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Grocery Outlet opens Thursday, grand opening celebration on Saturday

Posted on by Sarah B.

After laying vacant for nearly three years, Grocery Outlet will open at 6333 Geary at 28th Avenue this Thursday.

This is the first San Francisco location for the Grocery Outlet chain in 12 years, which first began in the city in 1946. The chain has more than 200 locations in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania

Grocery Outlet refers to itself as an “extreme-value” grocer, offering prices that are typically 40 to 70 percent lower than its competitors.

“Grocery Outlet buys discounted close-outs of excess inventory from national brand-name manufacturers and private-labels, including fresh produce, organic goods, dry groceries, beauty items and beer and wine, passing the savings directly onto their customers,” the company said in a press release.

The new store clocks in at 9,000 square feet, has 40 employees, plus an expanded Natural, Organic, Specialty and Healthy (NOSH) section.

The proprietors of the new Richmond District location are Travis and Rose Dawson, who recently moved into the neighborhood with their young son who attends school near the store. The couple also owns and operates the East San Jose Grocery Outlet location.

“I also grew up just a few miles from our new store, so there is something truly special about now raising my family here and being a local community resource for the tight-knit, multi-cultural Richmond District residents,” Travis said.

There’s even more local flavor on the 28th Avenue side of the store, where a new mural was painted by local artist Bryana Fleming that features neighborhood landmarks like Green Apple Books, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Alexandria Theater.

The store “soft opens” this Thursday at 8am. Saturday will be the official grand opening celebration which will include free coffee and treats for shoppers, activities for kids, and a chance to enter to win a bevy of prizes including an iPad, a 42-inch television, and free groceries for a year. The celebration runs from 8am until 3pm (prize drawing at 12noon).

There will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday at 9am where a $1,000 donation will be made to the Richmond District Neigborhood Center.

Grocery Outlet will be open daily from 8am to 9pm beginning this Thursday.

Sarah B.


The mural on the 28th Avenue side by Bryana Fleming


Crews worked on new landscaping last Thursday in the parking lot

17 Comments

  1. Yay! I am intrigued to see what shows up in the organic section. I hope they have good bicycle parking too.

    FYI: Don’t be fooled when you see the word “natural” on labels. The term “natural” does not have a legal definition or any agreed upon standards associated with it. Foods labeled as “organic” meet an agreed upon standard/legal definition.

  3. I applaud the commissioning of the mural by a local artist of local sights! Fantastic, thanks very much for doing this. Heck, you’ve got an even bigger canvas on the east side of the store, why not another one?

  4. Really glad this space will be occupied again, and hope it will bring in a positive energy to this corner. The mural makes me happy. I just hope I can buy things like a single apple without it being wrapped in single-use plastic.

  6. Puppets will probably be there…conveniently at a place that most likely sells eggs and has rotten old veggies in the back dumpster….

  9. The mural looks great. Did anyone else notice that the Alexandria Theater is featured. Maybe we need to take that as a hint that this beautiful building should be restored to its original glory and again become a centerpiece on Geary Boulevard.

  10. Jean said: “The mural looks great. Did anyone else notice that the Alexandria Theater is featured. Maybe we need to take that as a hint that this beautiful building should be restored to its original glory and again become a centerpiece on Geary Boulevard.”

    What should have happened is that San Francisco should have taken over the Alexandria as public domain. The landlord of that place is a despicable slumlord!

  11. I have shopped at Grocery Outlet, they have some great egg rolls there, however with Grocery Outlet, its buyer beware.

  12. Kind of what I expected, and so kind of disappointing.

    They’ll have, say, 20 cases of regular Progresso soup, and not one low-sodium can of any brand. Prices were good, but I don’t buy a lot of name-brands products, and there wasn’t much I wanted to get. Some of the fruit was appetizing, however.

    I think it’s good for the homemaker who has time to shop around and bases his or her food choices primarily on price. I’ll stick with F&E, where, with all the various discounts and points, I can do as well on price and have more predictability (but those who hate its self-service checkout will find cashiers here).

  13. I think it will be all the more important to have this store as an option when Safeway closes the La Playa store, likely around January 2015, for a year or so for a complete remodel and for construction of related residential housing at that site.

  14. I’m told the puppets will be there Sat.

    They soft opened @ 8am today.We were there about 12:30 and the place was PACKED. If you plan to shop (besides bringing your reusable bags), here’s a coupon: Tell your checker that you have a $5 off a min $25 purchase. Code: 72366 Expires 11-30-13

  15. Yeah I popped in for a look today and was rather underwhelmed. I’ll stick to the places within walking distance.

  16. They are basically the “Ross” of food stores. they do not have rotten food or expired. they take their stocks from other big name companies that ordered too much and buy it at a cheap price. there are also foods nearing expiration, but about 1-2 months. The dont have a “set” stock. thigns are always changing. but they do have regular items to make it more convenient.

    overall, i think its a nice place to buy some snacks and some daily food that would be used up quickly.

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