HENRIETTA, N.Y. — A new grocery store option is coming to Henrietta. Grocery Outlet Bargain Market is moving into the former A.C. Moore space in the Jay Scutti Plaza.

The company markets towards shoppers looking for brand names on a bargain. They have an ever-changing rotation of products, because it’s all sourced from excess inventory from other manufacturers. That’s why it comes at a discount.

“Grocery Outlet will appeal to at least 65% of Monroe County in Western New York, that’s living paycheck to paycheck,” said Burt Flickinger, consumer expert with Strategic Resource Group. Flickinger studies consumer data for retail and grocery shopping, and everything in between.

“And, Nielsen is reporting that during the last four to five days of the month, a lot of consumers don’t have any credit left and are facing higher costs of living,” said Flickinger. “People who want to shop at Wegmans and Walmart will continue to do so for first 25 days of the month, but might stock up as much as they can at Grocery Outlet at the end of the month.”

That’s why he said the company likes to be located near a Wegmans or Walmart. He said the stores are predicted to gain at least 10-20% of customers who frequent those stores.

News10NBC wanted to see how this would specifically benefit neighbors who might not have a car.

The plaza has heavy traffic flow, which may be a challenge for walkers or bicyclists. 

Leanne Rorick, co-director of the Monroe County Aging Alliance, studies this kind of thing with a focus on the aging population. She said public transportation and access to bus stops are crucial when considering accessibility for new developments.

Rorick recently helped conduct a “walk audit” about a mile from the new store on Calkins Road. 

“We heard of a lot of experiences from people,” Rorich said. “We had children, we had older adults, and we were collecting their experiences as they walked, trying to get a sense of how safe they felt when they were walking,” she said.

“Not just walkability, but what we call a transit-first approach, is important, whether or not people have access with public transportation to that development, but also whether or not people use active transportation — walking and biking. How do they gain access?” Rorick said.

The nearest bus stop to the plaza is in front of Wegmans, off of Hylan Drive.

The town said it’s considering ways to improve pedestrian and road safety. 

These ideas include: 

1. Extended shoulders for mail carriers and delivery trucks to pull over, out of the traffic lanes.
2. A sidewalk on the south side running from East Henrietta to Pinnacle. (The current small stretches of north side sidewalk would remain.)
3. Fixing the two problem drainage culverts so as to reduce the surcharging and drainage issues.
4. Some form of traffic calming method since people go through there too quickly. Monroe County proposed a reduction of the width of the travel lanes.

This is the first Grocery Outlet in New York State. Strategic Resource Group said there will likely be a few more slated for Monroe County, soon.

News10NBC reached out to the owners of the plaza on Friday, but did not hear back.

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