You won’t be needing your A&P bonus card much longer in Morristown.
As of Oct. 31, 2013, the grocery store on Washington Street will stop honoring all A&P coupons and chain discounts, as it prepares to close on Dec. 6 after 44 years in town.
A Whole Foods Market plans to open at the site in late 2014, after renovations are made.
A&P Co-Manager David Devers said his store’s 48 employees will be transferred to other A&P venues. The closest stores are in Randolph, Denville and Boonton.
“I’m confident they’ll do the right thing for us. We’ll be transferred with the same pay and seniority,” said Terry Chernes, manager of the liquor department.
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The A&P decided to call it quits because its lease is up and a rent hike is too steep, according to Co-Manager Thomas Clanton.
“The profit wouldn’t be there with the increase they wanted,” he said on Tuesday.
‘LIKE A FAMILY’
It will be hard pulling up stakes, Terry said. Twenty of his 37 years with the company have been spent in Morristown–a stint surpassed only by Chuck Parillo.
“The employees are like a family. The customers are like a family. It’s unusual to be in a store for so many years,” Terry said.
“This is an extension of my family,” said shopper Kathleen O’Neill Margiotta, who is Morristown’s Clean Communities program coordinator.
“I will miss the convenience, and the friendly checkers. If you’re moving, they’ll save boxes for you. They will save stuff for you if they don’t have it. It’s really good for people who don’t have cars in this neighborhood.”
Kathleen acknowledged that the store itself could use an overhaul. She expressed hope that Whole Foods won’t forget about meeting the needs of local residents.
Other longtime customers expressed similar sentiments.
“It’s sad,” said Barbara Preziosi, an arts teacher who has shopped at the Morristown A&P for four decades. “Whole Foods is very pricey. The average person can’t afford it.”
Geri Greene called the local A&P’s impending demise “pitiful.”
“It’s a very convenient location, and it has good general supplies. It’s nice to be able to buy alcohol in a supermarket. And they’re so friendly,” the customer said.
Another shopper, a Morris Township resident who only gave her name as Anne, said she likes the A&P staff but looks forward to Whole Foods’ arrival.
“I think it’s great that Whole Foods is coming in,” she said. “I like organic food and vegetarian things. They’re more in line with the way I shop.”
Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty predicted Whole Foods will give the neighborhood a boost.
“They’re very active in communities. It’s a plus for everybody,” said the Mayor, adding that the town will make sure any increased vehicular traffic is controlled smoothly, as is the case near the busy Kings Super Market on South Street.
NEW LIQUOR STORE?
Although A&P coupons and discount cards won’t be honored any longer, in-store discounts will be offered in the final weeks to clear the shelves, Tom Clanton said.
“It’s a balancing act,” he said. “We’ll have enough merchandise to keep the business going.”
The Washington Street store opened in 1969, Tom said, and was renovated in 1999.
Whole Foods won’t be the only new option for A&P customers. ShopRite is poised to open on Nov. 6 on Hanover Avenue in Hanover, with amenities that include childcare service and a café with free WiFi, in addition to a pharmacy, catering, home delivery and liquor sales.
The A&P’s liquor aisle has been a big moneymaker. It’s possible the company may seek another location in town to open a liquor store, said Terry, the liquor department manager.
What about Whole Foods buying the A&P liquor license?
“We’d love to,” said Whole Foods spokesman Michael Sinatra, “but the state of New Jersey only allows each company two liquor licenses.” Whole Foods already has liquor sales in Paramus and Middletown, he explained.
Whoever acquires the A&P distribution license will face plenty of competition.
Fourteen such licenses allow liquor sales in Morristown, according to Town Clerk Matt Stechauner. Another 23 alcohol consumption licenses permit establishments to serve liquor.
That number does not include special licenses for the Hyatt Morristown and the Mayo Performing Arts Center, or the state concessionaire’s permit for the Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, scheduled to open next April in the Vail Mansion.
Not everyone who lives in Mendham is a hedge-fund manager. Some are public school teachers, social workers, public works employees, and retired folks. The general feeling is that WF is not right for the location. Many of us loved having A&P as a spot to pick up a few items that spared us from the expense of Kings. WF will just be another Kings, too expensive for the walkable neighbors and us westerlies who aren’t 1 percenters.
I am sorry to see the A&P go- although I have to agree the place was often dirty and most times the milk I purchased spoiled way before the due date. A Trader Joes would have made more sense- at least it is affordable. I don’t shop Whole Foods in Madison and doubt I will shop this one unless I have a very special need.
I agree that Whole Foods is a VERY poor “replacement” for A&P, Morristown is a diverse place economically. With the loss of A&P to a high-end market, where are the low and moderate income residents — who are more concentrated on the west and northwest side of town,, near this location — supposed to shop for food?? If you’re making regular-people, not professional-elite wages, and especially if you don’t have regular access to a car, you’ll be out of luck for an affordable, general purpose food market.
This is sad sad news. AandP served an important function as an affordable supermarket walking distance to town. Those of us who enjoy car free living and shopping in Morristown aren’t looking forward to driving to the new Shop Rite, or Stop and Shop. Kings is walkable but as expensive as WF.
Although it was super convenient when I needed something in a pinch, I am happy to see them go and look forward to whole foods. As of now, I travel to Shop Rite in Chatham for quality groceries. This store has definitely gone down hill over the years, the produce and meat section was not fresh or appealing in most cases, especially when you had to battle the smell of dirty mop water. Often times, floors would be filthy, lights would be out and shelves not stocked. Most of the staff were not warm as friendly. A trader joes would have rocked.
This latest development illustrates what has been happening to Morristown as well as the rest of the country. Believe it or not, Morristown was once the kind of town where working people could actually rent or buy a home, raise a family, run a business, make a living, etc. I’m not talking about rich people, I’m talking about lower to middle income folks. The kinds of people who shopped in A & P or the old Shop Rite (now Staples). These folks would have loved to shop in Kings, if they had the money. It seems like working people in America have been getting a raw deal for a while now. The “Whole Foods” (replacing A & P) is part of this trend. The “Lower 90%” will probably not be able to shop there either. Maybe the wealthy hedge-fund managers will drop by for some groceries, before returning to their homes in Mendham.
I agree with some of the people in the article above, I’m a bit disappointed. I stop by King’s every once in awhile to pick up one or two things but a lot of things are way over priced so I did most of my shopping at A&P as it seems like it’s more for the average salaried people.
I’ll check out Whole Foods but doubt I’ll do my normal shopping there. Looks like I’ll be going to Acme in Morris Plains from now on, or the Shop Rite mentioned above when it opens.