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furcalchick

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 19, 2006
2,426
5
South Florida
when i was in new orleans, i remember a store, the real superstore, and it had the most unique storefront, but closed during the 90's. i wonder what was in that stores though. there's no wiki, no nothing.

sr_e2b1fe32235f19.jpg


i would really like to know what's in there.
 
If it is anything like the Real Canadian Superstore then:

Groceries, Pharmacy, Some have optical, Fragrance section, expensive make up section, electronics, clothing, house appliances, kitchen utensils, garden section, car repair, gas station , bad restaurants, photo finishing, audio video, car parts.
DOES NOT have liquor store, video rental or repair.
 
If it is anything like the Real Canadian Superstore then:

Groceries, Pharmacy, Some have optical, Fragrance section, expensive make up section, electronics, clothing, house appliances, kitchen utensils, garden section, car repair, gas station , bad restaurants, photo finishing, audio video, car parts.
DOES NOT have liquor store, video rental or repair.

i don't know...i was too young before it shut down and it sounded like it was closer to a super wal-mart. i think this was only in new orleans...
 
It was exactly like The real Canadian Superstore but they sold Liquor. At one time it was owned by Loblaws which of course is A GIANT among Canada. I can remember going in there with my Grandma, to be honest the HVAC system used to scare the crap out of me because the place was so HUGE:D. If they would have been better funded they would have beat wal-mart hands down. There were 3 Superstores in New Orleans, the rest were known as Canal Vilere
 
If it is anything like the Real Canadian Superstore then:

Groceries, Pharmacy, Some have optical, Fragrance section, expensive make up section, electronics, clothing, house appliances, kitchen utensils, garden section, car repair, gas station , bad restaurants, photo finishing, audio video, car parts.
DOES NOT have liquor store, video rental or repair.

Some do have a detached liquor store.
 
The Real Superstore open in the early 80's. I believe the first one was in Baton Rouge, then Lafayette, and finally, in New Orleans. It started out as National and Canal Villere. It was an "everything-in-one place" store before the Super Walmart even existed. It was a great store, but I think it was managed improperly.
 
There was also one in Denham Springs

The one in Denham Springs had a huge variety of food. When they were open, there was also a Winn Dixie & a Delchamps. Suerstore closed down in the mid 1990's and re-opened as a "Rouse's" supermarket (which did not last very long). After Walmart turned into a Walmart Supercenter, the remaining stores closed.
 
bankruptcy

The Real Superstore was doing great, but their parent company, National Tea, went bankrupt, so they shut down all the stores.
 
You Guys Have No Clue How Crappy It Was

There was a total expose' on Superstore in the mid-to-late 90's. They were infested with insects and vermin and it was very much in line with the type of stuff Diane Sawyer exposed food lion for doing... doctoring old fish... resealing broken packages... using fillers in their bulk stuff... changing dates... just really shady behavior. It closed before I left in 1997, if that helps anyone put the photos in context. I mean for all I know that man with the feathers could have been there 11 years now. There is a really nice Captain D's across the street, or there was. I miss Captain D's :( I do.

Someone on the thread mentions Canada, but this Superstore never had anything like that. In fact, I think it was generally an oversized crappy store...it was marketing on size and slogan and never substance. I never realized there were so many across Louisiana, either, until I found the thread.

It really is a shame what people do to each other.
 
I personally shopped at the location in Lafayette. It did sell liquor, or had a liquor section atleast. It didn't have ae electronics section i beleive but did have calculators and such in the school supplies. I had a step sister that worked at the Baton Rouge location. In the end I believe there were some problems of some sort and alot of workers went on strike. I remember seeing people picketing out side the stores for awhile. At that point the stores took a turn for the worst. Poor maintainence and were filthy. The strike did end and everyone went back to work but the stores never did recover. The one inLafayette stayed vacant for years and was eventually tore down and a new Grand Theater was built in its place.

I was very yourg, in high school at that time, but thats the best I can remember.
 
The one in Denham Springs had a huge variety of food. When they were open, there was also a Winn Dixie & a Delchamps. Suerstore closed down in the mid 1990's and re-opened as a "Rouse's" supermarket (which did not last very long). After Walmart turned into a Walmart Supercenter, the remaining stores closed.
There are still a lot of Rouse's.
 
Don't you normally get hypermarket sized shops in the US? We just had a Tesco's built a few villages away thats the size of our village. It's a monster.
 
Better than Wal-Mart

I used to shop there in the late eighties, early 90's. The store in Lafayette (at that time) was clean, huge and had a lot of great things. You could literally buy can goods for pennies. The shopping carts were enormous! I shopped every 3 months and it usually took two of their giant carts to get everything I needed. But it was worth it. The bakery was the most awesome part. They had every kind of pastry and bread you can imagine. The pastry chef used to feature an original New Orleans cake called Russian Cake. Just before the store closed he gave me the recipe! He also told me that disgruntled employees who were upset over benefits were the one's to call the health department and had caused all the problems. That was the beginning of the end for the Real Superstore. But I can tell you that if a store of that type were to re-emerge, Wal-Mart would be in big trouble. Superstore had everything from groceries to gourmet items, health & beauty, clothes, kitchen wares, automotives, and just about anything else you would need. It had a great wine selection and the deli was great too. The prices were very good and choices ranged from frugal to high-end products. They had weekly sales that were really good too. There is a store called Aldi, nothing like the Real Superstore, but they have wonderful prices. Unforturnately they haven't moved into La. yet. I've been to Aldi in Oklahoma while visiting relatives and in Memphis while on vacation. The prices there are exceptional and the selection of fresh produce was great. They also have a unique line of beauty products called Lacura. I've stocked up on those products and will likely make a trip to my relatives before I run out. I spent $249 at Aldi and walked out of the store with about 12 bags and 5 large boxes of groceries. I bought pantry staples and Lacura. If anyone gets the opportunity to shop Aldi, do it. It's worth it. I even went so far as to write the company asking them to come into La.
 
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