Clean Up on Aisle Eleven
ByI have received a few emails regarding the Village Grocer IGA recently. Unfortunately, they have not been what I expected. I have sent a request to Mike Rabstoff asking him for a status on the grocery slated to break ground in DuPont and whether the plans have been delayed, or worse, scrapped altogether since the announced bankruptcy filing. I have not heard back from DuPont Station so we are once again left to wonder.
I guess that is pretty much status quo here since, surprise, surprise, most of us moved on with our lives by traveling to Lacey or Lakewood. It is not a favorable situation, but it is no longer an intolerable situation either. Suffice it to say, those of us who lived here over five to ten years have already heard it all before. It seems like only the newcomers get enthusiastic enough to camp out with Linus in the pumpkin patch anymore.
What was shared with me left me a little troubled and even more curious. After my post in the Seattle PI regarding the ownership of the Village Grocer IGA filing for chapter 11, a former employee of this store contacted me. He stated the a group of former employees, himself included, were suing the Village Grocer IGA for back pay. Additionally, he alleges that the Village Grocer IGA kept withholdings from employee pay but ceased making insurance payments on their behalf, leaving them high and dry on medical bills for lack of coverage.
It is important to point out that these are the unverified allegations of someone claiming to be a former employee, and I did not get further comment from Village Grocer IGA. I assume that they will get their opportunity to defend themselves in court.
The question that it raises for the people of DuPont is still the same: Will we be getting a grocery store as promised or not? It sounds like the owners of Village Grocer IGA will be spending some money on lawyers instead of bricks and mortar, or groceries for that matter. Instead of running a deli counter they will be in court for the foreseeable future and that appears to dim the light on our market.
I will not want to shop at a grocer that is looking for ways to save money – Where do they buy their meat? How old is that cheese?
There is big money spent on stock rotations, and cleanliness/hygenic standards with dairy, produce, meat, deli.
There are many standards that must be upheld to delivery healthy and quality foods.
I will gladly drive by the bankrupt IGA to buy food from a reputable grocer.
Safeway shopper
I have shopped at other supermarkets but they don’t fee like home.
We want to shop at a store that is clean & has a good selection. At Safeway there is a stock person on most isles and they ask it they can help and they do. Most checkers pull out the paper and the bagger knows to get a second cart. We shop every two weeks and we don’t run out. If I go in to a grocery store for a few items I come out with $100 of Junk.
It only takes us 12 minutes to get from the front door to the parking lot in Hawks Prairie.
I have talked to those Costco shopper and they tell me they would only shop locally if they ran out of something.
I can remember, but just barley, my mother “shopping” at the Johnson Bother store on Barksdale. When it sold it wasn’t the same. My parents then shopped at the first Supermarket in Lakewood saying how good the selection was.
Someone please, bring us a grocery store! I really like my decision to move out of the big city, but miss some of its conveniences. How nice it would be walk 12 minutes to a grocery store (not drive like our Hawks Prairie shopper). Is this supposed to be a “sustainable” community?
PS: please throw in a Thai restaurant while you’re at it.
Thai would be good. So would an Indian place. More curry, less Teriyaki!