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| Today's post highlights DeSoto County, MS, retail. |
Back in December, I shared the news that Fred's has entered a deal whereby they will come to operate (at least) 865 in-need-of-divesting Rite Aid stores should that chain's merger with Walgreens go through. Since Fred's is a Memphis-based company, I'm sure many of my readers who are actually from the Mid-South are at least familiar with their name, if not their stores, too. But for those who live out of the area, such as my friend styertowne over on flickr who asked me what a Fred's store is like, this post's for you!
The store we'll be touring in this post is the Fred's in Hernando, MS. I do want to point out before the post gets majorly underway that this store probably isn't indicative of your typical, more modern Fred's store. Fred's was founded just south of here in Coldwater, MS, in 1947, and it's quite obvious that this is one of their older stores. I wasn't able to find an exact opening date, but the earliest deed I could find online for this store was dated 1979/1980, and the next-door shopping center opened in the mid-1960s, so keep that in mind as we go along!
Stepping inside, though, we see that just because it's old doesn't mean that it can't be well-kept! This is the view from just inside the entrance, complete with an impulse-buy Christmas toy display in the foreground. (These pictures were taken on December 22nd, 2016, so that explains that!)
Looking over to the right from that same vantage point. Mostly seasonal here.
I hadn't been in this store for a few years prior to my visit last December to get these photos, but I always remember thinking that this was the coolest feature of the store! The grocery department here, on the right side of the store, is in an alcove of sorts a few feet above the rest of the salesfloor, accessible by that ramp. We'll explore it more in-depth later in the post...
...but first, let's head onward through the salesfloor. Here we're looking from the clothing department, also on the right side of the store, back toward the front.
Good to know, Fred!
Looking across the rear wall towards the back left corner of the store here. The department I'm standing in is home décor. More home items such as rugs and vacuums are along the wall itself.
Here's a shot of the pet supplies department, looking toward the same spot I was standing in to take the previous photo. Notice how the department is branded "super discount." That's the essence of what Fred's is: a discount chain, not unlike Dollar General or Family Dollar. (It's worth mentioning that a Family Dollar store in the next-door shopping center closed down a few years back, maybe from competition from this Fred's store.) Lately, however, they've been focusing more and more on their pharmacy operations, and certainly plan on keeping that up with the whole Rite Aid deal. But beyond the pharmacy, the rest of the affected Rite Aid stores' product offerings might be gearing a little more toward this sort of stuff if and when Fred's takes over.
Examples of some aisles and products in the store. On top is the electronics section, and on bottom, As Seen on TV. Fairly typical for what you'd expect from a discount store, and on the plus side, of better quality than you'd probably find in a true dollar store. The middle photo was just me validating my use of the word "logo'd" in the past here and on flickr XD
Looking across the center aisle of the store, from the left side to the right. You can see where the wall extends backwards, creating the grocery alcove.
And here's a similar look from left to right, except this time across the rear aisle of the store. The back wall is sorta hidden from view here by the display table with furniture on it on the left of the shot. This is the opposite angle of a picture featured a bit earlier in the post.
The pharmacy occupies the front left corner of the store, and is viewed here with the store's checkouts in the foreground. The pharmacy was the busiest part of the store at the time of my visit, so I wasn't able to get a closer photo of it.
This shot is pretty similar to the last one, except that it was taken from higher up, it seems: yep, you guessed it, we're in the raised-up grocery section now! Below is a similar look "from above" across the rest of the salesfloor.
I can't get over this view down the grocery ramp, haha! It's probably second nature to those who shop here regularly, but I've always found it quirky and unique. I have no clue why this section is like this, or what purpose it might have served originally. Rest assured that most other Fred's stores probably have smooth elevations across their salesfloors :P
A close-up of the grocery signage before we exit the store. The only other major sign I recall seeing in here was the home décor sign in the back right corner, although as I also showed you previously, the pharmacy and pet departments were clearly marked. Underneath the grocery sign here are some coolers; to my right from this vantage point are dry pantry goods, and to my left, cleaning supplies.
Headed back outside now, here's a look at the pharmacy drive-thru window. It's weird to see one of these on the front wall of the store like this! Almost certainly this was a later addition to the store. In the background is the rear lot of the next-door shopping center, home to a very old car wash that is somewhat visible here.
Last but not least, a close-up of the Fred's (Super Dollar) signage above the storefront. You can also see the separate entrance and exit doors here. Note the older logo on the stickers on said doors. I believe this store has had every iteration of Fred's logo there has been thus far!
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| Google Street View capture of the store with its old logo back in September 2007. Per Hernando building codes, the tall road sign was replaced with a low-rise (monument) one when the store was remodeled. Next door on the left is a Post Office, and on the right, a former Big Star grocery store-turned-Minor Bros. Hardware-turned-Complete Home Center. |
I don't think I did the best job of showing the product mix here, but it's your typical stuff, such as groceries, clothing, home décor, pet supplies, health and beauty aids (all of which you did see: guess I did a better job than I thought, lol), toys, cleaning supplies, party supplies, baby items, office/school supplies, etc. - just general merchandise, plus the pharmacy. So that's more or less what you out-of-area folks can expect to find inside a Fred's store if one winds up opening near you, and for those of you who do live in the Mid-South, hope you enjoyed my tour around this neat old Fred's store, which should hopefully have been at least a little different than what you normally see when shopping Fred's!
Until next time, have fun exploring the retail world wherever you are!
Retail Retell
