Why all the FUSS over Festival Foods?

Since the rumors started circulating about Festival Foods coming to the former Kmart site all I've heard is, “ANOTHER grocery store?” I know, I know,  I've done the rundown of all the grocers in Janesville so let’s review them together, we have Woodman's, Walmart, Sam's, Target, Schnuk's, Sentry, Piggly Wiggly, Pic N Save, Basics and Aldi. Am I forgetting anyone???

Now, which one(s) do you shop at?

Think about it now... 

I shop at several, some for convenience, price, processed food, produce, meat, seafood, cheese, party portions and toiletries. I wondered what I might like to shop for at Festival Foods, so I decided to take a road trip to the nearest one in Fort Atkinson. My list consisted of a belated birthday card, a bottle of wine, and skim milk. The necessities ;)

It was a Sunday afternoon with partly cloudy skies and 60 degree weather, a pretty nice day for early April in Wisconsin. I pulled into the parking lot, it was somewhat full but I was able to find a spot near the entrance. I’ve been told that the Fort Atkinson store is a “rehab” store (formerly Sentry) and it doesn’t reflect the latest and greatest floor plan of the future Festival Foods in Janesville. I grabbed a cart, made a mental note of the Redbox automated DVD rental, and walked into the store. I was immediately taken by the fresh flowers and the floral arrangements to my right. Also nearby, was the Tot Spot, a childcare area where children can stay/play during the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Now I have a 13 year old, but boy would that have been convenient 10 years ago. I slowly strolled by what appeared to be the bulk or sale items of the week followed by the large and beautifully displayed produce department. Yummy!

Next was the Wine & Spirits store which can be entered through the grocery store or by way of the curb. Note: wine was an item on my list. I noticed the brand I typically buy in Janesville that was marked $4.00 more than Woodman's Liquor Store price so I decided to pass. (The Janesville Festival Foods liquor store will not be accessible through the actual store but through another entrance like other Janesville grocers that sell alcohol).

Then I ran into the greeting card area, another item on my list, it was pretty small and I wasn't taken with any of their belated birthday cards they had to offer. Personally, Basics is my favorite place to purchase a card.

Then I skimmed the Lunch Meat/Hot Dog/Dinner Sausage coolers. They were nicely displayed with lots of variety but not an item on my list.

My next stop was the Meat and Seafood department. Oh my goodness, it looked spectacular! I typically purchase my steak and seafood at Schnuck’s, this was definitely comparable. There was also a cooler of fish displayed a little further down from the fresh cuts and I noticed a nice package of two piece salmon, prepackaged and oven ready, $6.49. It was suddenly in my cart.

The Dairy department was next. It was average sized but not nearly the variety of brands that other Janesville grocers carry. Skim milk was an item on my list. Therefore, I picked up a ½ gallon of the Dean brand for $2.29. I glanced at the assortment of cheeses. In my opinion, Woodman’s and Basics have a better selection.

As I entered the Deli area, I was pleasantly greeted by the smell of rotisserie chicken, one of my many favorites. Sam’s Club offers a large rotisserie chicken for $5.00, but I couldn’t resist and picked up one for $6.99. Note: this was NOT on my list and this was just one of many items I could have picked up in the Deli. The slogan “Dine At Home” is displayed in this department. Um, yeah… They had all kinds of scrumptious things, fresh salads, pastas, BBQ ribs, chicken, you name it, they had it! The deli also featured a salad bar and a hot bar along with a table and chairs for the dine at store customer. I was tempted.

Lastly was the Bakery, another oh my goodness moment! I purchased yet another item NOT on my list, six M&M cookies, for $3.99. (It took everything inside of me not to open them on the car ride home).

I proceeded to the checkout without even entering into the lines of canned, boxed and professionally packaged foods, my total $19.76 plus tax. I headed home feeling satisfied with my road trip.

Once I got home though I decided to do a little more research on the grocer and visited their website, festfoods.com. It was filled with great information like an Ads & Coupon Savings Center, an option to subscribe for weekly specials to be sent to your email, a “Tip of the Week”, a fruit and vegetable guide “What’s Peak this Week”, recipes, as well as an eat well/health, community events, and sampling and savings event tabs. But what I found most interesting was that Festival Foods is a family-owned company operating stores throughout Wisconsin. It was founded in 1946 in Onalaska, Wis as Skogen’s IGA by Paul and Jane Skogen. With only $500 of borrowed money, Paul and Jane began the company which now operates 18 full-service, state-of-the-art supermarkets and employs more than 5,000 full and part-time associates. Festival Foods is well-known for its “Boomerang Theory” – every business decision is based on the question, “Will it bring the customer back?” Interesting, a Wisconsin founded and based family-owned company that will boost employment in Rock County and the “Boomerang Theory.” You betcha, I’ll be back!