Ames Somerset Fareway?

ISU4ME

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Aug 26, 2007
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Cubs Food is by far the worst in town. I am looking forward to Fareway opening soon but I do fear they will not have the same selection as Hy-Vee.
 

isufbcurt

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Apr 21, 2006
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My girlfriend lives out by the North Dakota/Cameron School Road interchange and we'll drive right on by it to either go to Cub Foods or a Hyvee. I refuse to go to Fariway because I don't like them not being open on Sunday's which is when I tend to buy groceries.
 

dustinal

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Nov 14, 2006
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Sunday is the worst day to buy groceries anyways, way too busy.

This is true. You can ask my wife how irritable I can be after an hour of weaving around stupid people in the aisles. Unfortunately, it's also the most convenient time for us to go grocery shopping.
 

isufbcurt

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Apr 21, 2006
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This is true. You can ask my wife how irritable I can be after an hour of weaving around stupid people in the aisles. Unfortunately, it's also the most convenient time for us to go grocery shopping.

man i luv bobbing and weaving the cart through traffic, i act like a kid alot lol
 

Havs

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I miss going to Fareway in Marshalltown where it can be raining or snowing and I can park my car underneath the huge overhang and not get exposed to the elements as much.
 

cadet56

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Oct 15, 2008
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The new Fareway store is approx 40,000 Sq. Ft. and will be the biggest the company has to offer, one downtown Ames is around 20,000 sq. ft(newly remodeled btw). They will have 2 aisles of frozen foods in stand-up freezers (hold 4x more than bunker freezers) They will have a cold beer cave and about 90% sure they will have hard liquor. I think that anyone who has shyed from Fareway for selection in the past should give this new store a try...I think you will be impressed. Prices will be the same except ad items as every other fareway....they will run the same ad as Fareway's in Ames, Boone, and Nevada and will match all competitor prices automatically.
 

4VR4CY

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Aug 28, 2007
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Ankeny, IA
Hy-Vee and Fareway do not have the same grade of meat. Ripvdub used to be a butcher and he can tell you that.... Pork and Chicken - yes because all the stores have the same. Beef = no! Beef only at Fareway or Dahls.

The addition to the store in Ankeny on S Ankeny Blvd is GREAT! They acutally have a decent liquor section now!
 

dmclone

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Oct 20, 2006
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Hy-Vee carries Amana beef. Amana beef is choice. Fareway only carries choice meat.
 

CyCrazy

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Dec 17, 2008
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but Stanhope has one hell of a locker for meat if you want to get good meat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

majorcyfan

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Feb 18, 2007
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Fairway is also much cheaper than Hy-vee, Hy-vee is probably the most expensive in town. Aldi > Fairway > Wal-mart/Cub > Hy-vee as far as price from what I've seen.


Yes you're right on the money Why? 25 yrs of wholesale grocery experience. HyVee makes a profit at the warehouse AND the store, whereas Fareway realizes their profit at the store only, not at the warehouse. A swing of 10-15 % in price can be higher in HyVee as a result. HyVee can match prices whenever they want to appear lower priced but your everyday grocery bill is ALWAYS HIGHER at HyVee.

All those extra services that HyVee offers, Cleaners, Post Office, Deli, Florist, etc? Most don't always pay for themselves, and the loss is made up in the rest of the store by overpricing where they can.
HyVee will always have better selection of sizes, wider variety of brands, gets new items quicker than will Fareway. Fareway will get new items way after HyVee does, with the exception of Proctor & (God) amble items.

Yrs back one of the DM TV stations ran a bacteria count on the meat depts of all area stores. Fareway, with it's then exclusive open meat counter, had the cleanest meat counters in the survey. HyVee, with its more packer packaged meats and store packaged meats, was worst. Now even HyVee has some more open meat case items.

Produce is better at HyVee, but you pay for it. This addage is ALWAYS TRUE.....There is NO FREE LUNCH.

I shop both stores, but I know what is better in each store.

I don't have an ax to grind against HyVee, I just know how they operate as 30 yrs in the business, 25 yrs in wholesale Grocery business after college as sales executive tells me so.
 
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dmclone

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All those extra services that HyVee offers, Cleaners, Post Office, Deli, Florist, etc? Most don't always pay for themselves, and the loss is made up in the rest of the store by overpricing where they can.

You had a pretty good argument up until this point. If you knew how much most Deli's, Floral departments, cleaners(usually part of customer service), Bakery,etc make on average. I worked at 5 different Hy-Vee's in 7 years and I've seen the numbers. If Hy-Vee's prices are higher it's not to make up for these departments losing money. I have seen Floral departments lose money in a month but believe me when I say they make it up during other times of the year.
 

BigJCy

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Apr 11, 2006
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I'm also looking forward to the new Fareway. I read an article awhile back that they had hoped to be open by Mid-March which obviously hasn't happened. Hopefully they can get open by mid to late April.

Other than the Grocery Store and the Car Wash what are those other big buildings being built? Look like apartment complexes to me. Didn't think that land was to be used for Multi-Dwelling Units but that doesn't seem like that's the case.

I also really hope they put a Gas Station in that area soon, preferably a Casey's, but I'd take anything at this point.
 

majorcyfan

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Feb 18, 2007
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You had a pretty good argument up until this point. If you knew how much most Deli's, Floral departments, cleaners(usually part of customer service), Bakery,etc make on average. I worked at 5 different Hy-Vee's in 7 years and I've seen the numbers. If Hy-Vee's prices are higher it's not to make up for these departments losing money. I have seen Floral departments lose money in a month but believe me when I say they make it up during other times of the year.

I know or knew many managers for HyVee that struggled for yrs to make a living in a new store, just because of the various service Dept's not paying their way, as well as former store managers, who just didn't make it...Overall, they will be successful, but only for the survivors. It is easy now than it was 10-15 yrs ago, that I know for a fact. HyVee now dominates DM & Omaha.
 

BigJCy

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Apr 11, 2006
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Sunday is the worst day to buy groceries anyways, way too busy.

I agree, no way do I want to go to a grocery store on the weekend. Unless just stopping in to get an item or two.

I usually go on like a Tuesday or Wednesday.