By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Patrons of Gardendale’s oldest grocery store may have noticed a few new changes.

The Western supermarket, located at 945 Main Street, recently changed its name to Food Depot. In addition to the name change, the store’s interior was also revamped and a new meat case was installed. However, patrons may notice the biggest change at the checkout counter.

In an effort to stay competitive with other stores, the Food Depot offers what Western President and Chief Operating Officer Darwin Metcalf refers to as “extreme pricing.” The store sells practically everything at cost and an additional 10 percent is added onto the bill at the counter to cover the store’s overhead costs.

“When you price groceries, you price them at what your competitors are selling them for. We price everything on cost and add 10 percent at the front,” Metcalf said. “That results in 95 percent of our items being lower than what we were previously selling them for. That also means we’re competitive with Wal-Mart.”

Food Depot manager Dale Smith said the discounts will be noticeably different on items like bread, potato chips and beer because vendors stock the shelves themselves, as opposed to store employees.

“The direct vendor items are significantly less expensive for our customers,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of people working hard to procure products and provide great deals.”

Smith has been with Western Supermarkets since he was a student at Gardendale High School 27 years ago. After working his way through college, he’s worked at every Western location.

“I came back here just before the remodel and it’s been great,” he said. “I think I see 10 people that I know just about every day.”

Birmingham-based Western operates seven locations. The Gardendale store was opened in 1961 and Metcalf said he hopes the store will be a fixture in Gardendale for many years to come.

“We opened the Food Depot to give Gardendale shoppers more of what they wanted and we plan on being there long-term,” he said. “We also hope shoppers will buy local and keep dollars here in the Birmingham area.”