New Meijer store opens -- and closes!

January 2010 to May 2015

I braved the grand opening of the new Meijer store on Golf Rd. west of Milwaukee Ave. in Niles, in the same shopping complex as Omega restaurant. What a zoo! It took over 30 minutes of line standing to check out, although all check-out lines were open and there was a corporate executive at the end of each bagging the groceries! (hmmmmm... maybe that was why it was running so slow...?)

There was a tremendous crowd but it seemed that there were almost as many suit-and-tied executives in every aisle, eager to help in any way.

When the check-out lines got backed up, execs went around the lines, some with coupons, some with trays of munchies. One guy, when I complained that my ice cream was melting in the cart, took the soft containers away and brought me two nicely frozen ones. All varieties of Edy's were on sale at $2.50 ea.

There were a few other bargains but nothing really fantastic. 1-lb. packages of big Driscoll strawberries were 99 cents. Asparagus was 99 cents a pound. Big beautiful avocados 69 cents each. All the produce, in fact, was extremely fresh and beautiful. The heads of romaine and other lettuces were just the most beautiful I have ever seen.

A big section marked "Seafood" had no seafood, just pounds of bacon. Bacon, is there anything it can't do? Let's hope the seafood section wakes up soon.

But the prices overall are not that impressive. When I asked one of the execs who he thinks are Meijer's competitors in that location, he said "Jewel". At first I thought, "You are going to get your clock cleaned." There are sooooo many alternatives to Jewel, especially in that location. For cheap bargains, Wal-Mart and Aldi are a couple of blocks away. For ethnic foods, there is a Shop-and-Save at Golf Mill and a LOT of other smaller stores with much bigger ethnic food sections than Meijer had. For produce, there is Jerry's, the vortex that sucks in the entire neighborhood with an unbeatable price-freshness combination (if you haven't been to Jerry's in a couple of years, you should check out their remodelling. They are firing on all cylinders!) Not to mention Assi and H-Mart.

But then I thought, you know, all these other stores were able to grow in this market because Jewel and Dominick's do such a poor job. Maybe there is a place for Meijer. But I have to say I can't imagine this Meijer store causing the sustained enthusiasm as, say, the Fresh Farms on Touhy.

Another exec told me that this new Niles location is only 60,000 square feet as opposed to that monster Schaumburg/Rolling Meadows Meijer that is apparently 163,000 sq ft. It reminds me of the tiny Wal-Mart that was opened a few years ago just east of Milwaukee on Golf Road. To my mind, it sort of misses the point. If you want the true experience of Wal-Mart, I suggest the giant superstore across Grand Ave. from Gurnee Mills. It has a food section alone that is as big as this whole new Meijer.

Still, I haven't been to a supermarket opening since Piggly Wiggly briefly tried to make a go of it in Schaumburg! (This was back in the Jurassic Era if I recall correctly.) Meijer had lots of balloons and samples. They were giving away two really nice very very sturdy reusable cloth shopping bags, cobalt blue. And many people had gotten coupons in the mail for $5 off their first shopping trip. I did not have a coupon but the lady exec with the sq. footage stats wrote on the back of her business card and viola, it was $5 off! Just ask them.

Not sure how long the hoopla will last (this all happened Thursday) but bring a shopping cart in from the parking lot with you because they were running out of carts.

Meijer
9000 W. Golf Rd.
Niles, Illinois 60714
847-635-2200

Hi,

I like visiting Meijer's whenever an opportunity presents itself. They have products on their shelves I hadn't seen at Jewel and Dominicks. They have White Lily Flour. I found at an Indiana outpost pickles from Tony Packos. Visiting a Meijer's offers similar experience as visiting an out-of-town grocery store. There is just enough unusual for our area selections on the shelf to make the visit interesting.

I get a similar thrill visiting Strack and Van Til.

Just for chuckles, I check where several grocery chains are headquartered:

Dominick's (Safeway) - Pleasanton, CA
Garden Fresh Market - Wheeling, IL
Jewel (Albertsons) - Boise, Idaho
Meijers - Grand Rapids, MI
Strack and Van Til - Highland, IN
Woodman's - Janesville, WI
Sunset Foods - Highland Park, IL

The further the grocery store is headquartered, the less dynamic the shopping experience. Those closest are much more dynamic and certainly Sunset cannot be more customer responsive. I far more enjoy my visits to Meijer's, Strack and Van TIl and Woodman's than to Jewel or Dominick's.

When both Jewel and Dominick's were locally owned with their buyers living in the area, both were better than they are today. I do visit Jewel for shopping between 10 PM and midnight, because I have no other choice.

H-Mart and Meijers proximity to each other will now allow more frequent visits. I realize H-Mart headquartered in New York is an exception largely due to the niche market they fill of Asian grocery superstore.

Thanks Joy for the alert. You've made my day.

Regards,

Joy,

I've never been to a Meijer's, always wanted to check one out and the Golf Rd store sounds a good starting point. One thing, I remember reading an old LAZ post where she says one of the reasons she shops at Meijer's is they are 24/7 and she keeps late hours. I thought about an early visit to Meijer and called to make sure of the hours, not 24/7, but 6am to 11pm seven days a week.

Enjoy,
Gary

Joy wrote:a LOT of other smaller stores with much bigger ethnic food sections than Meijer's had.

Speaking of which, is Farmer's Best on Golf still open? Driving by a week ago, it was dark and the parking lot empty.

Cilantro, the FB store closed several months ago, right around the time that Jerry's began offering meats and fish.

We shop at the Meijer in St Charles about once a month Out in our neck of the woods they have the absolute best produce section in selection, quantity and price. There always seems to be 3 to 4 people in the area doing stocking or tidying, everything looks clean and fresh. That said, we can't do much of our shopping there because they do not carry some major products that we buy like a certain Brownberry bread we eat daily, Milagro tortillas, Schweppes seltzer water, LaCroix drinks and other things but we can find Tasso olives that no one else carries and a few imported items that are rare. We are spoiled by shopping at Woodman's, which has everything and more but a not so great produce section. Aside from the grocery side, it's fun to roam through the store, you never know what you might find! The workers are extremely friendly and helpful and a big plus for me being handicap is that they have a number of scooters available that are always charged and ready to go.

Cathy2, thanks for appending the store address to my original post! You are quite awesome. --Joy

G Wiv wrote:I've never been to a Meijer's, always wanted to check one out and the Golf Rd store sounds a good starting point.

Went to Meijer's on Golf this morning, ~shrug~

Bright, clean, wide spaced aisles, prices seemed on a par with Jewel/Dominck's as did selection in general. A vague nod to multi ethnic, only items I was tempted to buy were nice looking beef ribs and White Lilly or Martha White self rising flour.

Frankly, I see my first visit to Meijer's as my last, unless I want self rising flour which is scarce in Chicagoland. We coupled Meijer's with a visit to Patty's Diner for a wonderfully satisfying breakfast, half order of biscuits and gravy with two over easy for me and corned beef hash for the bride. Soon as I saw the crisp edged corned beef I had a serious case of plate envy, lucky my wife shared a few bites.

Enjoy,
Gary

Pattys Diner
3358 Main St. (just West of McCormick)
Skokie, IL 60076
847-675-4274

Meijers remind me of Super Wal-Marts with a little better seafood selection. We used to shop @ the Naperville & Bolingbrook ones all the time, nd when we moved out west the local Super Walmart wasnt much different.

Meijer isnt overpriced like jewel, or dominicks(at least from my experience), and is adecent option for the basic items imho.

Joy wrote:Cathy2, thanks for appending the store address to my original post! You are quite awesome. --Joy

Hi,

It wasn't me, I will guess it was Gary, who can be quite awesome, too!

Regards,

Hi,

Meijer has its good points:

The excellent produce selection includes italian parsley

Their own manufacturers cream is wonderful. (no additives and pasteurized.

There are also real disappointments:

Most of the chicken has "solution added".

Most of the pork has "solution added"

Tim

jimswside wrote:Meijer isnt overpriced like jewel, or dominicks(at least from my experience), and is adecent option for the basic items imho.

Jim,

Its been quite a while since I've done any serious grocery shopping at Jewel or Dominicks, but in comparison to Fresh Farms, where I have doing the bulk of my grocery shopping the last few months, Meijer's prices were higher on the items I typically purchase.

(Edit to add) I was shocked at the number and variety of instant mashed potatoes. Sandra Lee would have been proud.

Enjoy,
Gary

Meijer is where I do the bulk of my shopping. There are a lot of other options that are each better in a different way, but have severe downfalls.

Strack & Van Til is local (woohoo!) but rarely has all the items I need, and is more expensive.
Ultra and Food4Less are both extraordinarily cheap - in every sense of the word. And they're madhouses.
Aldi has good prices and often has most of what I need, but never all of it.
Little ethnic grocery stores have great prices and obscure items, but not always the basics (among those near me, at least).
Jewel has horrendous prices and I have never been to a Jewel or Albertson's whose fish department didn't smell like rot and death. Could be several lousy experiences on my part, but I will not shop here.
Meijer almost always has everything I need, their prices are higher than some but not out of the ballpark, and their stuff is good quality, on the whole. I wish they sold more local milk, but their cream is awesome. Their meat isn't great, but it's not awful - it'll do for dinner, if I'm on a budget that doesn't include the more expensive but excellent local butchers. Plus, Cathy2, you've made a White Lily convert out of me! It helps retain precious moisture in sugar free baked goods, and that is just amazing to me.

Meijer isn't anything to jump for joy about, but it's the best option for me. If I have the time and patience I do the rounds, culling from each store that which is best quality and best price; if I don't have that time, I go to Meijer because it's huge and it's reliable.

(Edit to add) I was shocked at the number and variety of instant mashed potatoes. Sandra Lee would have been proud.

I have to admit, that's the kind of thing that gets me wandering the aisles for 15 minutes at Meijer, too, it's like a living museum of minor 50s convenience food brands, well beyond what any of the Jewels and Dominick's have.

Otherwise that great big store exists only to supply me with White Lily flour a couple of times a year.

For those who have never been inside a Meijer, it's worth noting that it's not just a supermarket; it's a complete department store, like a Super Walmart or a Super Target. The kind of place where you can buy not only groceries (including fresh meats and produce), but also general merchandise like motor oil, clothes for the kids, and a big-screen TV, all in the same store. (I haven't been in the ones here; this is based on visits to numerous Meijer stores in Michigan.)

MincyBits wrote:Ultra and Food4Less are both extraordinarily cheap - in every sense of the word.
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Jewel has horrendous prices

That must be different where you are located. I've compared prices (both regular prices and sale prices) and the Food4Less in Evanston is significantly more expensive than nearby Jewel stores on just about everything.

Comparing prices across grocery stores is difficult because stores tend to differ in the products that they sell at comparatively low and high prices. I live close to Harvestime on Lawrence. This is one of the cheapest stores I've found for produce but is one of the most expensive for many pantry staples.

Note to LAZ, I noticed Meijer had ZipSauce, which you have mentioned is a Detroit favorite. They also stock an amazingly large and diverse selection of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauces including multiple types of dipping and grilling sauces.

Another source for White Lily flour in the Chicago area is the Fresh Market chain. They have a couple of stores. I am only familar with the one in Wilmette, just off the Edens at Lake.

nsxtasy wrote:For those who have never been inside a Meijer, it's worth noting that it's not just a supermarket; it's a complete department store, like a Super Walmart or a Super Target. The kind of place where you can buy not only groceries (including fresh meats and produce), but also general merchandise like motor oil, clothes for the kids, and a big-screen TV, all in the same store. (I haven't been in the ones here; this is based on visits to numerous Meijer stores in Michigan.)

I shop Meijer like I shop Costco, I am pretty much keep to the food area.

My first visit to any Meijer's, I was quite dismayed by the football field size. I did find there an item I am finding more difficult to locate: laundry starch.

Gwiv wrote:Note to LAZ, I noticed Meijer had ZipSauce, which you have mentioned is a Detroit favorite. They also stock an amazingly large and diverse selection of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauces including multiple types of dipping and grilling sauces

I like stores whose buyers stock regional items not found in Chicago. To someone in another state, that Baby Ray range of BBQ sauces might impress them. Just as I am pleased to buy at Woodman's Ol'Salty's Potato Chips from Rockford. I have yet to see one package anywhere in the Chicago area. Granted it is not a personal mission, though I do keep an eye out for it. Or the evening I found Geitost (gjetost), Norweigan goat cheese, at Strack and Van Til. There were a number of posts discussing its absence in our region. I thought I won the lottery when I saw it.

This Meijer's is located near where I go anyway. I don't regularly go to Arlington Heights or NW Indiana, where I know of two stores. I passed a Meijer's in the far western suburbs one night, the car stopped to let me look around.

In a period of time where stores are shrinking inventory and featuring products that meet some volume threshold, going to a store with a different stocking practice is a joy. I get to see something new, which is happening less and less all the time.

If you don't like Meijer, fine. If you want to go to the same old store, go forth. I like to look at new stuff, which a new store offers some opportunity.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:If you don't like Meijer, fine. If you want to go to the same old store, go forth. I like to look at new stuff, which a new store offers some opportunity.

Cathy,

I love "new stuff" love grocery stores consider a leisurely aisle by aisle browse an absolute treat. That said when the 'new stuff" is Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce or multiple varieties of mashed potato in a box I feel no pull for an early revisit.

I'm low on food service type gloves, hunted them down in Meijer's, all they had was boxes of 50 in one size fits all for $6.50. I did not purchase as I typically pay less for boxes of 100 sized for my hand.

Enjoy,
Gary

The Chow Poodle grew up shopping at Meijer and never misses a chance to go to one when she is back home in Michigan. The stores there (at least the few I've seen) are substantially bigger than any of the stores here. I've never been all that impressed with the food selection, being pretty much mainstream stuff; but there are a few regional brands that they carry that just aren't available anywhere else around here. Not surprisingly, she does more clothes shopping at Meijer than food shopping.

Do the Meijer stores here carry some of the more esoteric Michigan-made beers and wines? That would be convenient. Although I've enjoyed making day trips over to southwestern Michigan and touring the wineries and breweries, to sample and shop.

Gwiv says: "...there are people who post all the time without leaving much of a clue where a place may be."

THANK YOU Gary for adding the address to my original post! Cathy2 thinks you are awesome! --Joy

nsxtasy wrote:Do the Meijer stores here carry some of the more esoteric Michigan-made beers and wines? That would be convenient. Although I've enjoyed making day trips over to southwestern Michigan and touring the wineries and breweries, to sample and shop.

The Meijer I go to has a very limited liquor/beer section, basically 2 40 foot long aisles The outer one side is liquor, the center section of those 2 aisles is wine and the other outer end is beer, about 20 feet is a cooler and 20 feet warm.

So what became of the Sun View market in that same shopping center? Gone now, I suppose (where will I buy goat ribs now?). I am also bummed that Farmer's Best has closed. That was a great market. It had the best Russian deli counter, complete with a barrel of pickled herring. Does the new WalMart sell groceries? If so, that probably had more to do with Farmer's Best's demise, than Jerry's adding a butcher.

Cathy 2:

You didn't list The Fresh Market(also located in the Greater Chicago area)---corporate headquarters, Greensboro, NC.

And for those who enjoy store openings, there's a Lake Forest store scheduled for Spring 2010. You might even see me there in my capacity as a trainer.

I'll be at the new Louisville, KY store training deli staff for the Feb. 3rd opening. Try the veal.

Christopher Gordon wrote:Cathy 2:

You didn't list The Fresh Market(also located in the Greater Chicago area)---corporate headquarters, Greensboro, NC.

And for those who enjoy store openings, there's a Lake Forest store scheduled for Spring 2010. You might even see me there in my capacity as a trainer.

I'll be at the new Louisville, KY store training deli staff for the Feb. 3rd opening. Try the veal.

Keep me updated on this, because Lake Forest is a hop, skip and jump for me.

Regards,

Christopher Gordon wrote:And for those who enjoy store openings, there's a Lake Forest store scheduled for Spring 2010. You might even see me there in my capacity as a trainer.

I'll be at the new Louisville, KY store training deli staff for the Feb. 3rd opening. Try the veal.

Are you training at Meijer? It would seem to me that opening a store in Lake Forest is kind of out of their demographic.

No, I might be at The Fresh Market, Lake Forest.