Gas discounts

Even across the seaway from HQ isn't this high!

Many chains around the country have offered gas discounts for several years now. Some have their own brand like Tops shown here, while others partner with a third party, as some of Tops' former sister chains use Shell (which left Syracuse decades ago) if not have their own (like Martins). Price Chopper was one of the first in Upstate NY to have a program in collaboration with participating Sunocos.  Valero had one each at Strupplers and Village Market IGA in Oswego County until both became Tops in the past couple years. In the Hudson Valley where Tops have grown south of former Grand Unions they acquired, they bought some of their ex-sister chains stores after they merged with another from Europe because of overlap and FTC regulations, and there shoppers save on gift cards to be used at area Shell, Irving (I don't even see these in their native Canada when I go, and doing the math with metric measurements, it costs much more), BP (left Syracuse along with their sisters Arco and Amoco) and Gulf (recently back in CNY) stations. Tops in my neck of the woods and Price Chopper in theirs let customers who don't drive use points to save on bus passes so they don't go to waste if they don't have access to someone elses vehicle, but it only makes sense if you live there. Someone in Hannafords ad said that the discounts barely make a dent (they don't even believe in a card). ShopRite have it in a different way and I've seen it as they recently returned to Albany County (never knew they were there in the past as I heard of them from downstate and went down the river later). Various other chains and indies nationwide will have a promotion somewhere. Tops let you earn more points with manufacturers' coupons while Price Chopper/Market 32s kiosks will provide a store one to use when you spend a certain amount.  With the latter I try to get at least 20¢ off a gallon. At Speedway it takes a few months just to even get to 10¢ off but I keep at it until I reach it. Back at Tops, at the end of an earning cycle, there's a two-week hiatus, and you have to use the remaining 100s of points or they will be wiped at the start of the next period. Back at the starting gate, then. In Pennsylvania, WNY, and Twin Tiers, Sunoco also have deals with Weis Markets, Shop 'n Save and Redners. Sunoco would likely have them with chains around the country, but the cookies only gave me information for the Northeast, which is enough.
Prices fluctuate between events overseas and the economy. Another rise is inevitable, but at least there's a way to keep the price down a little. On the west coast, they could use this even more (you know how it is, making it look like a bargain already back east!).

Notsky fills up at Tops Xpress

Woolworths

Former Bakersfield, CA store, which may be an indie shop now from the looks of it (recent photo)

    Since Family Dollar, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Dollarama (Canada), Five Below, even Ben Franklin in some small towns, as well as indie variety stores like 99¢ City are alive and well, then there's almost no reason why trailblazers Woolworths are not in this country anymore, as it's been for these past two decades. Many say Walmart and the like are to blame. Foot Locker are the legal successor to the original chain. Existing and defunct chains in the Commonwealth and México (spun off like the UK had in 1982) are not related (the Canadian chains were replaced by The Bargain! Shop [some stores like Ft Erie and Gananoque, ONT closed] and Walmart [Woolco absorbed in 1994]) respectively. Foot Locker could own the revived chain or at least licence the name to a new company if it came down to that. Here's where Woolworths 2.0 "wool'd" be today:

Manlius - former Kinney Pharmacy, NY 92
Elbridge - former Family Dollar, NY 5
Auburn - former Family Dollar, NY 5
Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13 and CR 25
Watertown - Paddock Arcade, NY 3 (not far from where early store was as it's a small town)
New Hartford - former Tuesday Morning, former NY 5/8/12 (chose downtown proper for post location)
Fulton - TBD (former kmart on NY 481 is too big)
Oswego - former Dollar Tree, NY 104
Cicero - former Green Planet Grocery, NY 31
North Syracuse - Northern Lights Plaza; former Media Play, US 11
Cortland - next to Grand Union, NY 281
deWitt - Shoppingtown Mall (former site unavailable but many others are), NY 5
Rotterdam - Viaport, NY 337
Junius Ponds - Finger Lakes Premium Outlets, NY 318
Bridgeport, former Kinney Drugs, NY 31
Liverpool -  former Verizon Wireless, NY 31
Syracuse - former Bon Ton, Destiny USA (although Five Below are already in newer section)

Known former CNY, WNY and Capital Region locations:

Syracuse - downtown (later Rite Aid; now DGX, but other parts are vacant)

Albany (uptown) - Westgate Plaza, NY 5; closed by 1993

Albany (downtown) - NY 32 (most likely)
Colonie - Northway Mall, NY 5, probably where Target is now
deWitt - Shoppingtown, NY 5 (plaza and mall)

Victor - Eastview Mall, NY 96
Utica - downtown (first failed store located there; newer store opened when chain grew later)
Fulton - now Dollar General; final CNY location; NY 481

Former chemist division The Rx Place had stores in Carousel Center (now Destiny USA down cellar where Burlington is now and was later CompUSA), deWitt on NY 5 (where Marshalls HomeGoods are today and onetime Pathmark Super Drug) and Poughkeepsie on US 9 at South Hills Mall (later PharmHouse and PharMor, which acquired Rx Place from Woolworths in the mid-'90s).

CarMax

Colonie location on NY 5 near Albany

Seeing a commercial for CarMax with MadTV and Ithaca College alum Andrew Daly, and going by the Henrietta location gave me the idea for the next post. I might even buy a car from them when I get the money. As usual, we always get things last around here (shock, horror).

Toppers Pizza

Milwaukee County location

Toppers Pizza are mainly in the Midwest, but should work their way to the Northeast:

Manlius - former Kinney Drugs, NY 92
Baldwinsville/Weedsport/Auburn - former Tim Hortons
Utica - former Nicky Doodles or Parkway Pizza
Ithaca - former Starbucks

Fairmount - former Pies Guys, NY 297
Cicero - former Buffalo Wild Wings, US 11; Jimmy Johns; or former Marks Pizzeria, NY 31
Liverpool - former Marks Pizzeria, CR 57
Rochester - former Calios, NY 252 (Henrietta)
Watertown - former Tilted Kilt, NY 3
East Syracuse - former Carmellas (Bridge St.)
Cortland - former Naples Italian Eatery, Riverside Plaza, NY 13
Auburn - former Family Dollar, Dennys, or Tim Hortons, NY 5
North Syracuse - former Salt City Dogs, Northern Lights or former Pies Guys (village), US 11
Oswego - former Pizza Hut, NY 104
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa, NY 5 & US 20
Albany - former D.P. Dough, Western Ave. and Quail St. or I Love NY Pizza, US 9

Shoppingtown

JCPenney has since left.

As more people shop online and the economy can be uneasy it seems dead malls are becoming more common in the US and Canada. Shoppingtown in deWitt is a blatant example of such a lost cause. In my day it had almost everything but as the years went by society changed but the developers' mindsets didn't so it became a modern day Tumbleweed Connection! TGI Fridays and JCPenney (in the back above) have just closed shop. The library will go next year. Trying to fill it all up at this point would be fruitless so maybe once the row between the town council and Moonbeam is sorted perhaps the wrecking ball could swing like Miley and they could cut their losses. A lifestyle center like Township 5 across town in Camillus or Legacy Place in Boston suburb Dedham, MA could be the next step. Whole Foods, IKEA, Ross Stores, 99 Pub and Toppers Pizza just to name a few could take over returning the place to its roots as a plaza bringing it full circle. There are several other centers in CNY alone and across North America that make Pompeii look like Hong Kong but this could be part of the solution. I might look into Niagara Square in Niagara Falls, ONT next (also made a strip centre in recent years).
Kohan, the company that bought former sister mall Great Northern Mall could buy Shoppingtown as well as they know how to flip malls like that show on HGTV on the west coast can flip houses. However, Moonbeam insist that it's not for sale and that they shall reformat in the months to come.  CarMax could go there (see later post). I now tend to call the mall Shoppingnowt!

Former IGA locations

Former Hannibal store

Cook County-based chain IGA are a network of indie grocers across the country (they're also in Australia and Canada in the Commonwealth).  They've left bigger areas in recent decades and are seen more in small towns like Potsdam and Old Forge  They blazed a trail when Grand Union and A&P started out in tea before competing.  Here's an assorted selection from around Upstate and the Tri-State of what some older folks may assume is all but long gone.

Hannibal (NY 3; previously Big M; now Tops; pictured)
Syracuse/Fayetteville/North Syracuse/East Syracuse - Peters (now Tops, Kohls, Family Dollar, Thrifty Shopper, cornershops, etc.; see other article)

East Syracuse/Chittenango/Baldwinsville/Cazenovia/Minoa/Fayetteville - Smiths (ended affiliation by the '80s; chain closed by 2001-02; see later article)

Syracuse/Marcellus - Nojaim Bros. (became part of Hometown Markets with above two [refer to other post] by '80s; near West Side store closed in 2017 and is now Brady Market; NY 174 now Stewarts Shops as of Spring 2024)

Genoa - Smiths IGA, NY 90 (no relation to above; dated back to late Victorian era; vacant by 2011)
Liverpool - Nichols (later ShurFine; now a Best Yet affiliate)
laFayette - US 11 (last store in Onondaga County; now Dollar General)
Homer - Foodliner, US 11 & NY 41 (now Village Food Market)

Camillus - ex-NY 5 (later indie; closed by '80s)

Ovid - NY 96A & 414 (later Big M; burned down in 2025 and will be rebuilt when it's the right time)
Corfu - NY 77 (now vacant)
Clifton - now indie
Bridgeton, NJ - now C-Town
Akwesasne - NY 37 (now St Regis Mohawk First Nation gaming and entertainment complex)
Red Hook - US 9 (now Hannaford or CVS/pharmacy?)
Malone - now Country Market
Greenwich - NY 29 (now a farmers market)

Webster - former Hegedorns (as of June 2023), NY 404; later ShurFine and BestYet affiliated
Brushton - now Country Store
Star Lake - Padgetts, NY 3 (later Great American; now Dollar General)
Stephentown - now vacant
Bingham Park - Hawley (now vacant)
The Bronx - now Scavellos City Island

Tops in Hannibal

Made with Microsoft Paint, poor mans Photoshop!

Tops' latest location on NY 3 just past NY 104 in Hannibal is now open.  I went just a few days before as the old guard IGA were clearing out as much as possible.  It's listed on Tops' site but no article there or the local papers about the soft opening has been released yet.  Previously a Big M to boot, the family who owned it were now in their fourth or fifth generation in this country and were ready to move on.  I have yet to see the place so the façade may have changed or like some former Shurfine or Grand Unions they bought out in recent memory they just retrofit the old sign instead like my cheap rendering shows (gotta make do!).  Now I hope the old Price Chopper in Oswego by Fort Ontario halfway across the county is store #600 (IRS regulations make them count former stores too) but some towards and in New England acquired from ex-sister chain Stop & Shop and their new one Hannaford are next in line.  As for the other Great Lakes chain, you have to go to Potsdam or Old Forge now but it's just not the same.  A post about them is next.