ShopKo Bashing

Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) · October 18, 2009, 04:54:41 PM

Take out all your criticisms on ShopKo here.

GothicPrincess · October 20, 2009, 08:49:42 AM

We don't have one here, so it would be unfair and biased of me to express any opinion whatsoever. hehe......Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I'm still not sure what exactly ShopKo is.....is it big box? wholesale? Kohl's on crack?

ameskmart1 · October 20, 2009, 04:05:35 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
We don't have one here, so it would be unfair and biased of me to express any opinion whatsoever. hehe......Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I'm still not sure what exactly ShopKo is.....is it big box? wholesale? Kohl's on crack?

ShopKo is a discount store like Wal-Mart, Target

GothicPrincess · October 21, 2009, 07:33:22 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by ameskmart1
QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
We don't have one here, so it would be unfair and biased of me to express any opinion whatsoever. hehe......Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I'm still not sure what exactly ShopKo is.....is it big box? wholesale? Kohl's on crack?

ShopKo is a discount store like Wal-Mart, Target

I guess since we have both Wal-Mart AND Target here, it would be just too much to have a Shop-Ko then...

Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) · October 23, 2009, 09:55:32 PM

The problem with some older ShopKo stores built in the 1960s and 1970s, is that the floors could be dirty in some parts of the store, and sometimes you could find paint peeling off the wall near the emergency exits, otherwise, most locations built between the 1980s and now, are neat and tidy, clean floors and all.

I blame rough economic times for the closings of ShopKo in Colorado and Nevada. I just hope ShopKo opens up new stores soon. I think ShopKo IS a GREAT STORE. I have to bash them for not expanding eastward. When will ShopKo open up in New England?! WHEN?! I hope they expand there in the next 25-30 years, given that Kmart and Sears go under. I hope ShopKo CEO W. Paul Jones looks into it within the next five years, when the economy gets better. I hope they don't try and make the same mistake that Steve & Barry's did. Unlike what many of the naysayers say on here, there IS a NICHE to fill out there in the East Coast, it just won't happen overnight!

I'm glad ShopKo backed off of the proposed merger with Phar-Mor in 1997, that merge would've been the kiss of death for ShopKo, given that Phar-Mor had their own troubles to worry about!

Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) · October 25, 2009, 06:55:15 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
QuoteOriginally posted by ameskmart1
QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
We don't have one here, so it would be unfair and biased of me to express any opinion whatsoever. hehe......Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I'm still not sure what exactly ShopKo is.....is it big box? wholesale? Kohl's on crack?

ShopKo is a discount store like Wal-Mart, Target

I guess since we have both Wal-Mart AND Target here, it would be just too much to have a Shop-Ko then...

It would not be too much. I know for a fact, that they could be the 'Ames' or 'Caldor' of the future. Their stores are cleaner than Walmart or Target. Just think of the niches they can fill with their special sales. There's never a time when you can walk into ShopKo without seeing a sale on at least three or more items. I bought a DVD on sale for $11.00 at ShopKo once. Think of the positives before you go and bash a discount store you do not know about.

GothicPrincess · October 26, 2009, 07:25:54 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by ShopKoFan
QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
QuoteOriginally posted by ameskmart1
QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
We don't have one here, so it would be unfair and biased of me to express any opinion whatsoever. hehe......Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I'm still not sure what exactly ShopKo is.....is it big box? wholesale? Kohl's on crack?

ShopKo is a discount store like Wal-Mart, Target

I guess since we have both Wal-Mart AND Target here, it would be just too much to have a Shop-Ko then...
It would not be too much. I know for a fact, that they could be the 'Ames' or 'Caldor' of the future. Their stores are cleaner than Walmart or Target. Just think of the niches they can fill with their special sales. There's never a time when you can walk into ShopKo without seeing a sale on at least three or more items. I bought a DVD on sale for $11.00 at ShopKo once. Think of the positives before you go and bash a discount store you do not know about.

When did I bash? I asked a question. All I said was it might be too much to have all 3 in one area. Take a pill.

dmx10101 · October 26, 2009, 10:07:10 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
QuoteOriginally posted by ShopKoFan
QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
QuoteOriginally posted by ameskmart1
QuoteOriginally posted by GothicPrincess
We don't have one here, so it would be unfair and biased of me to express any opinion whatsoever. hehe......Sorry, haven't posted in a while. I'm still not sure what exactly ShopKo is.....is it big box? wholesale? Kohl's on crack?

ShopKo is a discount store like Wal-Mart, Target

I guess since we have both Wal-Mart AND Target here, it would be just too much to have a Shop-Ko then...
It would not be too much. I know for a fact, that they could be the 'Ames' or 'Caldor' of the future. Their stores are cleaner than Walmart or Target. Just think of the niches they can fill with their special sales. There's never a time when you can walk into ShopKo without seeing a sale on at least three or more items. I bought a DVD on sale for $11.00 at ShopKo once. Think of the positives before you go and bash a discount store you do not know about.
When did I bash? I asked a question. All I said was it might be too much to have all 3 in one area. Take a pill.

This is the shopko bashing thread anyways! Not the shopko praise thread.

GothicPrincess · October 26, 2009, 03:21:39 PM

the reason i asked a question is because I don't know about them, and I get yelled at for something I DIDN'T do. How juvenile are we? seriously...I'm going back to Wal-mart bashing......

nims57 · October 26, 2009, 04:15:06 PM

Wal-Mart and Target have been really aggressive expanding lately. ShopKo should wait awhile to expand into new markets. They would be especially hurt by Target which is most like them.

Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) · October 26, 2009, 06:58:39 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by nims57
Wal-Mart and Target have been really aggressive expanding lately. ShopKo should wait awhile to expand into new markets. They would be especially hurt by Target which is most like them.

True. I think ShopKo should wait until Kmart and Sears go under, before expanding east. ShopKo needs to build up their strength as a retailer, before expanding east. It took them many years to open locations as far away as Washington state, and it will take them just as many years to expand as far as Maine. It is a bit of a "wait and see" issue at the moment. Let's let the people who already know about ShopKo on here, including me, bash about the bad side of ShopKo on here, like for example: "The bathrooms at some of ShopKo's older locations are filthy!" or "This ShopKo store has too many people stealing from it!," which some locations have those problems.

Zayre88 · September 18, 2018, 07:06:17 PM

I had never visited a Shopko before February 2018. Through my work, I got to travel to Iowa but unfortunately I caught a cold while I was there so I was looking for some medicine. I saw the chance to visit a Shopko in Sioux City.

The store looked nice outside but I was deceived of the inside. I was expecting some kind of small Target-style store but instead the store reminded me a lot of how Ames looked way back in 2002.

The color scheme, the fixtures, the signage, the layout.. I have to bash them a little for not being more modern. Prices also looked somewhat high, so overall I was not impressed unfortunately.

Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) · September 19, 2018, 06:59:19 PM

I am glad that Shopko is renovating some of their better performing stores, however, I am not glad that they had to go as far as remove their pharmacy and optical department from some locations. The pulled off a Kmart-type move, by hiding the fact that they removed such services at one of their Omaha, Nebraska stores and the Dubuque, Iowa store, by walling off the counters with shelves of merchandise, as seen here:

This Shopko in Lincoln, Nebraska did very little to hide the fact that this part of the store used to be a pharmacy.

Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) · October 01, 2018, 01:32:06 AM

One of the few things that seems to bother me about Shopko, is that some locations are nicer than others. Some stores are still stuck in the previous decade with dated signage inside, while the newer stores have nicer interiors. I've heard about the Shopko store that "Zayre88" visited. It's not one of their best locations. Most of the nicer locations are found in Wisconsin, in and around Green Bay, where they originated. The first location is less than a block from my apartment, it may not be the best location, but it is convenient.

This location was infamous for being the scene of petty theft, when the Shopko loss prevention team called the Green Bay Police Department on a woman trying to steal some jewelry (as seen on an episode of COPS on Spike TV, which now known as the Paramount Network on cable). That location was Shopko store #001, a relic from 1960s retail history, the flagship store for the entire Shopko chain. My ex-foster brother tried to shoplift an MP3 player from the Shopko store on Green Bay's east side, something he's not proud of. Today, he's in prison on unrelated charges. As I've witnessed time and time again, Shopko takes these crimes seriously, plus I'm smart enough to know right from wrong.

The flagship store itself has the 1960s layout, combined with the grey/white tile floor from the 1990s and the new green signage and paint scheme from the 2010s. The store uses the blue carts from 1999. Part of the store is leased to Payless ShoeSource.

Another thing that bothers me is the prices are higher at Shopko than at Walmart, Target or Meijer.

If Zayre88 ever visits the Green Bay area, he should visit these Shopko stores:

* Lineville Road, Suamico, Wisconsin (recommended)
* Wisconsin Street, DePere, Wisconsin (recommended)
* Bay Park Square Mall, Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin (recommended)
* East Mason Street, Green Bay, Wisconsin (recommended)
* Military Avenue, Green Bay, Wisconsin (even though this location is the flagship store, I would not recommend it as much as the other locations)