Positioned at the crossroads of Boulder City Parkway and Nevada Way, the Boulder City Albertson's is the one and only supermarket in town. This is a special Albertson's that serves two customer bases. They are the citizens of Boulder City and both the visitors to Boulder City and Lake Mead with the motorists driving US 93 between Arizona and Las Vegas. In essence the Boulder City Albertson's plays the role of a Walmart in a city in want of one by serving as a locals and visitors place to buy groceries and some general merchandise. This review that is based from my first hand experience discusses this Albertson's from the perspective of a regional supermarket and a local supermarket. It ultimately answers the question, "Could this Albertson's survive in a competitive environment?"
Role as a Regional Supermarket:
Situated up the hill from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, in the shadows of Red & Black Mountain, and along the Intermountain Corridor of US 93 and Interstate 11, this is a supermarket where visitors share the aisles with Boulder City locals. This supermarket and the CVS across the street are the final chances before the open desert to pick up food, consumables, and some general merchandise such as batteries or a charger.
I am a Henderson resident who has frequented this store throughout the years. As a matter of fact two weeks ago it came in handy when my brother needed a phone charger. I have often shopped here before or after a nearby hiking adventure. The visits were usually in conjunction with the Starbuck's in the shopping center. Due to the high prices that Albertson's chain-wide charges, I ordinarily buy a limited amount of items. I am a fan of their house brand Select Choice. Their jalepeno kettle chips, sparkling flavored water, and Italian wedding soup are the bomb. For convenience sakes I will buy a rediculously overpriced 32 ounce Miller High Life for later. If the visit preceded a hiking adventure, I will pick up a cold water from the refrigerator at the entrance. Unfortunately, Albertson's deleted some hard to find in Las Vegas items that gave them an edge on the competition. This included Friendly's ice cream and Nathan's crinkly cut fries. From the perspective of a regional customer, I appreciate the convenience that it has provided me with in Boulder City
Role as the Only Local supermarket:
Minus this store, Boulder City would be a food desert. This can change in the future if the land zoned for a supermarket across the street gets developed. This raises a good question, "Does Albertson's take advantage of being the only supermarket in Boulder City?" My answer is "no." I have not seen price gouging. What I have seen is the same high prices that Albertson's charges throughout Las Vegas interspersed with some sales. I believe that this Albertson's does a fairly good job serving the city. They provide 24/7 shopping, a DMV kiosk, and pharmacy with a full service supermarket. The salesfloor is relatively clean. There are the same amount of employees here as there are in any Albertson's throughout the state.
The one room for improvement could be a remodel to bring it up to the fancier and up to date Albertson's similar to Anthem, Charleston at Desert Foothills, and Blue Diamond at Decatur. Boulder City and its visitors deserve to shop in a beautiful supermarket.
To me, the supermarket experience includes the shopping center it is joined to. One stop shopping and dining adds to the experience by saving time and aggrevation. This location shares a parking lot with Capprioti's, a gym, Domino's, China a Go Go, Starbuck's, Burger King, and etc.
Speaking of sharing a parking lot, it is shared by cars and shopping carts. There is this little issue of the parking lot being on a slight hill. I have yet to and hope never to see a loose cart roll down the slight hill into a car. At any rate, I have parked far away by Burger King or Starbucks.
"Could this Albertson's survive in a competitive environment?"
Essentially this question leads into the conclusion of my review. Based on my first hand experience that I shared, I think that if you placed this Albertson's in a competitive retail landscape in the Las Vegas Valley such as Eastern Avenue or Durango Drive it could survive. A similar Albertson's that has survived with intense competition is Eastern at Warm Springs. However, I feel that if this supermarket was to have a high chance of surviving in a competitive supermarket landscape it would need to lower prices across the store, execute a remodel to modernize it, and return to stocking hard to find brands in Las Vegas. read more