Kings Begins Slashing Prices as Closure Nears

Joanne Morgenroth cringed just thinking about her favorite grocery, Kings Super Market, shuttering its doors next month.

"I live a hectic life and I like the convenience of shopping here," said Morgenroth, 48, who lives in North Caldwell and works in finance. "I don't care about the prices, because my time is worth more."

Morgenroth and scores of others, who for the past generation have come to love Kings because it offers a less crowded shopping experience than the ShopRite a minute's drive away, will have to find a new market to shop at next month. 

After a quarter-century in West Caldwell, Kings Super Market will shut its doors in May and a Stop & Shop supermarket will move into the retail space, officials from both companies said. 

Stop & Shop, which leases the space, has sublet it to Kings since the 1980s. Stop & Shop did not renew the lease after Kings applied late for a renewal. Kings sued to try and stay, but lost.

"We're not closing because we want to close," said Cheryl Good, manager of consumer affairs for Kings. "We served that community and we served it well."

West Caldwell Mayor Joseph Tempesta echoed her sentiment.

"We will definitely miss them," he said. 

No date has been set for when Stop & Shop will open its new store, said Howard Cannon, a spokesman for the grocery. 

Tina Atieh, 45, who has worked at the Kings in West Caldwell for the past two decades, said that she and most of the approximately 20 other employees were offered positions at other Kings locations in the region.

"I think everyone here is OK," said Atieh, who is transferring to the Kings in Midland Park. "But we feel bad for our customers."

Cliff Scholtz, 55, a landscaper who lives in Fairfield, said he frequents Kings simply because it is the least hectic shopping option around.

"You just don't have to deal with a lot of traffic here," he said. "ShopRite's always crowded."

Kings garnered a reputation as a pricey, upscale supermarket that is not as hard on the wallet as Whole Foods, but still more expensive than ShopRite. Many shoppers consider ShopRite a store that compensates with low prices what it lacks in fancy.

A quick price and item comparison between the two stores shows a more nuanced picture. Organic milk and Tropicana orange juice sell for $2 per quart at ShopRite as opposed to $2.26 and $2.41 per quart, respectively at Kings.

But a dozen grade-A large eggs sell for $2.09 at Kings and $2.49 at ShopRite. Also, while Kings offers German Cambozola Blue Cheese for $17.99 a pound and prime-aged angus beef for $7.99 a pound, ShopRite sells Saga Danish Style Blue Cheese for $15.96 a pound and beef rib certified-angus club steak for $11.49 a pound.

Kim Sirvan, who lives in West Caldwell, said she believes Stop & Shop will siphon customers from the ShopRite.

"Kings was too expensive, but Stop & Shop will be comparable," she said. 

Sirvan and friend Colleen Gogerty, who also lives in West Caldwell, stood chatting in ShopRite's parking lot on a recent afternoon and noted with suspicion newspaper ads ShopRite ran comparing its prices to Stop & Shop's.

The catch, the women said, is ShopRite listed its sale prices verses Stop & Shop's normal prices, giving the false impression that there are always wide differences in price between the stores.

"They're scared," Gogerty said. 

Representatives for ShopRite did not return calls seeking comment. 

Kings began Monday to slash its prices by one-third to sell off its inventory, company officials said. The bakery, deli and meat and seafood departments are already gone.

Meanwhile, Adle Mona, a Caldwell resident, said though the names might change on the storefronts, her shopping habits will remain the same. 

"I will go to both stores," she said. "Just like I do now."

In an earlier version of this story, Stop & Shop was inaccurately identified as the owner of 875 Bloomfield Ave. Stop & Shop leases the space and has sublet it to Kings.