Liquor Privatization Faces Slower Senate

HARRISBURG – The confetti has been swept up and the empty champagne bottles cleared away.

The hubbub of news releases, tweets and Facebook postings trumpeting the pros and cons of Pennsylvania’s latest liquor privatization bill has culminated in its passage by the House.

In a nearly straight party-line vote last week, the Republican majority handed Gov. Tom Corbett a victory that he and his allies fought hard for, even though the bill differs radically from his original plan to auction off the 600 state liquor stores.

The compromise plan is designed to phase out the state-run stores county by county, as private operators – beer distributors only for the first year – and others buy at least 1,200 liquor and wine licenses.  It also would allow grocery stores to sell wine.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=463312

Will Buyers Keep, Sell Or Shut Your Acme?

Ailing Acme Markets, one of the Philadelphia area’s largest employers with more than 13,000 local workers at more than 100 supermarkets, will be taken over by a group of private equity firms and real estate investors, its owners said this morning.

Supervalu Inc. “announced today a definitive agreement under which it will sell its Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s and Star Market stores and related Osco and Sav-on in-store pharmacies” for $100 million in cash plus the assumption of $3.2 billion in debt.  The sellers hope to close the sale later this winter.  The deal covers 877 stores including the Acmes.

Buyers are a group led by former Chrysler owner Cerberus Capital Management LP and including Kimco Realty Corporation, Klaff Realty LP, Philadelphia-based Lubert-Adler Partners and Schottenstein Real Estate Group.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Acme-Markets-sold.html#ixzz2Hdg8wx9g
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Makeover For Pittsburgh’s PPG Place May Include Grocery Store

PPG Place in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A little more than a year after acquiring the Downtown complex, the owner of PPG Place is eyeing a property makeover that could drastically alter the food court and Wintergarden as well as the space fronting Market Square.

Highwoods Properties is seeking to upgrade PPG’s retail space and is considering the option of replacing the food court with a grocery, CEO and president Ed Fritsch said.

“We’re evaluating a number of options, and that certainly is one of them,” he said.  ”It is still early on.  I think any Downtown worker or resident … would love to have that type of shopping amenity in Downtown.”

Highwoods paid $179.4 million in September 2011 to acquire the glass castle-like, six-building complex in the heart of Downtown and has boosted the office occupancy from 81.2 percent to more than 90 percent since then.  It also is in the process of making $17.1 million in capital improvements, including new signs and directories and modernized air conditioning and heating systems and elevators.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/makeover-for-ppg-place-may-include-grocery-store-669441/#ixzz2HR7nN5MJ

Milk Might Hit $8 A Gallon, Absent Federal Action

Consumers soon could be defying the adage of not crying over spilled milk.

If Congress doesn’t pass a new farm bill or extend the one in place by Monday, the price of a gallon of milk in grocery stores could go as high as $8, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. said Friday during a media conference call.

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said lack of action would mean milk prices would be based on permanent law enacted in 1949.

The department would be forced to provide substantial financial support to dairy farmers based on their production costs and start buying up surplus milk, he said.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=439496

The 12 Worst Supermarkets In America

Editor’s note: If you live in Pennsylvania, you will see many familiar names!  Fortunately, I don’t shop at any of these stores

Not all supermarkets are created equal.  For many Americans, stopping by a chain supermarket has become a major chore, involving long lines, rude employees, unsanitary conditions and poor selection.  Consumer Reports recently conducted a survey of more than 24,000 shoppers to rank the best and worst out of 52 grocery store chains – and the results show just how disappointing customer experience can be at some megastores.

Read more:  http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Media/Slideshow/2012/04/13/12-Worst-Supermarkets-in-America.aspx

No Wegmans Stores On The Horizon For Berks County

Wegmans Food Markets (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Berks County is in the cross hairs of grocery retailer Wegmans, but somehow the ninth-largest county in Pennsylvania has never been the target.

Now Berks falls between a new distribution hub in Schuylkill County and some of its stores.

This spring, the Rochester, N.Y., upscale grocer opened the $70 million warehouse in Cass and Foster townships, Wegmans’ third and largest warehouse in Schuylkill.

The company said in May that the move completes a distribution hub for fresh and frozen foods. More than 200 new employees were hired to staff it. The distribution hub was subsidized with state incentives of $731,650 in opportunity zone and job training money and job creation tax credits.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=394286

America’s Least-Favorite Supermarkets

Editor’s note:  This is SPOT ON!  There are a number of Pennsylvania grocery store chains on the list that you will recognize instantly:

The biggest complaint: too few open checkouts, followed by crowded or dirty aisles.

Shoppers were surveyed on four categories: service (including employee courtesy and checkout speed); perishables (food quality); price and cleanliness.

The highest-rated supermarket chain was Wegmans Food Markets, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., and operating 75 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia and Maryland.

Read more to see the wall of shame: http://money.msn.com/investment-advice/americas-least-favorite-supermarkets

King Of Prussia Wegmans To Open Its Doors Sunday

Location of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA - “Didn’t there used to be a golf course here?”

There was a gleam in Danny Wegman‘s eye as he cracked a joke, standing on the spot where he and a lot of other folks literally made the earth move – after 16 years of hitches and hurdles.

At a sneak peak of the freshly constructed Wegmans market at 1 Village Drive on Thursday, the company’s amiable CEO said he could hardly believe that his namesake 80th store was three days away from opening in King of Prussia.

The Rochester, N.Y. native recalled how excited his dad, Robert Wegman, was when he first got a glimpse of the North Gulph Road property – then the home of Valley Forge Golf Club – all those years ago.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-times-herald/story/king-prussia-wegmans-open-its-doors-sunday/1

Carjacking Suspect Has History Of Stealing Lobsters, Fine Meats

Image via Wikipedia

Editor’s note:  This is what’s known as having champagne taste and a beer pocketbook/wallet with a healthy dose of stupid thrown in for good measure!  Lock him up and thrown away the KEY!

It didn’t take long for employees at a Weis Kings Market in west Allentown to realize they had a lobster thief in their grocery store Thursday afternoon.

Charles A. Shumanis III, who was arrested Thursday after police say he carjacked a man in South Whitehall following a botched retail theft attempt at the supermarket, had been charged the week before with stealing more than $160 worth of lobsters from the store, according to court documents.

Hours after allegedly stealing from the market Feb. 23, Shumanis went to the Wegmans, 3900 Tilghman St., where he took $150 worth of meat, according to court documents.

Shumanis already had four prior retail theft convictions, making the fifth and sixth retail theft charges on Feb. 23 felonies, police said. He added a seventh charge Thursday, to go along with more serious charges of carjacking a man and dragging him 50 feet in the Friendly’s Restaurant parking lot in South Whitehall.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-carjacking-suspect-history-stealing-lobsters-me-20120302,0,7455738.story

Stupid News

A highly intoxicated, 65-year-old man from Carlisle (old enough to know better) was arrested for the second time on Sunday after trying to steal a rack of ribs by shoving them down his pants!  Really!?!  Hey!  Let’s all tie one on and head over to Giant to steal some pork products!

The Darwin award-winner pulled the same stunt on May 22nd when he pleaded guilty to theft and public drunkenness (say it ain’t so Joe).

Because this is the second time the senior citizen has shoved ribs down his pants and tried to leave a grocery store without paying, (never a bright move) he is being charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.

To add to his stellar list of accomplishments, Sunday’s attempted rib heist was this dude’s sixth citation for public drunkenness in less than five months.  Sounds like somebody has a little alcohol problem!

Dumbass Of The Day Award: Man Stuffs Frozen Shrimp In Pants – Flees Store

Image via Wikipedia

Sometimes you have to read something a second time to make sure you were not hallucinating!

A 37-year-old man in Dover Township, York County shoved a bag of frozen shrimp in his pants (first clue) and attempted to flee a grocery store with the ill-gotten gains (second clue).  When a store security guard tried to stop this Mensa member and upstanding citizen, the guard was attacked (third clue) by the customer.  The thief customer was followed into the parking lot and subdued by the battered security guard and a bystander.

Our award winner is being held on $10,000 bail over a bag of frozen crustaceans and some fisticuffs.  Somebody should have made a trip to Long John Silvers!

I hope the bag of shrimp was not returned to the freezer case!!!!

Discount Grocer Expanding Into Southeastern Pennsylvania

A new grocery store chain is expanding into Pennsylvania.  Bottom Dollar Food, based in Salisbury, North Carolina operates 28 stores in North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia.  Bottom Dollar is as full-shop discount grocer and is affiliated with Food Lion.

According to their website:

“Customers will find Bottom Dollar Food unique because we carry national and private products, and offer outstanding quality in produce, meat and other products. We offer the best prices on groceries in the market and provide our customers a friendly, fun and lighthearted shopping experience.”

The website states that Pottstown has been identified as a location for one of the new stores in the Philadelphia Region.  1400 North Charlotte Street is the address listed for the new store (The Shoppes at Ringing Rocks – formerly Rickel’s Home Center and ShopRite).

The news release states stores will start opening this fall.  If all 21 projected stores do open, the chain will have almost doubled their number of stores.  Bottom Dollar Foods opened their first store in 2005 in High Point, North Carolina.

If you would like to see an actual flyer, click on the link below.  This is for the Gaithersburg MD store, 07/28/10 to 08/03/10:

http://bottomdollarfood.mywebgrocer.com/Circular.aspx?c=66418&n=1&s=90062014&g=c069861a-78d2-468a-b546-fa8dfa617763&uc=C11D973

Pottstown Redner’s Gets Bomb Scare!!!

http://pottstownherald.com/bomb-scare-at-pottstown-grocery-store/

Read all about it in the Pottstown Herald.  Click on the above link for the full story and pictures!