TOUR: Stop & Shop - Mahopac, NY

Stop & Shop

Opened: 2018

Location: 1001 US-6, Mahopac, NY

Photographed: May 2019

Okay, brief backstory here. Grand Union has a store here which closes in 2001. A Key Food operator takes it over, selling around 2010 to the Dabashi family who keeps the Key Food. In 2016, Stop & Shop takes over the lease and demolishes the Key Food building and the neighboring CVS. In 2018, the Dabashis take over nearby Red Mills Market and Stop & Shop opens a store just under 50,000 square feet on the site of the GU/Key Food. Make sense? Good. This store was also one of the first to open with the new Stop & Shop logo and interior prototype, and early renderings in fact show it with the older logo.

This is the first time I had experienced the new store prototype in person. I must say, it's pretty impressive (I am not a fan of Stop & Shop otherwise). The store is a little bit on the small side, in fact, for a new-build major supermarket, but it feels quite spacious. This is likely a result of the fairly basic offerings in store -- for instance, there is neither a pharmacy nor a cafe, and only a limited selection of prepared foods.

That all said, the store is still striking inside. The ceilings are high and attractively designed, with a minimum of decor around the store and sleek fixtures throughout. Produce lines the left side of the grand aisle, with prepared foods, deli, and bakery on the right side. Service meat and seafood at the back of the first aisle, with meat along the back wall. Dairy and frozen are on the far side of the store, with beer on the front wall.

Front corner of the store with prepared foods. I love the dark sections with lit signs, and I wish that had been continued around the store.

A little strange to see most of the deli is self-service, with only a small service counter at the back. New stores from competitors like ShopRite and ACME maximize service departments, so I would expect Stop & Shop to be taking a similar approach for a clearly upscale store.

Very nice bakery in the back corner, with some great-looking breads, again in self-service form though.

Meat and seafood still a little on the small size, but I suppose since many (most?) Stop & Shop stores don't have service seafood at all, this is quite a step up.

It is a beautiful grand aisle though, despite those complaints I have. Most of that is just based on the stores I have shopped at for years -- and I've never lived near enough to a Stop & Shop to make that my preferred choice.

Meat department looking a little lonely up here all by itself.

Still, the store is very spacious and the overall experience is quite pleasant.

One element that I thought was consistently excellent throughout the store was the merchandising of organic and natural products, which are centralized in each category (shown here, for instance, is organic soup and broth). I am not a fan of the separate natural departments, but I thought this was a great way to put everything together. I've seen similar techniques in assorted ShopRite and Food Bazaar stores, but this signage and setup is far superior.

Milk in the back corner.

Frozen foods take up aisle 14 and one side of aisle 15. Dairy lines the other side of 15, changing to beer in the front which continues along the front wall.

No decor in the last aisle. I understand the appeal of minimal decor but I personally love some fun and well-designed decor!

Moving into beer in the front corner.

Looking across the bright and spacious front-end. Customer service and floral are at the other end near the entrance.

Well, I must say that despite the fact that this is the new Stop & Shop top-tier prototype, I was not blown away. It's nice to be sure, but it's not quite up to the standard I'd expect. For any Stop & Shop fans reading the blog, please be aware my standards are random, capricious, and unrealistically high. With that in mind, we'll be touring the day after tomorrow a store that really did blow me away. Tomorrow we have a former supermarket over on Grocery Archaeology!