3.5 Stars for the Lake Ronkonkoma ShopRite.
When the Lake Ronkonkoma ShopRite opened on Friday, August 8, 2018; it brought life to a former Waldbaum's and dying shopping center. The Waldbaum's that used to be here used to be one of the busiest locations in the chain from the time it opened around 1988 until Shop & Stop opened up in the early 1990s. It was a Waldbaum's that I had so many memories at. Being walking distance to the house I was a regular shopper and worked there for a few years when I went to college. Is it any wonder that I would shop in the relatively new ShopRite a couple of times when I visited my dad a couple of weeks ago.
ShopRite is a cooperative and not a chain. This location is owned by the Gallagher family whom also owns the Selden and Port Jefferson Station ShopRites. Unlike the Stop & Shop a few hundred feet west off Portion Road, it is in a shopping center instead of by itself. This is advantageous because you can stop in ShopRite then walk to businesses such as Strathmore Bagels, Jersey Mike's, Chipotle, a Chinese Takeout, Dollar Tree, Auto Zone, Albert's Pizza, and Boston Market. If you go to Stop & Shop most likely you will have to return to your vehicle to patronize another business. One of the nicest things about this Shoprite was that it brought back to life a shopping center that was dying between Waldbaum's closing in 2012 and Shoprite's opening in 2018. The drawback is that the parking lot can be challenging. Back when Waldbaum's was in its prime, it was chaotic finding a parking space during weekends and Holidays. Just recently the shopping center took out a chunk of parking spaces to build a Jersey Mike's, Chipotle, and space for rent. In addition to the parking space challenges, the parking lot is on an incline which gives the potential for a shopping cart and automobile collision. I recommend parking further away by Auto Zone and Dollar Tree. The good thing about the parking lot is that the two entrances onto Portion Road have a traffic light.
At 45,000 square feet this is a nicely decorated supermarket. There is a cozy neighborhood vibe to the supermarket. Unlike some supermarkets it doesn't have the overwhelming warehouse vibe where you feel like you are going to get bumped by a shopping cart. This has a more cozy feel than the Stop & Shop up the street. Perhaps because it is family owned. I like the color panel, lighting, flooring and the picturesque signing over the made from scratch bakery, the full service meat department, produce, and throughout the store. From the outside this 45,000 square foot ShopRite appears a lot larger than it really is. The reason is that the backroom is really to the left side of the building instead of at the back. That is why there are trailers sticking out of the left side of the building. The downside to this more cozy feel is that they have less of a selection than Stop & Shop. Another thing is that this building was built in the late 1980s when the majority of Long Island supermarkets did not provide public restrooms. That includes the Waldbaum's that used to be here. Unless the new owners paid major dollars to retrofit new restrooms, there are only private restrooms upstairs from the stockroom.
Both times that I went here, I enjoyed walking around plus seeing brands that are hard to find in Las Vegas like Wise Potato Chips and Polly O. They also sell rainbow cookies in their made from scratch bakery. In this shopping environment that is conducive to walking around, I saw that you needed a ShopRite Plus Card to take advantage of the great deals.
At the checkout there was both self checkout and full service. Unfortunately they leave the last impressions of a supermarket. From my experience the lady who was the cashier the first time and the man who ran self checkout can use a course in customer service. The woman was borderline rude when I answered that I do not have a ShopRite Plus Card because I live out of state. And both times they did not thank me for shopping at ShopRite. Unfortunately Waldbaum's learned the hard way that you need to provide great customer service.
I give this ShopRite 3.5 stars. In what was once a dying shopping center, it brought a modern supermarket to the community. It also put the brakes on a Stop & Shop monopoly. read more