Stop and Shop boasts new technology

SPARTA — At the new supermarket's ribbon-cutting, Manager Bill Diffin, welcomed the guests to the store which he said has 70,000 square feet of groceries, including 25 aisles of dry goods, huge new produce and meat departments, and a state-of-the-art bakery. Diffin explained among the stores new innovations are two SCAN IT! stations where shoppers can scan their Stop and Shop card and get a hand-held device which allows them to scan items as they select them and place them in bags in their carts. This is for shoppers who want to shop more quickly and avoid the traditional check out procedure. When they are finished shopping, the device is read and totaled and the shopper can pay at the register and proceed to their cars. Diffin also announced that the store has a large community room which will be available free of charge to local groups and organizations for meetings and gatherings. He said all that is necessary is to call to reserve the space. Bryan Hekemian, the developer and builder of the Stop and Shop also addressed the group, saying the project was a long-time coming. He said it took ten years to secure all the necessary permits and approvals from state agencies to clear the land and begin construction but only six months to build the store. Hekemian especially thanked Sparta Township Manger David Troast, who was the Town Planner through most of the project, saying the new store had been “Troast’s baby” and that he had been very instrumental in helping it come to fruition. Diffin and Ron Onorato, President of the New York Metro Division for Stop and Shop, presented a check for $2,000 to the Pass It Along Foundation, to show the company’s support for youth programs and volunteerism in northern New Jersey. Diane Taylor, President and CEO of Pass It Along, received the check. The store’s regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 6 am to midnight and Sunday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The old store is now vacant and awaiting a new tenant.