Remembering Farmer Jack 15 years later

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

You claimed that sales prices and regular prices were the same which is a lie. I leveled those shelves so I saw the sales. So, you may have maintained certain brands on the shelves, but I doubt you were involved with price control.

That is exactly how most of the prices in their weekly ad worked. I'm guessing you stocked shelves for them after they were acquired by The Greater Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company and were no longer a Borman entity. Things changed at that time.

It was 1999, so yes.

[edj]

Farmer Jack wasn’t A&P’s biggest blunder, but they did screw it up. I think they shut down because they wanted to concentrate on what was left in the northeast. Years later they were still paying rent on vacant storefronts, or at least they were supposed to. Holding to to smaller stores was also an issue in the northeast, as well as acquiring Waldbaum’s and ruining their loyal ethnic customers by becoming too A&Pish.

Kroger is absolute garbage, Busch’s mediocre, Walmart is Walmart, Spartan stores are mainly junky too. All that’s left is Meijer unless you have a good neighbor store we should know about.

[Matt]

The only Busch's I set foot in was the one near Eisenhower and Main in Ann Arbor, some 22 years ago.

It was a rebadged former Kroger store (it had the classic mid 60s to 70s Kroger Superstore exterior architectural elements).

I remember being underwhelmed. I recall narrow aisles and mediocre prices. Still not nearly the shithole as the Kroger at the corner of Stadium and S. Industrial at the time.

Meijer on Ann Arbor - Saline Rd. was my preferred store.

That Busch's store has significantly improved - the Meijer you mentioned is our go to though.

[ZenithCKLW]

The only Busch's I set foot in was the one near Eisenhower and Main in Ann Arbor, some 22 years ago.

It was a rebadged former Kroger store (it had the classic mid 60s to 70s Kroger Superstore exterior architectural elements).

I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of the location at Plymouth Rd and Green Rd near US-23?

[MWmetalhead]

I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of the location at Plymouth Rd and Green Rd near US-23?

Nope, although if I remember correctly, that Busch's (like the one on the south side of Ann Arbor) also used to be a Kroger decades ago.

It appears the S. Industrial & Stadium Kroger closed quite a long time ago, was completely renovated if not reconstructed inside & out, and is now a rather nice, upscale Whole Foods knock-off.

[matt1]

Farmer Jack in Midland, MI still empty since closing!!!

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

I enjoyed shopping at Farmer Jack's larger, more modern stores (16 Mile and John R, as an example). Their donuts were phenomenal. Check out was always speedy even during busy periods.

I think one problem faced by the chain is it held onto its small, outdated neighborhood stores for far too long. They were paying rent on stores that were losing money. Walking into the Center Line store was like stepping into a time capsule from 1978. One and a quarter miles down the road was a much larger and more modern store of theirs (10 Mile and Hoover).

I suspect many radio stations around town were sad to see Farmer Jack disappear. As recently as 2002 or 2003, I believe the chain was still #1 in grocery market share in Metro Detroit (Kroger was second and Meijer third).

Center Line is where I worked. Good people other than the store manager, but he was mainly in the back doing paperwork.

[MWmetalhead]

I think an ABC Warehouse occupies that space now, if I remember correctly.

[craig11152]

It appears the S. Industrial & Stadium Kroger closed quite a long time ago, was completely renovated if not reconstructed inside & out, and is now a rather nice, upscale Whole Foods knock-off.

It became a Lucky's Market, a Whole Foods knock off as you suggested. But it came and went. It closed 2.5 years ago.
I think some sort of co- working space is going in there.

[Bryce]

unless you have a good neighbor store we should know about.

Holiday Market in Canton is a real gem. I haven't lived anywhere near Canton for more than 20 years, but I still make a trip there several times a year. Especially around holiday's. It's more like an experience than grocery shopping. Sure wish it was located closer to me.

[Matt]

It appears the S. Industrial & Stadium Kroger closed quite a long time ago, was completely renovated if not reconstructed inside & out, and is now a rather nice, upscale Whole Foods knock-off.

It became a Lucky's Market, a Whole Foods knock off as you suggested. But it came and went. It closed 2.5 years ago.
I think some sort of co- working space is going in there.

It looks pretty intriguing: https://www.experience4m.com/venue/

Lucky's was great - they had a solid beer offering, and the beers on draft were $2 iirc.

[craig11152]

I first started dating my wife the summer of 2004.
She lived in Grosse Pointe Woods with two teenage daughters at home. For 2-3 months she wanted to keep her kids and home insulated from the guy she was dating. So our meeting spot was the parking lot of the Farmer Jack on 9 Mile and Mack. It went that way for weeks till I jokingly wondered if she lived in a van down by the river.

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

I think an ABC Warehouse occupies that space now, if I remember correctly.

It is. The facade was still there when I went by a couple years ago. ABC completely gutted the inside. Gone are the stairs to the break room and former public bathrooms which was creepy as fuck as a kid.

In the last 10 years, I can't say I venture south of 696 much other than a rare trip to Value Fresh on 10 Mile and Hoover(where our sister store was), Del Taco, Domino's, and maybe a trip to my old 10 and Mound neighborhood once a year.

The south end of Worn and entire city of Center Line is mostly auto shops, parts stores, party stores, and pawn shops. The average person really only ventures from north Warren to Center Line for Rinke Buick GMC and maybe Cattleman's. The Hoover and 11 shopping plaza was pretty relaxed and cool back in the day. Too many shootings there now.

[MWmetalhead]

That's a shame about Hoover and 11. That used to be a thriving shopping center.

[lidoshuffle]

Sadly, I truly believe that if Farmer Jack were still in business today, their logo of a middle aged Caucasian man wearing the hat would be called out as offensive, stereotypical and eventually cancelled...