Widgets Magazine
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 26 to 50 of 70

Thread: Crest

  1. #26

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by metro View Post
    You're right, it's beyond terrible, minus the flagship store.
    To each his own. I shop at a Homeland regularly and am quite satisfied.

  2. #27

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    This has been one of my biggest complainst about living here the past year. I got spoiled by living down the street from the best grocery stores I have ever seen: http://www.dorothylane.com I still order thier homemade tomato sauce, olive oils, and awesome bakery treats whenever I get too fed up with Homeland.

  3. #28

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    As far as Reasor's coming to Edmond, I'll believe it when I see it. When I read in the paper that they were wanting to put a store at Bryant and 15th, I figured they would be in for a fight, and it sounds as though they are. Goodness knows all the powers that be in Edmond will do all they can to prevent any business from coming in to town!

  4. #29

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by Debzkidz View Post
    As far as Reasor's coming to Edmond, I'll believe it when I see it. When I read in the paper that they were wanting to put a store at Bryant and 15th, I figured they would be in for a fight, and it sounds as though they are. Goodness knows all the powers that be in Edmond will do all they can to prevent any business from coming in to town!
    I believe there was a fight but it has been approved, according to the most recent article I read. NIMBY's in the neighborhood behind the development were worried about noise.

  5. #30

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by bchris02 View Post
    I believe there was a fight but it has been approved, according to the most recent article I read. NIMBY's in the neighborhood behind the development were worried about noise.
    Thanks for the info. I've been watching the paper for an article about what happened at the last meeting about it, but never saw one. Must have just missed it.

  6. #31

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Cotter View Post
    This has been one of my biggest complainst about living here the past year. I got spoiled by living down the street from the best grocery stores I have ever seen: http://www.dorothylane.com I still order thier homemade tomato sauce, olive oils, and awesome bakery treats whenever I get too fed up with Homeland.
    Those look awesome

  7. #32

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Another good grocery store that my family would welcome to the OKC area is United Supermarkets. Not the Oklahoma type United that has a few locations across the state, but the Texas type United.

  8. #33

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Buy for less minus the expressway location are disgusting that homeland on classen is more filthy than any cstore I've been to. There is only one other establishment I have been to in Oklahoma that was more disgusting (outside of bars) is a motel 9 in Lawton.

    If you can speak Spanish try the buyforless on 36th and macaurther you might find you a gardner and handyman while your shopping

  9. #34

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by 1972ford View Post
    Buy for less minus the expressway location are disgusting that homeland on classen is more filthy than any cstore I've been to. There is only one other establishment I have been to in Oklahoma that was more disgusting (outside of bars) is a motel 9 in Lawton.

    If you can speak Spanish try the buyforless on 36th and macaurther you might find you a gardner and handyman while your shopping
    Hopefully you realize that your opinion becomes lost on many when you combine it with veiled racism.

    Also, it's funny how you incredulous you were about having your car searched when you were carting around a bunch of drunk people, when you make a disgusting assumption about the patrons of a certain supermarket.

  10. #35

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by 1972ford View Post
    Buy for less minus the expressway location are disgusting that homeland on classen is more filthy than any cstore I've been to. There is only one other establishment I have been to in Oklahoma that was more disgusting (outside of bars) is a motel 9 in Lawton.

    If you can speak Spanish try the buyforless on 36th and macaurther you might find you a gardner and handyman while your shopping
    WTF? Pretty ugly commentary here. Maybe this isn't the right forum community for you.

  11. #36

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Having been in the retail grocery industry going on 40 years, this thread is most interesting. It is great that you returned to OKC to live. Welcome home.
    There is one thing on all these threads I cannot understand. The presumption that okc is negligent and backwards offends my Okieness to no end. You have supposedly moved back from Charlotte and know exactly how a real grocer should look. You say you support local chains, but only mention one. Homeland is employee owned and operated, BFL is locally owned and operated but you fail to mention either in your comments. I know the locations in your area intimately and take umbrage with your comment re: " two nasty Homelands." All those locations are operated quite well by industry standards and I have no qualms with shopping any.
    I challenge you and all the community here to offer the definitive model of the perfect grocer for our needs. I don't see the be all/end all around, and if there were, it would be different tomorrow. In the meantime, my industry will continue to respond quickly to the wants and needs of the community.
    While I think the mantra of supporting local business is great, is there any curiosity with the employee conditions the various companies require?
    Once again, welcome home and look forward to your response.

  12. #37

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by soonergooner View Post
    Having been in the retail grocery industry going on 40 years, this thread is most interesting. It is great that you returned to OKC to live. Welcome home.
    There is one thing on all these threads I cannot understand. The presumption that okc is negligent and backwards offends my Okieness to no end. You have supposedly moved back from Charlotte and know exactly how a real grocer should look. You say you support local chains, but only mention one. Homeland is employee owned and operated, BFL is locally owned and operated but you fail to mention either in your comments. I know the locations in your area intimately and take umbrage with your comment re: " two nasty Homelands." All those locations are operated quite well by industry standards and I have no qualms with shopping any.
    I challenge you and all the community here to offer the definitive model of the perfect grocer for our needs. I don't see the be all/end all around, and if there were, it would be different tomorrow. In the meantime, my industry will continue to respond quickly to the wants and needs of the community.
    While I think the mantra of supporting local business is great, is there any curiosity with the employee conditions the various companies require?
    Once again, welcome home and look forward to your response.
    I think you are missing the point. No one is saying that OKC is negligent and backwards, but for those of us who have lived in other parts of the country (e.g., Washington, DC/VA, South Carolina) it is shocking to see what the grocery stores are like in Oklahoma versus other places. Homeland has definitely improved one of its stores in Norman, but the quality of the other stores is highly variable from what I've seen. The quality of the deli, produce, fresh foods, and bakeries here is just generally inferior to what you see from stores like Harris Teeter, Giant Food, and even some Kroger stores. And the stores themselves are not as nice. Also, our one Whole Foods store is the closest thing we have to something like Wegmans or Central Market. I have been to Uptown Grocery and Crest Fresh Market, and they are both very nice stores. But in other parts of the country, these would be closer to what the typical grocery stores look like. They are the rule, whereas here they are the exception. I moved to Oklahoma eight years ago, and I love it here. I think it's great that we're finally getting some decent options, and I hope concepts like Whole Foods, Uptown Grocery, and Crest Fresh Market will spread around the metro. I also hope we will get something like Central Market (and Trader Joe's).

  13. #38

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    I also don't think anyone was saying OKC is backwards. I just don't like the grocery situation. Also, locally owned is nice, but I'd much rather shop at a great national/regional retailer than an average local market. The market I referenced above took full advantage of being the local choice, and used that to their full advantage: locally sourced produce, meat, retail items from the best local restaurants, and a great selection of local beer. They didn't compete on price: they won business by being the best, and charged what they needed to in order to make that happen.

  14. #39

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Cotter View Post
    I also don't think anyone was saying OKC is backwards. I just don't like the grocery situation. Also, locally owned is nice, but I'd much rather shop at a great national/regional retailer than an average local market. The market I referenced above took full advantage of being the local choice, and used that to their full advantage: locally sourced produce, meat, retail items from the best local restaurants, and a great selection of local beer. They didn't compete on price: they won business by being the best, and charged what they needed to in order to make that happen.
    To bring Crest back into the conversation: they are struggling with their business model right now. For years, they have tried to compete with Wal-Mart for the downscale customer, and they did a very good job of that. Now, they seem to have recognized that they need to compete for the more upscale shopper as well to remain viable, but they just don't seem to know how to do it.

    The Crest closest to me, on 23rd and Meridian, has added the bulk bins with nuts, grains, legumes, etc. and has even added (a fairly paltry) selection of fresh flowers. But they still offer no real organic produce and dispensed with the excellent local meat option they once used, Premium Beef, which is a Southwestern Oklahoma producer of all-natural beef. This company now supplies Whole Foods.

    I spoke to the manager about it and he seems to be in denial. He was saying they couldn't get all-natural, no hormone chicken raised in relatively cruelty-free environs, and that when they tried Smart Chicken it didn't sell. Well, for one thing they did nothing to market it when they carried it and had an extremely limited selection. Their "We don't advertise to save you money" ethos fails in this case. When you introduce new products -- and are going after a new customer niche -- you simply have to advertise it. They didn't even seem to advertise in their own store.

    I would love to support a local grocer, but I've moved on to organic meat and produce, and it has improved my health (I've dropped 20 pounds in weight without radically changing my diet) since Whole Foods opened.

  15. #40

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Although I've been primarily a lurker on this thread, I do think there's one point here that bears illustration - and that's how the OKC grocery market has endured a bit of upheaval over the last, oh, say, decade or so. When I was growing up in SW Oklahoma City, we had Wehba's (which became McCartney's), Jim's IGA, Buchanan's, Skaggs Alpha-Beta (nee Albertsons) and Safeway (nee Homeland) all within a fairly reasonable distance of each other. None of them exist anymore, at least not the locations I'm remembering.

    Part, but not all, of their disappearance can be tied to the emergence of the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets, which I generally loathe. Part can be attributed to pricing - I, personally, don't see how the Homeland (for example) at SW 104th and Penn survives with its pricing. Same thing with Albertsons, although they've announced their exiting the OK market. The CrestMarket is not "low price" like its other-store brethren, as we've learned, so once in a while we do end up back at WalMart.

    I guess my point here is that places like Whole Foods et al with a higher concept carry with them a higher pricetag, and I think most Oklahoma shoppers are still very, very price sensitive. The higher concept is nice, but when it comes down to the real, boring, day-to-day purchases of things like bread, milk, and cereal, the high concepts often lose out to practical economic reality. Crest, IMHO, is coming darned close to finding the "sweet spot" between the two extremes, combined with a great location. The question is whether other such concepts will take the financial risk to see if their own models will enjoy the same success.

  16. #41

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Observations as a "Hobby Cook" . . .

    "#1 Go To" Store: Homeland on N. May. (Good Meat Counter, Good Produce Section, "Artisan Bread" WAY overpriced.)

    "Everyday" Store: Buy For Less at Hefner and Penn (A little shabby and rough around the edges, but one of the friendliest and "culturally diverse" stores I've been in. Biggest area for improvement is the produce department. They need to lose more money on stocking fresh herbs so this one customer--me--can be more totally satisfied.)

    "Nice If In The Vicinity" Store: Sunflower Market (is it still "Sunflower"? or did the "newness" wear off already?) at 63rd and May. (a whole lot of good stuff and some of the bread is the best and most fairly priced around).

    "Nice, But Not Worth The Drive" Store: Whole Foods. (One bag of groceries=$75 I think that was a personal record. And no meat. But some $13 maple syrup.)

    "Rotiserre Chicken and Ciabatta Rolls Only" Store: Walmart Neighborhood Market, Britton and Penn. I violate my own personal stance against Walmart every time I yield to the urge for the chicken, but it's extra good.

    "Notably Absent From the List" Store: Crest. Was a big fan of Crest years ago. Not anymore.

  17. #42

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    To bring Crest back into the conversation: they are struggling with their business model right now.
    Could you advise your source on "struggling?" Are you saying their business is in trouble? Would really like to read up on sources for that information, because its entirely contrary to what I've understood - and that's to suggest they have been even more successful than they anticipated.

    Their "We don't advertise to save you money" ethos fails in this case. When you introduce new products -- and are going after a new customer niche -- you simply have to advertise it. They didn't even seem to advertise in their own store.
    Again, could you explain how their concept is failing? That failure is coming along what seems to be long daily lines at the CrestMarket I frequent, and I've seen little to no advertising for them. Not saying you're wrong, just don't understand the source of the information or the criteria for failure.

    I would love to support a local grocer, but I've moved on to organic meat and produce, ....
    If you're looking for places like Crest et al to "advertise" this concept, think you may be disappointed. As consumers are getting more educated about the fact that the word "organic" means absolutely nothing except for the fact that someone paid for a sticker or label that says it, and even recent research says "organic" doesn't really translate to anything tangible in terms of real health issues, it is sounding more and more like an advertising gimmick that carries nothing more than a higher pricetag, one to which most have already caught on, and are passing by.

  18. #43

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by SoonerDave View Post
    Could you advise your source on "struggling?" Are you saying their business is in trouble? Would really like to read up on sources for that information, because its entirely contrary to what I've understood - and that's to suggest they have been even more successful than they anticipated.



    Again, could you explain how their concept is failing? That failure is coming along what seems to be long daily lines at the CrestMarket I frequent, and I've seen little to no advertising for them. Not saying you're wrong, just don't understand the source of the information or the criteria for failure.



    If you're looking for places like Crest et al to "advertise" this concept, think you may be disappointed. As consumers are getting more educated about the fact that the word "organic" means absolutely nothing except for the fact that someone paid for a sticker or label that says it, and even recent research says "organic" doesn't really translate to anything tangible in terms of real health issues, it is sounding more and more like an advertising gimmick that carries nothing more than a higher pricetag, one to which most have already caught on, and are passing by.
    Wow. Overreact much? It sounds as if you and I are actually on the same page about Crest. They are not "struggling," as in "going out of business" struggling, but they've made changes to the 23rd and Meridian store to try to capture more middle-class and upscale customers, but after talking to the manager, they've already abandoned some of these plans.

    By "advertising," I realize they won't buy a TV spot or newspaper ad (and that wouldn't be effective anyway), but when they introduced new product lines in the store they didn't even have in-store marketing. That is merchandising 101. I think they've probably lost a lot of customers like myself and are trying to get them back. So when I say "struggling," I'm saying they're "struggling to adapt their business model" to the changes in the local market.

    The grocery market in OKC is changing. Crest has to stay abreast of the changes. The days of simply going head to head with Wal-Mart for downscale shoppers and offering a few odds and ends to more upscale buyers are over. They need to do some marketing research and shake things up with their suppliers.

    As for the store on the South side, it is very nice and you'll notice I didn't reference it in my post.

  19. #44

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    I have always said Wall Mart has taken all the fun from the grocery business. The biggest difference they brought ( besides volume buying and deleting middle management larceny ) was crushing the margins. Not that long ago, smaller independents could make good coin, treat and pay their good employees well, and serve their communities well. Now, their is no such thing as a small independent ( ex Whitakers, doing quite well, thank you ) because of the volume it takes to make money with the margins allowed. A story I know of recently, the owner of Whitakers ( son of founder ) spends virtually 24/7 on the 1,5 and 10th. He makes good money and rewards his KEY people well. The rest, they come and they go. Crest and BFL have similar business models. They earn their stroke through sheer volume as all in an industry with laughable margins. Your Targets and Wall Marts don't need to worry so much as they have the insanely more profitable hba sides to make up for the grocery sides.
    Long and short, okc was one of the first to feel the wrath of wall mart, who went from zero market share to double digits within a few years of entering this market. Not all bad as they did actually lower everyone's food bill. As a result though, less competition, more standardized offerings, and a lot of good folks getting out of the business for greener pastures.
    Sorry for being so long and pointless. It irks me to no end to hear of the general dissatisfaction amongst the general public.
    Here's to finding the right mix of quality, variety and value in every area of OKC!

  20. #45

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by soonergooner View Post
    I have always said Wall Mart has taken all the fun from the grocery business. The biggest difference they brought ( besides volume buying and deleting middle management larceny ) was crushing the margins. Not that long ago, smaller independents could make good coin, treat and pay their good employees well, and serve their communities well. Now, their is no such thing as a small independent ( ex Whitakers, doing quite well, thank you ) because of the volume it takes to make money with the margins allowed. A story I know of recently, the owner of Whitakers ( son of founder ) spends virtually 24/7 on the 1,5 and 10th. He makes good money and rewards his KEY people well. The rest, they come and they go. Crest and BFL have similar business models. They earn their stroke through sheer volume as all in an industry with laughable margins. Your Targets and Wall Marts don't need to worry so much as they have the insanely more profitable hba sides to make up for the grocery sides.
    Long and short, okc was one of the first to feel the wrath of wall mart, who went from zero market share to double digits within a few years of entering this market. Not all bad as they did actually lower everyone's food bill. As a result though, less competition, more standardized offerings, and a lot of good folks getting out of the business for greener pastures.
    Sorry for being so long and pointless. It irks me to no end to hear of the general dissatisfaction amongst the general public.
    Here's to finding the right mix of quality, variety and value in every area of OKC!
    I agree. It seems like if there is one thing just about everyone agrees OKC is lacking in it's this.

    OKC isn't the only city blanketed with Wal-Marts though. Tulsa is just as saturated and they have a better grocery market than OKC. A lot of people blame lack of wine sales but Oklahoma isn't the only state that doesn't allow wine sales yet OKC is probably one of the few large cities in the country with this problem. Whole Foods is great and everything but its a niche store. One part in this not usually mentioned is Homeland. Most markets have a dominant mid-tier grocer. In Little Rock, its Kroger, in Houston its H-E-B, in Charlotte its Harris Teeter, and in Tulsa its Reasor's. The closest OKC has to this is Homeland, and it is priced accordingly. The difference is except for a few select stores, most Homelands are dumps, outdated and dirty. I usually do my shopping at Crest but I have to pass two crappy Homelands and one Neighborhood Market to get there. If another player ever tried to go after that market in OKC, Homeland would be in deep trouble. I wonder if it might be of benefit for another company to buy out Homeland and commit to remodeling and modernizing the stores. If most Homelands were like the one on May and Britton or the one at SW 104th and Penn, it wouldn't be a bad place to shop and would fill the mid-level tier quite well.

  21. #46

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Could we have a few more user names that start with "sooner"? If you don't look closely, this thread looks like someone arguing with themself.

  22. #47

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by soonergooner View Post
    Having been in the retail grocery industry going on 40 years, this thread is most interesting. It is great that you returned to OKC to live. Welcome home.
    There is one thing on all these threads I cannot understand. The presumption that okc is negligent and backwards offends my Okieness to no end. You have supposedly moved back from Charlotte and know exactly how a real grocer should look. You say you support local chains, but only mention one. Homeland is employee owned and operated, BFL is locally owned and operated but you fail to mention either in your comments. I know the locations in your area intimately and take umbrage with your comment re: " two nasty Homelands." All those locations are operated quite well by industry standards and I have no qualms with shopping any.
    I challenge you and all the community here to offer the definitive model of the perfect grocer for our needs. I don't see the be all/end all around, and if there were, it would be different tomorrow. In the meantime, my industry will continue to respond quickly to the wants and needs of the community.
    While I think the mantra of supporting local business is great, is there any curiosity with the employee conditions the various companies require?
    Once again, welcome home and look forward to your response.
    I never said OKC was backwards. I have found it quite the opposite. This grocery situation though is the one thing both newcomers and long time residents agree is lacking compared to nearly every other city, including Tulsa, and though has improved in the last couple of years still has a ways to go. There are a few very nice Homelands but there are also many not-so-nice ones. If there were more stores like the May and Britton Homeland, Crest Fresh Market, and Uptown Grocery scattered throughout the metro this would no longer be an issue.

  23. #48

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by soonerguru View Post
    Wow. Overreact much? It sounds as if you and I are actually on the same page about Crest. They are not "struggling," as in "going out of business" struggling, but they've made changes to the 23rd and Meridian store to try to capture more middle-class and upscale customers, but after talking to the manager, they've already abandoned some of these plans.

    By "advertising," I realize they won't buy a TV spot or newspaper ad (and that wouldn't be effective anyway), but when they introduced new product lines in the store they didn't even have in-store marketing. That is merchandising 101. I think they've probably lost a lot of customers like myself and are trying to get them back. So when I say "struggling," I'm saying they're "struggling to adapt their business model" to the changes in the local market.

    The grocery market in OKC is changing. Crest has to stay abreast of the changes. The days of simply going head to head with Wal-Mart for downscale shoppers and offering a few odds and ends to more upscale buyers are over. They need to do some marketing research and shake things up with their suppliers.

    As for the store on the South side, it is very nice and you'll notice I didn't reference it in my post.
    No overreaction here, I was just really stunned to see someone post what sounded like hard information about Crest struggling, that's all, and that's how it read to me. I was just interested in where you had picked up the info, that's all. Sorry if it sounded like an overreaction. It's all good

  24. #49

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    Quote Originally Posted by soonergooner View Post
    I have always said Wall Mart has taken all the fun from the grocery business. The biggest difference they brought ( besides volume buying and deleting middle management larceny ) was crushing the margins. Not that long ago, smaller independents could make good coin, treat and pay their good employees well, and serve their communities well. Now, their is no such thing as a small independent ( ex Whitakers, doing quite well, thank you ) because of the volume it takes to make money with the margins allowed. A story I know of recently, the owner of Whitakers ( son of founder ) spends virtually 24/7 on the 1,5 and 10th. He makes good money and rewards his KEY people well. The rest, they come and they go. Crest and BFL have similar business models. They earn their stroke through sheer volume as all in an industry with laughable margins. Your Targets and Wall Marts don't need to worry so much as they have the insanely more profitable hba sides to make up for the grocery sides.
    Long and short, okc was one of the first to feel the wrath of wall mart, who went from zero market share to double digits within a few years of entering this market. Not all bad as they did actually lower everyone's food bill. As a result though, less competition, more standardized offerings, and a lot of good folks getting out of the business for greener pastures.
    Sorry for being so long and pointless. It irks me to no end to hear of the general dissatisfaction amongst the general public.
    Here's to finding the right mix of quality, variety and value in every area of OKC!
    As a worker in the grocery industry for a decade working for an independent, your statement rings all too true.

  25. #50

    Default Re: Crest Market Concept

    My favorite grocery store used to be Snyders IGA at Hefner and Penn.
    When I was a child it was Busley's . . . Which morphed into Red Owl.
    Red Owl had sort of scary paper bags. Think about a mean looking Red Owl.
    No wonder they went away.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Taco Mayo
    By Larry OKC in forum Restaurants & Bars
    Replies: 34
    Last Post: 09-07-2021, 11:00 AM
  2. The new Crest
    By old okie in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 74
    Last Post: 07-14-2010, 03:16 PM
  3. Another upscale concept from Good Egg Group
    By metro in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 105
    Last Post: 12-10-2009, 12:28 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO