New Cortlandt ShopRite Preps For Grand Opening

CORTLANDT, NY — The new Cortlandt ShopRite opens for business Sunday with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new 130,000-square-foot Cortlandt Crossing Shopping Center in Mohegan Lake is across Route 6 from the Cortlandt Town Center.

And everyone's excited — the employees all of whom are moving from the old location (now for sale) and the 60 new staffers taken on for the much bigger store with all sorts of new features. Even local reporters taken on a sneak-peak tour of the store Friday were marking the locations of the opening specials they plan to acquire.

Speaking of new features, take for example the two-sided smoothie bar at the entrance. You could grab a blended drink from one side before you go in, while you're grabbing a cart. Or you could grab one once you're inside, while you're shopping or right before you check out!

The Blend Smoothie Bar is part of a concerted effort by ShopRite officials to expand their offerings of healthy foods. No more searching for kombucha — there's an 8-foot case of probiotic beverages (try the ginger). There's a larger section for organic produce and organic yogurts. There's a section of gluten-free foods but they have also put gluten-free choices in with many grains so that people can easily find them or try them.

Locally-sourced products include yogurt from Freedom Hill Farm in Otisville, milk from Ronnybrook Farm in Pine Plains and SuperKrauts probiotic saurkraut from New Paltz.

The produce section is huge, there's just no other word for it, with local and exotic items to try like Buddha's Hand citron (candy your own fruit this season for fruitcakes!)

Did you know about the store's food recovery program? There are two steps: donate used goods to Feeding Westchester or put it in the organics program to be made into animal feed. "Wholesome good food is getting to people who need it," said Sarada Bernstein. "Our associates really like that."

And there's a lot of useful technology for time-strapped customers. The company has greatly expanded the staging area for its ShopRite from Home program, so it's easier to zip by and pick up the groceries you ordered online (unless you're just having them delivered.)

You can order deli items to be packaged for you either from an in-store kiosk or from your phone. And coming soon - you will be able to use your smartphone camera to scan barcodes of items for "self-checkout as you go."

It will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Check out this Facebook Live video from part of the media tour.

PHOTOS/ Lanning Taliaferro

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