It’s getting close.
I asked in November whether the new Harris Teeter will be open 24 hours … maybe as we get closer to completion the HT folks will be more open to answering a few questions.
What do you think about the new Harris Teeter?
Crozet Harris Teeter – Signs are In Place
Anything new is better than Great Value, the folks at Great Value are nice but their quality of food over the last decade has dropped tremendously and their prices are outrageous. Yes HT prices will be high but their quality and options should be much better. It would be nice to have a store stay open past 8:00pm in Crozet. Thx
From an email commenter:
"A Foodlion would have been more affordable for everyone. Crozet could use a Super Dollar store too! A store everyone can afford to shop in and with more selection for them choose from."
I would have prefered Krogers but woulda, coulda, shoulda….we're getting HT.
From two email commenters:
I'm a relatively new resident in Crozet (came from the DC area just a couple of months ago. It's my understanding that Harris Teeter will be open 24 hours (at least that's what my wife told me — she's usually correct about such things).
Harris Teeter will be somewhat closer to our house and it has a good reputation but I think it'll put a lot of competitive pressure on the grocery store in that little shopping center across from the Crozet train stsation (I forget the exact name). The people there are very friendly and my wife is astounded that the bag boys carry her groceries out to her car (doesn't happen much in the DC area). We'll probably shop at both places. We love the Crozet area and the environs! What a dramatic and pleasant change it is (in many ways) from DC!
——
We are looking forward to the "grand opening" of Harris Teeter. It will be a pleasure to have a good quality super market nearby. Great Value has been a good local grocer but we are expecting the new Harris Teeter to surpass Great Value in regard to their offerings.
It's great to get the local news from "Real Crozet VA" and the rumor of the Mudhouse coming to Crozet was quite interesting. I think the coffee house at Old Trail will suffer as a result of the Mudhouse establishing itself in Crozet, especially with today's economy.
You are providing a great service to our community. Thanks a lot!
Jim,
I can’t agree with you more. Having lived here now for a few months, the Great Value is our preferred choice: it’s less expensive, their selection is quite amazingly broad, and includes a lot of local items. You have to look below the surface, because the store is nowhere near as pretty as the sparkly new HT, but once you do, I think it’s obvious that the choice is Great Value.Â
There is a sign to the right of the "Harris Teeter" sign that says it will be open 24 Hours.
Lets hope for 24 hours, but can we support that??? I wonder how many jobs in Crozet this has created.
The disparaging comment regarding Crozet's Great Value grocery store might be perceived as ludicrous were it not so offensive.
Our locally-owned and operated COMMUNITY grocery store has served us well for generations. They are responsive to special customer requests, their service to each shopper is exemplary, and their long-time and continuing support of the Crozet community–most often behind the scenes–SHOULD be an example every area business might strive to equal.
As a long time resident of this community, I have continued to support Crozet Great Value even as I have occasionally shopped at most of the other "super" markets in this region. I have never perceived a deficit in the quality of the offerings of our home town grocer.
Like most of Crozet Great Value's customers, I feel appreciated as their customer AND neighbor, something that I never notice when shopping at the mega-stores. Be careful of what and WHOM you criticize. Crozet Great Value is owned, managed and staffed by good people who deserve our respect and appreciation for a clean, bright, well-stocked, quality grocery store.
I am not affiliated with this business in any way except as a customer and observer of the ways they serve our community. To state that "anything new is better than …" reflects very poorly on the one who wrote those words. Let both the long-settled as well as the newly-landed residents of western Albemarle County recognize the true worth of the good things around them before they wish for something "new".
John-N
I have to say "Amen" to John N. I have been shocked at what some people have been saying about IGA (Great Valu) and apparently they haven't been in the store very much. Jean has gone above and beyond to please everyone. They dramatically increased the beer/wine section and have put in an entirely new "organic" section as well as many other items throughout the store. The employees could not be any friendlier and they even put your groceries in your car! I am long time resident of Crozet and I'm tired of hearing people constantly put down our "community" establishments. We were doing just fine before all of these new things came to town.
It might be nice to have a 2nd grocery store to run to if IGA is out of something or does not carry but I will not be shopping regularly at HT. There prices are extremely high and I have to wonder how many Crozetians they'll hire or will they bring people in from C'ville. If it's the latter you can bet they won't be nearly as friendly as IGA employees.
I think what a lot of people think of IGA, as it was know in Crozet for a long time, is what many of us think about small stores all across the country. When you're on vacation in the Outer Banks where do you shop, the Harris Teeter or the run down place that has people in flip flops and no shirts? In Charlottesville, do you shop at Reed's Market or Kroger, Rebecca's Natural Foods or Whole Foods? I actually prefer the flip flops and no shirts, and if you've never been to Reed's, its great. It is family owned, just like IGA.
Yeah, you're right, it doesn't have flashy lights, brand spanking new floors and not everything in there is the cheapest. But, have you ever gone in and talked to Mr. Maupin? I've seen him buy the most beautiful produce off the back of a farmer's truck and sold for great prices after having paid the farmer, what seems to be a fair deal. Have you ever asked Jean to help you out of a tight spot on the grocery bill? I don't know how many times I've seen people leave their money at home and she just tells them to come back later to pay. And did I not not see the IGA wine section recently featured as carrying more local (Crozet, Albembarle) wines than just about everywhere? It's not a perfect store, and I'm not always happy when I shop there but it is Crozet, it is what has glued this community together for a long time and has moved forward with the times.
If you disagree, take a stop in and do some shopping, say hi to your neighbors. If you still don't like it, shop at Harris Teeter, eat at Domino's, bank at Bank of America and leave the IGA, Crozet Pizza and Sal's, and the UVA Credit Union to us, the people who like a little local flare. And be mindful when you're in the Outer Banks, the Harris Teeter is often more expensive the the no name place you've probably driven past numerous times, and you actually have to change after you get out of the water.
Sorry for the 3 posts, it made me split them up.
I couldn't help but pause when I saw this warning.
"To state that "anything new is better than …" reflects very poorly on the one who wrote those words. Let both the long-settled as well as the newly-landed residents of western Albemarle County recognize the true worth of the good things around them before they wish for something "new"
John N. , your warning to local residents is perhaps strongly worded, and perhaps it doesn't fully take into account that local residents may disagree amongst themselves as to what "good things" are at any given time.. But even so,, the general sentiment you have expressed beautifully sums up many people's feelings on urban planning efforts, high-density rezonings,, and the changes brought by the environmental and fiscal expense of urbanization plans.
It is refreshing to see that you are fired up about preserving Crozet! I welcome your continued efforts in fighting the "new" expensive taxpayer-funded urbanization plans that threaten the "good things".
Now, where are those flip flops I had laying around the house — the vintage Bohemian "local flared" ones with the comfortably worn-out soles?
I am new to the area and have shopped at Kroger at Rio, Giant at Seminole Square and HT at Barracks Rd. I have found the people at Great Valu to be friendly, helpful and courteous. They always bag and take the groceries to the car. I have been in HT at Barracks Rd and have had to bag my own groceries. I will continue to shop at Great Valu but I will enjoy having a HT close by for things I can't find at Great Valu or if I need something after 8:00 p.m. I really like the friendly people at Great Valu though.
I personally don’t select a business simply for their longevity. Both Great Valu and Harris Teeter help the community financially. However, there have been MANY evenings we have needed grocery items and GV is closed – that is not responsive to a growing community’s needs. Both have a good selection based on the square footage of their respective stores. Both can be expensive unless you stick with the sale items. However, at HT, the e-vic specials are outrageous: a box of cereal for $.99 or a jar of pasta sauce free or a 12 pk. of paper towels for $5.77. As far as cleanliness, there is no comparison. Both deliver your groceries to your car and have friendly people working there. I bought 3 bags of groceries tonight (2lbs stew meat, 2lbs barbeque, rolls, cereal, produce, laundry & dish detergent) for $36 at HT tax included. That’s not expensive. For my family, HT edges out on hours open and a wide selection of items. I will go to GV if I happen to be going that direction though, not just because they’ve been around the longest.
Harris Teeter Preferential Parking for Hybrids
Today I was shopping at our Crozet (Blue Ridge) Virginia Harris Teeter and saw that there were special parking places given to those driving hybrid vehicles. You have got to be kidding.
Such political correctness and partisan politics is ridiculous. Driving a hybrid does nothing for planet earth and giving preferential treatment to those who do breaks the principle of justice, treating all people as equally important.
If you wanted to treat some as more important than others, driving a hybrid would not even be on my top 100 categories of people to honor.
How about the poor who can’t afford hybrids? How about the service men and women who make it possible for private citizens to own anything? How about the small business owners who employ most of the people who shop at Harris Teeter? How about those productive few making over $250,000 a year who pay most of the taxes?
You are breaking the principle of justice and equality and encouraging a false sense of pride and hypocrisy. Please change your evil practice and remove the signs for preferential parking based on what type of car people drive.
Tell them to drop the PC parking if they want any Republicans to shop there.
I could not agree more, so much so I park my Durango and Suburban in it all the time.
Susan, hybrids are significantly more fuel efficient than other vehicles. Let’s not equate hybrids with left-wing/eco nuts. They’re doing something to help the US be energy independent, by using the precious little fuel we produce more efficiently.
A hybrid wastes more in the production of the vehicle than it
can save in it’s lifetime. If fuel is so precious why do we export so much of it?