Sunday, November 05, 2006

Open Thread #3

I'm going to start having these about once a week...

Topics covered: gas prices, Hugo's losing business?, Grand Forks vs. urban areas, Westward Ho building

39 comments:

Eric J. Burton said...

I find it funny that Gas is all over the place in Grand Forks, then I find out that gas is 1.99 to 2.00 a gallon. Something fishy is going on her in grand forks.

Anonymous said...

No mention of M and H? Always a five-cent discount from the regular price around town. And...the employees are fantastic! I keep thinking that place is too good to be true.

Anonymous said...

I think North Dakota should invest in the high-voltage power lines and wind turbines. We could resell the electricity elsewhere, and North Dakota residents could collect on it similar to Alaska. That would help bring down taxes and attract people to the state.

GrandForksGuy said...

No mention of M and H? Always a five-cent discount from the regular price around town. And...the employees are fantastic! I keep thinking that place is too good to be true.

M and H is such a cute little gas station. Their new building fits in really well in the residential neighborhood by St. Michael's. I wish other gas stations looked as good as M and H...

Jeni.Ann said...

With Hugo's on 32nd Avenue losing nearly $20,000 the first week of Wal-Mart's grocery being open, and then a steady $3,000 decline per week afterwards, is there any possibility that Hugo's will actually answer the challenge placed before them to offer better products and better prices?

Also, when oh when, will we ever see a grocer on the northwest section of town?!

Anonymous said...

Losing money so, lower prices. Genius.

I would encourage the Magnuson family to divest themselves of all their stores in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, call it a successful run, and hit the road.

GrandForksGuy said...

With Hugo's on 32nd Avenue losing nearly $20,000 the first week of Wal-Mart's grocery being open, and then a steady $3,000 decline per week afterwards, is there any possibility that Hugo's will actually answer the challenge placed before them to offer better products and better prices?

How have you obtained these figures, Jeni?

Anonymous said...

Hugo's, like Home of Economy, has always depended on customer loyalty, not lower prices. I would imagine they are hoping that will motivate a return after the novelty of Walmart has worn off.

Good Ol' Boy said...

I'd rather pay a little more for something at the ghetto Hugo's (Gateway and 20th) than drive clear across town to WalMart. Hugo's gets my cash most every time.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the poster above regarding the Hougo's family moving. Three months ago, my wife and I made the decision to pack up the kids and move on. In the last two months, both of our best friends and their families have also decided to move. We used to enjoy it here but, in the last five years it seems like the atmosphere in town has changed very much. There really is very little to do. It seems everyone smokes, and just keeps getting fatter and fatter. That's just not us. Above all, we've agreed that it's not a good place to raise children. I'm out of town right now preparing for a job interview tomorrow. On the flight down, I wondered continuously if we were making the right decision. The second I arrived at my destination, my spirits have been flying high and I feel like I will do very well in my interview. I haven't felt this good in years. We all met at college, made many very good friends, and, one by one, they all moved on. It's been difficult watching them all thrive in their new lives and we just feel "stuck". We'll miss our friends and family, but we know we are making the absolute right decision.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see a lot of things open on the northwest side of town. It's a wasteland out here!

dvjs said...

grand forks is not a good place to raise children? anonymous, please explain.

Anonymous said...

Some people are stupid. Some comments here make that ever more obvious.

Go raise your kids in Minneapolis or Chicago or wherever. Come back in 5 years to tell us how great it is to communte 2 hours to work each day, have to worry about drug dealers on the streets or guns in your schools.

Anonymous said...

Anybody else notice that Target has tons of hot chicks shopping for groceries there? In terms of looks, it's pretty obvious that the stores breakdown like this:

Target - hot chicks
Hugos - normal looking people
Walmart - mentally handicapped
Super One - people who look homeless
Sam's Club - Canadians

Anonymous said...

It's hysterical that Grand Forks homers think all urban cities are just concrete, high rises, and drug dealers. The #1 destinations for out-migrators from NoDak: Twin Cities, Chicagoland, Denver/Colorado are AMAZING places to raise children. Beautiful quiet neighborhoods, great people, and cultural and social diversity. Do you really think that EVERYONE has a two hour commute? That's just silly. Grand Forks is what it is. If you like it, go for it. There's no need to trash other locations. The U.S. is an amazing country, there are countless amazing places to live. I grew up in Grand Forks. There was nothing special about my education, and I felt sheltered and isolated from the rest of the world. The crime statistics in G.F. and E.G.F. aren't much to brag about. You need to keep in mind...when a low-life killls a low-life in an iffy part of town, that doesn't count. Simple solution, don't be a low-life in the ghetto. But then again, if that's your thing...go for it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the anon. The hype by residents is way over the top. Grand Forks is what it is. It's pretty able to figure out what it's all about after very little time in town. You have to admit that...

This kinda small town is...a "city".
Crafts are..."art".
2 blackjack tables is a..."casino".
The "destination city" hype.

Is cute in a meet me at the potluck, with your casserole, sorta way.

Jeni.Ann said...

As to where I got my numbers, I got those from the night closer. I won't name names, as that can create trouble, but grocery stores run their tallies at the end of each night, and things are mentioned in conversation.

Anonymous said...

But how many night closers can there be? Uh-oh, somebody's ass is grass

Anonymous said...

"It's hysterical that Grand Forks homers think all urban cities are just concrete, high rises, and drug dealers. "

It's not hysterical, it's what we have been told forever by those that pay our salaries. In fact the city of GF has bragged to companies that we work for very little and they should come here too.

Anonymous said...

What is happening at the old Westward Ho?

Anonymous said...

The land and what's left of the building is listed for sale.

Anonymous said...

Let's talk about two non-commercial additions to downtown Grand Forks: new bike racks have/are being installed and the "Downtown Security."

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,
The following quote from you has to be one of the most stupid comments I have ever heard come out of anyone. Impressive the way your ignorance is shining through.

"You need to keep in mind...when a low-life killls a low-life in an iffy part of town, that doesn't count. Simple solution, don't be a low-life in the ghetto."

Have fun in Denver or Chicago. Good ridance.

Anonymous said...

As one of the many former-gf residents I'd be interested in some local {grand forks} perspective on the statwide elections/ballot measures etc.

I heard the 20/20 initiave failed. Why so? Totally bad idea? Too ambitious and should be scaled back? Better campaigning/marketing by one side? Was there anything that really tipped the scales for most people?

On another unrelated note, how come the traffic-lights downtown don't have pedestrian buttons one can push to get the light to change like in most cities?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of downtown, why aren't there any left turn arrows? It takes FOREVER to make a left turn.

Anonymous said...

I have it on fairly good authority someone is working on a restaurant in the old Ho building. Hard to believe? Ask someone at Dakota Commercial.

Anonymous said...

I drove past the old Ho last night...looks like they have a new roof. Who would have thought anyone would put money into that?!?!

Anonymous said...

No left turns downtown because the streets are only one lane. The left turn lights would slow things even more.

20/20 failed because it was such a bad idea.

To the people who have negative things to say about Grand Forks, why bother posting here? I'm sure you can find hundreds of blogs about Chicago or Denver.

Anonymous said...

Hear that bloggers, only positive comments from now on.

(That's the sound of crickets chirping in the background.)

Anonymous said...

Wow..."good riddance" guy, you are a seriously clueless dude.

Good luck with that.

Anonymous said...

Regarding The Ho property, it's too bad that the current property owners didn't scrape the building and then just sell the land to a developer. It would probably be developed by now.

Rick said...


Target - hot chicks
Hugos - normal looking people
Walmart - mentally handicapped
Super One - people who look homeless
Sam's Club - Canadians


ahahaha. So true.

Anonymous said...

GFG...you mentioned having one of these open threads "once a week."

Regarding the path of this thread, perhaps a good time to start another is...well...now. :o)

C'mon, people...keep it somewhat positive, huh?

Anonymous said...

How about an Alerus Center thread?

Anonymous said...

Anyone remember UND football when it was outside? Boy I miss those days, the gentle roar of a football crowd wafting through the air, crisp fall days. When I was kid in GF and had no ticket for a game, I'd watch from outside the gates, ah that was fun.

I vote that UND football be played outside when nice and inside when damn cold. Why not use the Alerus when it would be no fun to play outside and use the outdoor field when possible?

Anonymous said...

Is that a serious question? The answer is money.

Anonymous said...

It was sort of serious. Who gets all the money now? Who got all the money then? Does somebody get a lot more money now? Is all-indoor football just a total financial winner for all parties involved?

The answers are not terribly obvious if not living in GF and not paying to much attention to the local/campus politics. Just a thought that came up a few days ago when I saw my uncle (UND Alum hasn't lived in GF for many years) and we started talking UND football. He went to Homecoming and didn't care for the Alerus experience.

Anonymous said...

The Sioux Sports board addresses all your inquiries. Homecoming used to be amazing.


http://siouxsports.com/forums/

Matt BK said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.