Hy-Vee's weirdest business decision yet?

Cy4Lifer

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PickSix

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They do a fantastic breakfast, it's just that their square footage/footprint is never going to create the needed return. I miss the old Deli's those were special.
Yup. The problem isn't with the quality. I've had it once or twice and it's great. The problem is that if I want a nice night out, I'm not going to the grocery store to eat.

But what I will do is grab something quick while doing errands or on a lunch break.

I will never understand what is wrong with a scaled back grab and go model.

I can't imagine how much money has been burned converting, remodeling, and reconverting these spaces. As well as paying for TVs, bars, waiters, etc. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems excessive to me. And it seems like they're stuck trying to force a concept that the market isn't excited about.
 
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BCClone

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Yup. The problem isn't with the quality. I've had it once or twice and it's great. The problem is that if I want a nice night out, I'm not going to the grocery store to eat.

But what I will do is grab something quick while doing errands or on a lunch break.

I will never understand what is wrong with a scaled back grab and go model.

I can't imagine how much money has been burned converting, remodeling, and reconverting these spaces. As well as paying for TVs, bars, waiters, etc. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems excessive to me. And it seems like they're stuck trying to force a concept that the market isn't excited about.
Some of these smaller towns, that is how Casey’s makes their money. A smaller selection but you just grab out of the warmer and move on. You know it is nothing special but you are hungry and if it’s a factory worker they only have 30 minutes so they have to get in and out.
 

FerShizzle

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Yup. The problem isn't with the quality. I've had it once or twice and it's great. The problem is that if I want a nice night out, I'm not going to the grocery store to eat.

But what I will do is grab something quick while doing errands or on a lunch break.

I will never understand what is wrong with a scaled back grab and go model.

I can't imagine how much money has been burned converting, remodeling, and reconverting these spaces. As well as paying for TVs, bars, waiters, etc. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems excessive to me. And it seems like they're stuck trying to force a concept that the market isn't excited about.
my work deals a lot with hy-vee for both new construction and remodels. the market grille area specifically has been painful. the amount of design change mid project is mind-blowing. no other customer of ours is willing to just throw money away like they are, not to mention the constant reworking of areas of the store that were pretty recently remodeled.
 

PickSix

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Some of these smaller towns, that is how Casey’s makes their money. A smaller selection but you just grab out of the warmer and move on. You know it is nothing special but you are hungry and if it’s a factory worker they only have 30 minutes so they have to get in and out.
I really miss the Hy-Vee Salad Bar. It was one of the only places pre-COVID where you could get a quick, quality, and healthy lunch. Not sure how profitable it was, and I'm sure it led to a lot of food waste, but I certainly appreciated it as a customer.

I think Hy-Vee would be much better off leaning into convenience things like that, Hy-Chi, the hot case, etc. with a smaller seating area. I just don't understand the obsession with building full scale restaurants attached to the store. Aren't most sit down restaurants struggling anyway as it is?
 

BillBrasky4Cy

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I really miss the Hy-Vee Salad Bar. It was one of the only places pre-COVID where you could get a quick, quality, and healthy lunch. Not sure how profitable it was, and I'm sure it led to a lot of food waste, but I certainly appreciated it as a customer.

I think Hy-Vee would be much better off leaning into convenience things like that, Hy-Chi, the hot case, etc. with a smaller seating area. I just don't understand the obsession with building full scale restaurants attached to the store. Aren't most sit down restaurants struggling anyway as it is?

For the most part I don't think those salad bars generated much for waste.
 
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ScottyP

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I really miss the Hy-Vee Salad Bar. It was one of the only places pre-COVID where you could get a quick, quality, and healthy lunch. Not sure how profitable it was, and I'm sure it led to a lot of food waste, but I certainly appreciated it as a customer.

I think Hy-Vee would be much better off leaning into convenience things like that, Hy-Chi, the hot case, etc. with a smaller seating area. I just don't understand the obsession with building full scale restaurants attached to the store. Aren't most sit down restaurants struggling anyway as it is?
most sit-down restaurants have really small margins. I agree that focusing on convenience things would be the way to go. Customers are more willing to pay a premium price if they get convenience (example: cut up fruit/veggies, take and bake meals, etc.
 
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FarminCy

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I haven’t done a side by side analysis ever. But Fareway is at most a mile from my house and HyVee and WalMart are at least 15 minutes 1 way. I consider myself and time to be very expensive by the hour so Fareway will always win.

I will stop in at Costco and do some bulk buys when passing. HyVee and Walmart just aren’t worth it to me based on my location and schedule. Plus as it’s already been called out the HyVee stuff just became so weird it completely turned me off the company.
 

Al_4_State

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I live 10 blocks from a Fareway and 20 miles from the nearest Hy-Vee, and that Hy-Vee isn't even a real full scale one (we do have a Dollar Fresh which is owned by Hy-Vee). The nearest full scale Hy-Vee is 65 miles.

Fareway gets the vast majority of our grocery business with Costco or Sam's Club (all 60+ miles away) filling in bulk or specialty items.
 
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