After completing extensive renovations, the ShopRite of Glassboro is a beautiful and very functional new supermarket that will surprise you as soon as you cross the entrance threshold. They have set April 30th as the start of their Grand Opening celebrations.
Full details are still to come regarding the Grand Opening festivities, but for two weeks after April 30th they’ll offer games, entertainment, events, giveaways, samples, special promotions and much more! Check their Facebook page for more details as they announce them.
But you can go right now and experience what is essentially a new supermarket. In my visit last week there were no signs of construction crews or unfinished elements.
Honestly as soon as I crossed through the entrance threshold and saw how beautiful the produce and Fresh Kitchen area was… I was happily shocked and amazed!
It truly is an attractive and smartly designed store.
I visited on a very early morning weekend so there were not too many customers in the store, and I really got a chance to soak in the design and style of the space.
What caught my attention first? The beautiful multitoned wood-grain style flooring, the sleek black refrigerated product bins and deli display cases which really allows the bright colors of the products and produce to ” pop”… or just the spaciousness of it all?
I use the latest model iPhone for my photography now and honestly, I feel like some of these photos are worthy of the cover of a supermarket industry magazine. It all just looks so good.
Now before we dive too deeply into this, I want to say up front that owner Zallie did not know I was coming to the store, Zallie did not ask me to come to the store, and I have not been paid for this write-up. In fact while I know they are very aware of my website, they do not go out of their way at all to reach out to me.
So this is all just my own impressions from an unsolicited visit a few days ago that truly had me saying “wow, I’d drive out of my way to shop here”
And luckily for many folks in South Jersey this is not the only big supermarket project for the Zallie team as in a few short weeks they will be opening a brand-new store in Woolwich New Jersey, and still to come is a completely new build out in Blackwood
I think it’s a safe assumption that the same thought to style and functionality will be found in Woolwich Center Square and Blackwood Cherrywood stores, when they open.
And for those asking regularly about the status of the Blackwood store, simply they had three large projects in progress at the same time (Glassboro, Woolwich, West Berlin) and made a smart choice to get those projects completed before they started on Blackwood.
Zallie’s Shoprite Glassboro – Spacious, Modern, Smart
You’ll realize quickly upon entering the upgraded Glassboro location that they’ve smartly given shoppers a lot of space to maneuver in.
On it’s own, the large open produce and fresh kitchen area that you walk into after entering the store is big enough to be a destination shopping experience on its own.
So for this open entry area the Zallie’s designers decided to bring all the “fresh” aspects into one large open space.
The designers must of had this in mind, as there is a center dividing wall separating this open section from the rows of supermarket aisles. You could easily forget that to the right is a full super market with rows of food, fresh meats and probably the largest collection of refrigerated units I’ve ever seen in any supermarket.
Along the left side wall of this entrance section and across the back are the Zallie’s Fresh Kitchen, bakery, deli, prepared foods, seating area and more.
Looking across the open area to the left it starts to shift into packaged fresh foods such as store prepared meals, to go ready to eat fruits, the International cheese section and more.
As your eyes scan to the right of the same large open space you see it shifts into the produce section with the bright and colorful fruits and vegetables on display in black large bins on the floor, and then refrigerated vegetables on the far right perimeter.
And it all just looks so good!
This is absolutely not your parents bright white Pathmark from the 1990s, where you would need sunglasses to shop because everything was just white display cases, and white shelving, on white floors with bright white lights.
At the Glassboro Shoprite it’s soothing and mellow. Can a supermarket be “Zen”?
I think another aspect that’s kind of rattled my brain a little is I don’t think it was too long ago that I visited the Glassboro ShopRite (during construction), and at that time this same entry area looked more like a warzone than a functioning supermarket.
Today it’s a supermarket showplace!
To the left of the entrance is a small seating area along the front windows, which leads into the “hot bar” prepared food section offering a variety of entrees and sides, all priced at 9.99 per pound.
This front section also has a dedicated order/pickup area. Get in, and get out… quickly!
Immediately after that is the “Grilled Selections” section. Burgers, cheesesteaks, deliciousness! Then the deli sandwich area where you can pick up a delicious stuffed hoagie!
A large full deli and lunchmeat section is next!
Along the back wall are the bakery offerings, featuring fresh donuts, rolls, bagels and more. And don’t forget the special occasion cakes, which they gladly will create a custom design for you.
Heading over more to the right is the fresh seafood section.
The large open floor area functions seems to be as much an art gallery for produce as a it is a place to shop, but I wanted to start with one unique and significant section… International cheese section.
And when I say section, I don’t mean a little 5 foot wide display case with your choice of cheddar, Colby and blue cheese.
No this is literally a large island oasis of cheese. A square stand in the middle of the open floor and probably 18 feet on each side. And loaded with cheeses from all over the world.
It feels like something you’d have to drive to Cherry Hill for, but no… We have it right here in Glassboro Gloucester County at the Glassboro Shoprite.
There are sleek black display cases for the prepared foods that you can take home and heat up.
And the large open area produce section also has an extra level of style and design to it.
Sure it’s raised bins for tomatoes, apples, bananas and more but care and thought was put into the design of the sidewalls of these units to give them some extra texture and coloring, which matches perfectly with the flooring.
I even noticed a unit that on the top who’s home to potatoes, but underneath on the side wall were more product display shelves, all brightly lit.
Which is another thing to call out… the lighting is very nice in the space and everything is lit very well, but it’s not blindingly white, having more of a well lit yet soothing aspect to it.
Surrounding one outer wall of the produce section are refrigerated cases for the packaged salads and natural fruit drinks.
Directly next to that are the open shelving units for more perishable produce that require refrigeration or regular moisture baths.
That right side wall carries up to the ceiling, further giving the feeling of a “store within a store”
Look, I get it… I’m being over the top about this supermarket, and in the end it’s just a supermarket. But I too feel the pain of seeing all the cool retail things go to other parts of South Jersey, and I get excited when something awesome does arrive!
In my prior coverage of the Glassboro store I called out the earlier completed upgrades to the meat section which is in the back right of the building, and the extensive amount of glass door refrigerator and freezer units.
While I’m not planning on going to every supermarket to count, I have to believe there is no other supermarket in the area that has as many brightly lit refrigerator and freezer units as the Glassboro ShopRite.
For the larger right portion of the building the back and right walls are fully lined with refrigeration, plus on the far right there are aisle of bright glass door refrigerator and freezer units.
Inside the main supermarket aisles there is plenty of space to move around, with well lit aisles.
Maybe I should stop back on a busier shopping time just to see how everything works when it’s loaded up with shoppers? Who am I kidding, the Matthews family will be back soon to really kick the tires on the new ShopRite shopping experience.
Links and Location
Zallie ShopRite Glassboro
201 Dalton Drive
Glassboro NJ 08028
(Along the Delsea Drive commercial district in Glassboro)
ShopRite Glassboro