tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post8477737868205253433..comments2024-03-28T03:22:39.407-04:00Comments on Albertsons Florida Blog: Former Albertsons #4322 - Lakeland, FLAlbertsons Florida Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-73338855046612760732023-03-17T03:57:42.105-04:002023-03-17T03:57:42.105-04:00It is sad what has happened to Lakeland. I was bor...It is sad what has happened to Lakeland. I was born August, 17 1978. Yes, just three days after this fire. My family lived in Country Village off drainfield rd until 1986. I recall my mother telling me about the fire there. We shopped there when I was a child. The candy counter with the garbage pail kids cards are what I remember most. I last saw the place once in the early 90’s. It wasn’t as I remembered it in the earth 80’s. I actually work for Publix now, but I have to say there were some crazies in Lakeland back then. There is no telling what happened here, but yes definitely plausible. Lakeland locals that have worked for Publix all their lives feel very strongly about Publix. I have met quite a few. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-86987805036719075722021-05-10T19:07:46.093-04:002021-05-10T19:07:46.093-04:00I worked at this store from 1981 until 1993. Loved...I worked at this store from 1981 until 1993. Loved every minute of it. Great company. I really miss it.J Daughertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16118755215354858391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-70733891347153191522018-05-16T10:10:44.912-04:002018-05-16T10:10:44.912-04:00I was remembering a story from my childhood and I ...I was remembering a story from my childhood and I googled Albertsons fire and found this. My mother and I use that term loosely, had a group of druggies she hung out with before the state took me away for good. One of the women that hung around, Beverly, was pretty goofy and my mom said she had sniffed too much paint. They came home all scared and in a panic one night because Beverly had set another one of her fires at the Albertsons again. I can't remember all of the details because I was little, I was born in 1973, but one she had started when she threw a cigarette into some paper packages or rice before this big one. They had thought the other ones were funny but this one scared them and they quit letting crazy Beverly come around. I think they had liked her antics and making fun of her but this was too far. I think they liked this Albertsons because it was always open and near a 24 hour restaurant so after a night of drinking it's where they would end up. I didn't realize this was still a mystery plaguing the town! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-56505636753922249462018-01-23T21:05:12.454-05:002018-01-23T21:05:12.454-05:00Yes, that too was a crazy fire from the pictures p...Yes, that too was a crazy fire from the pictures posted of it on Acme Style. Yes, this Dollar Tree was pretty nice, probably because it was newly remodeled after the Deals conversion.Albertsons Florida Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-11951946808564754242018-01-22T17:23:16.113-05:002018-01-22T17:23:16.113-05:00This is kind of the Pompoton Lakes situation of Al...This is kind of the Pompoton Lakes situation of Albertsons! Also, Deals was a banner owned by Dollar Tree. In Dollar Tree's acquisition of Family Dollar, they closed their Deals stores, as they compete with Family Dollar. Many Deals locations were transitioned to Dollar Tree, which explains the relatively new decor and flooring in the store.Lucas M. Finzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11167881018411047352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-54784170030090552792018-01-14T23:23:08.571-05:002018-01-14T23:23:08.571-05:00Crazier things have happened, and Albertsons was t...Crazier things have happened, and Albertsons was the only major non-Florida based supermarket chain to ever try to open a Lakeland store once Publix began to gain power. I'd guarantee they were not happy about the newcomer!Albertsons Florida Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-12026414951195098202018-01-14T17:44:56.945-05:002018-01-14T17:44:56.945-05:00It’s funny. I read the article and thought about...It’s funny. I read the article and thought about the other grocery chain doing it then read the comments and saw others thought the same thing. I think someone was offended a new store was on their turf. Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10468974831130847122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-71639678584500513572018-01-09T21:55:12.595-05:002018-01-09T21:55:12.595-05:00Thanks (to you and everyone else!) - Glad all of y...Thanks (to you and everyone else!) - Glad all of you liked this post!Albertsons Florida Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-29770097899319961382018-01-09T21:53:56.676-05:002018-01-09T21:53:56.676-05:00Indeed! I wish the motive for the arson attempts w...Indeed! I wish the motive for the arson attempts were known (disgruntled employee, local pyromaniac, supermarket conspiracy, the list goes on). The fact that four other fires were reported here before the big one is what really makes things suspicious (or that someone was out to get this store). Definitely one of the crazier retail stories out there! At least Albertsons came back to Lakeland after all of that. The classic Albertsons signage is very cool!Albertsons Florida Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-80196562758873299412018-01-09T21:47:23.446-05:002018-01-09T21:47:23.446-05:00You never know...You never know...Albertsons Florida Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-19160436476177255002018-01-09T21:46:38.054-05:002018-01-09T21:46:38.054-05:00Interesting connection to the area. I had that sam...Interesting connection to the area. I had that same thought about someone from that Florida-based grocery chain trying to chase Albertsons out of town - that grocery chain opened a first-of-its-kind 55,000 square foot prototype a mile to the south of here a year prior to Albertsons' opening. You never know...<br /><br />As for the Polk Parkway theory, I was thinking more of interchange ramps (such as a loop) cutting through the parking area in preliminary plans, not the road itself (I guess I wasn't very clear on that) before the selected interchange design was chosen that didn't effect the Albertsons building at all. But all that was really just a thought.Albertsons Florida Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350708223049245195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-68228569820440117902018-01-09T11:09:16.482-05:002018-01-09T11:09:16.482-05:00I echo the others in saying, what a story, and wha...I echo the others in saying, what a story, and what a way to kick off 2018!Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204334765060755673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-27627788035428703552018-01-08T21:23:38.234-05:002018-01-08T21:23:38.234-05:00That's just sad and crazy! It's hard to be...That's just sad and crazy! It's hard to believe someone would be callous enough to destroy a business establishment which employed over a hundred people. At least Albertsons didn't give up and they rebuilt a year later. It's also hard to believe that arson was attempted 4 more times and no one got caught! A very intriguing story to say in the least! This was a great post to start the new year! I liked the classic photos from the Lakeland Ledger. That classic Albertsons signage with the box logos looked really cool back then! YonWooRetail2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-27769248905123971472018-01-08T00:12:08.330-05:002018-01-08T00:12:08.330-05:00Crazy story for sure, and a great way to start off...Crazy story for sure, and a great way to start off 2018! I was going to say the same thing as Psuedo3D: maybe it's a Publix conspiracy... :PRetail Retellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636351832804174132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628100700550321985.post-72660996547617025982018-01-07T12:27:27.150-05:002018-01-07T12:27:27.150-05:00This isn't very far from where my grandfather ...This isn't very far from where my grandfather lived in the late 2000s and early 2010s (very close, within a mile radius). I passed by it multiple times and I had wondered what store it was originally. I wonder if someone at a certain Florida-based chain (not Winn-Dixie) had a grudge against the store and wanted to ensure that Albertsons left Lakeland. It's a fun thought but it's not implausible, given the crap that H-E-B pulled in San Antonio (stole Kroger's sales data and raised prices in their other regions to finance a massive price war).<br /><br />As for Polk Parkway, none of the parking was affected by it. By March 1994, most of the ROW of Polk Parkway was cleared save for a trailer park and a road just west of Skyland (which had most of its houses cleared). For it to go through the Albertsons it would've had to go through another subdivision instead of an abandoned orange grove east of it. (What was left of the orange grove was developed into a subdivision, Tiffany Terrace, but the last of the orange trees on the lots were torn down in the mid-2000s as it was developed out, except for maybe three that remain on private property)Pseudo3Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17848368606946150471noreply@blogger.com