Supermarket ground breaking at 31st and Girard Ave

[raider.adam]

On Friday March 30th, there will be a ground breaking for the new supermarket at 12 pm.

[love to travel]

Where do I walk my dog now ????? Dog park please .

[phrequency]

Where do I walk my dog now ????? Dog park please .

I hope you are joking? Right up the street from 31st and Girard is the biggest dog park in the city. It's called Fairmount Park. You should check it out sometime.

[rjj]

On Friday March 30th, there will be a ground breaking for the new supermarket at 12 pm.

great news! Is there an updated construction schedule you could share?

[raider.adam]

great news! Is there an updated construction schedule you could share?

Nothing has been released.

[FMT]

So has anyone shopped at Bottom Dollar ever? I've passed one on N. Broad, it looks clean and somewhat smaller than a regular supermarket. I'm on 24th St, not sure if it's really walkable with lots of bags, I think that I will still have to make the large grocery runs to ShopRite and the specialty runs to Whole Foods, but it's another good option.

[raider.adam]

So has anyone shopped at Bottom Dollar ever? I've passed one on N. Broad, it looks clean and somewhat smaller than a regular supermarket. I'm on 24th St, not sure if it's really walkable with lots of bags, I think that I will still have to make the large grocery runs to ShopRite and the specialty runs to Whole Foods, but it's another good option.

It's a full service grocery store. It carries name brand items and has fresh produce. It is a smaller store (the lot size is what kept away interest from other stores), so it is a situation where a Shoprite may have 4 types of ketchup, Bottom Dollar may have 2 types.

[BarryG]

I hope you are joking? Right up the street from 31st and Girard is the biggest dog park in the city. It's called Fairmount Park. You should check it out sometime.

You can't take your dog off leash in Fairmount.

[funk]

I hope you are joking? Right up the street from 31st and Girard is the biggest dog park in the city. It's called Fairmount Park. You should check it out sometime.

duh, +1

[phrequency]

You can't take your dog off leash in Fairmount.

Perhaps by law, but I've seen tons of dogs off leash. Regardless though, it's good exercise to walk with your dog and the park certainly has more than enough room for that. More people should take the opportunity to walk miles with their dog as it gives them a workout and teaches the dog good walking manners. Not that I am against dog parks but there are too many people, with dogs, who are overweight and complain about being overweight. Just walk the hell out of your dog; you get fit and your dog gets exercised. I routinely walk 3,4,5 and 6 mile loops around the park. There are tons of trails and open space too. But this isn't the place to debate the merits of dog parks. I'll take my call offline....

[funk]

You can't take your dog off leash in Fairmount.

it's not like the police or park rangers enforce ANY of the rules up there (littering, parking on the grass, amplified music, inflatable bouncy things, picnicking in a non-picnic area, picking up your dog's sh*t, banging prostitutes or mistresses in your car while in view of the play ground, ATVs, doing donuts in your caprice classic in the middle of the afternoon in the outfield of the baseball field, etc.).

[seand]

It's a full service grocery store. It carries name brand items and has fresh produce. It is a smaller store (the lot size is what kept away interest from other stores), so it is a situation where a Shoprite may have 4 types of ketchup, Bottom Dollar may have 2 types.

*Sarcasm* Thats just part of the plan by the Man to deny the People their fair share of ketchup. *Sarcasm*
Congratulations.

[seand]

it's not like the police or park rangers enforce ANY of the rules up there (littering, parking on the grass, amplified music, inflatable bouncy things, picnicking in a non-picnic area, picking up your dog's sh*t, banging prostitutes or mistresses in your car while in view of the play ground, ATVs, doing donuts in your caprice classic in the middle of the afternoon in the outfield of the baseball field, etc.).

Allright, some of those are really specific. What model of caprice do you drive?

[raider.adam]

You can't take your dog off leash in Fairmount.

You can't your dog off leash on someone else's property either.

[6enny]

I'm on 24th St, not sure if it's really walkable with lots of bags...

I'm on 26th, and depending on the quality of this store I may have to invest in one of those personal shopping carts with wheels.

Speaking of shopping carts. Does anybody know what the setup will be to prevent shopping cart theft? Will it be like the SuperFresh on Temple where you can't take the cart past the sidewalk? Or the FreshGrocer near Parkside where you can wheel them all over the parking lot but their wheels allegedly lock if you try to take it further?

[MM Partners]

It's a full service grocery store. It carries name brand items and has fresh produce. It is a smaller store (the lot size is what kept away interest from other stores), so it is a situation where a Shoprite may have 4 types of ketchup, Bottom Dollar may have 2 types.

Construction should take 6-9 months. More information here: A Supermarket is Coming to Brewerytown!! | Brewerytown Living | Philadelphia, PA

[steelpot]

I went to the BD on N Broad a while back. I was pleasantly surprised with the freshness of the produce and the overall feel of the store. It's not going to be the type of place where you get psyched about the meat counter (mostly because there isn't a meat counter), but it'll be fine for staples, unless you're into local and organic.

Oh, and as for dog parks (and not to threadjack), there's a new dog park in the works. Current planning has it maybe going in front of 2601 Pennsylvania, but that could change depending on community support.

[mandl]

I went to the BD on N Broad a while back. I was pleasantly surprised with the freshness of the produce and the overall feel of the store. It's not going to be the type of place where you get psyched about the meat counter (mostly because there isn't a meat counter), but it'll be fine for staples, unless you're into local and organic.

Oh, and as for dog parks (and not to threadjack), there's a new dog park in the works. Current planning has it maybe going in front of 2601 Pennsylvania, but that could change depending on community support.

Great news about the dog park! I'd support it. Any more info about it? The unofficial park will now become an official one? Now, those dog park advocates will have to find something else to bitch about. Maybe the lack of ketchup choices in the hood.

[MM Partners]

I went to the BD on N Broad a while back. I was pleasantly surprised with the freshness of the produce and the overall feel of the store. It's not going to be the type of place where you get psyched about the meat counter (mostly because there isn't a meat counter), but it'll be fine for staples, unless you're into local and organic.

Exactly!

[MarketStEl]

My impression - based on what I read on their website and the size of the stores I've seen so far (I have yet to enter one) - is that Bottom Dollar follows the no-service, no-frills, limited-selection, emphasis-on-private-label-products model pioneered by Aldi and Save-a-Lot but with a larger, more consistent selection of national brands and more attractive interiors. (Actually, Aldi stores aren't bad-looking either. Save-a-Lot, by contrast, screams "bare bones.")

It is interesting to note that, in contrast to the other three chains operating in this category in this area (A&P's Food Basics being the third), Bottom Dollar entered this market via the suburbs first.

Edited to add postscript: Trader Joe's = Aldi-meets-Whole-Foods. Literally: the German company bought TJ's a few years ago.