Foodmasters are closing

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

As you all know, some Foodmaster markets were purchased by Whole Foods.  Some were not.  I just came from my local Foodmaster, one that is not being bought, and got the news that all the ones not purchased by Whole Foods will be closing by mid-November.  They are looking for a buyer, but as of right now, the plan is to close.

I am so sad.  I love my Foodmaster's meat department/butcher.  They always had tasty cuts of meat at excellent prices.  My protein budget will likely double when I have to buy at Stop and Shop.  :(

Comments

[ron_newman]

I assume your local Foodmaster is the one on Broadway, by Route 16. This is very sad.

[jadelennox]

Very sad indeed. I shop at thisstore regularly. D:

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

The OP's local one is more likely Medford since she lives nowhere near Davis/Teele, but the Broadway & Rt 16 location is also on the closing list.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

yes, my local one is in Medford, at route 60 and the Fellsway West (hwy 28). Near Malden.

[inahandbasket]

For meat, I assume you know about McKinnon's in Davis?
http://mckinnonsmeatmarket.com

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

McKinnon's tends to close early, and sometimes I shop at 7 or 8 pm. Then there's the parking issue, and the crowds. They're also not a full supermarket, with canned goods, dairy, etc. But they do have good meats at reasonable prices.

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

Doesn't help with hours, but I find parking near the McKinnon's in Everett to be a easier in terms of parking. And you can find good prices on produce at the Super 88 on Commercial St. in Malden - check it over carefully, as I've seen some rotten things there, too, but the stuff that is good is astonishingly priced. And for big stock-up trips, we recently went to the Market Basket in Woburn for the first time - short-ish drive up 93, and a great store with great prices. We'll probably start making a monthly trip up there to avoid the Stop & Shop as much as possible. Good luck.

[ron_newman]

I don't know what the story is with this, but McKinnon's in Davis Square is separately owned and not part of the McKinnon's chain that includes Everett and other stores.

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

Oh, I had no idea! Thanks for the info, Ron.

[daviscubed.livejournal.com]

This seems to be backed up by the blogosphere:

http://boston.grubstreet.com/2012/10/foodmaster-gone-in-boston.html?mid=twitter_grubstreetbo
http://bostonrestaurants.blogspot.com/2012/10/johnnies-foodmaster-to-apparently-close.html

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

That's terrible news! It's the only supermarket walking distance from me! :( (The one by Route 16, near Teele Square)

[squirrelitude]

Presumably a different supermarket will move in.

[ron_newman]

We all hope so, but how long has Star Market in Winter Hill been vacant now?

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Well, that Star Market was effectively supplanted by the Stop & Shop that was established on McGrath Highway. I used to live in the area, and I know that although the Star Market was closer to me I found myself going more and more to the Stop & Shop instead, so I can understand that it would not be an attractive spot for another regular supermarket.

If that location of Foodmaster was doing reasonably good business, then it might be an attractive spot for another supermarket.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Market Basket on Somerville ave- though I assume if the Rt 16 is your Fooodmaster of choice it is because it is very close. Every else at Market Basket is reasonably or better priced than everywhere else I just assume there meats are

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

They close fairly early, and the 87 bus is always crowded, but when I'm up for the trek MB is the best. Looks like it's going to become my only option, outside of paying $haw'$ prices or meat shopping before work at McKinnon's with a frozen cooler block in my backpack to keep it safe while I'm at work.

[wintahill.livejournal.com]

I posted about the news of many of the Foodmaster stores being sold to Whole Foods a few days back. I kind of suspected that running the other four stores that Whole Foods did not want would not last very long, I guess it is official now that the chain is finished completely. It sounded like the owner of Foodmaster just wanted out of the business.

This is a bit sad for me as I used to work at a Foodmaster way way back when I was in highschool. I also suspect many of the Somerville and Cambridge shoppers that used the two Somerville stores will now end up at the Market Basket on Somerville Ave which is where I shop now for the most part. I love the prices and selection their, but damn the last thing that place needs is MORE customers.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

I agree, my meat budget will rise dramatically now. and i just passed up a really good sale on country style pork ribs figuring they go on sale often enough.

Suck.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

Now I want to say goodbye to Kevin, the deli guy at the Rte 16 foodmaster, who has been there at least since I started shopping there in 1996!
Wonder whether he'll get a job at a different supermarket chain, or what.

I don't buy deli meat anymore, or supermarket meat in general, and I'm a Market Basket convert and mostly just hit Foodmaster when I need a small number of things and are passing that way in a car or when I forgot an ingredient and need to grab it when already cooking the meal.. But I used to go there once a week. (And I used to spend $20 for a week's groceries, though I didn't cook dinner more than once a week then.)

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

NO. Oh my god. This is horrible. I am at work or school 10 hours a day and I have no car. I don't have the time or means to go out of my way to get groceries. Foodmaster is a block away from me. Being this close to a grocery store is a big reason why I moved to where I am. I don't even know.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

The only possible good thing about this would be if they opened a Market Basket there instead.

[jadelennox]

I am crossing my fingers for a Market basket at 16 and Broadway; there's no market basket nearby.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and according to one of the other posts on this topic, plenty of people who live near Foodmaster already prefer to trek to MB. I think it would be extremely successful. It would attract some people away from the one on Somerville Ave that's always overcrowded, and the better prices would also attract Shaw's customers and people who live over the Arlington line.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

I think that space is too small for a Market Basket, unless they're interested in a smaller store to get into that neighborhood. Their newer stores are larger, and some of the Foodmaster locations, that one included, are pretty small. I can see one of the Lowell Market Baskets out my window, and it's a brand-new building that just replaced one of the original MBs (store #2!) about a year and a half ago. It's much larger than the old store—although not as large as the Burlington Demoulas or the new one on 28 in Salem, NH—and the parking lot is probably double the size of the Route 16 Foodmaster parking lot. So, the solution: move to Lowell, where there are three Market Baskets in city limits, and two more right on city lines (Chelmsford and Tewksbury both have stores that are practically in Lowell).

Medford/Arlington/West Somerville is definitely Market Basket territory, speaking of Market Basket as a state of mind, and I really feel for people who live within walking distance of the Route 16 Foodmaster. I had a friend who lived on Farragut, and we cooked dinner at her apartment a lot and were there all the time. Strange place, but so convenient.

[ron_newman]

When Market Basket opened their Chelsea store a few years ago, they claimed (or news articles reported) that it was the largest supermarket in New England.

I don't know if that's still true today, with Wegman's having entered the area and Market Basket having opened several stores since Chelsea.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Market basket at 16 and Broadway would be really great!

[ron_newman]

Obligatory Suggest a Location to Trader Joe's link.

[theorangebird.livejournal.com]

I was looking for more news on this and found this press release (http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20121101006860/en) announcing the liquidation sales at all stores that begin tomorrow. Wow.

Just like others have mentioned, I'm pretty bummed about this. I shop at the rte. 16 store, and there are a lot of folks like me who live not far from here who don't have cars, not to mention the convenience for folks who live in the Clarendon Hill apartments. I sure hope that another supermarket will go in that space.

[ron_newman]

That explains why my Globe today (Thursday) didn't contain Foodmaster's usual weekly advertising circular. And why I get blank pages when I try to read the weekly ad on their website now.

Once a liquidation company like Hilco gets involved, the stores aren't really Foodmasters anymore.

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping for an Aldi. The closest one is in Wellington Circle. It seems like it would fit well in the space, and is more affordable than Trader Joe's.

[ron_newman]

Little-known fact: there are two huge chains named 'Aldi' in Germany, which divide that country up geographically, and are owned by different branches of the same family. One of them owns the stores that are called 'Aldi' in the US. The other one owns Trader Joe's.

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

I stopped in this morning. Most stuff is 10% off. A few things are 30% off. I asked the bagger, and he said that a Stop & Shop was moving in. I don't know where he got that info or if it is true.

[ron_newman]

Which store did you visit, Medford or Alewife?

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

Alewife

[somgirl4.livejournal.com]

Whole Foods only bought six stores. But ALL stores are closing.
So hearing that "Stop and Shop" is taking a space doesn't surprise me.
I wonder who is going into the Alewife space.