Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Goodbye Pathmark & Waldbaum's, hello Stop & Shop

Queens Courier
From the Queens Courier:

Stop & Shop is looking to grab six Queens supermarkets off the clearance rack.

The company announced Monday it is acquiring local Pathmark and Waldbaum’s supermarkets from the struggling Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), which filed for bankruptcy. In all, Stop & Shop is purchasing 25 Pathmark, Waldbaum’s and A&P locations in the tri-state area from the grocery giant for $146 million. The deal is subject to court approval, but is expected to be finalized before the end of this calendar year.

Stop & Shop currently has five locations in Queens, including on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale; on Union Turnpike on the Glendale/Forest Hills border; on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck; and on 48th Street in Long Island City.

The chain will more than double its presence in the “World’s Borough” with the addition of three Waldbaum’s stores on 26th Avenue in Bayside, Beach Channel Drive in Belle Harbor and Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, as well as three Pathmark locations on Farrington Street in Flushing, Atlantic Avenue in Ozone Park and Springfield Boulevard in Springfield Gardens.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad something positive will happen to these languishing stores. Waldbaums and Pathmark were being run into the ground, and boy does it show!

Anonymous said...

Although Waldbaum's was no bargain, Queens could use more competition to Stop+Shop. They already have a lock on F.H., Masp., M.V. and Glendale. Wish ShopRite would open in the area, much better store. Sad to see A+P gone the way of Bohack's, these were staples in Queens 50 years ago. The only alternative to Stop+Shop will be those hellholes, BJ's and Costco.

JQ said...

I was wondering what happened to A & P, I had no idea they owned both supermarkets.

Stop and shop is going to be bad, the ones I been to have crappy no frills and unheard of brand merchandise (beware the frozen section, the fried chicken patties,burgers and steaks are most suspect). Expect wage disputes and layoffs, strikes and inferior products.

I really like the queens courier putting sarcastic quotations around the world's borough. It's good thing it's free, but I would gladly plunk a quarter for it.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what will become of the Whitestone/Beechurst store. I doubt that one is profitable.

Anonymous said...

A&P which owns Pathmark, Waldbaums, just went broke again

Anonymous said...

stop and shop is the same company as Aldi's and Trader Joes. been to the forest hills one a few times and it's not bad. better than the stores it replaces

Anonymous said...

Most of the Waldbaums stores that I have shopped in around Queens and Brooklyn are outdated and expensive. They don't have self check out either. I generally enjoy shopping at a Stop N Shop, although they aren't cheap either (who is?). Also, they have frequent good sales prices on items. Let's not forget that most Target stores also carry many lines of groceries, so that affords some competition.

Anonymous said...

Best reason to go to Stop and Shop is their Nature's Promise house brand. Great quality, closest thing to Walmart brand that we have in the city.

Anonymous said...

Oh please with the "doom and gloom" comments... Stop & Shop is far more comprehensive both in brands and overall products than Waldbaums, and has a higher quality standard than Pathmark, whose stores are typically so dirty looking I'd never knowingly put their prepared food in my mouth. Stop & Shop prices however, are a tad high. That's what you get for the one-stop shop. The grocery business runs on very tight margins, and it's a cost of their doing business.

With Trader Joes covering the good quality/limited selection/good bargain spot, Fairway the gourmet end, BJs with the bulk discounts, and hit or miss for immediate convenience at your local bodega, I'm glad Stop & Shop is stepping in to fill the "get absolutely anything at a decent level of quality" niche. It's great having variety in NYC, but sometimes people don't have the time to run around to 3 different stores to get everything on a single list.

Anonymous said...

does S&S in NYC offer delivery services?

We do our staples/bulk purchasing there and have it delivered.

Anonymous said...

The May, 2015 issue of Consumer Reports rated 68 supermarkets for freshness, cleanliness, and affordable organics. Waldbaum's came in dead last at no 68; Pathmark a little better at no 65, and Stop & Shop at no 60.
The highest rated is Wegmans, which has no stores in NYC. Trader Joe's at no 3, Costco at no 6.

Joe said...

Dam Stop & Shop like Pathmark demanded to swipe my drivers license to pick up cigarettes for a friend. Not enter DOB manually, NOPE they now demand a electronic SWIPE of government ID or your drivers license. In states like New York that encoded strip has everything including your eye color, height, eyeglass (if applicable) and social security number !
F_ them I went to the gas station, this "big brother" shit is getting crazy !!

Anonymous said...

Sadly supermarkets are going the way of the dinosaur, because it appears nobody cooks at home anymore.

Anonymous said...

Stop and Shop offers delivery service. They call it Peapod. I've seen their trucks around Queens.

Anonymous said...

Real estate blogs had indicated that the Ozone Park PM was a top revenue generator (along with another in staten Island). Too bad stores that big and profitable couldn't have attracted Costco to buy them because we need the competition! Costco also is said to treat its employees reasonably well. OP would have had great parking for a Costco--rather than having a smaller footprint out in Jamaica and longer lead time to get going.

Anonymous said...

Stop and Shop has been steadily declining in quality and store management. Many of their stores are dirty, cluttered, and understaffed. Some Key Food stores are run better.

Anonymous said...

Better than having a Chinese supermarket.

Anonymous said...

Bring us Wegman's!! I forgot about them. Either Wegman's or the new 365 label from Whole Foods.

Anonymous said...

With the upcoming closure of Met at Bowne and Sanford at the end of this month, I welcome any grocery store that isn't another Chinese supermarket. There are plenty of those in Flushing, and leaves Food Plus and Western Beef the only non-Asian stores in the downtown area.

Anonymous said...

Good things are coming. We actually need a real supermarket in east elmhurst waldbaums here sucks big time. The fruits and veggies section is mostly organic,very expensive. The waldbaums also doesent have a good deal on items like poultry and beef, and the selection is poor. Some of these american supermarkets need to get in with the community and listen to what the need, and not have the f you attitude that they do have. They hire union and grab employees from thebronx or statenisland to work their store, so no local faces work there. The products dont reflect the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Whoever said that Stop and Shop is the same as Aldi and Trader Joes is wrong, they are different companies

Anonymous said...

Nothing better than Shoprite for all items like when I go to NJ. I shop 50% ay Fairway for most items, Key Food for fish only and Strawberry Farms for fruit and vegs. Would be nice to shop at one store.

Unknown said...

Expand a Aldi's there.

Anonymous said...

Although their sale prices may have been a comparison to regularly priced items elsewhere, they where able to survive because of the area. If there were a place where that needed to be pricey, I would have voted for a Wholefoods market to come into the area, at least one would get what they pay for, which is transparency of the ingredients in the products and true quality. Queens needs a Wholefoods Market - its a little bit of a trip to go out of the way to shop for the opportunity to gather real food.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why people think S&S is so wonderful. I shop at the one on 48th St, and have since it opened because it is cheaper than Pathmark or Waldbaums. However, their quality control is HORRIBLE. I cannot even write the number of times I've purchased food from there and gotten home to find it is expired. Beyond expired, sometimes just rotted. They NEVER carry new products and the customer service is horrible. I have witnessed the manager yell at and berate an employee on the floor in front of customers, really classy bud. MyFoodBazaar is down the street and I think they are better, although MUCH more expensive.

Anonymous said...

S & S located in Bay Terrace is disgusting! I have already returned spoiled food from there three times. The manager is totally clueless and most (not all) of the employees are lazy, stupid and look like they never considered a shower.

You can find about 50 different brands of a similar item (all "junk food", of course) but almost nothing higher end and organic. They do have a so-so organic produce section.

Its too bad we don't have an Edwards or Whole Foods.