IGA!!!!!

[bandit957]

Isn't IGA cool?

In my day, we did much of our grocery shopping at the now-defunct Highlander IGA in Fort Thomas. But this store went out of business in 2001. I don't know if there's a single IGA remaining in northern Kentucky. The supermarket up the street from me now used to be an IGA, but IGA said they couldn't be an IGA anymore. There just aren't nearly as many IGA's as there used to be.

I remember standing in the checkout aisle at the Highlander IGA and snickering at the packs of Bubblicious because this was when the Bubblicious logo looked like it was blowing a bubble (near the lower right corner of the logo):

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/77/d8/18/77d81876069e475d5024ce7d82435fc3--chewing-gum-logo-google.jpg

IGA has had more slogans over the years than just about any other company:

"We've got the goods."
"You're in, you're out, you're home."
"Hometown proud."
"You're what's special at IGA."
"I Get Attention."

I knew some kid who got caught stealing from an IGA. When the "I Get Attention" commercial came on, he said, "I got attention when I stole from IGA!"

[US71]

Isn't IGA cool?

In my day, we did much of our grocery shopping at the now-defunct Highlander IGA in Fort Thomas. But this store went out of business in 2001. I don't know if there's a single IGA remaining in northern Kentucky. The supermarket up the street from me now used to be an IGA, but IGA said they couldn't be an IGA anymore. There just aren't nearly as many IGA's as there used to be.

I remember standing in the checkout aisle at the Highlander IGA and snickering at the packs of Bubblicious because this was when the Bubblicious logo looked like it was blowing a bubble (near the lower right corner of the logo):

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/77/d8/18/77d81876069e475d5024ce7d82435fc3--chewing-gum-logo-google.jpg

IGA has had more slogans over the years than just about any other company:

"We've got the goods."
"You're in, you're out, you're home."
"Hometown proud."
"You're what's special at IGA."
"I Get Attention."

I knew some kid who got caught stealing from an IGA. When the "I Get Attention" commercial came on, he said, "I got attention when I stole from IGA!"

I thought the Independent Grocers Alliance was defunct?

[abefroman329]

Isn't IGA cool?

In my day, we did much of our grocery shopping at the now-defunct Highlander IGA in Fort Thomas. But this store went out of business in 2001. I don't know if there's a single IGA remaining in northern Kentucky. The supermarket up the street from me now used to be an IGA, but IGA said they couldn't be an IGA anymore. There just aren't nearly as many IGA's as there used to be.

I remember standing in the checkout aisle at the Highlander IGA and snickering at the packs of Bubblicious because this was when the Bubblicious logo looked like it was blowing a bubble (near the lower right corner of the logo):

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/77/d8/18/77d81876069e475d5024ce7d82435fc3--chewing-gum-logo-google.jpg

IGA has had more slogans over the years than just about any other company:

"We've got the goods."
"You're in, you're out, you're home."
"Hometown proud."
"You're what's special at IGA."
"I Get Attention."

I knew some kid who got caught stealing from an IGA. When the "I Get Attention" commercial came on, he said, "I got attention when I stole from IGA!"

I thought the Independent Grocers Alliance was defunct?

There was one in DC, of all places.  I don't know if it's still in business, but it was as of 2010 or so.  I wouldn't exactly say it was the jewel of the empire.  Filthy and overpriced.

[US71]

All the one's in my area dropped the franchise and changed to Marvin's or CV's. Recently, they changed again to Shoppers Value Cost Plus where they tack on ten percent to your final bill and charge 5 cents more per item than Walmart (on average)

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I still know of at least two IGAs in northern Wisconsin (Washburn and Phillips).

[roadman]

When we used to stay at our uncle's house on Lake Winnisquam in the late 1960s and early 1970s, we would do our grocery shopping at the IGA in downtown Laconia.  The building is still there, but it's now an independent supermarket called Vista.

[1995hoo]

I know there are still IGAs around somewhere because last year Ms1995hoo was giving me guff when we passed one and I said the name as a single word rather than as three letters. But I don't remember where it was.

The one that used to be in Charlottesville is now a Staples. I don't ever remember any of them being in Northern Virginia. I remember going to the one in Charlottesville once during college with two of my roommates. None of us had ever been in there before, yet one of the guys somehow managed to make a beeline directly to the beer (which is what we were there to buy) even though it was not visible from the entrance.

[jp the roadgeek]

I can think of 4 different IGA's within 15 minutes of me.  The latter two are in the same town, and are the only two supermarkets in that town.  Geissler's is another popular chain of IGA's in Northern CT, and Adam's IGA took over many of the former Finast/Edwards stores that were divested when Ahold acquired Stop & Shop.   

[jeffandnicole]

My wife worked at an IGA here in Mullica Hill, NJ a good 20 years ago or so, and long since out of business.  She mostly hated her coworkers who all smoked in the break room.  But she still remembers some of the 4 digit produce codes when we shop and use the self checkouts, which are universal and never change.

The store, very smallish for a supermarket, is now a well-liked Amish Market.

[Rothman]

I liked the IGA in Wheelwright, KY, which I believe is no longer there.  Dingy, but quite local.

[Takumi]

There used to be an IGA in downtown Petersburg until quite recently, but I don’t know if it’s still open. I never, ever saw a car in the parking lot even when it clearly was.

Edit: the IGA website now says the closest one is in Urbanna.

[formulanone]

But she still remembers some of the 4 digit produce codes when we shop and use the self checkouts, which are universal and never change.

Remember 4011 or you'll go bananas.

Last time I shopped at one was in Fredericktown, Ohio in 2011, which had exactly no restaurants open for the two weeks I was in town.

(edit: town spelling)

[hbelkins]

IGA's are still fairly common in small-town and rural Kentucky. Beattyville and Jackson have them. So, too, does Happy, a small community on KY 15 south of Hazard.

[busman_49]

Remember 4011 or you'll go bananas.

Good one!

[SP Cook]

IGAs are found in mostly rural parts in WV.  Most tend to be nasty and overpriced as they are usually the only store in town and have a captive customer base. 

[ET21]

There's a couple stores mainly on the north side and northern suburbs of Chicago that are affiliated with IGA. No straight up IGA logo store

[abefroman329]

IGAs are found in mostly rural parts in WV.  Most tend to be nasty and overpriced as they are usually the only store in town and have a captive customer base.

It looks like IGAs are found in mostly rural parts of most of the country.

The weird thing is, the IGA I'm thinking of in DC (now known as Metro K Supermarket) is a few blocks from a far superior Safeway, but thrives nonetheless.

[vdeane]

I sometimes shopped at the one in Potsdam, NY, which actually tends to flip between IGA and Big M.

From what I've seen looking at photos posted in Google Maps, the one in Quebec are much nicer than the ones in the US.  They look almost like mini-Wegmans up there!

[Rothman]

I've seen a couple of nicer ones in the U.S., but I can't remember exactly where.  Just thought, "Huh, that's nice for an IGA" as I passed them.

[HazMatt]

There are several 'Carlie C's IGA' stores around here.  Back in Lenoir there was Fairvalue that sold IGA branded stuff, but they don't have IGA in the store name anywhere.

[txstateends]

https://www.iga.com has a store locator.

I found a few around north TX, but rural and a bit past the suburbs.  The only exception is Lake Worth, which is a Fort Worth suburb.

[briantroutman]

Growing up in my small hometown, I recall occasionally hearing radio ads for an IGA-affiliated store in some remote small town that I never really had reason to visit. But of the countless small towns that I did visit (or frequent), few if any had IGA-affiliated stores. My guess is that rural Pennsylvania had enough grocery chains specializing in small towns (Weis, Giant, Penn Traffic) that relatively few independent grocers survived into the supermarket era.

If the IGA network is shrinking, I would attribute it to a few circumstances:

- the dominance of major grocery chains in urban and suburban areas
- the decline in number and purchasing power of rural populations
- rural customers replacing regular, local grocery shopping trips with a single trip to their closest hypermarket (i.e. Walmart)

[SP Cook]

From what I've seen looking at photos posted in Google Maps, the one in Quebec are much nicer than the ones in the US.  They look almost like mini-Wegmans up there!

According to the internet, which is always correct, the IGA name in Canada, and lots of other countries, was sold off to unrelated companies.  The chains have no current relationship.

[jp the roadgeek]

Found this nugget on YouTube, sponsored by IGA

[MikeTheActuary]

IGA seems to be alive and well in/around Montréal. 

There's an IGA downstairs from the hotel I usually stay at when I go into the office, in fact.