Inconsistencies In Grocery Store Quality By Neighborhood

Being a fitness professional in the Washington, D.C. area I’m in different communities and have made observations regarding the variation in food quality.  It is very disturbing to that major chain grocery stores do not have consistency in the quality of their buildings, food, and customer service.

The examples I’m going to use are grocery stores in the D.C. area, these examples could be consistent in your respective areas.  Grocery store chains such as Giant and Safeway do not have consistency from store to store.  Communities where minorities are the majority and/or low income the quality of the store and food is not up to standard and items are not well stocked.

Plenty of research has been done to confirm these observations.  A 2009 study lead by Dr. Nicole L. Larson and other colleagues found people who live in poorer neighborhoods in the U.S. are less likely to have easy access to supermarkets carrying a wide variety of fresh produce and other healthy food.  But they probably have plenty of unhealthy fast food joints to choose from.

The studies they reviewed confirmed that minority and low-income individuals who live near supermarkets have healthier diets. For example, one investigation found that the likelihood that African-Americans would meet guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption rose by 32% with every additional supermarket located in the census tract where they lived.

Southern Prince George’s County is where I lived until eight grade and I still have family and friends who live in that area.  Regardless of income levels, the grocery store quality is not the same as bordering counties or other parts of the county.  Newer developments in the county have single family homes, townhouses, and condos and still would be located in what I could consider a food desert.

Wegmans Woodmore 

Harris Teeter and Wegmans are two chains that have expanded their presence in the area.  In 2014 Consumer Reports named Wegmans the best grocery store in America.   The Woodmore Wegmans location in Prince George’s County, MD has exceeded expectations.  

Prince George's County EDC CEO Jim Coleman credits the shopping center's success to its location, directly off I-495, as well as the surrounding area's income. The average household income within a five-mile radius was $76k when they closed the deal in 2008, and by 2013 it grew to $89k. 

What I’ve noticed with Harris Teeter and Wegmans is that they are very selective where they choose to place their respective stores.  Another grocery store the quality of Wegmans is not within close distance of the Woodmore location.  With a prime location within a reasonable distance of various income levels over 20,000 cars travel to the shopping center where Wegmans Woodmore is located.

Wegmans recently opened a store in Alexandria, VA has a planned location in Tysons and is working on opening one on the Walter Reed campus in Washington, D.C.   Anyone familiar with the D.C. area will see a pattern with these new locations.

Harris Teeter has more than 230 stores in seven states and Washington, D.C., according to its website.  Harris Teeter and Wegmans have consistency in their food quality and customer service.  They have been the anchors for new and redevelopment.  

Safeway is the second largest grocery chain in North America.   There are three Safeway’s within 10 minutes of my home.  All of them are very different.  Two are older and one is fairly new after being torn down and rebuilt as part of a redevelopment.   One store has very poor customer service, a shortage of cashiers and no self checkout.  Another is an older store, small and needs to be remodeled.  The third is large, plush, well stocked, and staffed with self checkout.  Why is this the case?

If you live in a community and are not pleased with the food quality in your community I encourage you to galvanize your neighbors and demand improvements in the stores that are convenient to you.  Government does play a role to make it attractive for a Harris Teeter or Wegmans to come, but they can’t make them.   The stores you do have access to should not take convenience for granted.  They should supply the same quality in your part of town that they do others.  It’s a conscience effort to be very concerned in some instances and dismissive in others.  They have to do better!