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Fulmers grocery
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luv my dayton
837 posts
Feb 03, 2015
6:57 PM
Don't know if this was considered a small chain or an independent but did frequent the one out on Indian Ripple rd by K Mart. Remember it as a really nice store and was open for a number of years. Anyone have any information on this one?
trolleyfan
100 posts
Feb 04, 2015
4:54 AM
I found two things on Fulmer Grocery. There was one in Xenia in the old Town Square Shopping Center. It closed down in summer of 2010. I also found in a few of the outlaying towns around Dayton, such as New Carlisle, listings for Fulmer Community Markets. Not sure if this is the same Fulmers or not. My guess is there is a tie in, but can't say for sure.
olds88
327 posts
Feb 04, 2015
2:26 PM
I believe they were originally based around Springfield.Greene county might have been as far west as they came.They may have moved into some Stumps locations in the end.
newsnot
522 posts
Feb 07, 2015
10:38 AM
luv,
Saw on the news where they are converting a Fulmers and old K Mart into a fun center n Xenia.
Calhoun
342 posts
Feb 07, 2015
11:28 AM
At least some of the Fulmer's replaced Marsh's Supermarkets, so I assume Fulmer's bought out the Marsh's chain, at least in the Dayton area. Marsh stores still operate in Indiana, don't know if there are any Fulmer's operating anywhere.

Last Edited by Calhoun on Feb 07, 2015 11:32 AM
strayrider
11 posts
Feb 07, 2015
11:10 PM
Yeah, Fulmers at Indian Ripple and Dorothy had a 24-hour restaurant. Shopped there on occasion. Also went there for after-hours chow after leaving "Donnie's Place" [bar] or "Martinez" [bar], a time or two.
David C
5 posts
Feb 16, 2015
8:14 AM
I believe the Fulmer's is still open in Park Layne (close to the Mel-o-Dee restaurant and across SR235 where Hopkins Chevrolet was located). I worked there as a bag boy and produce guy in 1970. My little brother worked there as well in the 80s and ended up buying a car from the tips he made.
jamesjohnson1970
38 posts
May 09, 2015
11:00 PM
I worked there for awhile. They were high dollar. I would actually shop at Kroger mostly. I would buy a few Fulmer specials, but nothing at regular price. I worked there and thought they were a ripoff. They just couldn't compete.
jamesjohnson1970
47 posts
May 10, 2015
11:55 PM
Test (earlier message not posted)
jamesjohnson1970
52 posts
May 11, 2015
9:21 PM
O.K. let me see if this message takes. I was surprised to learn that Fulmer started in 1909, even before the do-it-yourself stores. A lot of them were bought by Fresh Encounter Inc in 1998, at least according to that website.

I worked there in the 1980s when, I think, they expanded with a few stores. It was the wrong time to expand because that was when the mega stores just started becoming popular. Fulmer was already going head-to-head with Kroger, but then later had to contend with stores Walmart and Meijer.

I worked at several stores. The meat, bakery and other departments were nothing special by then, but that was probably after their hey day.

Part of the reason that customer service declined was because point-of-sale ordering systems took managing out of the hands of the department managers. I ordered the dairy and frozen manually and generally knew how much to order. I could also try new products to see if they'd sell.

If you ask about products in stores now, you find that the produce, meat, deli, etc. know very little about distribution and product. The control was transferred locally and centralized at corporate. There are some great pluses with point-of-sales systems, but also some great tradeoffs.

I agree that people still value customer service, but you also have to have a good product. Meijer had great produce last time I lived there because their distributor was Melissa's. There is also this idea that Walmart is cheaper than everyone and that they sell the same items, but this has shown to be false time and time again. I contend that Walmart has the worst customer service and product knowledge among any store, retail or grocery.

Another poor decision was not allowing the baggers to receive tips from customers who were all too willing to shed their change for a little bit of help loading their groceries. Another bad decision that really makes workers lethargic.



Edit: Now that I think about it, their date of origin is starting to come back to me. I do remember the bags with that 1909 date. Probably did not seem as old back then.

Last Edited by jamesjohnson1970 on May 11, 2015 9:40 PM
KennyE11
312 posts
May 11, 2015
10:47 PM
james - The IGA in Trotwood is long gone. I believe the last thing to occupy that spot on Main Street was a church. Cub Foods is long gone too, just like almost everything else in Trotwood. Oddly enough, apparently Trotwood Foodtown is still in business, although that shopping plaza looks weird with the Elder-Beermans building gone.
jamesjohnson1970
55 posts
May 12, 2015
6:40 AM
Thanks, KennyE11. I was actually thinking of the Foodtown and not IGA. I had forgotten about the IGA up the street. Wow I can't believe Foodtown is still there. I guess some of those small stores do hang on in the beaten up towns. Was the Beerman building razed, or is it just empty? I also thought Cub would have survived. They seemed to go down in quality from when they opened. Anything in that building now? I'm sure there is some big grocery around that area. Probably the ever present blue-colored mega store.
carlatm75
160 posts
May 12, 2015
11:38 AM
The former IGA in Trotwood now houses the YMCA and they have fitness classes there now, go figure! As for the former Elder Beerman's building, it sat empty for over 10 years and after several unsuccessful attempts to sell or rent it out, it was razed a couple of years ago. It is now an empty lot.
jamesjohnson1970
57 posts
May 12, 2015
9:57 PM
Thanks Carl. I did a Google Street View. The Google photo looks a few years old because the Beerman building is still standing. Food Town still has that familiar blue sign. I also saw Family Dollar, H&R Block, and Grismer. I remember those from a few years back.



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Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

--Ben Franklin
jamesjohnson1970
58 posts
May 13, 2015
12:39 AM
Thanks for the update, Kenny. I've been away for a awhile, but holy cow. Looks like they just shifted everything towards Englewood, with 70 being some kind of marker. I'd bet Walmart made a good dent on Meijer. Every Meijer I have ever seen was right off the highway, but still accessible otherwise.

I remember when Salem Mall was the happening spot. Sears was the anchor and JC Penney came later. Saw plenty of good movies there with dates.

This thread is about Fulmer, and that Fulmer was right on Salem Ave, next to Gold Circle and on the corner of Denliger. Kroger had a store across the street, but then that new store opened on Siebenthaler.


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Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

--Ben Franklin

Last Edited by jamesjohnson1970 on May 13, 2015 12:44 AM


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