Grocery store lounge?

[GTRS Fiero]

Are the lounges in your grocery stores open?  I've been using the lounges every year, about this time, but have a suspicion that the plague has done its thing.

[scottb]

Never been to a grocery store with a lounge

[GTRS Fiero]

Well, on the main floor, on the side of the store with the walk-in wine coolers, they have a cafe and a salad bar.  Most nights, there is live music.  There are about 40 chairs.  On the second floor, there are some tables and chairs, some overstuffed furniture, a fireplace, a kitchenette, and, during Christmas time, a Christmas tree, usually about 30' tall.

When it's cold outside, I've reclined in one of the sofas to read, for several hours.  Sometimes, groups of men go up there and discuss current events.  No smoking is allowed, so they din't stay long.

[GTRS Fiero]

I should clarify.  Not all grocery stores here have lounges.  Only in areas where people don't trash everything.

[scottb]

Never seen a multistory food store either....... it must yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge

[Fierofool]

A grocery chain in the NC, SC, GA. area had lounges/libraries in their superstores.  Not a lounge in the true sense of the word, but a nice place to lounge.  It was at the end of the book and greeting cards aisles.  Nice easy chairs and tables beside the chairs.  Lots of folks would come in, get lunch in the deli then come to the lounge and grab books or magazines from the racks and eat and read during their lunch break.  The UPS driver was one I frequently saw.  I sometimes sat there while Mel shopped.  Just never could bring myself to read a book or magazine if I didn't intend to buy it.  They closed that about 4 years ago.  The dining area over at the deli area is still open and none of the tables are blocked for distancing purposes. 

[GTRS Fiero]

Book stores like Borders used to have that.  Several times when I was there, they had live music, usually one night a week.  Borders closed before the plague.  Maybe 5 years ago.

[TopNotch]

There's a Starbucks in the local Kroger. Does that qualify?

[GTRS Fiero]

That's a different company.  I never thought of Starbucks as being a lounge.

[GTRS Fiero]

Never seen a multistory food store either....... it must yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge

I don't know about the huge part.  I'd guess about 88K square feet.  That's not particularly large.  Grocery stores aren't my thing, but when I worked at department stores, generally 54-56K was the profit range.  Anything outside that range, we couldn't make a profit.

[scottb]

I don't anything about all money stuff...... but what I do know is that Walmart and the new Kroger stores are too big, even if they don't have a lounge

[GTRS Fiero]

I found some pictures from a prior year.  Of course, none of these pictures show the overstuffed furniture.  The fireplace is off, but to the left in the first picture.









Behind me, in the first 2 pictures, are staff offices, down that entire side of the building.

This location does not have sunroom seating, but some locations have about 1,100 square feet of sunroom seating.  One nearby location has a sort of tropical setting, and the tables are interspersed on the walkways, over 2 levels, with bridges and waterfalls.

[GTRS Fiero]

I don't anything about all money stuff...... but what I do know is that Walmart and the new Kroger stores are too big, even if they don't have a lounge

Walmart has a different model.  They can't make money with a 56K store.  I don't know much about some of the stuff, either, but I remember when we opened the dollar stores, and discussing the store size.  What upper management couldn't understand was the concept of an over-saturated market.