ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A completely rebuilt Safeway near Bradlee Center reopened
to crowds of shoppers this weekend.
Inside the packed store Saturday, neighbors greeted neighbors as they sampled
a multitude of free foods, including steak, chicken in rice, cheeses, sushi
and peppermint ice cream.
And, long-time employees welcomed back customers they had not seen since the
old store closed in July 2013.
The roughly 61,323-square-foot store at 3526 King St. replaces a dingy 44,000-
square-foot store built in 1982. Safeway tore down the old store and rebuilt
on the same site.
The grand opening festivities started Friday and are continuing though the
holidays.
The store features wider aisles, a larger seafood department, an expanded
deli, a bakery, a large beer and wine department, a fresh-cut produce stand
and a larger flower area. It also has a Starbucks.
The actual store sits above a parking lot. In total, the store has 228 parking
spaces, but was so crowded Saturday that some people had to wait for parking.
Grand-opening deals sent to customers by direct mail may be in part
responsible for the crowds. Different mailers offered customers either $10 off
$50 in groceries or the $10 off plus other discounts on meat and seafood and
free boxes of Cheerios.
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