Save-A-Lot Foods in Charlotte Officially Open

I headed out to Charlotte, NC to the grand opening of the new Save-A-Lot grocery store at 3033 Freedom Drive. I was invited out as a North Carolina food blogger and was excited, since I don't think I've ever been to a ribbon cutting for a grocery store before. Probably not. I think I would remember that.

The day started off stressy, because I borrowed my son's TomTom, and he had the sound shut off. There is nothing much more useless than a GPS that does not talk to you. I stopped three times to try to fix that including getting help, but all the kids were in school, and none of us older folks could get that figured out.

Since I allowed an hour and a half for an hour trip, I made it about 5 minutes before the grand opening. WHEW! I hate cutting things close like that. Next time, maybe I'll camp out or buy my own TomTom and hide it from the boys, so they do not mess with the settings.

In any case, I made it to the Save-A-Lot - which is always a good thing when folks are looking for you.



The North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, J. Keith Crisco, was one of the special guests at the Save-A-Lot opening. I snagged him for a photo, since I'd promised some of my grill buddies that I would come back with, at least, one photo to post at Grillers Index.

Mr. Crisco is probably wondering who the heck grabbed him for a picture (-: But, he was a great sport. And, now he knows the Barbecue Master was at Save-A-Lot.

During the ceremony, Mr. Crisco noted that it was good to have stores offering low prices including healthy foods like fresh produce. Some of the budget grocery stores are slack on produce and meats, but Save-A-Lot has a nice selection. It's fresh too. I just ate a yellow delicous apple from the store.

Another thing noted by Mr. Crisco is that the new store in Charlotte means 25 more jobs in the area. Since there are six new Save-A-Lot stores in the Carolinas, that means several new openings which is a good thing with a 11% unemployment rate in NC currently.



Another VIP at the opening was the mayor of Charlotte, Michael Foxx. I'd not had a chance to meet him before, and he was very personable.

Mayor Foxx recalled that when he was a kid, his family would have to drive a good ways to a grocery store. The prices in his neighborhood were too high, or the quality was lacking. He was glad to see Save-A-Lot come to the Freedom Drive area of Charlotte, and he proclaimed today as Save-A-Lot Food Day in Charlotte.



I was expecting a traditional ribbon cutting where someone simply cuts a ribbon and declares the store "open." Save-A-Lot made it more fun than that. They had the VIPs roll some really cute little kids around in baskets on a scavenger hunt around the store.

To start off the grocery hunt, they lined up the carts and pushed through an opening day banner. Then, it was all over the store to find the food items on the list. I had to laugh when one little girl told Mr. Crisco that she really thought they needed two loaves of the wheat bread. She is going to grow up to be a savvy shopper I'm sure. And, Mr. Crisco grabbed her a second loaf.



The grand opening of Save-A-Lot was fun. Everyone had a super time - especially the kids. There were large carts perfect for shopping with little ones and with plenty of space to make a big grocery run. The grown ups got earth frinedly Save-A-Lot shopping bags with food samples like cereal, brownie mix, and fresh produce.



If you missed the grand opening, you can still check out Save-A-Lot in the Carolinas and get $5 off $20. Also, sign up for the Save-A-Lot club online. They have recipes and also print off coupons to take to the store. The coupon is good through 4-10-2010. Check out Save-A-Lot early to get extra savings on top of the already super low prices.

Save-A-Lot Grocery Store Ribbon Cutting in Charlotte, NC

Save-A-Lot - New Store in Charlotte, NC

I'm headed to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Save-A-Lot grocery store in Charlotte, NC to blog tomorrow. It is the location at 3033 Freedom Drive. The other new stores are in Kannapolis, Shelby, Fayetteville and Lexington, NC.

Save-A-Lot is new to North Carolina, but they have 1200 stores across 39 states. Save-A-Lot is a low cost grocery store with a focus on low costs with a good selection of fresh produce, dairy products, and fresh meats. As a griller and barbecue person, it is appealing to have the fresh items (and especially meats) at lower prices.


Save-A-Lot Features Fresh Produce at Low Prices

I've not been to a Save-A-Lot discount grocery store before, so I'm excited about checking it out. They emailed and then called to invite me out for the ribbon cutting. I'm impressed that they took the time to look up North Carolina food bloggers (and especially grill/barbecue folks) and to include us in the roll out of the stores. Some companies kind of overlook the online communities.

I was telling my brother, who lives in Dayton, about my plans for tomorrow. He said he shops at Save-A-Lot there in Ohio and that they do have good products and great prices. He entertains a lot, and he watches the budget but likes quality food products, so I was glad to hear that he knows and likes Save-A-Lot.

Another thing I would note is that Save-A-Lot is donating $25,000 to food banks in the local communities where they are opening stores. I notice things like that. Companies used to work hard at being good corporate neighbors. That kind of got lost over the years. It is nice that Save-A-Lot is helping here in North Carolina where many people have lost jobs with Cannon shutting down and Freightliner cutting way back (just for a couple of examples). Also, opening up grocery stores in the state means more jobs which are much needed.


Save-A-Lot Makes a $5000 Donation to Second Harvest Food Bank, Charlotte

I'll scope things out tomorrow at Save-A-Lot. I have my Acer netbook, digital camera, and notebook packed. As always, I'll tell you what I really think. That's why I blog. I like to share solid information whether it be easy-to-follow grill recipes, coupons, reviews or just thoughts from the woman grill cave.

If anyone has thoughts, observations, or tips on Save-A-Lot, be sure to leave a comment. I have my credit card packed too (-: So if you know of anything I should definately add to my grocery list, hit me with it.