Kroger Marketplace

I’m not one of those people who shops on a regular basis, but when I need something, I typically make the drive from downtown to this Kroger because it’s clean, the store is laid out well, and they have pretty much everything I need. I’m also a big fan of the signs throughout the store listing items and the row to find them in. Looking for molasses. this saved me a lot of frustration.
48 rows in the store, not counting the pharmacy or wellness areas. The far south end starts wth the marketplace area: Starbucks, hot pizzas and sandwiches, salad bar, sushi, bakery, deli, etc. As you head north you pass the wine and liquor, kitchen goods, food items, housewares, clothing and end up in the pharmacy. This place has it all.

I’m giving heavy consideration to making this Kroger Market Place my regular grocery store, even if it’s not the closest option.
I had remembered watching the construction begin and wondering what kind of monster department store would be filling the space. Costco? Sam’s Club? I also remember being just as shocked to hear it was slated to be a Kroger, and even more surprised to hear that massive Kroger palaces exist that sell clothing and furniture. Whaaaa?
The place eventually fell off my radar, until I was driving south on Emerson and realized that by now it was probably open.
I can’t think of one gripe about this Kroger location! A contemporary, welcoming design with clean floors and wide aisles. Inside you’ll find added amenities like a Starbucks, sushi bar, cheese shop, bulk options, toys, home décor and clothing.
One thing to make note of was how good the «grab & go» items looked. Much more than just bland sandwiches and soups from a bag, we found pancetta brussel sprouts, truffle mac & cheese, homemade meatloaf, asparagus and portabella quiche, and chicken with rice. A bevy of tempting options in this section, to say the least.
I was also really impressed by the number of gluten-​free options I found while meandering. Not only is there a dedicated «gluten-​free» section amidst the baking staples, but I spotted other fun options like cookie dough (dangerous), apple-​cinnamon waffles, and corn dogs.
I love that this location proudly supports local businesses, offering many regional craft beers and even Hotel Tango liquor. I also found two self-​standing kiosks featuring food items from around Indiana.
As clothing isn’t something I plan on purchasing from a Kroger (I have standards), I pretty much walked right past this section. However, I did end up buying a really warm pair of tacky mittens that were marked down to $ 4 from $ 20!
As someone who often makes the trek from Irvington to the Southport SuperTarget for lack of nice options on the east side, I definitely plan to be adding this Kroger Market Place to my arsenal. This is one of the nicest grocery stores I’ve seen in Indy!

Kroger took forever to build its new location across the street from the current. Kroger Marketplace — this is the first location in Indianapolis and serves as their new business model to complete with places like Meijer and Target.
This place is huge. A lot bigger than any other Kroger that I have ever been in. They have a great selection of produce in both your typical as well as an expanded organics section. This location has a Starbucks as well. The area where Starbucks is, is like a dining area. They have a salad bar where you can grab something to eat and actually sit down to enjoy it. The cheese shop in there is pretty impressive too. Offering options that you may not find in other grocery stores. They have an expanded meat department; however I have yet to actually purchase anything from it.
The entire back wall is made up of the meat and dairy departments. Which means that the center is everything else. On the north end of the building you will find an expanded pharmacy department as well as their Little Clinic (to compete with Walgreens and CVS). They also now sell clothing as well… though its a small section and consists of brands like Wangler and Lee.
I feel that the brand selection at the new Marketplace has doubled from what Kroger normally carried. I find that I am drawn to the Simple Truth brand which consists of natural and organic options.
The place is remarkably clean for not only a Kroger but one that is as busy as this location. The bathrooms are kept clean and fully stocked. The staff I cannot comment on as I haven’t really dealt with any one person before. I typically use the self scan and as far as getting what I need… I am pretty self sufficient.
This location also has the feature where you can order online and they bring it to your car. I have not done this yet… and I honestly don’t think that I would. I just don’t know how I feel about someone picking out my food. What if they pick something less fresh that another? They also added a Kroger gas station out front as well. When it comes to food, if you cannot find it here then chances are it doesn’t exist.

This brand new store is really great. Really awesome produce section, deli, Starbucks, clothes, makeup, everything. Wide aisles, clean store, everything you need is here… except tires… didn’t see those but I wasn’t looking that hard either. LOL. I think you will really enjoy shopping here. The entry and exiting of the parking lot is the worst aspect of this store, IMO. There are a lot of «DO NOT ENTER» signs as you have to be very careful where you enter and how you exit. They also have an Online Order pull up station in the parking lot that I’ll have to take a picture of. They just opened it and I haven’t seen anyone use it yet when I’ve been there. It takes part of the parking lot up, which is a downside, but all in all this store is great.

Bigger can be better, but it can also be overwhelming/​daunting and tiring too. I am not sure if I want my Kroger to become more like Walmart.
I still like smaller grocery stores because they are not annoying, obnoxious and arduous to navigate.
This Kroger has relocated to directly across the street from their former location.
The move was ongoing process, as they had to build a giant complex from scratch to fulfill their vision.
They do sell gas there now, so that is a plus because Kroger offers discounts on their gas if a Kroger card is used. Another gas station in that part of town was also appreciated and needed.
They have expanded in other ways by selling more items in the store like for example — clothing. The clothing seems to be of fair quality.
The problem is trying to find everything you need in a reasonable amount of time just short of having to apply for an address change. Grocery shopping is really one of my least favorite must do activities/​chores. When it comes to shopping, many times I just want to get in and out of a store. When a store is too big, I feel like I get lost backtrack, or just go into a time warp. What should have been a 30 minute trip, ends up being an hour+ trip.
As the days wear on, I will continue to frequent Kroger, as it has become my
’go to’ grocery store. I suppose the jury is still out in many ways, so hopefully Kroger will continue to be successful and improve and/​or thrive. I know they are definitely giving the Walmart super center located across the street more of a run for the money as well !
I can honestly say that I absolutely have no problem with that ! ;o) !!!
*****
Update:
Their new curbside grocery service Clicklist — is an interesting and handy concept.
It’s very new — in the beta stage. I tried it one time. It has a few glitches to work out, but for the most part it’s a great idea mostly in theory at this time. They are still under construction working on an area right next to the store, where cars are to park when picking up their grocery order.
Once they get the rest of the program and pickup system ironed out, hopefully it will run like a well oiled machine.
The order and pick up turnaround is approximately 24 hours at this time. I didn’t realize when I picked up my groceries that I was supposed to call first. They gave me a pick up time so I just assumed that I was to show up at that time. Of course when I got there I realized:
How do they know I’m here? So I called inside the store from my car and then someone came out to meet and greet me. My groceries were ready to go to be loaded in my car. You pay when you arrive to get your groceries. The person takes your money or credit card at that time. They already factor in your Kroger savings card when you place your order on line. The first order I made waived the service $ 5.00 service charge. They also took $ 10.00 off my first order because I spent over $ 50.00. I hope they continue to offer money saving incentives for this service. If they do, I will definitely keep using it. The website is basically pretty easy to use when ordering your groceries. It will keep your previous list in your favorites file. You can click on any one of those items for a repeat order, and then also add other items as you go along. It will take a little time to set up, but once you have a master list, you should be good to go.