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Grocery Stores
(01-19-2018, 01:36 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: All Food Basics stores close at 10, just like FreshCo and other similar brands. The Ira Needles and the Columbia Sobeys locations closed at 11 until recently, like Zehrs, Superstore, most Walmarts, and every other Sobeys in the region. They even tried 24 hours at the Columbia location at one point. As someone who regularly shops near closing time, it's been a very long time indeed since any similar supermarket in the area closed at 10.

Sobey's at Bridgeport Plaza in Waterloo is still open 24 hours according to their website.
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(01-19-2018, 08:17 PM)Elmira Guy Wrote:
(01-19-2018, 01:36 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: All Food Basics stores close at 10, just like FreshCo and other similar brands. The Ira Needles and the Columbia Sobeys locations closed at 11 until recently, like Zehrs, Superstore, most Walmarts, and every other Sobeys in the region. They even tried 24 hours at the Columbia location at one point. As someone who regularly shops near closing time, it's been a very long time indeed since any similar supermarket in the area closed at 10.

Sobey's at Bridgeport Plaza in Waterloo is still open 24 hours according to their website.

I think it is; and guess what? The only 24-hour SDM is also across the street. Competition.
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I think my original point is being lost. I'm well aware of the 24 hour Sobeys on Bridgeport, but it's not really relevant because it doesn't have an actual closing time. Technically there is also a Sobeys in New Hamburg that closes at 9pm, but their standard closing time is 11pm. A lot of supermarkets have tried 24 hours and reverted, but it's significantly more unusual for a brand like Sobeys to cut back their regular store hours, and it seems to reflect poorly on how well they think these two locations compete with Walmart, Zehrs, and Supercentre. Zehrs and Walmart both have select locations that close at 10pm, but not in areas like Laurelwood/Beechwood and on Ira Needles. I think it's notable the change came right after Sobeys started having major corporate layoffs. I've also heard rumblings about the Bridgeport store performing poorly because of the Walmart next door, and some potential changes coming there as well.
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The Sobey's at Bridgeport did cut its hours a few years ago but went back to 24 hours.
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(01-19-2018, 10:02 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: I think my original point is being lost. I'm well aware of the 24 hour Sobeys on Bridgeport, but it's not really relevant because it doesn't have an actual closing time. Technically there is also a Sobeys in New Hamburg that closes at 9pm, but their standard closing time is 11pm. A lot of supermarkets have tried 24 hours and reverted, but it's significantly more unusual for a brand like Sobeys to cut back their regular store hours, and it seems to reflect poorly on how well they think these two locations compete with Walmart, Zehrs, and Supercentre. Zehrs and Walmart both have select locations that close at 10pm, but not in areas like Laurelwood/Beechwood and on Ira Needles. I think it's notable the change came right after Sobeys started having major corporate layoffs. I've also heard rumblings about the Bridgeport store performing poorly because of the Walmart next door, and some potential changes coming there as well.

I wasn't challenging your point, nor was it lost on me. I was simply saying that the Bridgeport Sobey's is open 24 hours, and thus does not close unlike what you said in your initial post. I thought I had put that line in bold.

Wasn't trying to make it a big deal. Was just stating it for the sake of accuracy.
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Highland now closes at 11pm instead of the previous midnight closing time. But really, if business doesn't warrant them being open that late, why stay open? They probably looked at sales, customer counts, thefts etc and made the decision based on those factors
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The new Pioneer Park Zehrs is taking shape and fully enclosed
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Just realized that the FreshCo on Weber in Kitchener is 24-hours....
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Four more beer-and-cider sales licenses have been issued to local grocers, effective in April: Zehrs Laurentian, Wal-Mart at the Boardwalk, Sobeys on Columbia and Zehrs in Hespeler.
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All quite suburban locations, unfortunately. When I read that 11 of the latest crop were independently-owned, I had my fingers crossed for Central Fresh. Alas, no such luck. The Valumart in Frederick Mall would be nice, too.
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(02-02-2018, 02:51 PM)MidTowner Wrote: All quite suburban locations, unfortunately. When I read that 11 of the latest crop were independently-owned, I had my fingers crossed for Central Fresh. Alas, no such luck. The Valumart in Frederick Mall would be nice, too.

However, there are few urban grocery stores -- and LCBO locations in the central cores of both Waterloo and Kitchener.
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(02-02-2018, 03:00 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(02-02-2018, 02:51 PM)MidTowner Wrote: All quite suburban locations, unfortunately. When I read that 11 of the latest crop were independently-owned, I had my fingers crossed for Central Fresh. Alas, no such luck. The Valumart in Frederick Mall would be nice, too.

However, there are few urban grocery stores -- and LCBO locations in the central cores of both Waterloo and Kitchener.

Yep, that's true. Between Beer Stores, LCBOs and grocery stores, the cores (not so much downtown, but areas like near the market for instance) have less choice than the suburbs, which is bizarre. But there's no practical solution to my gripe: it's not like New City is going to get a license. Valumart would be good, though.
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I get a somewhat uncomfortable whiff of classism that it is the Zehrs and Sobeys banners that get the thumbs up for alcohol sales and not ValuMart or FreshCo. Real Canadian Superstore somewhat contradicts that though.
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Whats with the Sunrise Walmart? Its been allowed to sell beer since the last phase but they haven't implemented the sales. Are they just sitting on the license hoping to cash in on selling it off later?
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Maybe they're having trouble getting enough SafeServe certified cashiers?
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