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Growth will continue north of North Augusta. Either Bi-Lo, Kroger or Publix should not have a problem adding a second North Augusta store. Winn Dixie was successful with two stores up to their 2005 exit.
I think more is going on behind the scenes with Bi-Lo Holdings beyond their IPO withdrawal. Is Lone Star Funds ready to sell the chain of Bi-Lo, Harvey's and Winn Dixie to a competitor presently in the Augusta market, but not in Bi-Lo or Winn Dixie's current footprints in other markets?
Bi-Lo is eliminating many hourly full-time positions, or reclassifying associates as part-time. The only hourly full-time positions remaining are department heads and assistants. I know many associates that have left Bi-Lo.
I would like to see Publix get busy opening more stores around Augusta.
They might be trying to find a buyer but their going to have a tough time of it due to how much money whoever would buy them would have to spend to fix the chain.
Growth will continue north of North Augusta. Either Bi-Lo, Kroger or Publix should not have a problem adding a second North Augusta store. Winn Dixie was successful with two stores up to their 2005 exit.
Two stores? Where was the other Winn-Dixie in NA? I've been here 20 years, but only recall the one. I think another grocer could survive out there if Food Lion gives up, but they'd have to be pretty cutthroat with their pricing. For most folks I know, the only reason they don't get all their groceries at Walmart is because they just don't want to deal with the hassle that is shopping at Walmart (like ZERO cash registers on the general merchandise side of the store during prime evening shopping hours). The rest who don't just have some sort of allegiance to other chains for their meats or some other specific reason.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina Knight
Bi-Lo is eliminating many hourly full-time positions, or reclassifying associates as part-time. The only hourly full-time positions remaining are department heads and assistants. I know many associates that have left Bi-Lo.
You don't think that has more to do with having to pay for insurance for them if they are full time? That's been the trend in a large amount of retail from what I've seen. While I don't think times are completely rosy for them, I'm not so sure the elimination of full-time positions is necessarily a solid indicator of it.
Two stores? Where was the other Winn-Dixie in NA? I've been here 20 years, but only recall the one. I think another grocer could survive out there if Food Lion gives up, but they'd have to be pretty cutthroat with their pricing. For most folks I know, the only reason they don't get all their groceries at Walmart is because they just don't want to deal with the hassle that is shopping at Walmart (like ZERO cash registers on the general merchandise side of the store during prime evening shopping hours). The rest who don't just have some sort of allegiance to other chains for their meats or some other specific reason.
You don't think that has more to do with having to pay for insurance for them if they are full time? That's been the trend in a large amount of retail from what I've seen. While I don't think times are completely rosy for them, I'm not so sure the elimination of full-time positions is necessarily a solid indicator of it.
I doubt its an insurance issue as they have had insurance for full timers since before Lone Star bought the company and if its an issue of part timer having insurance they solved that by a few months ago by capping their hours to no more than 25 a week and if you go over it they will fire you.
What I think is happening is they believe they can use the Walmart method of running a large retailer with part timers but even Walmart is now paying for it as the chain is considered the worst in the entire country to shop largely I suspect because the employees are lacking motivation and really who can blame them? Think about it if you are struggling trying to pay the bills and your employer pays you a wage that in the end keeps you at or below the poverty level your not going to be motivated to do your best.
In fact an example of employer that motivates with pay to maximize their profits is Publix and they give even Walmart a run for their money in florida with Walmart doing about 50% of the sales, Publix at about 38% and Winn Dixie (Bi-Lo) at about 9% from what I read a few weeks ago.
I doubt its an insurance issue as they have had insurance for full timers since before Lone Star bought the company and if its an issue of part timer having insurance they solved that by a few months ago by capping their hours to no more than 25 a week and if you go over it they will fire you.
My point was that it's now an employer mandate with the Affordable Care Act. They may have provided it for full-timers before, but they are now being required to provide it for a lot more people they didn't have to before. So while full-timers may have always had it, there are many others who didn't that they are now required to pay for, so it would affect them as well.
Two stores? Where was the other Winn-Dixie in NA? I've been here 20 years, but only recall the one. I think another grocer could survive out there if Food Lion gives up, but they'd have to be pretty cutthroat with their pricing. For most folks I know, the only reason they don't get all their groceries at Walmart is because they just don't want to deal with the hassle that is shopping at Walmart (like ZERO cash registers on the general merchandise side of the store during prime evening shopping hours). The rest who don't just have some sort of allegiance to other chains for their meats or some other specific reason.
You don't think that has more to do with having to pay for insurance for them if they are full time? That's been the trend in a large amount of retail from what I've seen. While I don't think times are completely rosy for them, I'm not so sure the elimination of full-time positions is necessarily a solid indicator of it.
The other Winn Dixie, store #1003, was located at 401 West Martintown Road, North Augusta, SC 29841-3186. It had expanded in the early 1990's. I think this location closed before the chain's market exit before 2005. It has been split to be occupied by Fred's and YMCA.
In regards to Walmart, it announced over a week ago it is adding more cashiers from Thanksgiving Day through Christmas as part of its "checkout promise". I hope this promotion means more of its 30 checkout lanes will be open instead of the usual four.
The Affordable Care Act could be a reason for Bi-Lo's transition from full-time to part-time associates. Bi-Lo's performance and struggles over the past decade may provide additional reasons.
Further reading:
Banjo, Shelly. "Returning to Walmart: Human Cashiers." Wall Street Journal. 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2014-08-25. <http://online.wsj.com/articles/wal-mart-pledges-to-staff-checkout-lanes-during-holidays-1408112765>
The other Winn Dixie, store #1003, was located at 401 West Martintown Road, North Augusta, SC 29841-3186. It had expanded in the early 1990's. I think this location closed before the chain's market exit before 2005. It has been split to be occupied by Fred's and YMCA.
In regards to Walmart, it announced over a week ago it is adding more cashiers from Thanksgiving Day through Christmas as part of its "checkout promise". I hope this promotion means more of its 30 checkout lanes will be open instead of the usual four.
You're absolutely right. I forgot about that one where Fred's and the Family Y are located now. It's been gone so long it completely slipped my mind.
As for Walmart's "promise". That's just a line of corporate BS. Key words are "during peak hours". And good luck finding help anywhere else in the store during those hours, because they'll pull all the backup cashiers from each department to make it happen up front. Before they were only building Supercenters and still had some "regular" Walmart stores, every checkout had a promise sign on it that said if 3 or more people were in line they'd open another register. They blew it a long time ago on that one. When the jewelery department has 5 people waiting in line to check out with a few items because they don't want to wait behind 6 carts full of groceries, they're doing something wrong. /end my Walmart rant
My point was that it's now an employer mandate with the Affordable Care Act. They may have provided it for full-timers before, but they are now being required to provide it for a lot more people they didn't have to before. So while full-timers may have always had it, there are many others who didn't that they are now required to pay for, so it would affect them as well.
Yes but as I pointed out they were already getting around that just fine by cutting the part timers hours to 25 or less a week which shouldnt have had an impact on their full timers but *shrug*
Way I look at it is if they want to run their company into the ground like Kmart did and walmart seems to be trying to do who am I to argue with them?
As for Walmart's "promise". That's just a line of corporate BS. Key words are "during peak hours". And good luck finding help anywhere else in the store during those hours, because they'll pull all the backup cashiers from each department to make it happen up front. Before they were only building Supercenters and still had some "regular" Walmart stores, every checkout had a promise sign on it that said if 3 or more people were in line they'd open another register. They blew it a long time ago on that one. When the jewelry department has 5 people waiting in line to check out with a few items because they don't want to wait behind 6 carts full of groceries, they're doing something wrong. /end my Walmart rant
Checking out in the jewelry department with a few items placed in a bag, going back through the store to get more items to put into the bag, then walking out of the store with items in the bag not paid for is something definitely being done wrong. It is a loss prevention issue.
It is also mind boggling to have customers with few items wait behind customers with carts full of groceries in traditional checkout lanes when self checkout lanes are open with no one using them. Self checkout lanes have replaced express lanes in most stores. Express lanes are still advantageous.
Some retailers still use the "three or more customers" policy.
Checking out in the jewelry department with a few items placed in a bag, going back through the store to get more items to put into the bag, then walking out of the store with items in the bag not paid for is something definitely being done wrong. It is a loss prevention issue.
It is also mind boggling to have customers with few items wait behind customers with carts full of groceries in traditional checkout lanes when self checkout lanes are open with no one using them. Self checkout lanes have replaced express lanes in most stores. Express lanes are still advantageous.
Some retailers still use the "three or more customers" policy.
Where did you come up with anything I said being about loss prevention? My point was the only lanes they keep open are on the grocery side, and those usually have 3-5 people with carts chock full of groceries in them. Even at 5 or 6pm on a busy weekday they do this. If I went to pick up deodorant and chewing gum or something, I don't want to have to wait 15 minutes in line to check out. I don't know how often you've used the self checkout at Walmart, but in North Augusta it's fairly common for every one of them to be open and occupied with 5-10 people waiting in line to use them. And that's WITH another 3-5 people in line at the jewelry counter already. Walmart is the only retailer I ever have this issue with.
I'm not sure who would acquire it, though. The Kroger and Publix locations in the middle of NA do quite well, particularly Kroger. Bi-Lo in NA is currently kind of in no-man's land with it's current location in the old Edgewood Square where Walmart used to be before the Supercenter on Knox Ave was built. But for Bi-Lo to move into that Food Lion (if it were to close), that would be a pretty ballsy move for them to locate directly across from the new Walmart.
It might be a good thing for Bilo to remain in "no man's land" since they dont' have any direct competition in the immediate vicinity. In fact this seems to be their strategy in a lot of cases and its partially why I think they took over Reid's because a couple of those locations were away from other grocers as well.
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