The Buzz

The new Safeway (in the building that used to be Pak N Save) is shaping up into a very nice store. It is still under remodel but the Bakery & Deli departments had their grand opening today. The displays are very well-done as they invite you to select something scrumptious-looking. This makes for a pleasant shopping experience as long as you don't have two wiggley-whiney kids like I do. The presentation of all the cakes, cookies, pastries, salads, entertaining platters, cheeses, etc. is beautiful. There is a specialty olive kiosk including sicilian, kalamata and other varieties of marinated olives and mushrooms. There is also a huge Chinese food buffet (I was there at 8:30 a.m. so I didn't actually get to see how all the food looked). This seems to be a fairly high-end store carrying lots of gourmet cheeses and in-store baked breads.  The major bonus? There is a new Starbucks right inside the store (on the left-hand side as you walk in). There were only two negatives I noticed during my 1 hour shopping adventure. 1) They only had one check out line open that was not an express line. 2) In many cases the prices seemed extremely high unless an item was on sale. I was not a frequent shopper of Pak N Save, but I would be willing to bet Safeway's prices are significantly higher. Although the store is very nice, I'm not sure I will be going there too often for that reason. They are charging $5.68 for a half gallon of OJ. Ouch! At any rate, the store is a nice addition to our grocery shopping options in Auburn.  However, it still needs more time to ramp up the customer service.

If you haven't heard the news (or rumors) about Auburn getting a Juice Bar (aka Jamba Juice), I wanted to let you know it's true. The new Jamba Juice will be located in the Bel Air shopping center (in the same building as La Bou). Construction is well underway and by the looks of it, we could be getting our juice by July.

Here are the pictures to prove it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Auburn, one option is never enough, so we will also be getting a Smoothie King! Yes folks, the Endurance Capital will be home to two blended juice companies. The second is Smoothie King located in the Raley's shopping center (next to Baskin Robbins and Subway) at the Foresthill exit. Smoothie King is also slated for opening in July.

It will be interesting to see which one serves up the best blended deliciousness.