QFC let us know that tomorrow, Tuesday Feb 2nd at 5:00 pm, they will be ceremonially relighting the iconic Wallingford sign that has returned to the top of their store with the near completion of their remodel.
They’ll also be hosting a BBQ on Tuesday as well, from 2 pm – 6 pm, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross’s relief efforts in Haiti.
I don’t mean to rain on QFC’s parade, but I personally don’t care for the remodel. The store is even more cramped and harder to maneuver in. The parking lot is absurdly small, with even less parking than before. I just don’t see the point. With as long as the remodel has taken, and the huge inconvenience placed on customers, I expected more.
bmacke: It’s an Urban Grocery Store, dude. The focus should not be on parking!
Parking is for the ‘burbs…
It is funny that the space actually feels more cramped now. I think they took their Whole Foods “skin” and tried to cram it into the existing space. Most of the new space got chewed up by the Starbucks, which is funny since they just shut down the newly constructed Starbucks at Stoneway.
My pet peeve is that self checkout still has bagging configured for 1 bag behind the other instead of side by side. That and the fact that the fancy wine area blocks access to basics like milk. At least they kept the horrible music, disenfranchised employees, and price gouging unless you get lucky on their sale rotation and use obnoxious customer loyalty cards. I want a PCC there! Grump grump grump…
I managed to avoid the QFC for most of the remodel, but the past few weeks I’ve been in a fair amount. It tweaks my brain all funny — the dimensions inside are just a _little_ bit “off” somehow, like time-space are bent all funny (maybe its that giant flower section that eats up a ton of “waiting in line” space!)
@Eric – that wine area is the worst – I keep ending up in the little cul-de-sac/fridge area as I’m trying to figure out how to get to the dairy case AND avoid the gawker blockers – the aisles are SO tiny now..
Folks with strollers – seriously, please, pay attention to how much space you and your kids take up? I’m sure they’re lovely, but a tiny, busy, urban grocery store isn’t the place to let them unpack the crayons and start drawing on the floor. 🙁
RE parking – here’s an idea, QFC! NO PARKING IN FRONT! Seriously! Devote a few days a week where there’s no parking out front and get a coffee cart, a tortilla truck, an oompa-band, ANYTHING community oriented going out there. Invite Joule to do their BBQs in the space, or if the farmer’s market goes bust see if you can get some other retailers of specialty products into the space once per week. Start a new Wallingford tradition celebrating something wacky… take the sign-lighting/BBQ idea and run with it, making sure you STAY part of the community going forward. To often these little one-off things are nice for the afternoon, but just like the block parties, if we don’t continue to converse and share with our neighbors, what’s the point?
Since the new parking in front has the only entrance from 45th and exiting onto Wallingford, in the past few days I’ve noticed cars making a left hand turn from 45th into the lot. That seems like a bad, bad idea as that turn lane is designed for making a left hand turn from 45th to Wallingford.
That wine/dairy disaster area gets worse when people temporarily abandon their carts there to go upstairs and grab items from the natural foods section. I was shopping last night and there were three mini-carts piled up at the base of the stairs!
Even though I live much closer to this store, I usually do my regular shopping with Amazon Fresh or at the QFC in U-Village. Given the cramped space and limited selection (the two things I was hoping they were going to fix!) I guess I’m only going to come here for my last-minute needs as usual.
I’m not a fan of the remodel either. It is still cramped but that’s to be expected from and urban grocery store.
Hate that Starbucks is on the upper level. Their sign is beaming onto 45th right under the WALLINGFORD sign. Would have been nice to get a non-chain or at least a local coffee chain up there.
The front looks like an office building mostly due to the large windows.
It just feels like it got ‘suburbanized’ on the inside compared to the old design. It feels more like the QFC in University Village.
I give the chain credit for bringing back the sign, but I really don’t like the look of the new building. It reminds me of a suburban Colorado bank ca. 1994.
I agree with most posters that the layout of the remodel doesn’t make sense – obviously it’s small, but it doesn’t feel well thought out, either. I tried to push my cart up to one of the checkout counters yesterday but there was a big pole in front of it – couldn’t they make that one the 12 items or less line? Also bummed that I haven’t been able to find store-ground hamburger any longer, and now every time I visit they are out of at least 3 things I’m looking for.
It feels like they took a big cookie cutter for their suburban stores and tried to make it fit into our small space.
Personally I don’t care much – until QFC/Fred Meyer/Kroger does something good about the hole they made at the corner of 40th and Stone, I and most others I know will shop elsewhere.
And the way they treated the neighborhood around that project was unconscionable.
So, yes the remodel was dumb but we shouldn’t shop there anyway. Just my opinion.
The bigger question is where will the farmers market go? Wallingford Center (on life support) said ‘no thanks’ to hosting it again. Makes no sense; they could use all the traffic they can get.
I think it is shameful the way the way they designed the checkout stands so close to the front, mostly open doors. The checkers and baggers are just going to be freezing all the time when it is cold out. Nothing about the new design seems better except the produce section which is pretty great now. Except that the whole front section is so crowded you can hardly get to the produce without stumbling over someone. The store looks like it was redesigned by robots, not real designers. Just a very silly mess indeed. I hope they can resolve some of these issues as it seems crazy to do such a jumbled job of things in this day and age.
FREE WALLINGFORD!
BRING BACK THE FOOD GIANT!
Meh. It’s a grocery store. I don’t put as much thought into it as my neighbors apparently do. I adore the staff and Theresa upstairs, so I will shop there because of them. Period.
I do agree that the produce section is swank. Our pet rabbit appreciates the dandelion greens.
It’s too bad those upstairs windows don’t open. That would be a nice place to hang out on a warm afternoon.
Every time something changes the comments are always negative. I’ve seen this many times. I personally like it – more stuff, better lighting, more registers (including self-serve), same friendly staff.
I will say that the internal layout has been improving over the last month — culminating with opening the entrance doors on the SW corner a few days ago.
The biggest headaches, for me, was when the south exit doubled as the entrance. I’d come in, and have to thread my way through the wine area to get to anything else.
That said, there are still some bottlenecks; hopefully, those will improve as time goes on. It’s often better to see where the traffic problems crop up, rather than try to anticipate them.
And as Neal says, the staff are universally nice folks.
sounds weird but i used to love getting the serve-yourself coffee. and now another starbucks when one is a block to the east. really?! I was so sad to go get my coffee and the nice lady said it moved upstairs…i thought oh no. Small change, right. well that made me permanently stay away from Quite Friggin Clueless…i mean…
btw the beer for sale is the same price as the gas stations.
I have posted a video of the sign relighting HERE.
I want them to constantly move everything around, and have construction workers on stilts, and mayhem.
To me, that is soothing. Coffee on one side of the store one day: the next, over there. We all need mental stimulation, and one day we’ll pay for places that move shit around to stimulate our neurons. Kind of like video arcades, but for food, batteries, you know, everyday items that we all need and shop for to get.
I for one want the store to constantly change, but Im’ afraid today’s economics won’t allow it.
Oh well, it was nice the last few months and perhaps a week or so going forth.
Good day.
Does anybody else think the sign is about twice as bright as before?
Is it just me, or as you come up Wallingford Ave, does the whole building now look like it’s the Wallingford Municipal Airport?
The sign does appear brighter! I don’t mind the street appeal, but I don’t understand how they have a nice automatic double-door entry without a way to get into the store from there. Do they really want everyone going through the wine section? I would say they are going to have 10 broken bottles a day. Every time i go in there with the baby and shopping basket I am praying that I don’t knock any bottles over.
I have not stepped into our local QFC (aka Fred Meyer aka Kroger ) since they imposed their patronizing beer&depends tracking cards. We now walk over to the German run TraderJoes and drive up to the Greenwood market – and will until Greenwood is shut down by the expanding Fred Meyer (aka Kroger) – after which we will probably head down to The Bahl-lar market.
And while I sentimentally appreciate QFC’s keeping of the Wallingford lights, I agree with #21 Chris – the new look is one of a Wallingford Municipal Airport- complete with a Starbucks waiting lounge.
They finally have a bike rack again. Months after they managed to open the front parking lot to cars. But they put it next to a curb and it can only hold about four bikes now.