Better than what's there now at least....

The prices homeland charges are crazy compared to Crest. Seriously.

I used to shop at the 18th/Classen Location because I lived nearby and it was convenient however the Crest on NW 23rd was always "worth the drive" to get what I needed when I needed to fill the cart.

Same story now living on the far NW side. Homeland at 122nd and Rockwell prices are consistently $0.20 to $0.50 higher than Crest on Rockwell/Hefner on many things I buy. Sure some things are the same the price but not many.

I personally think they are doomed.

The prices homeland charges are crazy compared to Crest. Seriously.

I used to shop at the 18th/Classen Location because I lived nearby and it was convenient however the Crest on NW 23rd was always "worth the drive" to get what I needed when I needed to fill the cart.

Same story now living on the far NW side. Homeland at 122nd and Rockwell prices are consistently $0.20 to $0.50 higher than Crest on Rockwell/Hefner on many things I buy. Sure some things are the same the price but not many.

I personally think they are doomed.

Since Homeland has closed most of their unprofitable locations and are upgrading their profitable ones, I think they will survive.

SQ 792 is about to significantly change the grocery market in Oklahoma. I can easily see Homeland selling more higher-end beers and wines than Wal-Mart or Crest will.

Today, grocery store profit margins are razor thin. SQ 792 is going to be a significant boost to their profits. That is going to mean more grocery stores and nicer ones at that.

The prices homeland charges are crazy compared to Crest. Seriously.

I used to shop at the 18th/Classen Location because I lived nearby and it was convenient however the Crest on NW 23rd was always "worth the drive" to get what I needed when I needed to fill the cart.

Same story now living on the far NW side. Homeland at 122nd and Rockwell prices are consistently $0.20 to $0.50 higher than Crest on Rockwell/Hefner on many things I buy. Sure some things are the same the price but not many.

I personally think they are doomed.

You're not alone. I don't shop at Homeland anymore, and one of the main reasons (besides the terrible vibe inside so many of their locations) was how absurdly expensive they were on many items for seemingly no reason. No thanks.

You have to use the homeland rewards card or you are just robbing yourself.

You have to use the homeland rewards card or you are just robbing yourself.

Yep.... Discounts on groceries and gas.

I don't shop at the Homelands here in OKC but we shop at the one in Ardmore quite a bit on the weekends.

You have to use the homeland rewards card or you are just robbing yourself.True. I admit some bias since Homeland pays part of our bills. But, we're really boring shoppers and buy pretty much the same things every time with some variation here and there. It might be what we buy but there isn't much difference in our total bill between Homeland, WM Neighborhood Mkt, big WM and Crest. At least not with the Homeland One Card.

Does anybody know if the remodel of the 18th and Classen Homeland is still in the works? As far as I know they were supposed to start work in April but we are now almost July and nothing has started.

True. I admit some bias since Homeland pays part of our bills. But, we're really boring shoppers and buy pretty much the same things every time with some variation here and there. It might be what we buy but there isn't much difference in our total bill between Homeland, WM Neighborhood Mkt, big WM and Crest. At least not with the Homeland One Card.

Really? Interesting. We've so consistently been chased off Homeland by their prices we've never bothered to see if the "One Card" would help enough to make it worth the extra drive, especially considering Crest is all-but literally in our front yard and a WM is not even a mile west...

Does anybody know if the remodel of the 18th and Classen Homeland is still in the works? As far as I know they were supposed to start work in April but we are now almost July and nothing has started.

As recently as a couple of weeks ago they still had the sign showing the rendering of the updated store. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Does anybody know if the remodel of the 18th and Classen Homeland is still in the works? As far as I know they were supposed to start work in April but we are now almost July and nothing has started.

According to this, it's still a go and starting tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it.
http://www.reddirtreport.com/red-dirt-news/remodeling-45-year-old-homeland-store-begin-wednesday

Yes, the building permit was just issued.

BTW, that Red Dirt Report article says "In February, Homeland announced it was preparing to put $2 million in upgrades".

Homeland didn't announce anything. We followed this closely, called them the day the building permit was filed, had exclusive interviews and only then did the Oklahoman and RDR and likely others write matching articles, all prompted by our work.

Hate to be a stickler on such matters but we don't do this unethical pretend game and always, always give them links and credit where due. This is just fundamental journalist ethics which seem to be non existent in this town and justified by the "everyone does it" argument. Which is of course not true because we don't.

According to this, it's still a go and starting tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it.
http://www.reddirtreport.com/red-dirt-news/remodeling-45-year-old-homeland-store-begin-wednesday

Glad it's finally happening.

Other remodeled Homelands are really nice. A prime example is the one at NW 122nd and Rockwell. This will be excellent and much needed for central OKC.

It's happening!

They have started work on the renovation, specifically on the new eastern entrance / vestibule.

Nothing happening inside as of yet.



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland071917.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland071917b.jpg

This is exciting! I've been trying to frequent this store more since hearing about this news. I enjoy the neighborhood feel of the store like Eley's and will continue to go back.

Oh that's the bad one? I see that one every week as I eat at Cafe Antigua. Usually empty.

Why is everyone bad at parking in this rendering? LOL...

Really wish Reasors would venture down the turnpike and give Homeland some competition.

Why is everyone bad at parking in this rendering? LOL...

They were going for a realistic look.

^

Haha... I was just there last night and that's about how people park there.

The spaces seem unusually small and they are hard to see so cars are all over the place.

I just love that in both the aerial and the rendering people can't park. It's like they really know us!

Really wish Reasors would venture down the turnpike and give Homeland some competition.

Ditto. They had a planned Edmond store a few years back that got NIMBYed. That would have been excellent because it's almost certain it would have lead to them expanding further into the OKC metro.

It will be interesting to see what happens in SQ 792 goes into effect in a couple of years. That will go a long ways in terms of making Oklahoma a more favorable market for grocers.

That orange construction fence is gone already, not sure what to make of it.

That orange construction fence is gone already, not sure what to make of it.

Yes, stopped in today and that fence was gone and there was zero construction activity or materials anywhere.

I asked the cashier and she had no idea what was going on.

I noticed that as well. It looked like they were about to get started and now nothing. I wonder what is going on?

Why is everyone bad at parking in this rendering? LOL...

Hey, that's reality.....

I parked there last night and was very conscious about parking my truck in the lines.

I couldn't see that they really did any work on the parking lot or sidewalk so I'm not really sure wth they had the fence up for.

Permit issues maybe?

Permit issues maybe?

The building permit was issued about a month ago.

I'm not too concerned about it happening. They have already located a new manager there specifically to re-make the product selection. I have talked with him several times. If there is something you'd like for them to carry he is very good about adding it to inventory. There is a pretty comprehensive plan to eliminate a lot of their duplicated items that are typically bought these days at places like Walgreens or Target instead. For instance, he pointed down the aisles that house a massive selection of things like paper goods and also feminine products and pointed out there is no reason in the world for them to have as much as they currently do of those things, as people nowadays prefer to buy that stuff at other stores anyway. They will then use the freed-up space for better selection of things like organics and items that will appeal to the changing demographic in the area.

That's great being in such a small space. They were trying to be a supermarket when they should focus on being a grocery store. I look forward to going here more often because now it's only if I need something in a hurry and don't have time to go somewhere else further away

I asked the cashier yesterday about it and she said she wasn't sure what was going on.

Any updates on the 18th and Classen location? Did they decide to postpone the remodel (or simply not do it)?

Any updates on the 18th and Classen location? Did they decide to postpone the remodel (or simply not do it)?

Post #435

For the lazy http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=38206&p=1000985#post1000985

You know, to be fair, post #435 says they've started. Just nine posts after that it is reported the orange fence magically disappeared and nobody inside knows anything. I don't think the people asking for an update are out of line, but just saying "It's started" (and not even saying that, just pointing to it and calling people lazy) is. If you don't know the answer, that's fine, but don't be rude about it.

You know, to be fair, post #435 says they've started. Just nine posts after that it is reported the orange fence magically disappeared and nobody inside knows anything. I don't think the people asking for an update are out of line, but just saying "It's started" (and not even saying that, just pointing to it and calling people lazy) is. If you don't know the answer, that's fine, but don't be rude about it.

This is true. It would seem that they had started but hit a snag or something being that the orange fence is gone and there are no construction materials.

This is true. It would seem that they had started but hit a snag or something being that the orange fence is gone and there are no construction materials.

Was there's yesterday. All they did was saw-cut the pavement and sidewalk in roughly the outline of the proposed entry addition.

I talked to the cashier today and she said the remodel has been delayed until Summer 2018. She said the reasoning is that it's an old building that might have structural issues.

@Pete how many years do you think downtown OKC is to a legitimate grocery store in your estimation? Do you think SQ 792 will make it viable sooner being that less rooftops will be needed for a grocer to be profitable? I personally would love to see something right on the streetcar line.

I talked to the cashier today and she said the remodel has been delayed until Summer 2018. She said the reasoning is that it's an old building that might have structural issues.

@Pete how many years do you think downtown OKC is to a legitimate grocery store in your estimation? Do you think SQ 792 will make it viable sooner being that less rooftops will be needed for a grocer to be profitable? I personally would love to see something right on the streetcar line.

FINE. Just raze the damn thing and build new. The building itself has negligible historical value.

I talked to the cashier today and she said the remodel has been delayed until Summer 2018. She said the reasoning is that it's an old building that might have structural issues.

@Pete how many years do you think downtown OKC is to a legitimate grocery store in your estimation? Do you think SQ 792 will make it viable sooner being that less rooftops will be needed for a grocer to be profitable? I personally would love to see something right on the streetcar line.

If true, that's just another way of them saying they don't think they have enough money. Based on the overall health of Homeland, you have to wonder if they will complete this remodel or a rebuild.

Oh boy. I guess we'll see a Cash Saver there before a remodel after all. :-\

Ugh. Well whatever happens I just hope they keep the pharmacy. It's so convenient and fast. They will literally fill your prescription within 5 minutes of handing it to them. Turnaround like that is not something one can get at CVS or Walgreens.

Ugh. Well whatever happens I just hope they keep the pharmacy. It's so convenient and fast. They will literally fill your prescription within 5 minutes of handing it to them. Turnaround like that is not something one can get at CVS or Walgreens.

Even with the renovation, they said they planned to keep the pharmacy and in the same location in the building.

Even with the renovation, they said they planned to keep the pharmacy and in the same location in the building.

Do Cash Savers have pharmacies? Just in case that happens.

The new Homeland leadership has been very good about getting back to me but thus far two messages have gone unanswered.

I take that as a very bad sign.

Do Cash Savers have pharmacies? Just in case that happens.

The Cashsaver on 23rd and rockwell still has a Pharmacy, but they've gotten rid of the bakery, deli and seafood sections

The new Homeland leadership has been very good about getting back to me but thus far two messages have gone unanswered.

I take that as a very bad sign.

It's like they have a gold mine and can't afford to buy mining equipment.

The Cashsaver on 23rd and rockwell still has a Pharmacy, but they've gotten rid of the bakery, deli and seafood sections

Thanks!

It's like they have a gold mine and can't afford to buy mining equipment.

Its been awhile since they spent this much money. The Albertson purchases were the last major investment that I recall.

They have a new, ambitious CEO and an equally new head of marketing.

Wanting to do things like this and being able to are sometimes different things.

They were planning to systematically upgrade most their stores but I suspect the financial realities may be settling in.

The variance between Homelands is pretty amazing. I live in Mesta Park and go to the 18th and Classen store 2-4 times a week. Not because of 1) selection or 2) prices, but because of 3 ) convenience. I echo the comments made previously about the false start of remodeling and that checkers haven't got a clue about the remodeling (I have asked several, many times).

In my later years, I have come to fancy myself as a budding and almost magnificent cook (wink wink) and several weeks ago I was looking for some ingredient that I cannot recall. I wound up at the Homeland on N May near Britton Road, which had what I was looking for. I was very pleasantly surprised by the layout and selection ... I didn't compare prices. But if a store like that were in my neighborhood, I would be very pleased.

The variance between Homelands is pretty amazing. I live in Mesta Park and go to the 18th and Classen store 2-4 times a week. Not because of 1) selection or 2) prices, but because of 3 ) convenience. I echo the comments made previously about the false start of remodeling and that checkers haven't got a clue about the remodeling (I have asked several, many times).

In my later years, I have come to fancy myself as a budding and almost magnificent cook (wink wink) and several weeks ago I was looking for some ingredient that I cannot recall. I wound up at the Homeland on N May near Britton Road, which had what I was looking for. I was very pleasantly surprised by the layout and selection ... I didn't compare prices. But if a store like that were in my neighborhood, I would be very pleased.

When I see people dump on homeland it's the same Homeland. I didn't want to sound like a broken record and state that the one near me (Rockwell & Hefner) is rather nice. Homeland gets dogged on a lot of threads.

Most of the crappy ones have been shut down by this point if I am not mistaking. Even some that I thought were alright, like the one in Edmond off Broadway and 33rd, ended up getting the axe. The stores that are left are pretty nice, with the exception of the one at 18th and Classen.

When I see people dump on homeland it's the same Homeland. I didn't want to sound like a broken record and state that the one near me (Rockwell & Hefner) is rather nice. Homeland gets dogged on a lot of threads.

I live near May and Britton and can honestly say that Homeland was my favorite grocery store until Uptown opened up. By comparison, Homeland looks rundown and tired. I probably only go in there once every few months, and only because I'll be on that side of Britton for the liquor store.

Nothing really against Homeland, it's just an older store and there's now something newer and shinier, and, more importantly, on my side of Britton so I don't have to deal with the awful intersection of Britton and May. Turning left onto either street out of that shopping center is a nightmare.

Most of the crappy ones have been shut down by this point if I am not mistaking. Even some that I thought were alright, like the one in Edmond off Broadway and 33rd, ended up getting the axe. The stores that are left are pretty nice, with the exception of the one at 18th and Classen.

And (at the very least) the one on Lindsey in Norman. The worst one on Main has closed, but I think the Lindsey one is fairly bad. The NW Norman one is okay, while the eastside one is quite nice.

When I see people dump on homeland it's the same Homeland. I didn't want to sound like a broken record and state that the one near me (Rockwell & Hefner) is rather nice. Homeland gets dogged on a lot of threads.

The Homeland nearest me at SW 104th and Penn has never been particularly nice, either. They closed off the "mini deli" in the front eons ago and it always looks like it could be closed down one morning. Their prices have always been so historically bad we've never bothered to track the store in much detail. In fairness, that *location* seems to have had a bit of a checkered history, even back from its opening, which was supposed to be a Buy 4 Less until Homeland, the old Buchanan's, and one of the area distributors worked out a deal that turned it into a Homeland initially.

As I recall, Odom (the developer) built Chatenay with a contract from a distributor to put in a grocery store as an anchor tenant; scuttlebutt arose that they wouldn't be able to supply one, and a lawsuit was about to ensue. Meanwhile, the old Homeland that used to sit at SW 89th and Penn was going to undergo a huge remodel/face-lift; the distributor contacted Homeland and said, "hey, here's a brand new shopping center you can go into," and they agreed, fending off the lawsuit - then, as I recall, the space being vacated by Homeland was looking to be filled when Buchanan's, which was across the street, came in and didn't want *their* distributor supplying a new competitor so close, so some arrangement (don't recall the details) was made that just left the Homeland space vacant - and it may have been about that time that Buchanan's became IGA-affiliated for the balance of its existence. Sadly, it closed just a few years later - there were conflicting stories about them not being able to compete and/or no one in the family wanting to take it over....

Homeland does alot to hurt thier brand.

The Homeland nearest me at SW 104th and Penn has never been particularly nice, either. They closed off the "mini deli" in the front eons ago and it always looks like it could be closed down one morning. Their prices have always been so historically bad we've never bothered to track the store in much detail. In fairness, that *location* seems to have had a bit of a checkered history, even back from its opening, which was supposed to be a Buy 4 Less until Homeland, the old Buchanan's, and one of the area distributors worked out a deal that turned it into a Homeland initially.

As I recall, Odom (the developer) built Chatenay with a contract from a distributor to put in a grocery store as an anchor tenant; scuttlebutt arose that they wouldn't be able to supply one, and a lawsuit was about to ensue. Meanwhile, the old Homeland that used to sit at SW 89th and Penn was going to undergo a huge remodel/face-lift; the distributor contacted Homeland and said, "hey, here's a brand new shopping center you can go into," and they agreed, fending off the lawsuit - then, as I recall, the space being vacated by Homeland was looking to be filled when Buchanan's, which was across the street, came in and didn't want *their* distributor supplying a new competitor so close, so some arrangement (don't recall the details) was made that just left the Homeland space vacant - and it may have been about that time that Buchanan's became IGA-affiliated for the balance of its existence. Sadly, it closed just a few years later - there were conflicting stories about them not being able to compete and/or no one in the family wanting to take it over....

My sister worked at the Homeland as an assistant manager back when the store opened. The store was originally going to be a "Bakers"--like they had at 23rd and Penn after MegaMarket--but something to do with the wholesaler dispute ended up as the store going to Homeland instead of Bakers. There are still Baker's stores in Nebraska that are owned by Kroger.