ShopRite Starting Off The Right Way

For business owners, "thank you" is a phrase they are used to saying, but it might not be something they’re used to hearing very often.

This can’t be said for Jon and Seth Greenfield, who just last week in the Cosentino Shopping Center off of Crooked Hill Road. They're grateful to the thousands of customers who continue to fill their parking lot and form lines at each of their store's 20 checkout counters--and the customers feel the same way.

“We say to the customers, ‘thank you’ and they say, ‘no, thank you,’” Seth said.

Jon and Seth, a father-son team, cut the ribbon of their first Suffolk County store a week ago, after the success of their two Plainview stores inspired them to expand. Now in Commack, Jon says there are plenty of familiar faces, including relatives of his Plainview customers, shopping at his new store.

The new ShopRite is, according to Seth, the result of thousands of hours of planning and preparation. The store employs approximately 350 people, with 40 or so existing employees being brought over from the Plainview stores or switching to the Commack location because of it's proximity to their homes.

As anyone who visited the store during its opening can attest, the battle for parking was just that, with car horns blaring as shoppers lurked up and down rows of parked vehicles in search of an empty spot. Jon acknowledges the dilemma posed by the finite number of spots near the store, but says the crowded lot on opening day was due to service representatives from companies supplying much of the equipment inside the new store. Since they're no longer around as much, more parking should be available. In addition, the Greenfields plan to discuss parking arrangements with Cosentino Brothers, who own the space ShopRite now occupies as well as the surrounding land.

But once you’ve got a parking spot, there’s plenty to check out: A made-to-order hot food station, kosher products, sushi, and a frozen food section you can walk through without having to zip up your jacket. Jon’s suggestion? Grabbing a slice of Italy. “Try the pizza,” he said.