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#1
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Tops
Last post by Retail Regents - May 02, 2024, 10:31:43 PMThe Stamford store is still hanging onto their old Grand Union checklane lights.
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#2
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Big M
Last post by Retail Regents - May 02, 2024, 10:17:48 PMWalton, NY. Former Great American with what appears to be a Great American interior (had themed flooring). Full size shopping carts are square-body United Steel & Wire carts from 1992 and 2003 (only Technibilt carts here are express carts).
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#3
Shopping Cart Sightings / Re: More Tops Finds
Last post by Retail Regents - May 02, 2024, 10:12:30 PMStamford, NY. These replaced a set of newer, larger ex-Hannaford Instore carts.
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#4
Ames / Re: Ames History I've Found On...
Last post by BillyGr - April 30, 2024, 02:05:31 PMQuote from: 108CAM on April 29, 2024, 11:03:28 PMRecently I was watching a video about the history of candlepin bowling and had to pause it when I saw this overhead view of a bowling alley in Newport, ME.
When I first saw it, I said to myself; "That looks very similar to an Ames storefront" and took the screenshot you see above. I then took a look at the Wayback Machine archives of the Ames stores in Maine and found a listing for a store in Newport. I clicked it and boom. The building was an exact match to the building I saw in the video.
To double check and verify that the building was the same, I put the Ames address into Google Maps, checked the Streetview of the parking lot and was able to confirm that the building in the video is Ames #0383.
Opened in early 1985 as Ames #383 and closed in fall 2001 during the round of 47 stores which closed just before the 2nd bankruptcy.
Given how many bowling facilities have closed and converted to other things (including stores), it's nice to see one that went the opposite way :)
#5
Stores Shutting Down This Year....2024 / Re: Family Dollar to close 600...
Last post by TheFugitive - April 30, 2024, 11:54:39 AMOne reason why Family Dollar may be closing so many stores.
A lot of them are in really tough areas.
This one in Pittsburgh was robbed by the same guy three times in a week.
https://triblive.com/local/morning-roundup-police-say-homewood-man-robbed-same-family-dollar-store-3-times/
Would not be shocked to see it wind-up on the closing list then. This is terrible for the people who live in these neighborhoods because they lose what little options they have to buy necessities.
A lot of them are in really tough areas.
This one in Pittsburgh was robbed by the same guy three times in a week.
https://triblive.com/local/morning-roundup-police-say-homewood-man-robbed-same-family-dollar-store-3-times/
Would not be shocked to see it wind-up on the closing list then. This is terrible for the people who live in these neighborhoods because they lose what little options they have to buy necessities.
#6
Ames / Re: Ames History I've Found On...
Last post by 108CAM - April 29, 2024, 11:03:28 PMRecently I was watching a video about the history of candlepin bowling and had to pause it when I saw this overhead view of a bowling alley in Newport, ME.
When I first saw it, I said to myself; "That looks very similar to an Ames storefront" and took the screenshot you see above. I then took a look at the Wayback Machine archives of the Ames stores in Maine and found a listing for a store in Newport. I clicked it and boom. The building was an exact match to the building I saw in the video.
To double check and verify that the building was the same, I put the Ames address into Google Maps, checked the Streetview of the parking lot and was able to confirm that the building in the video is Ames #0383.
Opened in early 1985 as Ames #383 and closed in fall 2001 during the round of 47 stores which closed just before the 2nd bankruptcy.
Here's a link to the store/bowling alley on Google Maps. You can still see parts of the Ames labelscar if you look closely.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.8382573,-69.286954,3a,15.2y,2.47h,92.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNwwZSKKcdqwqrU1WfbvFog!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
When I first saw it, I said to myself; "That looks very similar to an Ames storefront" and took the screenshot you see above. I then took a look at the Wayback Machine archives of the Ames stores in Maine and found a listing for a store in Newport. I clicked it and boom. The building was an exact match to the building I saw in the video.
To double check and verify that the building was the same, I put the Ames address into Google Maps, checked the Streetview of the parking lot and was able to confirm that the building in the video is Ames #0383.
Opened in early 1985 as Ames #383 and closed in fall 2001 during the round of 47 stores which closed just before the 2nd bankruptcy.
Here's a link to the store/bowling alley on Google Maps. You can still see parts of the Ames labelscar if you look closely.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.8382573,-69.286954,3a,15.2y,2.47h,92.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNwwZSKKcdqwqrU1WfbvFog!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
#7
Sports / Re: MLB's new player uniforms ...
Last post by TheFugitive - April 29, 2024, 01:26:13 PMAfter sufficient pressure has been brought to bear on Nike by MLB
and it's Players Union, they have agreed to fix all of the issues with
these uniforms by next season.
https://theathletic.com/5456561/2024/04/28/mlb-nike-uniform-changes/
and it's Players Union, they have agreed to fix all of the issues with
these uniforms by next season.
https://theathletic.com/5456561/2024/04/28/mlb-nike-uniform-changes/
#8
Hotels/Motels / Re: Last Hotel or Motel you st...
Last post by TheFugitive - April 26, 2024, 08:31:05 AMI'm sure that even post-bankruptcy when corporate execs or even my District Manager came to town Ames did not put them up in places like the one where they put me in Houghton Lake, Michigan where the heater in my room caught fire.
#9
Hotels/Motels / Re: Last Hotel or Motel you st...
Last post by BillyGr - April 25, 2024, 05:43:57 PMQuote from: TheFugitive on April 25, 2024, 08:03:10 AMYou may be right about that. I don't recall ever staying in one before.
At any rate it was way better than any of the places where Ames used to put me up
after they filed for bankruptcy.
Makes perfect sense - not sure that I could expect any of those lower priced type chains to have paid for much better places even when they weren't dealing with bankruptcy.
Or maybe that's just from reading about Food Lion, where they expected their employees to stay double occupancy if that was feasible (that is, two in the same spot and both males, for instance).
Then again, cutting those small amounts anywhere they could was probably what made them successful for a long time (when the original Kettner folks were running the place).
#10
Hotels/Motels / Re: Last Hotel or Motel you st...
Last post by TheFugitive - April 25, 2024, 08:03:10 AMQuote from: BillyGr on April 24, 2024, 03:59:03 PMQuote from: TheFugitive on April 23, 2024, 11:18:40 AMCourtyard by Marriott Bonvoy in Southfield, Michigan.
Stayed here overnight while on business in the area. Every member of the hotel staff I came into contact with was exceptionally friendly and helpful. There was no complimentary breakfast or even coffee, just a restaurant in the lobby.
Not 100% certain, but I seem to remember that that particular brand (the Courtyard part) was always set up like that, with a restaurant and thus no included food (other than if they opted to offer a special deal when you booked that would include breakfast from said restaurant, for instance).
You may be right about that. I don't recall ever staying in one before.
At any rate it was way better than any of the places where Ames used to put me up
after they filed for bankruptcy.