Lee's Marketplace opens new store in Utah

Grocery stores are like people—they come in all different shapes and sizes. And here at The Local Checkout, I’ll be taking a closer look through a wide lens of independent grocery stores. Because just like people—they all matter.

Lucky 7

Lee’s Marketplace opened its newest store in Richmond, Utah, bringing its total store count to seven.

“More than fifteen years ago, the only grocery store in Richmond closed its doors,” Shari Badger, co-founder of Lee’s, shared. “Afterwards, guests would stop by our store in Smithfield and tell Lee that he needed to open a store in Richmond. He loved to say to me, ‘We could open a store and call it ‘Little Lee’s!’ Finally, we are opening a full-sized Lee’s in Richmond, and we couldn’t be happier.”

At the new location, guests will find grocery essentials but what makes it even more special is the scratch baked goods, ready-made meals, and an upstairs Richmond Café for in-store dining and gourmet popcorn from The Popcorn Shop. 

And yes, the new store offers Lee’s legendary donuts.

People first

The debate of whether to offer cashier-staffed lanes, self-scanners or a mix of both continued this week.

Sparkle Markets serving northeast Ohio posted on Facebook that it has no interest in the labor-saving technology.

Sparkle President Vincent Furrie Jr. released a statement: “Many big grocery brands have decided to phase out their cashiers and replace them with self-checkout machines. They believe limiting human interaction is the future of retail shopping. While stores test this theory, we at Sparkle will not be turning to self-checkout. Employing our neighbors not only benefits the company, but it also benefits our communities. In times like this, jobs are more important than ever. We value the person at the register—we hope you do as well. Helping one another just cannot be replaced.”

Hundreds of comments praising Sparkle for keeping the customer connection were posted on the independent grocer’s Facebook page this week. So it seems the debate to self- or not to self-checkout will continue today and into the future.

Gaelic games

Natural Grocers is going Irish. Well not really, but it is throwing its support as anchor sponsor of the 2023 United States Gaelic Athletic Association (USGAA) National Finals, set to take place in the Denver metro area, next month.

"We couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to become the anchor sponsor of the USGAA National Finals set to take place in our home state," said Natural Grocers Vice President of Marketing Raquel Isely. "As a family-operated business that has been an active part of the Colorado community for almost 68 years, we see this partnership as an ideal way to give back to a health-minded demographic and to bring exciting, national level sporting events to our state from around the world."

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