our neighborhood, which needs a full-service grocer. I'd be interested in what people think of Cermak.

Katie wrote:

NFriday wrote:Hi- Here are the list of Dominick's that are still open until 1/25.
Bannockburn, Westchester, Buffalo Grove, Gurnee, Shorewood, and 3145 S. Ashland in the city.

Can you tell me which Dominick's in Buffalo Grove is open until 1/25? There are three in Buffalo Grove: on Half Day Road, on Buffalo Grove Road, and on Lake-Cook Road.

The one in Bannockburn at Waukegan and 22 is still open. It is a ghost town in there, because I keep dropping by.

Regards,

Hi- Dominick's should start marking their stuff down soon at their remaining stores. At the now closed stores, they first marked down their health and beauty and cooking supplies 50%, and then a week later they marked down the rest of their groceries and their frozen 50%, and then a few days later they marked down their liquor, and finally they marked down their produce and meat 50% off, and all their remaining grocery, frozen and health and beauty 75% off. I still have a ton of frozen, cheese, and groceries that I got for 75% off three weeks ago. I just used up the last of the yogurt that I paid $.25 a piece for three weeks ago. Most of the markdowns occurred on a Friday, and so maybe the Bannockburn store has started marking down their health and beauty and cooking utensils today. I heard at the other stores there were some fights going on when the diapers got marked down 50%.

Hi- For those people who live near one of the 7 Dominick's that is still open, somebody who prefers to remain anonymous just posted on Jill Cataldo's couponing site that the Buffalo Grove Dominick's has just started their going out of business sale today. This person who I assume is an employee of the store, assumes that all of the other six remaining Dominick's stores are doing the same. I assume that means the Bannockburn, Gurnee, Westchester, Aurora, Bridgeport and one other store are having their 50% off sale starting today. I don't know if just the health and beauty and cooking utensils are 50% off today or not. She said that all seven of the stores that are still open, will close for good on January 25.

At both the Evanston stores, they were still bringing stuff from the warehouse for several weeks after the sale began, and that is when I found the real deals. When they knocked the stuff to 75% off, they were still bringing stuff from the warehouse, and that is when I got 25 cent yogurt, and 50 cent healthy choice and lean cuisine. It was amazing in that one day, when they had 75% off the majority of the stuff, including all frozen, cheese and yogurt, they had tons of stuff left. A friend of mine went there the next day, and she got lots of frozen dinners, but most of the cheese and yogurt was gone. I think their warehouses are empty now though, and so I think what you see is what you get. Hope this helps, Nancy

Hi- I just reread the post that somebody left on Jill Cataldo's site, and most of the store is going to be 50% off starting today. The Buffalo Grove store that is still open is at 450 Half Day Road, and she assumes that all of the other remaining Dominiick's stores are going to be 50% off starting today too. If I lived near one of those Dominick's stores, I would be there now, but the closest store to me is Bannockburn, and that is too far for me to drive to justify a bargain. Hope this helps, Nancy

Nancy,

You would be royally peeved if you went to Bannockburn, there is no 50% off sale there. Yet there are odd things here and there heavily discounted, though you need to hunt, peck and decide is it really a good deal. I went briefly and felt I'd have a raging headache if I stayed.

I called the 450 Half Day Road in Buffalo Grove location to verify their 50% off sale commenced today.

Regards,

Hi- Sorry you went on a wild good chase. The Bannockburn store from what I've seen posted and as you found out, is not 50% off today. The Aurora, Shorewood and Buffalo Grove stores are 50% off. I don't know about the rest of the stores, and so it is better to call up the store before you head on over there unless you live in the neighborhood.