Oct 06, 2019
Shopping and shocked
I spent 5.5 hours yesterday driving around to five stores looking for a variety of items to bring to Mexico with me. I have been looking for new corn on the cob holders since one broke in my mouth mid August. You can read about how I first thought it was a broken tooth by clicking here.
Bottom right shows the old set of holders. I had pretty much given up on finding new ones when I turned a corner at Superstore and there they were hanging right at face level on the end of an aisle. I love them. The two ends fit together so nothing is sticking out in your drawer ready to poke your finger. They come four sets to a package, two yellow and two green, all for only $4.49CAD/$3.37USD.
I even managed to find the ever elusive Christmas cards at the second dollar store that I went to yesterday. I have been looking for some for a few weeks now. I found many other things there that I did not need but for some reason decided that I could not live without them 😉 The last store that I went into was Safeway, the only one we have here in Kelowna. I don’t shop there much any longer as I find that their prices are high. However they have items that I can only find there and that I need for certain recipes plus they have great prices on cheddar. So image my shock when a sign on the door said that they were closing October 25th and many items were marked down.
The shelves were bare in spots and in others they were totally empty.
So I was unable to get my unique Asian curry paste that I use in my fish chowder nor the special tartar sauce that Colin likes and a few other items. I got the very last package of frozen stuffing that the store had, which I use once per year for a special Christmas recipe. It is the only one that I have I found that has no meat in it.
It truly was shocking to be walking through an empty store that I have shopped at since 2003. Only four boxes of pizza remain in this section. They have obviously have not been purchasing fresh merchandise as the best by dates were very close.
None of the staff at check out were familiar to me. I asked and was told that the older staff who had been there for years and years were offered a buyout package. A new store called FreshCo will be opening next summer in its place and the staff were all offered a job but they would all be starting at the bottom of the totem pole with no seniority. How very sad for them, especially if they were not ready to retire but had close to 18 – 22 years invested with Safeway.
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That was an empty Safeway – maybe you can get the items you want/need at Safeway when you pass through the states.
The corn holder are like the ones we have – they work well for Rex – I just use my fingers to hold the corn cob! Your departure date is getting closer – ours near yet so far away…..
Good idea Sandy. I will Goggle the US Safeway stores. Yes far away but January will still come and I will see you then.
Nice that you found some new corn holders, they look kinda cool.
We don’t use them anymore our fingers work well for us.
Too bad about the Safeway closing down, But at least a Fresh Co will take its place we have a few around here in Ontario and enjoy those too.
I have never been in a FreshCo, I hope that it will be a good store. No idea if it will have my items though.
Try Googling the things that Safeway carried and see who else carrie’s them. Maybe a specialty food store.
I actually have done that and I can find two links at IGA but my Asian curry is going to be difficult to find.
The Safeway downtown is still open and will remain a Safeway.
Sadly it is closing and becoming a Fresh Co. I guess we were in Europe when the announcement came out and I missed it. Read this link….https://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/news/news/Kelowna/Dilworth_Centre_s_Safeway_will_close_for_5_months_to_be_renovated_and_rebranded/#fs_79378
I know the Dilworth Safeway is going to a Fresh Co., and yes I think that did happen when you were in Europe but the Safeway at Richter and Bernard downtown is still open and will remain a Safeway.
Thank you so very much. I have never shopped at the Bernard Street Safeway and I thought that the Dillworth one was the only one. Why ever did the staff not tell me about it?
What’s in the curry paste? I make a mixture of clarified butter and curry. It lasts in the fridge forever.