will be announced this week. going to be built in UNP behind Zio's.

I thought it would get parked further north. Interesting choice behind Zio's, etc.

i predict that the announcement will be that they are making progress on negotiations but they aren't done yet. :P


Glad to hear that they are finally annoucing this. It seem like it has been forever since the rumors first broke. It should be interesting to watch what happens to that homeland by target with Crest and walmart moving nearby.

I thought it would get parked further north. Interesting choice behind Zio's, etc.

I'm hearing it's going further North, just a little S. of Tecumseh Road. Guess time will tell.

A friend of mine who works for the developers told me it is going in just south of the Embassy Suites, on the south side of the development that has already broken ground immediately across the street from the hotel.

Any additional details about this store . . . will it be a typical Crest? A Fresh Market like the one on May? Or something different? Honestly, I was hoping for something different, like the Uptown Grocery being built in Edmond...especially given the speculation that a Walmart Neighborhood Market is going in on 36th...

I have been under the assumption that surely it will be like the one on May.

How long should it take to build this place once they break ground?

So did this get announced this week? I haven't seen anything about it.

I believe there were issues with the plat

any word on when the plat issue might get settled?

Is this Crest Store tabled at this time or is this simply a situation where Crest Foods is waiting on other sections to be developed before moving forward with their plans?

I talked to somebody tonight who works for Crest.
They told me that a Norman store was planned but that it would be 1 year to 1 ½ years before the store would open. He mentioned an area across from Target for the location. He also said that they are considering a Norman warehouse.
He mentioned that they are considering opening stores in Yukon and Shawnee in a few years

Concerning the Crest Store at SW 104th and May: Have you noticed the spoiled meat smell emanating from their meat counter? You can get the smell within 20 feet of the counter.

At a Crest that will remain nameless (All stores are owned and managed by the same family, so what's the difference?), I bought some ground beef that was bad, even though the use or freeze by date (don't hold me to the exact words) was almost a week after I bought it. Same store, about two years ago, my last visit, I bought a couple of 18 can packs of beer that were on sale at a pretty good price. I noticed that the case had a 7-11 sell by date of about a week prior to that day. That didn't bother me, I realize there is some tolerance/leeway in those dates but the same day went to pick up eggs and found several cartons that had passed the sell date and in this day and age with the salmonella problem, I decided to report the beer and eggs to the manager. The first comment was that they didn't buy beer from anybody but the distributor but when I pulled it out of my basket and he saw the 7-11 stamp on the side, he got real quiet. When I mentioned the eggs, his assistant got involved very quickly and instructed several employees to go check all eggs for expired dates. So, this was a bad response (beer) and good response when the Lady took quick action. One other item was their store made Italian sausage. It spoiled pretty quick but I will chalk that off to senility because even though I didn't think it should have spoiled that quickly, I could have been wrong. It didn't have any date on it though, it was wrapped in brown paper while I waited. Now, four items in about five years (when the store was built) is probably not too bad and I'm sure I could find the same problems elsewhere, but I haven't so I no longer go to any Crest store.
C. T.

The Crest managers have always been very attentive to us when we have asked for products or have had complaints. We do not typically purchase meat there however.

Jdcf,
If you remember my last statement "Now, four items in about five years (when the store was built) is probably not too bad and I'm sure I could find the same problems elsewhere, but I haven't so I no longer go to any Crest store.", I'm simply stating a problem I had. I hope they have resolved anything like these occurrences and continue to be a good local business/neighbor and if I hear nothing else, I will go back. I'm glad you have had the attention required with a complaint, as I did with the lady assistant assistant. The manager wasn't very nice though, and as a generally nice person/customer, I didn't appreciate it. I do understand somebody having a bad day, and some stores are better than others.
C. T.

The Crest managers have always been very attentive to us when we have asked for products or have had complaints. We do not typically purchase meat there however.

my experience with Crest goes back many years and includes from MWC to NW OKC. Since the "boys" took over the business, it has improved tremendously and I applaud their actions. As far as things going "bad" before the pull date, that can happen and I have never had a problem with making an exchange. However, I have learned to watch their sale items. . .it has been my experience that sometimes they are past the "sell by date". That in and of itself doesn't mean the product is bad, but you do need to be aware and watch it!! It seems to me that they also frequently get in a "spat" with a supplier/producer and all of a sudden, something you have been buying there for a long time "disappears" and you are told they can't get it anymore. They will always be in my rotation (Sunflower,B4LessNWExpwy, and WF), especially for staples/canned goods/non-perishables because one is very close to where I live. . the rest of my purchases are on a "caveat emptor" basis.

I do find it odd that Crest would want to open a traditional store there. With Target right across the street, and a significantly improved Homeland on the other side of Robinson, a Wal-Mart just a little further down the road, and a rumored Walmart Neighborhood grocery coming in down the road and around the corner, it seems like there won't be enough demand for all of these low-to-middle end stores. It really does seem like a Whole Foods or an Uptown Grocery store like the one opening in Edmond would make more sense. Maybe it's just wishful thinking that some decision maker would also see it that way...

How about a sunflower market to boot? http://newsok.com/sunflower-farmers-market-plans-norman-store-opening-in-2013/article/3653431

Curtesy - Norman chamber of commerce.

Homeland on Robinson is a dump. When i walk in there it is like a blast from the 80's

I'm no fan of Homeland, but they have spent the past 6 months upgrading that store on Robinson, and it is significantly improved. The bakery is much better, they have an enormous cheese station that is regularly staffed with an employee, they have a station with freshly cut fruit, a salad bar, an olive station, and so forth. I still wouldn't say it's a fantastic store, but it is now the nicest grocery store in Norman.

I'm no fan of Homeland, but they have spent the past 6 months upgrading that store on Robinson, and it is significantly improved. The bakery is much better, they have an enormous cheese station that is regularly staffed with an employee, they have a station with freshly cut fruit, a salad bar, an olive station, and so forth. I still wouldn't say it's a fantastic store, but it is now the nicest grocery store in Norman.

Yeah Homeland has been trying to turn things around with upgrades. The Alameda store started to go through some upgrades over the last few months, but still need some work. Don't have a clue about the Main or Lindsey locations. I would imagine those aren't all that great since it seemed the former Albertson's were better overall.

Either way. I've been to the Crest up on May and SW 104th. The Meat Department makes me sick to my stomach. I think they try to do scented candles around it but that makes it worse I think. It was alright though. Not really a huge fan plus the coupon policy and deals at Homeland are better.

I posted about Crest in another thread before I saw this one, so let me just reiterate that I think putting a Crest across from Super Target and a little down the way from a decent Homeland and the west side Walmart isn't a very good idea. Why can't they put it in an area of town that has less competition, or in an area where it would be a better fit? Personally, I don't like Crest stores that much in the first place, so I'd be fine without one in Norman. But that's just me.

I posted about Crest in another thread before I saw this one, so let me just reiterate that I think putting a Crest across from Super Target and a little down the way from a decent Homeland and the west side Walmart isn't a very good idea. Why can't they put it in an area of town that has less competition, or in an area where it would be a better fit? Personally, I don't like Crest stores that much in the first place, so I'd be fine without one in Norman. But that's just me.

It should be more like the one on sw 104th and May in OKC, have you been to that one? It's nice.

I agree with the questioning of the location choice of this Crest. I feel like it would be a better choice for Crest to nab up some land in southeast Norman, a severely underserved grocery area, rather than north-northwest Norman, which has a wider variety.

I guess we are all experts on the grocery industry here. Crest would not spend the money to build a new store from the ground up if there wasn't a reasonable business case for it. Obviously the grocery industry has some competition in that immediate area, but Crest sees potential in either of the scenarios...or maybe both. A) they feel they can pull a yield premium off the market, with Homeland and Walmart taking the value shoppers....they might be able to attract some of the people looking for higher quality and will pay for it. B) they feel that the demand is so strong in that area, that going head to head with the competition they will still be able to pull in a profit without undercutting to keep the lights on.

It's more than what area doesn't have a grocery store, it's about where the market spends their money and what they spend it on!

I don't claim to be an expert in the grocery industry and, yes, maybe they can do better than the Homeland, Target, Walmart, and Walmart Neighborhood Grocer stores that will all be within a 1-2 mile radius from their store. Someone's business, though, is going to suffer, and that is not likely to be a good thing for Norman. But the larger point is that what we will still lack in Norman is a nice, upscale grocery store or a specialty grocer like Whole Foods.

If you need specialty items in Norman, there are already places like Dodson's and Forward Foods, which recently moved to a more convenient location. Heck, even Homeland carries a lot of "specialty" items (well, the former Albertson's locations, at least; can't speak for the others).

It's not the specialty items per se; it's the shopping experience. Whole Foods is just completely different than anything else that exists in Norman. In my opinion, Crest is just more of the same, and we don't really need that.

It's not the specialty items per se; it's the shopping experience. Whole Foods is just completely different than anything else that exists in Norman. In my opinion, Crest is just more of the same, and we don't really need that.

This.

The idea of introducing Oklahomans to the fact that grocery shopping can be enjoyable is what excites me.

That's a good point.

I do not know, it does seem it is a terrible location....

I do not know, it does seem it is a terrible location....

It's the perfect location and will be the busiest store in Norman.

It's the perfect location and will be the busiest store in Norman.

For the first month after opening and then it will tail off and compare equally to the others.

Not a good location for Eastsiders. Best thing we have going for us right now is the eastside Homeland which isn't saying much. They have upgraded some but still not comparable to Sunflower or Whole Foods. We nor any of our neighbors that I've spoken to will bother with Crest. The few times my wife and I have been to the one on S. May we weren't impressed. We still make a weekly trek to Whole Foods and Sunflower and will bypass Crest entirely. Can't wait for the new Sunflower on Main. Too bad it's still a year away.

Not a good location for Eastsiders. Best thing we have going for us right now is the eastside Homeland which isn't saying much. They have upgraded some but still not comparable to Sunflower or Whole Foods. We nor any of our neighbors that I've spoken to will bother with Crest. The few times my wife and I have been to the one on S. May we weren't impressed. We still make a weekly trek to Whole Foods and Sunflower and will bypass Crest entirely. Can't wait for the new Sunflower on Main. Too bad it's still a year away.

Agree. I've been to the Crest on South May and the prices were pretty high - especially for a place that pushes low prices. Homeland is pretty comparable on cost and even better with their superior coupon policy.

Agree. I've been to the Crest on South May and the prices were pretty high - especially for a place that pushes low prices. Homeland is pretty comparable on cost and even better with their superior coupon policy.

Your'e kidding, right. Homeland, Walmart, Target, Wrights, Food for Less, can't even begin to compete with the prices at Crest.

Your'e kidding, right. Homeland, Walmart, Target, Wrights, Food for Less, can't even begin to compete with the prices at Crest.
Nope. As crappy as it is, Wal-mart has the best prices on staples such as paper products, cleaning supplies and most canned goods even beating the Commissary at Tinker for these items. My wife, who's an expert on these things and can tell you off the top of her head the price of a can of beans in any store, says that Crest is on the high end and comparable to Homeland.

The eastside of town would have been nice. When I lived there we didn't have a lot of choice, pretty much Homeland (Albertson's still then) and Wal-Mart, plus the Valu-Mart or whatever it was called.

We shop at the 104th and May Crest a good bit, but are going to go check out Sunflower up north this weekend. I'm tired of walking into Crest and smelling rotten meat all the time, makes me sick to my stomach. I've had bad luck with things going bad by the next day too. We need to start going back to Artisan's Pride in Norman, love them!

The eastside of town would have been nice. When I lived there we didn't have a lot of choice, pretty much Homeland (Albertson's still then) and Wal-Mart, plus the Valu-Mart or whatever it was called.

We shop at the 104th and May Crest a good bit, but are going to go check out Sunflower up north this weekend. I'm tired of walking into Crest and smelling rotten meat all the time, makes me sick to my stomach. I've had bad luck with things going bad by the next day too. We need to start going back to Artisan's Pride in Norman, love them!

Could you relay more information on this? We shop at that Crest regularly and have not experienced what you describe here, and have had *excellent* experience with their meats, so what you've posted here is really curious...

Nope. As crappy as it is, Wal-mart has the best prices on staples such as paper products, cleaning supplies and most canned goods even beating the Commissary at Tinker for these items. My wife, who's an expert on these things and can tell you off the top of her head the price of a can of beans in any store, says that Crest is on the high end and comparable to Homeland.

Things just aren't that uniform nor consistent. The Crest at SW 104th and May tends to run higher than the other Crest stores, but to say its on a par with Homeland is an overstatement. What few times we've gone to Homeland has made me think I'd made a wrong turn into 7-11 and was paying a rich premium for the convenience, only to realize...

Homeland has been off our radar for some time. I think we've been in there two or three times in the last year, and that's being generous.

Your'e kidding, right. Homeland, Walmart, Target, Wrights, Food for Less, can't even begin to compete with the prices at Crest.

Not at all. I'm very aggressive when it comes to pricing for groceries. The trunk is always full when I go and I don't spend more than $50. I've tried Crest and their prices are not low at all. They advertise it is and people start thinking they are because they buy into the advertising. Yes there are some items that are lower there than Homeland, but you add in Homelands superior coupon policy (double all $1 or less coupons) and it is no contest.

Things just aren't that uniform nor consistent. The Crest at SW 104th and May tends to run higher than the other Crest stores, but to say its on a par with Homeland is an overstatement. What few times we've gone to Homeland has made me think I'd made a wrong turn into 7-11 and was paying a rich premium for the convenience, only to realize...

Homeland has been off our radar for some time. I think we've been in there two or three times in the last year, and that's being generous.

Homeland can be up there on a few items, but you have to get down their sale rotation and also cut out those sunday coupons and you can save a ton. I normally walk out with $200-300 of groceries (all typical "more expensive" named brands) and struggle to spend $50 at the checkout.

Homeland can be up there on a few items, but you have to get down their sale rotation and also cut out those sunday coupons and you can save a ton. I normally walk out with $200-300 of groceries (all typical "more expensive" named brands) and struggle to spend $50 at the checkout.

Describe the "sale rotation" please.

Describe the "sale rotation" please.

Sale Rotation = Crap no one else wants

Describe the "sale rotation" please.

Sale rotation just refers to the patterns and frequency with which certain slates of items are put on sale at a grocery. Most of the larger chains have a set policy that may vary slightly within regions, while smaller chains (like Crest) have a highly tailored pattern that's more tailored for the market they serve.

Most patterns include "loss leaders" that are heavily promoted and get people in the store in an effort to lead you toward more expensive, regular-priced items. The key is knowing what you want, knowing when it goes on sale at the various outlets, and planning accordingly.

Sounds like Venture's done the homework on most of the sale patterns and coupons, but finding the time to get that good at it may be more problematic for some folks than others. We've tried to adopt a two-week menu and shop accordingly, and that often leads us right back to Sam's for bulk purchases of items no local chain can match on their best day - especially canned goods in bulk, bulk chicken breasts, things of that nature. For a family of four, it helps a great deal!

We used to plan Sam's trips much more carefully when the kids were younger and my wife was a stay-at-home mom, but in latter days that's a hit-and-miss proposition. We made a big bulk trip to Sam's a few weeks ago and were reminded how much the regular stores "getcha" on common items.

Describe the "sale rotation" please.

Dave hit most of it on the head. If you watch their ads you will see when various brands or products are pushed. One week you'll see breakfast items pushed, the next you will see a meat sale, then frozen food, etc. Then you have bigger things like their 10 for $10 sale or BOGO Free sales. With Homeland you don't need to buy the the full quantity, items are all markets down. Like this week I'll end up stocking up with their 10/10 sale they are having as well as their other deals. So like my main buy this week will be bread, Hormel meat entrees, Lloyds BBQ, Country Crock sides, Old Spice deodorant, Dawn soap, Kraft dressing, etc. They are also running two side promotions. All their snacks (breakfast and regular) are on sale at 50% off and then Kraft is running a deal where you buy 5 items and get a $5.00 credit.

So lets say you need and will use a lot of Philadelphia cooking creme cheese for lasagna or something similar. Normal price is $2.99 each. I'll get 5 (since I'll use it in the next couple of weeks) and that would be $14.95. Take the $5 off and i'm down to $9.95. Then I have 3 coupons I'll use...one is a $1.50 off 1 and then two $1.50 off 2 coupons. So that takes off another $4.50. So I'm down to $5.45 for the 5 of them or $1.09 each...or ~ 64% off. Not the best example, but it is the easiest to understand.

It does take some work and organization. However, I use to pay $100-200 for groceries every couple of weeks and only have like 4-6 bags to show for it. Now I leave with an overflowing cart and spend only $25-50. The whole key to it is plan appropriately and get into a rythym of when to buy stuff. I love my cereal, but i'll never pay more than $0.50 a box...for you typical General Mills/Kelloggs brands (and not the itty bitty boxes either). I'm currently sitting on around 50 boxes...and keep it refreshed.

A side point...I've also been able to use this method of buying groceries to allow me to donate a good amount of food to a local food bank. Sure I could have just donated the cash, but they likely got much more bang for their buck with me using the coupons to help stretch it out more.


Sale rotation just refers to the patterns and frequency with which certain slates of items are put on sale at a grocery. Most of the larger chains have a set policy that may vary slightly within regions, while smaller chains (like Crest) have a highly tailored pattern that's more tailored for the market they serve.

Most patterns include "loss leaders" that are heavily promoted and get people in the store in an effort to lead you toward more expensive, regular-priced items. The key is knowing what you want, knowing when it goes on sale at the various outlets, and planning accordingly.

Sounds like Venture's done the homework on most of the sale patterns and coupons, but finding the time to get that good at it may be more problematic for some folks than others. We've tried to adopt a two-week menu and shop accordingly, and that often leads us right back to Sam's for bulk purchases of items no local chain can match on their best day - especially canned goods in bulk, bulk chicken breasts, things of that nature. For a family of four, it helps a great deal!

We used to plan Sam's trips much more carefully when the kids were younger and my wife was a stay-at-home mom, but in latter days that's a hit-and-miss proposition. We made a big bulk trip to Sam's a few weeks ago and were reminded how much the regular stores "getcha" on common items.

Exactly. It took some time to get everything flowing, but I've been doing this for a few years now and it is fairly low maintenance now. It does feel really good at the end of the day when you check out and hear the big savings amounts. :-)

Side note, a couple good sites to look at for those that might be interested in this (and they also cover the other stores like Crest): http://www.simplesavingsavvy.net/ and http://www.consumerqueen.com/

venture, I also do most of my shopping at Homeland for the exact logic you have listed. Of course you have to go with a preplanned shopping list and avoid expensive impulse buys. I also watch for sales at other places for a few things like milk, soda, and orange juice and pick those up at places like Buy4Less or even CVS occasionally. Milk and orange juice freeze quite nicely if you want to stock up.

When I go to Homeland, I don't buy stuff like chips or crackers or any kind of boxed snacks unless they're on sale. That's where they get ya. (Nearly $4 for a bag of Lay's? F that.) I mostly just buy staple-type things from them like meat, dairy, and veggies, or sometimes specialty stuff that I can't get at Walmart.

I go to Walmart for my coffee, a certain brand of ground turkey, chips and snacks, cleaning products (if I need them), and paper products.

Occasionally I run up to Target and do a grocery trip there because I have their debit card that gets you 5% off your whole purchase. I figure 5% is better than 0%. :) But I'm not doing this as often now, because I live off 12th and Alameda and gas is like $3.65 a gallon. :\

When I go to Homeland, I don't buy stuff like chips or crackers or any kind of boxed snacks unless they're on sale. That's where they get ya. (Nearly $4 for a bag of Lay's? F that.) I mostly just buy staple-type things from them like meat, dairy, and veggies, or sometimes specialty stuff that I can't get at Walmart.

I go to Walmart for my coffee, a certain brand of ground turkey, chips and snacks, cleaning products (if I need them), and paper products.

Occasionally I run up to Target and do a grocery trip there because I have their debit card that gets you 5% off your whole purchase. I figure 5% is better than 0%. :) But I'm not doing this as often now, because I live off 12th and Alameda and gas is like $3.65 a gallon. :\

Yeah the whole trick is to learn the sales cycles and stock up when the stuff is on sale. I would never buy anything at standard list price...that is just throwing money away.

I really like Target for produce and such, but yeah...it is just too far to drive just for groceries from our side of town.

From the Transcript today...
Crest to open in 2013



NORMAN — Crest Foods is coming to Norman, but shoppers will have to wait at least another year to visit the store slated to open in the University North Park in June 2013.

Crest Foods President Bruce Harroz said the Oklahoma food chain is excited about opening in the upscale TIF district on 24th Avenue Northwest.

“We’ve always wanted to go to Norman,” Harroz said.

Harroz expects to close on the property by the end of June so construction will start this year. The plat has been approved by the Norman Planning Commission but has not yet appeared on the Norman City Council agenda for final approval.

“We’re kind of simple,” Harroz said. “We have everyday low prices.”

The Norman store will be open seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, like other Crest Foods stores.

Crest was founded by Bruce Harroz’s father, Nick Harroz. His motto was “stack it high and sell it cheap.”

However, the new generation of Harroz leadership has added another dimension with the fresh-market approach.

In 2002, Crest opened store No. 4 in Moore. The local chain continued to expand through Oklahoma City, with the newest location, store No. 7, opening in south Oklahoma City in 2010. That Oklahoma City store features upscale decor and a fresh-market approach that will be followed in the Norman location.

“We’re going to have a sushi department where they make sushi daily,” Harroz said. “We’ll have a specialty meat and seafood area. We cut and butcher our beef daily.”

Harroz said he believes the upscale style of the store will be a good fit for the University North Park retail area. The Norman store also will feature customer comforts to prevent people having to carry their groceries to the car.

“We will have a pickup area where you can drive up and we can load your groceries,” Harroz said. “It will be a covered area that they will drive through in the front.”

The covering will protect customers from bad weather.

“That’s a nice feature that we haven’t had in our other stores,” Harroz said.

The 105,000-square-foot store will be constructed on a large lot just northeast of the Valliance Bank site and will help anchor the proposed Village Center. With the coming of Crest to that spot, the city will move forward soon to complete Legacy Park Drive.

“We’ll have great variety and great prices,” Harroz said. “We still sack groceries and have well-lit stores with wide aisles. We’re open 24 hours a day — we never close.

“It’s going to be great. We’ve never been right next to a main highway like Interstate 35. We draw from 100 miles away, so it’s going to be really nice for our out-of-town trade.”

The Norman Crest store also will carry more health-oriented products.

“Because of the area and the college, we’re going to expand on our organics and natural products,” Harroz said.

Joy Hampton 366-3539 jhampton@ normantranscript.com

So by most accounts it looks like it'll be nearly identical to the SW OKC store but with more features.

I am wanting to know when they are going to improve and modernize the Moore store? it is getting kinda run down and neglected. We live in Moore shop at the new Crest on S. May because it is bigger newer nicer and has more options than the Moore store does.

i hope the Norman Crest will be better than any Crest i have even been to.
i guess they are discounted stores but seem kinda run down to me, and overall not very clean.
i personally would not shop there.
But maybe it will take the congestion down a bit from the two Walmarts....which are zoos!!! :)

i hope the Norman Crest will be better than any Crest i have even been to.
i guess they are discounted stores but seem kinda run down to me, and overall not very clean.
i personally would not shop there.
But maybe it will take the congestion down a bit from the two Walmarts....which are zoos!!! :)

I agree. We weren't impressed with the S. May Store; not prices, smell or overall look and feel.

I guess it's subjective. I'm consistently happy with the S. May store. Prices are in line with what most other Crests are and are usually better than competitors on certain items (although worse on others). The store is clean. The only noticeable smell is near the seafood counter -- I guess it's subjective.

I guess it's subjective. I'm consistently happy with the S. May store. Prices are in line with what most other Crests are and are usually better than competitors on certain items (although worse on others). The store is clean. The only noticeable smell is near the seafood counter -- I guess it's subjective.

Enjoy going to that store as well...Roomy, clean, healthy options and prices are ok

My wife notice the sign for the new Crest, just northeast of the IBC bank.

My wife notice the sign for the new Crest, just northeast of the IBC bank.

Yes, it'll go in the vacant space east of the IBC, Five Guys, zio's etc.