A rite of passage of my clan was working at Safeway Foods during high school. All four siblings transitioned their way to adulthood following the trail blazed by countless other families, but I was the first in my family to make this place my first foray into taxpaying indentured servitude. And, thinking back on it, my were they definitely slave wages! $4.65 per hour for 24 hours per week, max. Plus the mandatory union dues of $10 per week! Ouch!!!
My duties were from bagging groceries, to stocking shelves, to helping customers find things in the store, to making the shelves look full (facing the aisles.) The managers were as racist as all get out, but at least they spoke their minds uncensored, and they threatened each employee with their jobs almost weekly, and every once in a while did can someone for something. We were always getting harassed about slacking off, but that store was a well oiled machine during the nineties. We made so much money for the company, that the store actually got a remodel, and if you've been to other Safeway's, you know that is a rarity. It was probably the job that I loved to hate as a kid that I have the most fond memories of because it taught me the value of a dollar.
Fast forward a decade (or two) and it's hardly the same store. The long time old manager, Jim, had retired, they managed to somehow squeeze in another aisle of grocery, and the high school boys don't nearly hop to it like old man Jim had us. However, it is still a great little neighborhood grocery that manages to carry some items that are hard to find at the larger stores. You could do complete grocery shopping here, but you would pay about twice what you would at Kroger.
Their meat selection, although very good, is not what it used to be. They used to operate like a full time butcher, where customers would choose each individual piece of meat, it would be weighed and wrapped in butcher paper and labeled. Now most of the meat is prepackaged and half of the meat case has been replaced by refrigerated shelving self pick case. Hard to ensure the quality of each cut in package, but I guess you do not have to wait to select your meat. Although part of the charm was chit chatting with the butcher about their day. Everyone knew Lynn and Janetta and all the regular customers would ask about them if they happened to not be working that day. Now I cannot name a single employee. Although Janetta may still work there.
They do not carry nearly as much produce as before (both variety and quantity) but the display is neater and more organized. Their frozen food section has expanded dramatically with the store scrapping a checkout lane and soda display for more space for ice cream and cold drinks. They also reduced the sizes of their shopping carts, probably so they could fit in the smaller aisles.
The above all said, neighborhood grocery stores like this are vital to the community. They are anchors of convenience and make the neighborhood you live in less dull. In fact it is the crucial piece in all of the Tarkington shops. They make wonderful places to get what you need and get on with your life without having to venture out to the suburban sprawl of big box stores. Also the quality of their goods is top notch. Plus, as a bonus, they carry Blue Bell Ice Cream which is some of the best around!
If you are in the Butler Tarkington neighborhood, and are not claustrophobic, take some time to analyze the aisles of this small store and see if you do not fill up your cart with goodies that you never knew you needed. It's everything you need in a old school grocery. read more