Just near Wilmington, this Pathmark has since become a ShopRite. Not much of a story here, unfortunately. More towns are losing their Pathmarks, A&Ps, and Superfreshs, and are coming back with larger, or new, Shoprites. It's hell for independent operators in Key Food, IGA, and even large chains like Weis, Acme, and Giant. Wakefern is my enemy, as you can tell.
This store has an updated brown front, but no "Go Fresh & Local" decor in sight! Shoprite's already moving in here... click here to see it now. Open 24 hours too, to be threatening enough.
Oh, A&P bags... and actual good turnstyle checkouts! Giant and Stop & Shop ruined them for me.
This looks like Shoprite decor if I've ever seen it. Probably came from my local location in Phillipsburg... but it's not seen in the new store! Could it be from Pathmark? Doubtful.
Undoubtedly, yes.
Bank of America has since left Shoprite... good for them! Let Shoprite fail, for once... please!
Why is "Path" always missing from these corrals? Every single one I've seen has had it missing! (Not to criticize my friends at McCue and National Cart, of course!)
Pathmark of Brookhaven5075 Edgemont AvenueBrookhaven, PA Pathmark > ShopRite |
That deli sign is almost definitely from Pathmark. It's a variation on the decor seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/catnapped1972/20641848299/in/album-72157655439195603/ -- notice the similarity of the phrase "Service Deli," which is unusual. Other departments were not in all caps: https://www.flickr.com/photos/catnapped1972/20642482979/in/album-72157655439195603/
ReplyDeleteThis location was gutted for its conversion to ShopRite. It's extremely rare (I don't know if it's happened in the last ten years) for a newly opened ShopRite to use secondhand decor transported in from another store, although I do know of one that kept the previous tenant's decor. Either way, it wouldn't be from Phillipsburg, as that store is owned by Joe Colalillo and this one is owned by Pat Burns. With I think two exceptions, ShopRite members don't really share decor.
Although it doesn't happen much, there have been many ShopRite failures, most notably their first entries into the Lehigh Valley, PA and Albany, NY areas. Most recently, a ShopRite in West Haven, CT closed without a replacement in 2017.
On the question of the missing "Path," I think that color just faded more quickly, for whatever reason! Pretty funny, and you're right!
The original stores in the Albany (NY) area were part of a then member known as Big V. They had issues that led them into bankruptcy, which caused them to close many stores (not just the Albany ones but others further south, particularly at that time any that they still had that were the old "Quonset" style buildings as those were becoming costly to maintain).
DeleteAfter their bankruptcy, Wakefern bought them out (to keep their business as part of the company) and has since returned stores to the Albany area (and replaced others that were closed as well with nearby locations), so it seems to be more of an issue with a bad member than the stores themselves (or the corporate subsidiary wouldn't be reopening stores in those areas).