vegas

As this store has been open a couple of months has anyone shopped there. If so is there anything new or is it just the same as the other stores.

Bob

was a thread about this a few months back somewhere...

NC Penguin

Lord Lionheart shopped there within days of one opening and posted on BE about his experience. I remember he posted pix too.

vegas

Many thanks penguin found it buried in this thread

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...sh+easy&page=3

AdamC08

It's owned by the UK giant Tesco. I expect Wal-Mart to pile in and crush them!

fatbrit

Not the same at all. Trader Joe's meets 7-11 is the best description.

AdamC08

Hi fatbrit!

I used to work for ASDA and did quite a bit of research into new store formats...

All i can say is what this space...Wal-Mart aint going to allow Tesco to challenge them in there own playground.

Adam

fatbrit

And if you look at the format of Fresh & Easy and think Tesco, you've got it totally wrong. Apart from the fact they both retail food, they couldn't be more different. Unlike Tesco v. ASDA in Blighty.

Bob

different market though ain't it...they are more going up against whole foods, trader joes and not really treading on the walmart customer base, so walmart probably won't really care.

Arizona Wurzel

We shopped there two weeks ago in Mesa AZ.There is nothing English/British about the store.They do have back bacon but it tastes like ham.It has not been cured like the Danish or Irish bacon. They have everything packaged real nice and clean looking but most of the goods are more expensive.They are opening thirty five stores here in the Phoenix metro.I will be very surprised if they survive here.We were in the store on a Saturday morning and there were only three people in there and about twelve staff.Not the Tesco of the UK i,m afraid and probably never will be.Give me Trader Joes anytime.

fatbrit

Maybe a Mesa thing? I was in a Chandler one the other week and that was fairly busy. I think the fact that they have too many staff is because they're training them for the new stores. They've just broken earth on my local one -- Indian School & Central.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

The one on Eagle Rock Blvd in Los Angeles opened about two months ago. I was expecting something like the Tesco's I've seen in the UK, but it is nothing like that at all.

My wife really likes it. She usually shops at Trader Joe's and Ralph's and considers it something in between. The store is located in a supermarket which went out of business some years ago. It is quite spacious. It therefore has the look of an old but well maintained market! It also has the many of the basics such as milk, fruits and vegtables which are both good and reasonably priced. [The 1/2 Gallon of organic 1% milk at TJ's is $3.29 while it was $2.99 at F&E].

It is quite different than the WalMarts I've seen.

I think they are slowly entering the market and I have a feeling they might succeed in the niche they set for themselves.

angelman

I go to the one in eagle rock/glassell park. My US wife loves it. I converted her from Gelsons and wholefoods to fresh and easy which is great because its incredibly cheap compared to them! Produce all seems good and I think it really lives up to its name. We manage to get out of there with minimum of stress and very quickly. They dont have the shelves laid out in a confusing way like some shops (like trader joes), everything is very clearly labelled. I love the self checkout, the staff are very well trained and friendly. I think because the staff dont have to do boring checkout duty they can actually attend to the customers. At first I thoght the interior rather too cold and minimalist but its grown on me. I think its great that they have placed the shops in some of the less desirable neighbourhoods of LA. Some of these ghettos havent had a proper supermarket or place to buy food for a very long time. I like Trader Joes folksy charm but it drives me crazy the ridiculous ly disorganised way they lay out the store.
Although I hate Tescos in the UK I wish Fresh and Easy all the success. Cerftainly the US market needs a good kick in the teeth and hopefully Tesco's has the resources and imagination to do it.

jumping doris

And there was me thinking this was going to be about an Ann Summers type shop.

As you were.....

Englishmum

Do they allow the cashiers at the tills at the F&E shops to sit down on chairs like they do in the UK?

I feel so sorry for the shop staff in the supermarkets in our area. One day there was a young, heavily pregnant woman working on the till and she looked so tired. I was appalled that there isn't any health and safety legislation which mandates seating for the staff. They have to stand for so long and I understand that standing for prolonged periods can cause varicose veins.....