Silentjosh37 t1_j672paa wrote on January 28, 2023 at 4:21 AM

Reply to comment by iandavid in Urban Greens Co-Op is asking for $50K on GoFundMe by Anonymous_Casual

Farm Fresh, Dave's, Armandos, Union Market, Good Fortune, Dockside, Tom's, Brigiados, Seabras, any number of small markets, they might not be giant markets but are "local".

I am all for staying as local as possible but having a store that has everything you might be looking for as you said you didnt like about the smaller markets but those things are directly opposed to each other. How many "super"markets would you like to have headquartered/owned by a RI only company? Our population is just way too small for that and that was the case decades ago but they just couldn't sustain and draw shoppers as they all carried the same products, from the same distributors(also not local) that they were just fighting each others.

Depending on your age names like Roch's, Jerry's, Almacs and IGA are usually only heard when giving or getting directions, like "take a left after the old Almacs but before the Dunkins." But they used to be the heavy hitters in the area, but then people started wanted more variety at the market and those supermarkets just couldn't offer as much and thats when Stop and Shop gained a foothold. Shaws as well, they were owned by a Massachusetts company at the time though.

The list I provided is just what I can think of off the top of my head and sure I have forgotten plenty. Not all out of state companies are a bad thing, especially if like Aldi's they can provide decent quality food that meets peoples budgets and doesn't break the bank.

rubylily7 t1_j6bbvym wrote on January 29, 2023 at 2:45 AM

I love good fortune but they’re definitely not a local chain

iandavid t1_j674mn0 wrote on January 28, 2023 at 4:39 AM

Some of the local chains you mention died because they couldn’t compete, but others were victims of greed. From what I remember hearing from my relatives who worked there, Almacs was in the latter category. Unfortunately since it happened in the 90s, there’s not much info online to back that up.

> having a store that has everything you might be looking for as you said you didnt like about the smaller markets but those things are directly opposed to each other.

I can buy 90% of the groceries I need at Urban Greens. Usually they’re better quality than what I can find at the Shaw’s that’s closer to my house. I can’t say that for most of the other local markets, even Dave’s. I recognize that my family’s shopping habits are different from other people’s, but UG hits the sweet spot for us, and that’s going to be hard to replicate if it goes under.

Silentjosh37 t1_j676ak2 wrote on January 28, 2023 at 4:55 AM

What you are saying about Urban Greens is exactly what happened to a majority of those other stores. While they check the boxes you need they don't check enough boxes for enough other people to stay in business. Should it exist simply because it is "local"? Especially if all the reports of years of mismanagement are true? Its what killed most of the other "local" markets that have had the same fate.

A grocery store starting a gofundme is a really telling sign of poor sales and things not being managed correctly. If they wanted to raise $50,000 quickly they could do an inventory clearance sale and make bank, they just don't wanna take the hit and lower costs and would rather have someone else foot that bill. How long you think the gofundme will keep them afloat?

iandavid t1_j6772ge wrote on January 28, 2023 at 5:03 AM

Well for one thing, it’s a member-owned cooperative, not a traditional corporation, so it’s not the same situation as other chains from the past. Fundraising isn’t out of step for a business that’s more focused on serving the community than turning a profit.