Supermarket getting in good with neighbors

Some new neighbors just know how to get friendly with the neighborhood.

The new Albertson's supermarket at 1650 N. Buffalo Drive opened March 20 and wasted no time attracting droves of shoppers.

But the store is giving more than groceries to its surrounding community. Albertson's store No. 6011 got involved in the Community Partners program with nearby elementary schools, Richard Bryan, Katz and McMillan.

The program involves distributing 150 cards to students at those schools to give to their parents. When their parents shop at Albertson's, the school receives a portion of the money spent.

But 150 cards wasn't going to be enough, so the store is passing out 1,800 cards to Katz/McMillan students and 1,880 to Bryan students.

"It's a great program," said Albertson's store manager Frank Broderick. "I think it will give the school the opportunity to earn up to $7,200 a year."

Bart Mangino, principal of Bryan Elementary, said his school has already joined up in Community Partners with some other stores, but not to the level Albertson's raised the bar to.

"They have already been terrific in supporting school events and with this program," Mangino said. "I think these things really bring the community together. In my experiences, whenever you bring in an organization that understands what's going on in the classroom and in the school, it makes for better opportunities and support for the kids. It really spreads community awareness."

Broderick said Albertson's went the extra mile to be Community Partners with the schools because the store wanted to make an immediate impact.

"We're new in the neighborhood and these schools are only a half a mile from us each way," Broderick said. "We're hoping the people around here will become shoppers here, and we want to build a good relationship with them."

The store's grand opening was a success, perhaps fueled by features such as an in-store Starbucks, dry cleaner and a 5,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor garden center.

"We had lines all the way back down the aisles," said front-end manager Kelly Fisher. "Some of them were an hour and a half to check out."