North Hills Harris Teeter visit

After I taught a lunch and learn class in Knightdale yesterday (shout out to all the Schneider Electric folks!), I decided to take a field trip over to the new Harris Teeter at North Hills. It was a combination of research and triples shopping. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

My first reaction was....where is the new Harris Teeter at North Hills? I drove right by that little tiny HT sign and once I got to the old HT, I knew I was lost. Thanks to the nice lady in the car next to me at the stoplight who sent me in the right direction.

When I finally found the HT (after passing it again and having to make a u-turn and double back), I found very easy parking outside the entrance. I didn't park in the parking deck because there was a space right in front of the stairs leading to the front entrance, which made me happy.

When I walked in the store I was immediately greeted by a super friendly employee and the adventure began. Although they were out of a number of items (which is to be expected at any HT this week), they had enough for me to find my 20 to triple for the day.

I was especially excited to check out the infamous elevator and see if it deserved all the grief I have heard from others. Going up, there were 3 carts in there with me and it was a little bit of a squeeze, but no big issue. On the way down, there was a longer wait while the folks coming up loaded on to the elevator. On both trips I had nice chats with people who were waiting as well so it wasn't a bother.

When I got to the checkout line, the cashier was just as friendly as the first employee who greeted me. Her name is Pearlie and she is one of the Customer Service Managers. I have to tell you, Harris Teeter is lucky to have her. She was friendly, upbeat, very nice about all my coupons and completely professional. I asked her if she had any couponer horror stories to share from triples (which I ask all the managers) and she said folks had been very polite this week. Kudos to North Raleigh shoppers for using good couponing etiquette! 

Thanks to Smart Shopper blog reader Mike for the kind words he shared while I was in line. He and his wife are now saving 50% off their grocery bill and I was thrilled to hear about his savings!

All in all, it was a very positive trip to the much maligned new HT. Yes, the elevator is no fun if you are in a hurry. Yes, the changes they are making with product placement will help. But other than that, I like the new store and will definitely shop there again. There is a quaintness I appreciate about the inside and outside layout. The friendliness of the employees and the great deals are definitely enough to keep me coming back!

Next week I will be visiting the new discount grocer in North Raleigh, Common Cents Grocers. We are shooting the May blog video there and it should be posted sometime around May 15.  Happy last day of triples!