Hannafords in Meredith

[Meredith lady]

Well, as posted in previous threads, we all were waiting for this to happen. The scene: the parking lot at Hannafords yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. One poor guy trying to get in the lot-several people trying to get out. Everyone trying to follow the arrows, avoid the islands, read the signs, weave in and out around parked vehicles...ended up being a 3 car fender bender. What a mess. I can only assume on a weekday afternoon that these were local patrons. If the people who live here can't navigate that lot, what will the near future tourist season bring? Add to that the influx of vehicles going up and down high school hill, in and out of Dunkin Donuts, and traffic backed up at the lights. Everyone-please be careful getting in and out of that lot-it's a hazard! Just my 2 cents worth!

[john60ri]

Glad to hear the Hannaford Market is open in Meredith. We'll be checking it out when we come up in August. Our favorite market is Bob's Shur-Fine in Ashland. Thanks for the post.

[Lakesrider]

HA! I was there that night. Too bad one of them wasn't a town planner!
Took me 10 minutes to get out of the lot and it wasn't that busy. I think all the locals are being smart and getting used to shopping Thursday night instead of the weekend.
We haven't seen anything yet! I'm betting there will need to be a traffic cop there from Memorial Day through Labor day. You can't forget the people walking across to the Ice Cream place either. Someone will get tagged......
I still say Pi$$-poor planning by the Town of Merideth in allowing that store there!

[TomC]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

I still say Pi$$-poor planning by the Town of Merideth in allowing that store there!

October Farm? Harvest? or something. Plus there was Parafunalia, then a couple of dime/craft stores.

Its a strip mall, so it is clearly a permitted use for retail. How does the town stop that and leave the property owner holding the bag?

[Lakesrider]

First off this is no longer a strip Mall. It has a major anchor store. Parafunalia was barely used and it is why it closed up there. It wasn't a major traffic consideration. Secondly, because there is a lot more to it than just saying, go ahead you can do or put anything there. For one, the Major one, there are traffic studies...which obviously were brushed under the rug, I'm sure. Everyone was just soooooo excited to get a supermarket other than Jackson Star in, that no one considered, except a few, what the consequences would be. Now if someone gets injured badly there, I wonder if everyone will start asking questions? Or will, everyone just say, "OH well, we got our supermarket and that is all I care about." I think the traffic there will be enough to keep people from coming to Merideth as it is going to be known for its traffic instead of its charm. And you just wait until they put those roundabouts in.

I would suggest that anyone going to a Merideth town meeting start asking the questions now. Like are they going to start putting a patrol car on the hill coming in past the Irving, to start slowing cars down before they get to the mall entrance. 30Mph is already too fast for that section. It ought to be 15mph now.

But oh well we'll all just have to wait and see, and watch the police logs!

[Pineedles]

Does anyone remember when Heaths had a store at that location? I don't remember it being too tough to get in and out of the lot but I could be mis-remembering. Also, since we had the store in CH we probably didn't go there too often, unless we were in Meredith for some other reason.

[fatlazyless]

Right now, the egress at the east end of the parking lot is both an entrance-exit, and the egress at the west end is an exit only. Previously, since 1971, the east was entrance only, and the west was exit only. That more simple plan worked pretty good from 1971 to 2008.

The answer is simple....totally ban all motor vehicles and only allow bicycles and pedestrians and kayaks......no cars, suv's or pickups allowed......problem solved!

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Pineedles

Does anyone remember when Heaths had a store at that location? I don't remember it being too tough to get in and out of the lot but I could be mis-remembering. Also, since we had the store in CH we probably didn't go there too often, unless we were in Meredith for some other reason.

When it was there was probably overall less traffic anyways.

[Dave M]

Going down another rat hole, wait until the rotaries go in. You won't be able to get in or out.

Dave M

[corollaman]

It's good we're having something to replace Jackson's Star to create jobs for the people who lost their jobs when JS closed.

[Newbiesaukee]

Living on Long Island I am happy to shop at Heath's and will avoid the "new" Meredith like the plague. The real loss to me is not being able to get to Rite-Aid,formerly Brooks Pharmacy, which is in the same shopping center. No real options without a lot more driving.

[phoenix]

agreed no other pharmacy until you get to Laconia, so i will have to go there also , but will try to pick off hours

[TomC]

Originally Posted by phoenix

agreed no other pharmacy until you get to Laconia, so i will have to go there also , but will try to pick off hours

to the Rite Aid in Ossippee. No traffic, no Meredith/Laconia traffic. About 20 miles from Moultonborough. Not much farther (if at all) than going to Laconia. A pleasant ride, too.

[john60ri]

I'm glad that shopping plaza is being revived. When we started coming up to the Lakes 10 years ago, there was an October Farm market, Brooks, Parafunalia, and Wardos, which was cheesy but fun. Last summer it was dead as a doornail.

[Orion]

Went by there yesterday (off season Friday) at about 2 PM and the parking lot was nearly full!

What is needed is a diverter road from Rt. 25 to Rt. 3 somewhere up the hill from the High School.

....but I guess 25B sort of does that.

[fatlazyless]

75 to 100 years ago, a causeway road with a toll collector, built across Meredith Bay to bypass the commercial area, could have been politically acceptible. Today, such a suggestion would quickly get you labelled a looney-tune.

And, this is progress?

[M/V_Bear_II]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

75 to 100 years ago, a causeway road with a toll collector, built across Meredith Bay to bypass the commercial area, could have been politically acceptible. Today, such a suggestion would quickly get you labelled a looney-tune.

And, this is progress?

You would have been a looney-tune then, too. There was no reason to build it 75-100 years ago, and nobody would have used it.

No one would use it now - pay a toll to save 5-10 minutes?

[Lakesrider]

5-10 minutes? Now that there is funny. I've been stuck coming down the hill from McDonalds for 45 minutes. And down the hill from center harbor for over half an hour. 5-10 minutes....give me that on a Craft Fair day anytime! Oh and just forget bike week......

[M/V_Bear_II]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

5-10 minutes? Now that there is funny. I've been stuck coming down the hill from McDonalds for 45 minutes. And down the hill from center harbor for over half an hour. 5-10 minutes....give me that on a Craft Fair day anytime! Oh and just forget bike week......

You're obviously not taking the right back roads...

[EricP]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

First off this is no longer a strip Mall. It has a major anchor store. Parafunalia was barely used and it is why it closed up there. It wasn't a major traffic consideration. Secondly, because there is a lot more to it than just saying, go ahead you can do or put anything there. For one, the Major one, there are traffic studies...which obviously were brushed under the rug, I'm sure. Everyone was just soooooo excited to get a supermarket other than Jackson Star in, that no one considered, except a few, what the consequences would be. Now if someone gets injured badly there, I wonder if everyone will start asking questions? Or will, everyone just say, "OH well, we got our supermarket and that is all I care about." I think the traffic there will be enough to keep people from coming to Merideth as it is going to be known for its traffic instead of its charm. And you just wait until they put those roundabouts in.

I would suggest that anyone going to a Merideth town meeting start asking the questions now. Like are they going to start putting a patrol car on the hill coming in past the Irving, to start slowing cars down before they get to the mall entrance. 30Mph is already too fast for that section. It ought to be 15mph now.

But oh well we'll all just have to wait and see, and watch the police logs!

I was under the impression Parafunalia closed that location because the landlord got greedy and tried to jack up the rent on them. I shopped there a lot when it was there and miss it. I occasionally visit the Gilford store but that is a pain to drive to in the Summer.

[Misty Blue]

Why is there going to be a traffic problem at Hannafords? Because people want to shop there. It is a very good store and they don't charge "tourist prices". At least not yet.

We live on Moultonborough neck and a drive to the food store is always a long trip. Yea, Heaths is fun but there is a price for it. When you have to buy chow for the family, I mean real groceries, you need a high volume store.
Hannaford's gives us that.

If there is a traffic problem, and I know there will be one, it is because they are a providing a service that people want better than the previous store.

Typically we do a major food loadout in Tilton. Fill the freezer and the root celler and try to only buy milk and bread at the tourist traps. Sometimes we have to buy our groceries locally. Then we use our plan...

Our plan is to shop there and take a right by the movie house. Then we can take a right at the Meridith lights (maybe stop at NAPA for some cool stuff) and then take 25-B to Center Harbor.

I feel that Hanniford's is a good addition to the town.

Misty Blue

[jeffk]

Weren't they planning to replace the light with a traffic circle? If they do you could go right out of the lot and use the circle to get turned around the other way.

[Lakesrider]

The circle isn't there yet......and won't be for a while.

And the traffic problem will be there because Parafunalia didn't have the amount of traffic coming or going as Hannafords does in an hour.

[gus62]

It is interesting that with all the hype of Hannaford coming to Meredith most consumers do not realize how a chain store operation like Hannaford works. They come in and under cut everyone else (wasn`t too hard with Jackson) then they use zone pricing based on overhead costs and competition. If you compare Meredith pricing with their Gilford store pricing they are higher in all categories. Compare their weekly flyer to Gilford. At least 25-30 items are substantially higher in Meredith every week for the same item. It doesn`t cost them more in Meredith for these items. Now that Jackson is gone just wait and watch them change their prices. The Hannaford company as a whole is known for this. They are also in financial trouble with layoffs in their corporate offices and a pending major class action law suit over breach of credit card information. Insurance will only cover so much of this. The rest will have to be made up in prices to consumers to generate increased revenues.

[BlackCatIslander]

The May edition of Consumer Reports lists Trader Joe's in 2nd place, Costco in 7th, Market Basket in 9th, Hannaford in 21st, and Shaw's in 57th place in their table rating supermarkets. The ratings include three other factors beside price,-service, perishables, and cleanliness. First place belonged to Wegmans (a great NY and NJ firm) but their grade on price was average. Interesting!

[Irish mist]

I just go down to Market Basket twice a month, use Shaw's ONLY for sales items, and hit the Super Walmart in Concord here & there. This gives me the best chance at paying the least amount of money. I use Hannaford once in a blue moon.
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Starcraft Replays

[fatlazyless]

Hannaford's is a division of the Delhaize Group of Belgium, founded in 1868, and has 1500 different stores in the U.S., and 1000 in asia and europe for a total of 2500 stores. In the U.S., Delhaize also owns Food Lion.

[no-engine]

Coming from the lights, enter at far end; never drive towards building. Go left and park in the row that is a straight shot towards the exit, when I want to exit and take right turn back to lights.

Too much confusion when I drive towards the building, with pedestrians and other vehicles, and people trying to park near the building's entrance.

I do that every time - learned as soon as they opened, and I am fine.


Yay for Trader Joe's; visit the store near Nashua whenever I am near there.

[wifi]

Hannaford has ears (of corn) for 19 cents. Husks look a little washed out, but the kernels are full (not shriveled) and it tastes great!

Now, I can't wait for Moultons corn to come in (and the rain to stop!).

[michael c]

[QUOTE=gus62; They are also in financial trouble with layoffs in their corporate offices and a pending major class action law suit over breach of credit card information. Insurance will only cover so much of this. The rest will have to be made up in prices to consumers to generate increased revenues.[/QUOTE]

Hannaford supermarkets is in NO WAY in financial trouble. They are one of the strongest chains in the world. The credit card thing was a pain in the butt but thats all. The feds knew about the credit card problem for 3 months before Hannafords announced the problem . The government and Hannafords were working together in order to catch these guys . Insurance will cover all of it .
They just ended their fiscal year and made just shy of 6 billion in profit last 12 months !
You call that being in financial trouble? I Wish I were as bad off !!

[Bigstan]

I agree Delhaize is a solid company, but the 6 Billion you refer to is what type of profit exactly?

Looking at their FY08 financials the entirety of the company had ~ 700m in net profit, and for US operations:

2008
Number of stores 1,594
Revenues (B) 19,239
Operating profit(B) 1,060
Operating margin 5.5%
Capital expenditures(m) 707

[SAMIAM]

I gave Hannafords a shot.......but not too impressed.They are pulling the same tricks that Star Mkt did.For example; fresh 30/40 count sea scallops were selling for around $7.75 lb wholesale this week.There was a big catch out of Canada and most stores and restaurants were serving them.I saw them in the case at Hannafords......marked up a whopping %100 to $14.50lb.......a staggering markup for a supermarket.
I think E.M.Heath's is a better store by far.Not quite as much selection.But the have excellent meat,seafood and produce and durring the season they bring in lots of local fruit and veggies.Much friendlier staff and good prices.

[gus62]

Michael C, when I posted that Hannaford`s had financial trouble I meant Hannaford`s division of Delhaize not the entire corp. This was in all the papers and on WMUR news months ago. You have said that you are in the industry so if you read up on Hannaford you would know what I stated is true. I stick by what I posted. Lay offs have happened in the"Hannaford" corp. offices and warehouse in Maine.

[no-engine]

Not an answer to any question or thought. Comment.

Seems that every time I am in the store, there are half dozen white collar clipboards and sorts, in a group walking around, as if scrutinizing all.
Is it this thread where a post said prices are higher than in Gilford?
If true, not happy.

[phoenix]

went there today for the first time and was impressed. Large, clean ,bigger selection and reasonable prices . Will go back when i don't want to go to MB but traffic was not good so don't think i would go on Friday night or saturday

[old coot]

I do my weekly shopping at the Hanford store in Alton. It's a nice store and on many items its prices are a good deal lower than they are at the Hannaford store in Ossipee.
While the Ossipee store and the Alton store are about the same distance from my home, the Ossipee store is an easier drive. Therefore, I complained about this price discrepancy at the customer service desk in the Ossipee store. An employee there told me that the Hannaford's in Ossipee and North Conway have the highest prices in the chain!
I figured with a little more complaining, I'd compel them to raise their prices in Alton! Since then I've continued to quietly shop the Alton store.
oc

[SAMIAM]

Baby back ribs were $5.99 at Hannafords......$2.99 at Sam's Club......I know they are different operations,but twice the price?

[Irish mist]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Baby back ribs were $5.99 at Hannafords......$2.99 at Sam's Club......I know they are different operations,but twice the price?

All I ever hear is that the profits in the supermarket business are so small that it's almost impossible to make money running them.....yet I see mark-ups of over 100% on many items from store to store ? And Shaw's, lol, forgetaboutit ! I no longer buy into the fiction that has been sold about this business.
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Oregon marijuana dispensary

[phoenix]

I am not pro Hanneford's but it doesn't matter whether they charge more than Sam's club for ribs as people have a choice as to whether they want to drive to tilton to go to MB or Sam's club . I will still go to MB for big shops but it is nice to have a reasonable alternative to Jackson's which was rip off

[Lakesrider]

Sounds a bit like the gas price thread.....

They will make the money on the summer folk and love it. Then come winter they will be hurting again....Then again people will shop there rather than drive farther in the snow. Then again gas prices will be $4.00 a gallon by winter so we won't be able to afford food anymore and we will be looking for the cheapest gas stations and food stores....Sigh!


Noticed NO police this weekend at the intersection of the parking lot.....
That was short lived.

[Moss Creek Media]

I'm not driving from Meredith to Concord to save $3

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Baby back ribs were $5.99 at Hannafords......$2.99 at Sam's Club......I know they are different operations,but twice the price?

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Moss Creek Media

I'm not driving from Meredith to Concord to save $3

Not that it matters and I hear you but that price is per pound. If you were having a gathering and needed a bunch of Ribs say 10 LBS (not unrealistic for a cookout) then your looking at 30.00. That's where BJ's saves you money, their not a daily shopping stop for most people.

[Rag Top Daze]

I have in hand a Meredith Hannaford flier for the week of 7/12-18 because I am making out my weekly shopping list. I took a look on line to see what the flier for the Gilford store looked like. Just a quick look at the items I am interested in purchasing shows some differences. On the following list, the first price is from the Meredith flier, the second is from the Gilford on line flier

American cheese 3.99/1.99
asparagus 2.49/1.99
romaine hearts 2.49/1.99
grape tomatoes 1.99/1.29
cantaloupe 1.99/1.29
summer squash 1.29/.89
green peppers 1.29/.99
European cucumbers 1.69/.99
russet potatoes .89/.79

In just this short list the savings for shopping the Gilford market would be $5.90. Guess where I'm shopping.

[EricP]

That is quite a difference! Thanks for posting this, eye opening to say the least.

[phoenix]

shows what no competition does to prices

[SAMIAM]

That's the same thing that Star Market did....skinning us because they were the only store around and look what happened.Too bad market Basket doesn't come into Meredith.

[twoplustwo]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

That's the same thing that Star Market did....skinning us because they were the only store around and look what happened.Too bad market Basket doesn't come into Meredith.

I'll stick to Heath's. The mere 1.1 mile I have to drive to get there along with all of the familiar faces I've known for years, great meats, and local produce means I need no price comparisons, that is where I shop.

[Shedwannabe]

Originally Posted by corollaman

It's good we're having something to replace Jackson's Star to create jobs for the people who lost their jobs when JS closed.

My recollection is that Jackson Star closed AFTER Hannaford's opened. So not, Hannaford's did not replace the lost jobs at Jackson Star, it caused them.

On the other hand, it is cheaper at H than at JS, and way more organic food, so that is a positive. But that doesn't change the causal relationship between old jobs and new jobs. The old jobs were lost because of the new jobs, not the new jobs helped recovery from the loss of the old jobs.

Anyone know the comparison between wages, etc. at the old and new stores? I imagine the wage bill is way lower at H, and that anyone from JS who now works at H took a substantial cut in pay.

[twoplustwo]

My recollection is that Jackson Star closed AFTER Hannaford's opened. So not, Hannaford's did not replace the lost jobs at Jackson Star, it caused them.


As much as I'm not a Hannaford fan, Jackson's Star caused their own demise by treating locals like crap for years with their inflated prices. Anyone who lost a job due to JS closing should look to none other than JS ownership for blame.

[Happy Gourmand]

I always considered Jackson Star as a large convenience store, overpriced but sometimes handy....not a place to do any major shopping. Judgeing from 3 visits to the Meredith Hannaford store, they fall into the same catagory. I am fortunate that I can zip down route 3 to Shaw's for their specials and/or to the Gilford Hannaford store. I would guess that when the Meredith Market Basket opens ( wishful thinking ) Hannaford will adjust their pricing policy. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

[LovelyToSeeYou]

I seem to recall there was an EM Heaths where Hanaford's is now a while ago? I used to go to Jackson Star but love Hanaford's. I know there have been traffic police there this summer several weekends. Good food and good for local employment!!! I try to shop on weekdays or evenings to avoid the weekend traffic problems and not to add to them. Now it is OK because of the summer crowd numbers having left after Labor Day.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by Shedwannabe

My recollection is that Jackson Star closed AFTER Hannaford's opened. So not, Hannaford's did not replace the lost jobs at Jackson Star, it caused them.

On the other hand, it is cheaper at H than at JS, and way more organic food, so that is a positive. But that doesn't change the causal relationship between old jobs and new jobs. The old jobs were lost because of the new jobs, not the new jobs helped recovery from the loss of the old jobs.

Anyone know the comparison between wages, etc. at the old and new stores? I imagine the wage bill is way lower at H, and that anyone from JS who now works at H took a substantial cut in pay.

If you grind your "customers" for years and then get your clock cleaned by competition, you deserve it.

[john60ri]

We were up by the Lake August 15-22,and we went to the new Hannfords in Meredith several times. Nice market. Traffic was OK, although we did see a cop directing traffic once. When we started coming up to the Lake in 1997, there was an October Farm market in that plaza. I did not care for the Jackson Star on 104. Seemed like that shopping plaza was kind of old and tired.

[LovelyToSeeYou]

Before the movie theather? Am I wrong about that. It was a supermarket of some sort for sure. Never my favorite. I may try Shaws or Market Basket but usually I go to something nearer and now mostly go to Hannafords.

[Pineedles]

Yes, Heath's tried their hand at the Hannaford's site many years ago. I may be wrong, but I believe it was development of the Jackson Star Plaza with the Green front moving there at the same time, that caused Heath's to withdraw back to Centre Harbor only. But why not use Heath's? They have excellent service, friendly employees, a reasonable amount of choices, and fair prices.

[angela4design]

The Market was actually at the opposite end, where Olympia Sports is now, and was called "October Farm". The location where Hannfords is now was a Benjamin Franklin (variety store), with Sports and Marine Parafunalia in between. That was the picture in 1992, anyway.

[fatlazyless]

The old shopping center with the Tape Escape, Ben Franklin, ParaFUNalia, Heath's Hardware, Phu Jee Restaurant, the previous drug store (not wrong aid), & Heaths Grocery-Oct Farm was easily a ten times better shopping experience than what's there now. Those were the good old days........!


That old strip mall may have been just a little shabby and down scale compared to today but it was a much better shopping go-to place. As time goes by the local owner stores get replaced by corporate multi-store chains. Is that a good thing?

[boat_guy64]

Hey FLL,

You have to give Hannaford's some credit. After your mention, they had a nice new bench out front about a week later.

[fatlazyless]

Good for Hannaford's for their bench!


Ever been to J T''s Discount on Route 104, New Hampton; about one mile east of Exit 23. That's a nice little, owner-op store!

[Pontoon Goon]

You can't walk out of JT's without finding something you can't live without. Nice mix of product and very pleasant people to deal with.

[boat_guy64]

I believe it is JR's that you are mentioning. Great place. I never do a job up at the lake without checking their great priced tool selection. My daughter loves buying her floaties (tubes, chairs etc...)for the lake at JR's. Great place, nice people.

But, I also like that I am paying $2 less per gallon for milk at Hannaford's than I was at Jackson Star last year.

[LovelyToSeeYou]

I have an artery problem and have tried to start eating more fish as fat is not good for me. I had some excellent salmon many times from Hannafords this summer. Is there a way to reply to a certain post or is it only in a column and you reply at the end? Thanks for the help.

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by LovelyToSeeYou

I have an artery problem and have tried to start eating more fish as fat is not good for me. I had some excellent salmon many times from Hannafords this summer. Is there a way to reply to a certain post or is it only in a column and you reply at the end? Thanks for the help.

If you click on the "Quote" button on the bottom of an individual post, it will quote that post automatically in the Reply screen. Also, if you want to quote more than one post in a single reply, just hit the "+" button in each of the individual posts that you want to reply to, then go to the bottom and click "Add Reply".

[mets3007]

When we go to NH we went to the Hannaford in Walmart plaza in Gilford found it easier to get out of. Also went to Shaw's a few times but prefer Hannaford.