The House Springs Price Cutter grocery store opened on April 1, accompanied by much fanfare from the local community.
Shoppers began lining up around 5:30 a.m., according to store officials; the store opened at 7 a.m. The first 100 shoppers in line were given a free bag of groceries.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at 11 a.m., and shoppers were treated to free hot dogs. Prairie Farms and Monster Energy also set up booths outside the store, handing out free products.
The Price Cutter, at 4639 House Springs Center off Hwy. MM, takes the place of the old Price Chopper store that closed last June. Trip Straub, who owned the Price Chopper, said the store had been struggling financially for more than a decade.
County Councilman Bob Tullock (District 7, House Springs) said the line to get into the Price Cutter wrapped around the front of the building when the store opened.
“(The Price Cutter) is welcomed in the area,” he said. “A lot of people commented about missing the old Price Chopper. I’ve received probably two calls a week from people asking me what’s happening in here since it closed.”
The Price Cutter, a Pyramid Foods grocery store, offers a wide selection of affordable groceries, according to store manager Danny Graham. The store has an in-store butcher, bakery, deli and salad bar, along with aisles of frozen and shelf-stable food and liquor.
A Starbucks cafe is expected to open inside the store in June, Graham said.
“We’re open 24 hours,” he said. “That’s new for our company, and we wanted to make a real stance, to show we’re here and give value to our customers coming in at any time of night or day. I’m very excited (about the store opening). People won’t even recognize the store; it looks so amazing.”
Graham has worked in the grocery business for 22 years, with the last 10 spent with Pyramid Foods. He moved to House Springs from the Branson Price Cutter to manage this location.
Pyramid Foods is headquartered in Rogersville and operates several stores in Missouri and Kansas, including King Cash Saver, Ramey’s and Country Mart.
“We’re thrilled to bring Price Cutter to the House Springs community,” said Richard Gunn, chief operations officer of Pyramid Foods, in a written statement. “Our focus is always on serving our neighbors – providing fresh food, great prices and a friendly shopping experience for local families.”
Offerings
Steve and Elaine Vollmer of Fenton were the first customers to try Price Cutter’s famed fried chicken.
On Tuesdays, the store offers a choice of one entree (eight-piece fried chicken, chicken tenders or rotisserie chicken), two sides and four dinner rolls for $15.
“We went out to the car and ate (the chicken) right away – it was delicious,” Steve said.
“They have a great deal, a whole meal for about $15,” Elaine said. “We’ve been waiting for good chicken around here, and we’re happy to have a grocery store in the area. We got a few good deals, and we’ll be back, for sure. Everybody was super friendly and helpful.”
In addition to “Chicken Tuesday,” the Price Cutter will have special deals at the hot bar throughout the week, Graham said, including “Wing Wednesday” and “Fish Friday.”
Seniors are offered a 10 percent discount on groceries on Tuesdays, and veterans are offered the same discount on Thursdays, Graham said.
“(The grand opening) has been great. We’re so happy to be open,” said Caroline St. Onge, the bakery and deli manager. “Everybody is really enjoying our store.”
St. Onge said the bakery’s cake decorator can make custom cakes for customers, using edible image designs or other techniques. One trend the bakery is jumping onto is “burn cakes,” where a hidden message, such as a proposal or gender reveal, on top of the cake is revealed when a thin edible wafer paper is burned away.
Graham said the store offers Best Choice, Always Save, Top Care, Crav’n, Full Circle, Simply Done and Price Cutter-branded products. With renovations, Price Cutter was able to expand its offerings at the new store compared to the old Price Chopper, he said. For example, “coffin case” style freezers were replaced with upright freezers with shelves that could fit more products.
Giving back
At checkout, customers can choose to purchase a $5 or $10 bag of nonperishable groceries, which will be donated to the Marketplace Food Pantry at Faith Community Church in Scottsdale.
Graham said a similar program offered at his Branson store helped hundreds of local families, and he wanted to bring it to House Springs.
“I met Danny (Graham) about a month and a half ago,” said Mark Lauer, director of Marketplace. “He is going to our church, and we met after service. We’re a small pantry, and we only have so much in funds. But we’re probably helping around 140 families a month. The $5 and $10 bags – I do see that being a strong benefit.”
The pantry, 4824 Scottsdale Road, serves families in the 63051, 63049 and 63025 ZIP codes. For information, call 636-671-4190.
For information on Price Cutter, visit pricecutteronline.com or call the House Springs store at 636-637-3911.