Byerly’s - Do you shop there?

First off, I know the name is officially Lunds & Byerly’s, and maybe that’s a part of the problem.

This is specifically about the St. Louis Park store, but I’ve visited others (the original Golden Valley Byerly’s and the revamped Edina store).

I grew up as a 2nd generation only child (my next oldest sibling is 9 years older and was out of the house before he was 18), of a single non-driving mother. Getting groceries was a pain. My grandfather and uncle would take us grocery shopping sometimes, but usually we took a bus or cab to Lunds on Penn and then a cab home. Sometimes we’d go to Cub or I’d be tasked to walk or ride my bike to Red Owl. When mom needed fancy ingredients we’d go to Byerly’s. We loved going to Byerly’s. It was an event.

We used to take out of town guests to Byerly’s like a tourist attraction. They would gape at the sprawling carpeted upscale grocery paradise. That bloom has been off the rose for a while now, but I’ve come to hate shopping there.

Byerly’s used to be the store where you could get your favorite brand of just about any food. Now they stock two or three brands, along with a generic version. They have fewer brand options (except for crackers – they have an impressive wall of most any cracker under the sun), than just about any store save Trader Joe’s.

Things really started to go downhill when their hours changed from 24 hours to 6 am – midnight. They became just another store forced to restock while customers try to make their way around pallets of paper towels and Coke. Not so very special, particularly when you feel gouged at the register.

The pricing is so out of step with neighboring grocery stores (products are sometimes twice the price of Whole Foods, for instance) that I find myself puzzled how they are staying in business.

So, is there a reason to shop there anymore? I buy their lovely solid bottom bags for my use as well as Christmas presents for family, but other than that, I just don’t go to Byerly’s. Do you?

Sorry this post is so disjointed. I started writing this a long time ago, decided it was just a cranky old lady post and let it go. Then I popped in to get something and was again struck by how let down I feel every time I go, and thus added on to this gripey post.