FOOD FIGHT CONTINUES AS STORES GRAPPLE FOR GROCERY CUSTOMERS

Even with all the competition for the grocery shopper's dollar in the Cape Girardeau area, nobody seems to be hurting for business.

Every Saturday supermarket parking lots are packed with working moms and dads on their one convenient day to shop. Even during times of the year expected to be slow -- now, for instance -- everyone is out spending big dollars on food.

That's good news for the three local stores that expanded last year: In Jackson, Town and Country changed its name and moved to the middle of town, becoming Country Mart; in Cape Girardeau, Aldi's moved and expanded; and Schnuck's bought the National store, turning it into Schnuck's Midtown.

All the store managers report increased earnings and happy customers as a result of their moves.

Jim Kincy of Country Mart said his location at East Jackson Boulevard and South Hope Street couldn't be better. It has attracted customers even in February, traditionally a slow month for the grocery business.

"I would say we have a prime store in a prime spot in a prime town," Kincy said. "We're not seeing any slowdown. A lot of times families with kids will buy more beans and potatoes this time of year because they only have so much income."

Kincy attributed Country Mart's success to good service, wide variety and low prices. The combination has attracted customers from Cape Girardeau and as far as Southern Illinois.

Dennis Marchi, manager of Schnuck's, cited the same combination for the two Schnuck's stores' success. The chain bought several National stores in the St. Louis area and the one on Sprigg Street here.

The Kingshighway store stayed open, but some employees chose to move to the new store.

"Our standards were different from National's, so we had to do some sanitation work and bring in more product variety," Marchi said. "Now we have the best-possible products available, the cleanest store possible and the friendliest people."

Marchi said providing the best of everything is necessary in an area where grocery competition is so stiff.

"The pie is only so big so somebody isn't getting very much of it," Marchi said. "The population isn't growing that much, but grocery stores are."

Aldi's uses the value approach in getting its share, said Paul Piorkowski, vice president of the St. Louis division. The new Aldi's store on Kingshighway and Independence is about 30 percent larger than the old store and has plenty of new customers.

When the new store was built, architects tried to plan for the next 20 years.

Piorkowski said some shoppers are skeptical at first, not believing that a store with low prices could have quality food. Once they check things out, however, they come back, he said.

"The initial attraction is price," Piorkowski said. "We get the value-conscious shopper. When they come in they love the prices and notice the quality."

He agreed with Marchi that the consumer population in Cape Girardeau isn't growing very quickly, but more people from outside the city come here to do their shopping. Many from out of town have come in to check out the new Aldi's.

"When you have a new store open, you enjoy a substantial increase in business," Piorkowski said. "I don't know how much of that is just because we have a better site now."

A loser in the Cape Girardeau area food fight was Shop 'n Save at 254 S. Silver Springs Rd. Store management met with employees Feb. 12 to announce the store's closure. They said the doors would be locked after inventory was liquidated.

Management didn't get specific on reasons for the closure, merely pointing to "economics."