A large crowd of corporate and local employees gathered on the bright and sunny morning to cut the ribbon on the brand new 10Box Cost Plus grocery store at 2020 S. Main on Thursday.
The former Price Mart—which many will remember as Warehouse Market until just a few years ago—had undergone a renovation of sorts that led to the demise of its bakery, but an expanded footprint for its produce and other goods. Shelves and displays have been stocked with the brands you’ll find at most other grocery stores.
Sarah Thacker, Advertising Manager for Harps Foods, was present at the grand reopening. She said that when the Price Mart chain sold to Harps last year, the felt the cost-plus format was one that could do well in Sapulpa.
“We decided with with the look of the store, that the community, we could really embrace and use a cost plus format here,” she told Sapulpa Times on Thursday. “It would really help the customers with savings, and they would really like what they see.”
The cost-plus outlet store is the 19th of the chain, and the fourth in Oklahoma, which is owned by Harps Foods and focuses on more rural customers looking for a good deal. The concept means they’ll sell the products at cost, plus a flat 10% surcharge to “to cover our operational costs and allow us a nominal profit,” according to their website. While the idea has caused some controversy online, Thacker says the promise works, if given enough time.
“If they compare their receipt to any other traditional grocery store, I think they’ll be really surprised to see the savings,” she said.
According to Thacker, 10Box Cost Plus is able to charge less across the board because they’ve adopted the “no frills” approach seen by other grocery stores like Aldi’s.
“No frills, no extra marketing. We’re just kind of open and we let it do its thing,” she said. “We’ll let the prices speak for themselves.”
The “no frills” approach doesn’t mean they’re not making the investments where needed; 10Box has an active Facebook Page, a partnership with DoorDash due to start next week, and integration with Instacart is coming.
The also have a mobile app that not only gives shoppers an inside look at what prices and deals are available, but will actually learn the users shopping habits and offer more discounts for items they already buy.
“One of my favorite things about it is that the digital coupons are personalized, so the more you shop, the more it recognizes your shopping patterns and rewards you like,” Thacker said.
