Harris Teeter opened yesterday in the Flats at 8300 luxury apartments, at the corner of Battery Lane and Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. There were many special offers for customers on the first day, and feedback from those who ventured into the store was overwhelmingly positive. Unless you arrive via walking or bicycle, your visit will likely begin with drive down into the steep garage below the building.
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Reserved spaces for
military veterans near
the door are a nice touch |
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No Escalades allowed
in this space |
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If you ordered your
groceries online, pull
into the Express Lane
for pick-up |
Once inside, pick up a coffee at the in-store Starbucks.
Now it's time to start shopping!
Now it's time to check out. I'll have to test their self-checkouts, and report to you if they are better than the ones at Giant and CVS (not exactly a high bar).
What's their cheese selection like?
ReplyDeleteFairly large but not huge.
DeleteI was really disappointed in their entry way. I know they have the sausages and Vic card signup for now, but it's a narrow tight pathway to the stairs to go downstairs. Then the stairs split to lead you right into the path of a checkout lane or towards the bathroom in the back. It's not a very grand or inviting entrance
The seating for Starbucks is tightly packed and requires you to walk through the in/out path for the entire store. There is a really inviting dining room room downstairs too.
Oh and the checkout lines were really confusing to lots of people which aisle you stand in to go to which register. And then when you exit out the line you have to wak down a tiny hall to the back stair by the restroom or back through a checkout line up a tiny stair.
Such a bad design.
Maybe Giant and Safeway can follow Teeter's lead and offer preferred parking for our Veterans?
ReplyDeleteThere is preferred parking for veterans at Giant and Safeway? Where is that? I haven't ever noticed.
Deleteisn't parking for veterans kind of weird? It's like an odd version of soldier worshipping. Why don't we have parking for first responders, and nurses, and teachers? Veterans are citizens. If they're disabled then there are the handicap spots. Otherwise, they're just normal people and can park with the rest of us. Sorry if I'm callous, but these spaces are just silly.
ReplyDelete6:03 - Why?
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Harris Teeter honors Veterans with preferred parking. I never said Giant or Safeway had this, but I am suggesting it to them. Great idea Harris Teeter! Particularly since they are so close to Walter Reed/Naval Base.
ReplyDelete6:49 AM I think readers have a better feel for the new store with photos.
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ReplyDeleteI have frequented the HT @ Park Potomac, and North Bethesda and find it odd that the HT self-checkout ask for your affinity card after you start checking merchandise. Giant and Safeway ask for the card when you begin checking out. Does anybody else find this weird? BTW nice story but a challenge to the handicapped.
ReplyDeleteThe enter coupons part of the self-checkout seemed better than Giant. At Giant it regularly freezes at that point.
Delete#Plagiarism
ReplyDelete@6:21 AM - I believe they have "veteran parking" since they are less than 0.5 mile to the biggest military hospital in the USA??!! aka Walter Reed/Bethesda Navy Hospital. I live in the area and for years now I have seen various disable veterans (missing limbs, severely disabled, etc..) biking the neighborhoods in formation. I think it is a nice gesture.
ReplyDeleteIs Dyer elible for veterans' parking?
ReplyDeleteHe's been in a thousand flame wars!
7:40 - disabled makes sense... there are handicap spots for that. But the veterans spots are not marked handicap, or anything else. Just "veterans". Will someone be checking IDs at that spot?
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ReplyDeleteI'll shop there soon. I hate going to places right when they open because they haven't worked out the kinks yet.
ReplyDelete809 sounds like you've worked out the kinks in life - you must be a billionaire! maybe you can buy Robert a loft condo at westbard!
ReplyDeleteHaha. That's me. Measure twice cut once. Don't buy a car its first year. Oh, and let others buy their own condos.
ReplyDeleteMy most im0portant credo:
Live as if today is the day you'll be remembered.
Are there extra-special parking spaces for disabled vets driving low-emission vehicles?
ReplyDeleteHT sent a mailing with coupons for $10 off any purchase of $50 of more, valid only at that store. I received it yesterday.
ReplyDeleteToday I got the same deal and coupons from Safeway. I guess they sense the competition, but Safeway needs to up their game, not just send out coupons. The store on Arlington Road has poor selection, and the store on Old Georgetown is always inadequately staffed and has no self-checkout option.
10:50am Competition is a wonderful thing for consumers.
DeleteToo bad Mr. Berliner blocked Wal-Mart from coming to Rockville Pike with an urban concept.
Wal-Mart would have meant lower prices for MoCo consumers at other retailers.
Kroger, parent of Harris Teeter, is terrorizing Walmart:
Deletehttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/walmart-going-offensive-growing-threat-162108536.html
I entered from the garage...entrance that way seemed to be tight (even without the Vic table). You have no idea what side of self checkout to start a line on. Why is the seating area on the total other side from where the prepared meals and hot bar are?
ReplyDeleteTo think they paid someone to design this store. I understand there probably were some design restrictions, but c'mon.
If they were hoping for some lunch business, its certainly not inviting for that.
Great opening week sales!
I will have to go back when its less busy then the first day open.