Talk of the Town

By Greg

June 21, 2005 04:22 PM | Link to this

Day in and day out Sav Rite was much better priced than Kroger or Ingles ever hoped to be and without those blasted cards. Not sure about other areas, but the meat was better too. Wal Mart is the only store to come close to Sav Rite’s prices, but Lord who wants to deal with the crowds of people just to get a few groceries. Besides Wal Mart’s customer service has just been totally lost in the past few years.

Oh well, as always things change.

By Thomas H

June 21, 2005 04:25 PM | Link to this

Winn-Dixie deserves it. They tried to keep the “bible-belt” image of the South alive. WalMart provides a better value for me and my family!

By ida williams

June 21, 2005 04:25 PM | Link to this

Yes i would be very dissappointed in the closing of the stores. It not only i most affordable store around it has the best and the freshest meats. I will suggest that the store owner or ceo need to reconize how important it is to the economy for the stores to stay opened. I have always shopped there and no where else. If you would like more comments please contact me through my email.

By Jamie

June 21, 2005 04:28 PM | Link to this

I liked the stores when they were Winn- Dixie. But when they changed over to SaveRite it seemed to go down hill. They reminded of the old Cub Food stores, which I disliked very much. I like for the grocery stores to look clean, not like a warehouse. I’ve been “PASSING” by those stores for a while. I’m a Kroger shopper these days.

By Paul Bishop

June 21, 2005 04:33 PM | Link to this

Greg is right. Whenever a Kroger employee asks me if I have a card (to get a discount) my reply is always “No, I’m nobody special. I’m just a customer.” But the Winn Dixie/Save Rite near us I called “Winn Dumpsie”. It was always dirty and like Wal Mart NEVER had enough cashiers - ALWAYS several lines and never enough cashiers.

By Robert

June 21, 2005 04:33 PM | Link to this

After spending 15 years with the company while it was Winn Dixie, all I can say is Finally. They stopped caring about Atlanta division the day the last Davis brother died. The smugness and attitude of upper management was disgraceful, the thought process (and unofficial motto) was “We can train the consumer to buy store brands” Doubt it? just look at the merchandising. I have very good friends who now and have worked for the current concoction called Save Rite, and they lovingly refer to it as “slave rite” Winn Dixie is leaving Atlanta because they left the customer, their boss, years ago.

By Wayne

June 21, 2005 04:36 PM | Link to this

Winn-Dixie/Save-Rite has been dead for some years now people…Deal with it…I recently moved back to Alabama and Publix is moving in to Montgomery (it’s already in north Alabama), so Winn-Dixie will leave Alabama, too, within 3 years.

By Sandra E

June 21, 2005 04:39 PM | Link to this

I have to have my diet Chek drinks! They carry a huge variety of them. Plus I kept an eye on the sales flyers for good meat prices - better than anyone else. Too bad - the stores just haven’t been kept up like they should have been. I HATE Walmart and refuse to shop there. My husband goes to middle GA regularly - he’ll hve to stock up for me!

By Jennifer

June 21, 2005 04:40 PM | Link to this

I may have missed Winn-Dixie/SavRite had they been clean stores. All of the ones I have ever been in were very far from clean, and not just the store the employees as well.

As for Wal-Mart, I do not shop there, either. Not because of their customer service but for what they stand for. Made in America my butt. A great lot of their products are produced in sweatshops whether they admit it or not. Plus, the money doesn’t stay in the community. No thanks.

By Lisa

June 21, 2005 04:40 PM | Link to this

I am not going to miss it. SaveRite was not favorite place to shop. I am sure it will be missed like Cub Foods. Hopefully, another food chain will come along & replace them.

By Clarence

June 21, 2005 04:45 PM | Link to this

It seemed to me that no one that worked there knew what a broom and mop was. I never shopped at any Winn Dixie nor Save Rite because the stores were always filthy. Publix is over priced, but the customer service is outstanding.

By Angela

June 21, 2005 04:45 PM | Link to this

Yes, I will miss Save Rite. I have always shopped Winn Dixie/Save Rite because of quality, price and locations. My family lives on an extremely tight budget and Save Rite offers us more for our money. Kroger and Publix are way over priced and Walmart is too crowded and too far.

By Terry

June 21, 2005 04:47 PM | Link to this

I got my first “real” job at Winn-Dixie when they came to Atlanta in 1968. But this ain’t the same ole Atlanta and this ain’t the same ole Winn Dixie. I hate to see them go, but Publix has taken up the customer service role that Winn-Dixie was know for.

And somehow “Because of Publix” just doesn’t have the same ring as “Because of Winn-Dixie.”

By Jim

June 21, 2005 04:48 PM | Link to this

Winn Dixie drools, Publix rules! No forms, no cards, no hassles, clean stores, nice people, and reasonable prices. Growing up in SW Florida, it’s been that way since the late 60s - I’m surprised WD held on this long.

By Pamela Reeves

June 21, 2005 04:51 PM | Link to this

Yes, I will miss Save Rite stores. I shop their every week, they have great prices on their produce and great sales every week on a number of items I use. So they will be missed by me.

By BUSHWACKER

June 21, 2005 04:53 PM | Link to this

How times have changed! When I lived in Doraville in the late 60’s and early 70’s we had a Winn Dixie and A & P in the same shopping center Pine Tree Plaza on Buford Hwy. We use steal coke bottles and take them to WD to cash in when we were kids! And kids could walk up to the store from the neighborhood behind Pine Tree without an adult and without fear of getting snatched up by some predator!!!

Those were the good ol days!!!

By Andrew

June 21, 2005 04:56 PM | Link to this

Good riddance !! The stores were always filthy and run-down…… the stock was always old and the variety was the pits !!

By Drexel Gal

June 21, 2005 05:07 PM | Link to this

Like many other commenters, I liked the stores when they were WINN-DIXIE. When they became “Save-Rite”, the service and quality went South (pun INTENDED). The checkout people are surly, the management uncooperative, and the product selection virtually non-existent. One commenter compared the stores to the old “Cub” chain. I agree. It gives Atlanta a taste of Calcutta. And not a good one.

By Tony D.

June 21, 2005 05:12 PM | Link to this

I live in Tampa, and have complained many times to the management about the lack of cashiers. The line at the ONE open lane invariably snakes all the way to the food aisles, with two or three employees and the manager goofing it up, ironically enough, at the customer service station. Though their store is less than a mile from my home, I drive the three extra miles to Publix or Kash and Karry, refusing to give my money to such a poorly run company. To me, Winn Dixie closed a long time ago. The stores are disgusting from a cleanliness standpoint, the product on the shelves are often out of date due to improper rotation, and the management has absolutely no clue regarding how to run a business. Good riddance, Has-Been Dixie. Don’t let the automatic doors hit you on the way out.

By momfor2

June 21, 2005 05:12 PM | Link to this

In some ways, I will miss Winn Dixie/Save Rite. On a good day, you could get some pretty good deals there. Like many have mentioned in this forum, however, the stores lacked decent customer service and cleanliness. I shop wherever I can get a bargain — but there are pros and cons everywhere: WalMart (always crowded, too far away), Kroger (sometimes pricey, customer service lacking, especially during busy hours) or Publix (great customer service, but waaayy over-priced). When it comes to saving $$$ for my family, I don’t play favorites, but I do like to know that I am appreciated as a customer. When that doesn’t happen, I’m glad to take my business elsewhere. Seems Winn Dixie/SaveRite de-valued their customer base years ago. Too bad, so sad.

By brent

June 21, 2005 05:14 PM | Link to this

The filthy Save-Rite in Chamblee ALWAYS has higher prices than the much nicer Kroger store 2 miles away in Dunwoody. Good ridance. Maybe Whole Foods will jump on the Chamblee location.

By Mr_natural

June 21, 2005 05:23 PM | Link to this

Good riddance.

Any store that plays country music for shoppers to shop by deserves to be shut down. Somehow, listening to Waylon Jennings while shopping doesn’t make me want to buy more.

Also, the stores were dirty and totally disorganized.

Publix rules, the service is outstanding

By JR

June 21, 2005 05:29 PM | Link to this

Well,nobody can say they didnt see it coming. I;ve put my share of time in with WD,taking a massive pay reduction from them when they bought out Farm Fresh down here in MS from the beginning. They cut the employees hours,wages to the bone and eliminate positions to save money and you have no labor left in the Grocery Dept therfore no workers to clean anything. They use too many afterschool kids who dont really care since theyre not going to make a career out of the grocery business,a good PT’er that’ll work fast and well and actually care about the job he does is tough to find. Theyre not competitive in wages from the good PT workers standpoint.SO how can you cut nearly all the FT positions out and run a store that looks good? All the really good employees went elsewhere or like me started their own business. I used them for a PT job in the winter and the available PT insurance when my business is slow as its seasonal. We was handed our pink slips today basically and it didnt do as much damage to me as it will alot of the others,as I cut the embilical cord from the grocery business years ago. But some of the folks I’ve worked with have been really good and its a shame as some did give their best.And some of them are good hard working people who saw it coming but nobody listens to the ones on the front lines. This fiasco falls solely on the upper management and their bad decision making. You cant be in the business of selling groceries and pull stuff off the sales floor and stash it in the backroom where it doesnt sale. Then have the DM’s come in and btch about too much backstock in the backroom. Inventory Control does not exist in their stores. ANd that was one of their main problems,too much inventory sitting. I might add some of those DM’s arent worth sht either,ours wasnt.Anytime your DM shows and everybody is miserable then somethings wrong. If your a WD employee in a store getting shut down then Good Luck,maybe someone that knows beans about selling groceries will come and take its place.

By shari h.

June 21, 2005 05:43 PM | Link to this

I only shopped there once, could not find what I wanted nor did I feel welcome in the store. Winn-Dixie/Sav Rite will not be missed.

I do agree with Jennifer about Wally World they may have lower prices but at what cost to us.

I also will not shop there. I drive 18 mile plus to visit a Publix. Clean and friendly is what we all deserve.

By Nancy

June 21, 2005 05:48 PM | Link to this

I went once to the Winn-Dixie in my Suwanee neighborhood and never went back. It was already dirty with out-of-date merchandise - and it had just opened! Nostalgia and The Good Old Days are usually reserved for those things and/or experiences that were wonderful and rewarding. Winn-Dixie was never either.

By Greg

June 21, 2005 06:00 PM | Link to this

Like most places, Save Rite’s prices are hit and miss. But mostly miss. Their employees, aside from a couple of bad apples, always seemed extra friendly. I will miss Save Rite because it was the only store besides Kroger within a 2 mile radius of my house.

By Charles

June 21, 2005 06:13 PM | Link to this

I’m glad to see the company go. The Jonesboro store was often dirty, the cashiers were rude and often failed to wear clear uniforms, the check-out lines were long, and products over-prices.

By CC

June 21, 2005 06:26 PM | Link to this

I was sorry to see the old Winn-Dixie go - unfortunately the SaveRite store was not a very good substitute. The prices were very good, but a lot of the perishable mdse was close to or out of date, and they never had a lot of the items I use. Biggest negative was they closed the bank branch in the store & had no ATM machine. Publix is great, but not as nearby.

By Leah

June 21, 2005 06:44 PM | Link to this

I have never been a Winn-Dixie fan, but I will definitely miss SaveRite because of the incredible savings. I quit the corporate world to attend nursing school in my thirties, so money is very, very tight for me (I am living off my savings). SaveRite is on the way home from class/clinic, so it is very convenient in addition to saving me a lot of money. I am a “foodie” and I love to cook, and I admit that the quality at SaveRite isn’t all that great often times, but the money I save makes up for it. I can buy a week’s worth of groceries for two people for about $50 (or sometimes less) there, and that is all made from scratch, fresh food! It even includes toiletry items, cat food and cat litter, and all the other little “extras”. I spent that the other night at Kroger for just two meals! I’ll put up with the crowds at Walmart to save the money now, but it isn’t very convenient.

By Mike Biggs

June 21, 2005 06:47 PM | Link to this

Yahoo…..I’m glad to see those idiots close….all I ever saw in Saverite was a bunch of nasty people. Good riddance.

By Eric

June 21, 2005 07:36 PM | Link to this

My two trips into Winn-Dixie were the most unnerving grocery shoping experiences I’ve ever had. Whinos were drinking the cans of beer, and the place was really dirty. Never went into a SaveRite because I knew it had the same management. I guess Winn-Dixie had its heyday awhile ago — too bad I never got to see it.

Publix all the way!

By Carol

June 21, 2005 07:40 PM | Link to this

My retired hubby does our grocery shopping & loves SaveRite. I, on the other hand, rarely grocery shop, but when I do, Publix is far superior. It’s too bad so many people will be lose their jobs, however.

By Chris

June 21, 2005 08:31 PM | Link to this

Winn Dixie was my first job back in the early 90’s. It was a dirty, vile place, even some of the customer’s smelled bad. I can remember cutting all kinds of corners to save a few $$$ even though I felt like it was not in the customer’s best interest. When I started college I got a job at Publix. Oh my, what a difference. Clean stores, professional managers, and a friendly atmosphere. I no longer work for Publix, but I can tell you from an insider’s point of few I would not let any of my friends much less than my worst enemies shop at a store like Winn-Dixie. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for. You can shop at a clean, more expensive store like Publix or a dirty, customer unfriendly store like Winn-Dixie. I will take quality and cleanliness over price any day.

By Bianca Wolinski

June 21, 2005 08:41 PM | Link to this

The only SaveRite that I shopped at in Lawrenceville is in a very old building and therefore not kept up at all. It was convienient to pick up a forgotton item but I will not miss it. There’s a Publix and or Kroger at every corner not to forget the super WalMart and Target grocery stores.

By Kim

June 21, 2005 08:49 PM | Link to this

I am going to miss Save Rite. I have done great deal of shopping over the last 3 years there for myself and items for my church. The prices are the best.

By John C

June 21, 2005 08:49 PM | Link to this

I agree with most of the other postings about the recent Save-Rite and Winn-Dixie stores. However, I do remember growing up in the late 60’s and through the 70’s as Winn-Dixie being the “Beef People”. The stores were pretty good back then and the employees always nice and helpful (many long time employees). Even back then they may not have been fancy but were certainly fine for the weekly shopping. I noticed a change in the latter part of the 80’s but never really kept up on what happened. Anyway, I converted to Publix and Kroger years ago now.

By Mike Rasnake

June 21, 2005 08:54 PM | Link to this

This is nothing unexpected as Winn Dixie has gotten away from their heritage. I fondly remember their advertisements as “The Beef People” and man they did have some of the best meat. First they started letting their produce go down hill and then everything else.

They thought becoming SaveRite in ATL would solve their problems and all it did was prolong the agongy.

This situation reminds me alot of the Delta Airlines situation and if they dont quit catering to the wrong crowd and cutting service to the bone, they are going to become the Winn Dixie of the airline industry. I am already seeing the signs and have for the last couple of years.

By Larry

June 21, 2005 08:59 PM | Link to this

There is not enough difference between grocery store prices to fuss over.and they all get there Meat from the same cows pigs and chickens

By Jack Cline

June 21, 2005 09:01 PM | Link to this

I hate to see them go. Their stores were lacking in a lot of respects, but they had many items that were the best anywhere. I am referring to Sav-rite - Chamblee.

By Steve

June 21, 2005 09:33 PM | Link to this

No loss. Dirty, unkempt, poorly stocked stores managed by disinterested adults, operated by teenagers… who were more interested in the latest gossip than customer service.