Gemco
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Gemco was an American, particularly California chain of membership department stores that was owned by San Leandro based Lucky Stores, a California supermarket company which has since been acquired in the 1990's by American Stores, now referred to as Albertsons. It operated from the mid 1960's until closing in early 1987.
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Name, colors and logo
"GEMCO" never was an acronym for anything, rumors to the contrary. The letters were simply an easily pronounced and remembered name. Brown (with tan accents) was Gemco's original main exterior background color, and the letters "GEMCO" were originally in red. An early 1980's redesign changed the chain's main exterior background color to blue (with light blue accenting), and its letter coloring in its logo to white (adding a yellow diamond on top of the "M").
Offerings and innovations
An early example of what would become a hypermarket, Gemco offered one stop shopping from everything from garden supplies to groceries, and regular department store offerings as well. Its concessionaires included gasoline (located outside and away from the front entrance) and jewelry. One innovation the store offered - found nowhere else at the time - was the storing and delivery of already purchased groceries when the member was through shopping the rest of the store. A numbered plastic card was placed on the cart(s) and its match was given to the customer. When the member was done shopping and ready to leave the premises, the member merely needed to drive to the side of the store where the plastic card was given to the security guard. The guard would call for a courtesy clerk to deliver the groceries, and the clerk would load them into said member's vehicle gratuity-free. Niceties such as this won many new members to Gemco, and created repeat business, adding to Gemco's success.
Gemco also offered a credit department to help increase sales. It was particularly busy each year during the Christmas shopping period.
In the Eastern United States, Memco membership department stores would honor Gemco membership cards, and Gemco stores would likewise honor Memco cards. These were two different Lucky Store chains, however.
History
Gemco was first established in Northern California. Its success there prompted Lucky Store officials to aggressively expand Gemco stores to Southern California in the 1970's. After the expansion, more stores were in its Buena Park operations zone than its San Leandro zone. Business and profitability continued to be healthy until a series of unsuccessful leveraged takeover attempts from other companies were made on its parent company, Lucky Stores. Lucky, to avoid such hostile takeover attempts, eventually decided it was best to liquidate Gemco entirely. This liquidation occurred in early 1987. Target Stores has since taken over and remodeled many of Gemco's former prime business locations.
Former store locations today
One original Gemco building that still stands unchanged since 1987 is the Downey location. It still wears its remodeled blue Gemco colors, and sits abandoned on Florence Avenue. The Oceanside store at 2255 El Camino Real is now a Target, and the Lancaster store on Avenue K at 15th Street West is now used by the Toys R Us retail chain and the Hometown Buffet cafeteria restaurant chain.
Lore and legend
The store manager of each Gemco was always referred to over the intercom system as "Number 1," and the assistant manager was called "Number 2" - terminology used in the original pilot of Star Trek. The lowest paid staff member, the courtesy clerk, was called "29" or more frequently "29C" (C for shopping cart retrieval). There were not 29 levels of employees, however.
Karen Carpenter, of the Carpenters singing duo, lived about a quarter mile from the Downey Gemco. Legend states that she was getting ready to go to this particular store on the morning of February 4, 1983, when she tragically suffered a heart attack in her parent's home and died.
External links
Gemco Department Stores (http://www.royhooper.com/gemco.htm)
Lucky Stores (http://www.groceteria.net/lucky/)