Woodman's a welcome addition; but it may not seem that way

I was once told by an executive in the restaurant business that it’s best to wait six months before passing judgement on a new restaurant.

            That timeframe, he said, gives the restaurant time to adjust to its clientele, operations, menus, etc. This was before the social media arrived on the scene. And while I’m sure the six-month timeframe may still be warranted, there’s nothing to control the wags who indiscriminately and thoughtlessly post on social media.

Woodman's is well lit and well

signed as shown in its produce

section

            A case in point is the opening of Woodman’s – probably the biggest retail opening in Buffalo Grove’s recent – if not its entire 60-year history.

            But if you read some of the posts on social media, specifically the “Everything Buffalo Grove” Facebook page, you’d think Woodman’s was as welcomed in Buffalo Grove as an Arab in a Kibbutz.

            And it has only been opened less than a week. Granted, the positive reviews seem to outweigh those wags who are beside themselves because the Sushi station at Woodman’s isn’t open, or they can’t use their Visa card to get points to use so they can buy an air ticket so they can fly to Des Moines -- or this major crisis -- they couldn't get cell service in the store.

            The bottom line is this; Woodman’s is, at least from my initial visit, a heck of an operation and has proved itself to be not only a welcome addition to the Buffalo Grove business landscape, but a great corporate citizen.

            In addition to jumping on to sponsorship bandwagon for Buffalo Grove Days, Woodman’s also paid for roadway improvements along Milwaukee Avenue and Deerfield Parkway to make things easier for its customers and those drivers who use both roadways.

            But we don’t read about good neighbors. Instead many folks overlook the strong impact Woodman’s may have on the village opting instead to rip village officials for not doing more to attract new retail outlets.

Wide aisles are a highlight at
Woodman's

            As noted, based on my initial visit, Woodman’s is impressive.  It’s large. Very large. The store’s total square footage is 254,000 square feet of which, store officials told me, 135,000 is for retail space. The remaining space is for warehousing, which one employee told me is massive.

            It is anyone’s guess which area store will feel the greatest impact. Beyond an impressive assortment of grocery items, Woodman’s carries what appears to be a wide variety of home-care products, hardware items and greeting cards.

           

In addition to a wide variety of grocery items, Woodman's
carries household and health and beauty items.

Unlike some smaller stores, Woodman’s does not make bakery goods on site and meat is not cut in the store, but at a supplier that delivers meat three times a week. Its liquor department is bigger (so it seems) than some liquor stores and is anchored by a wide variety of beer.

            Check-out lines, at least at this early stage, are well managed and offer both self-checkout and employee assisted checkout.

            If you’re gas-price conscious, on Friday Woodman’s was offering lead-free for $2.74 a gallon, between five and 15 cents less than major-brand stations in the area.

            And then there’s the ‘issue’ of payment. If you’ve read social media you would think that the fact that Woodman’s accepts only Discover cards, debit cards, checks and cash is the end of the world and, as the late George Carlin might say, would infect your mind, curve your spine and help the allies lose the war. It’s easy enough to overcome this ‘obstacle’ -- plan ahead. If none of these options work, Woodman’s offers a fee-free automatic teller machine.

            Give Woodman’s a chance; and welcome them to the village.

            As for Sushi. Relax, it’s coming. Maybe they'll call when it's available. 

            They'll just use a land line.