PAN Surveys

Retail Services Survey Results
Additional Comments About Shopping/Buying Habits or Concerns About Retail In Palo Alto
	Shopping is not high priority on my list
	I hate going downtown because of the traffic and parking restrictions. I have considered using the shuttle but my kids tell me it is overcrowded with students, parents tell me it takes a long and wandering route and the schedule seems to be ever changing. Time is always of the essence!
	I walk to Longs, Midtown Video, the coffee shop, the hardware store,Washington Mutual,the cleaners and Safeway. I'm glad I live so close to these useful stores and services. I hope Midtown stays viable for years to come.
	I purchase clothes and other items by telephone using catalogs
	Good questionnaire. Probably just the right length, but necessarily cursory. Comments: I purchased my car in Palo Alto, but directly from its previous owner. (Is that sales/use tax paid to DMV credited to Palo Alto?) Questionnaire should ask where car is serviced or repaired, as that is a large taxable expense for most people (I've spent thousands at Park Avenue Motors). Regarding "uninviting environment": I'd feel more comfortable on University Avenue if there weren't so many bums and panhandlers. Section on eating out: vague about what counts -- nice sit-down restaurant meal? McDonald's? Donut & coffee at Happy Donuts? Sandwich & soda in Mollie Stones parking lot? Hot dog at Costco? I'd vote against all our "public art" of the sculpture variety if I had the chance. The wall paintings, on the other hand, are generally wonderful.
	I can't drive so my shopping is limited to my walking ability and the internet. the bus stops too far from the stores at Stanford to work for me and the prices there are too high. Mostly.I love Safeway and Albertsons.coms.
	1) I work next to Vallco Fashion Park, so it's easier to shop there at times 2) I'm an Internet shopping junkie 3) Parking in my neighborhood (Midtown) and on California Ave is okay; downtown is trickier.
	keep Fry's in Palo Alto !
	It's tough to compete with the big boxes. I think the downtown Palo Alto landlords deserve a lot of credit for setting reasonable rents that keep downtown so diverse and vibrant.
	There are few useful stores/restaurants in the Midtown area. Parking downtown is so bad, I don't go downtown for anything.
	I never shop downtown; too expensive, hard to park. University Ave should be blocked off and made into a walking mall instead of a main drag to be much more appealing for shoppers. I suppose the traffic patterns would be terribly effected.
	Rents too expensive
	Hate going to the mall.
	Shop here as much as possible. Aside from JJ &F I don't believe we have adequate grocery stores (I do like JJ&F but not most of the others). I also like Country Sun. I miss Printers Inc and Chimera (bookstore) intensely.
	Forget Univ Ave for retail, too hard to park. Shuttle is a good concept, but too slow and infrequent. Should just run up and down Middlefield.
	Stanford Shopping Center caters to the above average in income. This leaves out seniors on fixed income and those who are not in the upper bracket. Downtown boutiques and high priced restaurants are just too expensive. So are the furniture stores. Times are tough, even for those who won't admit it. What the people of the area need would probably not fit into Stanford Shopping Center's 'image' of Versace and Wilkes Bashford and Anne Taylor, etc. But the average residents will go where there are good bargins - like TJ Max, Penny's, Ross Dress for Less, etc. and even Marshalls. Some of the best clothing bargains and furniture bargins are consigment and resale shops. For that I go to Menlo Park and to Los Altos. JC Penny has excellent linens. Strouds is going out of business. Except for a Macy's sale, there is no place to buy bathtowels in PA - other than high priced Bloomingdale's.
	Please do something about the color-coded parking downtown. It is too confusing (a 5 minute stop and then no more in that zone all day for example). I no longer shop downtown solely because of this.
	I am remodeling my kitchen and found it difficult to purchase large appliances in Palo Alto. I did find several items at the Maytag store on El Camino but had to buy the others in Redwood City.
	I did not fill in what are my reasons for not shopping in Palo Alto more often, because I do shop in Palo Alto. I make a concerted effort to shop close to home. My Costco purchases are for my company, not for myself.
	Supermarkets are too small. Frys is great.
	Some stores such as Alberson's are dirty with non responsive personnel. Parking downtown is almost impossible. Maybe the new garages will help Need businesses that insist their personnel be responsive (such as Safeway), but that may reflect the fact that Palo Alto isn't very responsive to the needs of businesses.
	The restrictions on grocery store size make grocery shopping in Palo Alto a chore - either too expensive or not enough selection. When I really have to shop for food I go to Mountain View.
	Retail in Palo Alto is upscale and pricey. Stanford Shopping Center is way too yuppie for me.
	Downtown stores don't cater to the community. Too many high-end retailers and fancy restaurants. Downtown landlords need to do a better job of mixing retail types to make that part of town more appealing to local residents. California Avenue is in need of all manner of stores. It's mostly hair/nail salons and other places I would seldom visit. Hardware store and pharmacy would be useful. Retail areas along El Camino have become an eyesore. Why shop there when you have so many other choices in cities where retailers are opening newer stores with more selection? Palo Alto city government has done such a good job alienating businesses that they're leaving town. Nobody is investing in our community any more.
	We live in the southwest corner near Gunn. If we had a walkable grocery, I would walk. Piazza is just too far, as is San Antonio center. We really need a JJ&F down here. I have lived in other places where there were small neighborhood bakeries/groceries/restaurants/hardware stores and we mostly patronized them.
	Parking is a major concern in downtown. I hope the new parking garages will allieviate some of this problem.
	My wife usually does shopping
	Because I live in south Palo Alto, going to the Long's in MT View is easier than Midtown. I also shop in Los Altos because I like the atmosphere and it's easy to get to than Palo Alto. I used to own a business in Los Altos so feel acquainted.
	Don't see why we needed a new Walgreens right next to the Long's in Midtown.
	would like a small grocery store [7-11?] within easy pedestrian access from community center neighborhood.
	California Avenue losing "everyday" retail function (hardware, books, etc.).
	Retired -- shopping often is not necessary. Shopping is done for special occasions, i.e. birthdays - anniversaries - vacations.
	Why don't you include grocery stores in your survey. For instance, I avoid Safeway as much as possible, and shop at Piazza's, but this survey does not give me the opportunity to say that or to explain why. Also, your questionaire does not make clear what you mean by "shopping." If I go to a store, but I don't buy, is that shopping? By my definition, it is, but I'm not sure that's what you mean.
	Since I live on San Antonio Road I can easily walk to Costco and OSH, and easily ride my bike to the San Antonio Shopping Center.
	I rarely shop or eat out in downtown Palo Alto because parking is too difficult during normal business hours. However, I am a regular at the Farmer's Market because parking is available early in the morning. The clothing stores downtown are all too trendy and too expensive.
	This town does not need three Long's and three Walgreen's stores.
	Most items over priced in Palo Alto.
	Retail is expensive here and it makes it way into pricing. There is no free lunch.
	I am happy with retail/shopping in Palo Alto. It usually offers what I need.
	Lack of parking is a problem
	I basically refuse to shop in Palo Alto until our worthless City Council starts doing their jobs, i.e. making TIMELY decisions about matters before the council, instead of the usual foot dragging, hiring of consultants, postponing taking a stand, in other words, anything to avoid making a final decision.
	You don't include the Stanford shopping center in this survey or Town and Country Village which will distort your results. Are you intentionally excluding these two shopping areas? Stanford has a much wider selection of clothing that the smaller stores, Chicos, Bryn Walker, Calla, Leaf and Petal or stores at Town and Country. I like to shop at local grocery stores, JJ and F, Whole Foods, Piazzas, and the Milk Pail rather than at Safeway or Albertsons which are huge. But I do go to Costco for a bulk items like paper products, batteries, blank video tapes, or vitamins. We shop at Peet's for coffee, Walgreens for Rx, Borders or the Stanford Bookstore, PA hardware store, Hollywood and sometimes Blockbuster for video, use a cleaners in Los Altos. We buy gas in either Palo Alto or Mountain View because of convenience. As to Diana Diamonds' comments, I could care less about spending money on street banners. What a waste! Flowers are nice, and dramatically beautiful, both at Stanford and at the Creekside Inn in Barron Park. But I shop at Stanford for the merchandise, not the flowers. And I realize that planting expenses are passed on to me in some fashion in the purchases I make. Similarly, Mollie Stones has just made a very expensive upgrade of all their display shelves flooring and lighting. Their markup was already significantly higher on identical items than their local competitors. Now how will they generate the needed extra income to pay for their new cosmetics? I buy stuff there when it is advertised on sale, or for something I absolutely cannot get anywhere else.
	I often look for the lowest price, especially when the item I'm looking for is a big-ticket one. Internet shopping is convenient, but I much prefer to actually look an item over, even a book. I have NOT had good luck buying clothing online and don't anymore. Actually going into a store is the way I generally shop. Separately, one thing not mentioned: ome of us shop from time to time just to see what's available. Teenagers will often shop partly as a social activity and partly to buy. But whoever's doing the shopping, if we have in Palo Alto the right stores and the merchandise is priced right, we'll buy here.
	We have too many drug stores in town, why can't the city do something about this????
	I try to buy locally whenever possible, but many of teh stores I like are not in P.A. I have repeatedly received bad service at Fry's, so I use internet/Circuit City/Good Guys for electronics. I usually shop Safeway on Middlefield, but also like Mountain View Safeway, Milk Pail Dairy, and T. Joes. Clothes from Target & Mervyns. Keplers for books now that P. Inc. closed. I only visit Stanford Shopping Center for gift shopping.
	No parking
	I chuckle and worry about the trend from useful retail to mass discretionary high-end service, particularly bath/exercise/manicure&pedicure. That is not sustainable on the local level.
	In general, the stores in Mt. View are where I do 99% of my shopping - Target, Mervyn's, Joann, Safeway, Albertsons, Trader Joes, Nijiya (Japanese Grocery), Pet Club, Office Max, etc. Better parking, easier access, newer stores, greater selection, better prices. It's a shame that Palo Alto limits certain retail development. As East Palo Alto develops their stores such as Best Buy, Office Depot, Home Depot/Expo, I have been shopping there as well. I never thought about sales tax revenue before but we probably spend over $1000 per month at retail stores in Mt. View. Too bad Palo Alto doesn't offer better retail stores so we could "shop Palo Alto" University Avenue, California Avenue, Charleston Plaza, and Midtown are nice to stroll down. But Mt. View (or the internet) is where I go to spend the serious money. We do frequently shop at Fry's. Unfortunately, the city will probably end up pushing them out of the city when their lease expires at the old Maximart site.
	I generally like the service & quality I receive from the Midtown and Palo Alto shops. There is a good selection and friendly service.
	I make a concerted effort to buy in Palo Alto. Really have no complaints about the availability of quality items. Just returned from England. When you get away from the Bay Area, you realize how blessed we are with BEAUTIFUL fruits and vegetables.
	Lots of upscale clothing, but nothing like an REI here. Loss of Printers Ink disastrous! Need a Keplers/Printers Ink type bookstore perhaps at California Avenue. Just so upscale now that it is a look-at shopping experience, browsing before/after eating. Plenty of good eating in PA!
	Pretentious and expensive.
	It will be useful to have a web site dedicated to retail shop directory within the web site of the city of Palo Alto to describe what kind of stores we have and location of the store.
	I don't shop downtown very often because of difficulty finding parking, and not easy to lock up a bike, either. Crosstown shuttle is not good for shopping - doesn't run on weekends. It does not serve Midtown well to have 2 drugstores only 100 yards apart - doesn't make it possible to buy more things locally.
	Edgewood Center, although less than 1/4 mile from my house is not useable by me as it is an extremely uninviting environment. I would very much like to see it demolished/remodeled with a higher end grocery store, Starbucks, and Noah's Bagels anchoring the center.
	Palo Alto forces the stores to stay small. So, I have to go to the larger Safeway stores to get the bakery goods and the variety of foods that I want to get. The San Antonio Shopping center has large stores with lots of variety all in one location with easy access and parking. I can't find a place to park at the Midtown Safeway store and when I do shop there, they don't have the items I want to buy.
	1. NO MORE CHAIN STORES in downtown (University Ave) Palo Alto -- if you want a chain store, shop at Stanford. The purpose of a downtown is to be unique. 2. The homeless hanging out in downtown (University Ave) Palo Alto are aggressive in their panhandleing and their rights to take over public bench/seating areas. 3. Skateboarders and Bike Riders on the sidewalks in downtown (University Ave) take over the sidewalks forcing walking shoppers to move over or get run over. 4. Parking is next to impossible for local residence. 5. Walking from ones house to downtown can even be an adventure due to all the drivers that DO NOT stop for crosswalks when a pedestrian is starting to cross or even in the crosswalk -- drivers in cars that make righthand turns on red lights without stopping or even looking right to see if a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. 6. Dirty storefronts and sidewalks -- many store fronts smell like urine. 7. Resturants that clean their equipment out in the public walkways (NOT ALLEYS) -- and leave trash out.
	I live and work in Palo Alto. It's a great place to be!
	It would be really nice if the KnowWhere store were redeveloped. It was a big waste of Midtown space, because it was in a retail district, but did not offer anything remotely useful to the neighborhood. Glad to see more restaurants opening in Midtown.
	I live in the community center area. If I run out of bread, milk etc. I have to drive to Safeway. A small 'corner store' within walking distance would help reduce traffic within the city without impacting local area traffic - people in their cars are more likely to drive to a larger supermarket. I'm sure this is true for many Palo Alto neighborhoods.
	So many drug stores!
	Now that we have Best Buy, Home Depot, Costco, OSH, and Trader Joe's nearby in East Palo Alto and Mt View, no longer have such strong need for such stores here, but it is too bad that Palo Alto has failed to attract such stores (the only superstore we have is Fry's, and it would have been much better located along the Bayshore than in an area zoned for housing). We should have used some of the area near Bayshore/Embarcadero for larger retail rather than office/industrial. I would like to see Alma Plaza maintain its size or be larger (reaching a critical mass large enough to attract customers) rather than take away space for single-family housing (apartments above retail are fine). Stores such as Piazza's should be required to have bike racks near entrances (they once had, but removed to make room for more shopping carts). In Portland, all medium to large stores seem to have prominant heavy-duty bike racks in useful locations. Andronicos has such racks but has put tables around them in such a way as to make them difficult to use.
	I was on Castro St. one Friday night and it was quite lively - bookstores, East/West, restaurants, etc. all open past 9 p.m. It is getting in downtown Palo Alto and on Calif. Ave. that after you eat there is little to do. And let's face it, most of us who live here don't spend our evening at the Edge. The stores in Palo Alto tend to be pretty high priced, and since simplicity is a basic tenent of my life, I find I don't spend as much money in this town as in Mtn. View, except for eating out. Restaurants are varied in price, atmosphere, and location. Wish we could do more of that in retail.
	It's just getting too expensive. There's nothing between Target and high-end boutiques. Even suppposedly "reasonably" priced restaurants are disappearing.
	oo many road blocks are thrown up by Planning Dept./City Council for new businesses for neighborhood shopping. I group my shopping errands with going to meetings, classes, appointments. What I can't find in stores, I purchase through catalogs by phone. I do minor grocery shopping at JJF, Molly Stone & Piazzas.
	I go to target a lot, with small children it has everything I need usually (other than food) so it makes my time more efficient. I go to downtown PA for specialty shopping - Prolific oven for birthday cakes or Palo Alto Toy and Sport for birthday presents. Otherwise, I shop in midtown at Safeway all the time and bank there and visit the ice cream store with my kids. I sometimes go to longs, although most of what I need is at safeway, except for birthday cards, etc. I always try to shop with price in mind, so a trader joe's that has interesting food, but is reasonably priced would be great! I just don't shop at any store that is expensive. I love Piazza's fine foods, but it's too costly to do all of my shopping there.
	Seems like NIMBY residents will kill any effort to rejuvenate retail areas (e.g. Edgewood and Alma Plaza)-- their lack of vision leads them to favor empty stores since it means less traffic. Until our city council stops kowtowing to the whiners, the rest of us have to drive to Mountain View for better choice. This is incredibly short-sighted. What happened to balancing resident vs commercial concerns?
	I don't shop much in Palo Alto due to the lack of public transit, particularly the VTA busses. I buy groceries in Menlo Park because the grocery stores in Palo Alto are too small and lack the selection of products that are available in neighboring towns (Mt. View and Menlo Park).
	Would like to see more practical types of stores -- more variety and moderate prices, less boutique and specialty items.
	I live in Midtown. Why aren't there more restaurants? Larger hardware store? Why are there two major drugstores?? Whatever was the purpose of whatever that store was that replaced Bergman's?? In addition, the Safeway and Longs are far inferior to their other locations in terms of service -- you can wait forever in the checkout lines at either one. I NEVER drive to Safeway, the new parking lot is a nightmare. If I'm in my car and need groceries, I go to the Mountain View one, or to Trader Joe's.
	LUCKY SHOPPING CENTER, NORTH END OF TOWN, NEEDS TO BE UPDATED, CLEANED UP AND THE STOCK INCREASED. WE HAVE ENOUGH PARKING DOWN TOWN CURRENTLY AND THE NEW PARKING STRUCTURES WILL MEAN TOO MUCH PARKING. SHOPPING FOR FOOD OR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS MEANS LEAVING TOWN. YOU CANNOT BUY GOOD THREAD IN PALO ALTO TO SEW ON A BUTTON.
	Though I frequently walk both downtown and California shopping districts, I rarely purchase anything other than necessities. The chain stores (esp. Starbucks) are extremely off-putting, especially for a life-long Peninsula resident with cherished memories of personal service and affordable prices. The proliferation of chains of all sizes has left nothing unique available.
	I don't mind spending more on food, as long as it is pure (organic), healthy (not using refined processes and carcinogenic fats), and cooked with only the purest water. Palo Alto restaurants don't do this. I refuse to spend a bundle on clothes. I'm looking for comfort, durability, all cotton or natural fabric, large sizes. Unique pictures or prints or styling is also a plus. When I need something special for a special occassion, then I'll go to Stanford Shopping Center. But, for the most part, that Center does not suit my mostly everyday casual needs. For the most part, the clothing stores (and restaurants) in Palo Alto, are just too expensive (and too fancy.) These businesses do not suit my needs. I wind up driving much further distances -- to neighboring cities, to get to the stores, groceries, and restaurants -- that do meet my needs. If the kind of stores I frequent were closer to my home and/or at least on safer - quicker bike paths, I would use my bike more. Palo Alto, Santa Clara, and California -- in general, does very little to really provide safe, FAST, adequate bike lanes. Davis, California is the only city prominent in this area. They truly have an effective (and fun) bike lane system. That town is fun to travel in (and shop.) Parking (for cars and bikes) is problematic in Palo Alto. There are too many businesses squished into a small area -- with too little parking available. If a business cannot provide enough natural parking near it, then it shouldn't be placed at THAT site. It only creates overcrowding and chaos. People might check it out at first, but eventually they will choose to not frequent such a business -- if accessibility is a problem. City planners should keep this in mind. Allowing building and businesses to build upward, is not going to take care of this problem. Nor, is squishing in too many businesses at a small parking site. Soon, you will have overcrowding, ugly big buildings, and overcrowded parking facilites, chaos, unhappy citizens, road rage. Palo Alto should not try to compete with L.A. This is not the image or look that Palo Altans want. Smale scale housing and businesses are much more cozier and personal feeling. Palo Altans do not want large scale building, overcrowding, dense traffic or safety problems. Menlo Park is on track with it's community, when they keep their business and building ordinances smale scale. Palo Alto is not on track with it's population. Building porportions are getting way out of hand (housing downtown and throughout the neighborhoods), businesses are squished and massed too much together. Traffic is horrendous on University Ave. and parking is a nightmare on the weekends. This will all be worsened, when IKEA opens up. More transient travelors will enter the downtown area to check the town out. Safety issues and parking will be a predominant concern. Fast food restaurants are my pet peeve. The lack of quality of food (penned in animals, laden with antibiotics, fed unnatural foods; and chemical ladened produce) coupled with unhealthy preparation practices (use of high saturated and hydrogenated fats, deep frying, refined processed products) result in unhealthy bi-products which lack proper nutrition (natural vitamins and minerals), cause carcinogenic effects.
	I don't buy a lot.... mostly just food, plants, some clothing, books... I buy gifts usually when I'm on vacation Stanford Shopping Center is a hassle... hard to find parking spaces and everything is over priced anyway.
	Do we need anymore rug stores on University Ave.
	South Palo Alto has very little retail which can be walked to from the neighborhoods. I live in Charleston Meadows. There are almost no neighborhood-serving retail stores we can walk to. Jamba Juice is the only place a teenager might meet friends. Neighborhood stores build community. We need more.
	I prefer to shop online for clothes, like being able to return items to the store (Eddie Bauer allows this, J Jill does not). I am VERY concerned about losing Caffe Verona, is there something city can do to convince the absentee landlord to leave it alone?
	Though I moved to Palo Alto almost two years ago, I continue to mostly shop in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. It is much easier to navigate to and through those cities by car and it is MUCH easier to park there. Prices, selection and variety round out the reasons for my actions. (Traffic to and through Menlo Park is so awful that I rarely bother with going there.)I would LIKE to shop more in Palo Alto for my convenience and for the city's sake. I support a complete renovation of Edgewood Plaza to serve the North Palo Alto region.The city of Palo Alto needs to follow the lead of the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale in encouraging retail to thrive here.
	Frankly, even if there were a Target or Trader Joes in downtown PA I would still go to Mt. View because it's more convenient from S. PA where I live. We need more shopping options in Midtown...
	I have lived in the Midtown area of Palo Alto for the last 12 years and also from 1973-1976. The banks are gone now just ATM's. We have a Starbucks;no I don't go there. We are retired. The bookstore is long gone. For new books I go to Kepler's (Menlo Park) and Tower(Mountain View). For used books I go to The Book Rack (Menlo Park) or Moonlight (Santa Clara) I live a 1/2 block from Safeway and drive to the Albertsons on Alma or usually the one on California in Mountain View along with the above named stores+ Sears and Rite Aid. The last time I went to anything on University was the Arts and Crafts show in 2002. We took the shuttle bus. When the Palo Alto Medical Foundation moved to El Camino I was forced to now drive as there was no direct bus line there. The library at Mitchell Park is usually closed in the mornings so we go to Mountain View or Los Altos. I do have a Palo Alto library card and we do sometimes go to the Main Branch. The only type of stores that we seem to frequent in Palo Alto are video rental stores and the Walgreens on El Camino.
	The places I shop in Palo Alto are too spread out, the library, post office, supermarkets, are all over the place and I have to go in completely different directions to do these errands and also, many stores do not open til 10.00 or even 11.00 which means that I have to take young children with me instead of being able to do these errands after morning drop off when I am already out and have no children with me.
	I live near Gunn H.S. so it's much easier for me to drive to Los Altos for groceries, library, post office. I only go downtown occasionally, especially for the Stanford Theater. There are still many nice stores and restaurants downtown but so many are gone. I had planned to sign up for Channing House but now not sure because P.A. has changed so much. In general I think it's much less appealing. Some of the blame has to go to greedy landlords. Businesses that had been here for many years deserved more of a break for all they'd given to the community. One by one as they've left they've taken a bit of P.A.'s soul with them. Printer's Inc. was a tremendous loss to Calif. Ave. It's not the same without the bookstore. I realize this wasn't just a landlord issue.
	What's the deal with the inordinate number of Nail shops and Rug shops in Palo Alto? Feel free to email me at web@bradlauster.com. By the way, your survey needs a "none" option for the car question. Some of us don't need a car.
	I know that the city of Palo Alto takes pride that Stanford Shopping Center is just about the most expensive shopping center in the country. However, it doesn't meet the needs of many in the community. We are in a recession and many people are cautious with their money.
	Too many restaurants compared to retail. Used to be too many Oriental rug stores, now more & more exercise/fitness places opening up. Parking is/has always been difficult, and wait until the Cheescake Factory opens - they belong in a large mall with lots of parking-not downtown. Once the new garages are ready there will still be parking issues. Need to gain smaller retailers who have something unique to offer - not the same-old-same-old. But rents are so prohibitive, it's hard to business here.
	A lot of the stores in Palo Alto are really expensive, but a lot of people in Palo Alto are really rich. (Not everyone, I know, I used to live in Palo Alto, too.) Many people I know in Palo Alto consider even Macy's to be "slumming it," so the boutiquey prices appeal to them. And something to consider--rich people across the peninsula, from Los Altos, Atherton, Menlo, San Carlos, Belmont, they all come here to buy their designer clothes, furniture, and household items. This doesn't help traffic, but there is something to be said for niche-building.
	The parking stops people from shopping or going to restaurants. you cannot have lunch and shop in the time limits. It is much easier to park at stanford shopping center or in Menlo Park (they have parking problems too with the limits)
	How come it's taking so long for Albertson's on Alma to get approval of their larger store plans? Any new retailer these days needs deep pockets like a national chain to be able to afford to go through the Palo Alto dragged out process with it's over regulation and minutiae. The consequence is a dinky store that has to have overpriced product to be profitable but that most can't afford to patronize.
	Palo Alto is driving stores out of the city. The reconstruction of Albertson's in Alma Plaza is an example. After several years of negotiations, I thought that an agreement had been reached, but at the last minute the agreement was sidetracked by including the area in yet another study. The likely outcome is that Albertson's will give up, and the remaining grocery store within walking distance of my home will be lost. (I live in Barrron Park, and it's even unclear if the residents immediately surrounding Albertson's are willing to have me travel into their neighborhood to shop.) It's easier to get into my car and drive to the San Antonio Center in Mountain View where I can find a cluster of moderately priced stores and complete my shopping in one trip, rather than going to half a dozen boutique specialty shops in various parts of Palo Alto. Although I would like to keep my sales tax dollars in Palo Alto and contribute to local business, the hassle increasingly limited variety and inconvenience makes it easier to shop outside Palo Alto.
	Permit approval process is ridiculously long and expensive. Allow bigger stores to be built in Midtown and South Palo Alto.
	I miss a good store like bergmans which had EVERYTHING. they provided good service and would suggest places if they didn't have it. i would do all of my christmas shopping there and they would wrap it too.
	I often shop in Mountain View Safeway because it's larger size allows better selection. The remaining grocery stores -except Albertson's- are just too upscale (read costly)for normal use. It is baffling why we have so many drug stores -Long's and Walgreens side by side in two locations. It's stupid that Midtown gets a Walgreens when a Trader Joe's whould have been far superior. I have given up buying clothing/shoes locally because of the poor selection. The mail order/internet places are far superior. There seems to be far too many spas and nail salons. There seems to be too many places to eat, especially Downtown and on California Ave. I buy gasoline in Palo Alto for convenience but do really resent getting ripped-off with their 'soak it to PA' policy. I don't buy books, CDs or DVDs locally because the selection isn't sufficient for my desires.
	Downtown Palo Alto has too many upscale women's boutiques and home furnishings stores (e.g., Z-Galerie) Since Ross and Men's Warehouse left (and both sporting goods stores) there are no places for men to buy casual, leisure, knock-around clothing, etc. (jeans, sweats, etc.)
	Need vibrant local stores and shopping centers where selection and choice are high--example of successful stores service that we use heavily in surrounding areas--Keplers, Draegers, Century 16. If PA doesn't want to have everything in local centers then make it easy to travel to neighboring communities.
	I miss some of the unique little stores such as Spirals and William Ober. I do undertand why many go out of business. It is difficult for a small business owner to pay rent here and make a profit.
	I am a Palo Alto native (age 51). Most stores in Palo Alto no longer seem to serve "normal" people, only millionaires. University Avenue is dirty and although I sympathize with the homeless, they are intimidating. (Walgreens and Longs should not be allowed to sell cheap beer and wine -- I mean the REALLY cheap stuff like Ripple. That doesn't do the homeless or the Palo Alto residents any favors.) Drivers become rude and agressive because there is not enough parking in the downtown. Due to high rents, stores and restaurants go in and out of business so often that they feel "fly by night." I want to deal with stable, well-known, long-established businesses. I guess the bottom line is that I never feel like I am getting my money's worth in Palo Alto and the shopping experience is not convenient or nice enough to offset the higher prices.
	Downton is a disaster for parking - the whole idea of reserving onstreet parking for valet use only is a huge indicator of why I don't shop downtown if I can help it. While this may have made sense in the boom ("who cares about local residents -- out of towners will pay big bucks for high-end meals"), the economy has cooled but the buying habits of local residents has been changed. It's not at all clear that CPA thought through the downtown planning with respect to the long term. Restaurants and economies come and go -- by and large people who live here do so for generations.
	When Ross left University Ave., I lost my one reason for going downtown, which is becoming more and more like a big city. The parking is impossible, most of the stores sell overpriced nonessentials, and the people are either pretentious or homeless.
	you can get most everything in Palo Alto, but you need more money. Target/Walmart is a convenient store to shop (one stop you can buy a lot of different things) and right around there are many stores that are on the way, so I go there. Time is critical. How can anybody agree to having drug stores right next to each other.
	I'm really glad this survey is being done. We moved here 1 year ago from San Francisco. Lately I've been wondering if we really get what we pay for here and are even considering leaving the Palo Alto area. Part of that is due to what downtown PA offers. As far as my shopping habits- - I live & work downtown. I do a lot of my food shopping at Whole Foods. - I like that the town has a lot of indepently owned clothing stores but they're all high priced & similar in style. Anthropologies was a good addition. - Include some moderately priced, independently owned restaurants. Restaurants like Hobee's, Compadres, Oasis etc. NO MORE rug stores !
	I used to shop downtown much more often about five or ten years ago, but recently all my favorite little shops have closed or moved. All the fun places have been replaced with expensive specialty stores that seem to cater to the ritzy image of Palo Alto rather than to the actual needs of residents - especially younger people and students.
	There aren't enough practical stores with good prices within Palo Alto, so we end up shopping in Mountain View for those things. Also, groceries in Palo Alto are limited in size, thus they don't offer full selection, and again, we are diverted to grocery stores in nearby cities.
	I wish we could provide rent control for locally owned retail businesses. We really lost out when Printer's Inc, Linnea's hardware store (on Birch & Cambridge), Stacey's, Varsity Theatre, Lee's Comics and others I can't remember, had to move out. I'd like to emulate what cities like Berkeley have done to protect small local retail.
	We try to patronize Palo Alto stores such as the Pet Food Depot, Drapers' Music Store, even if their prices are a little bit higher.
	Palo Alto stores are too expensive. Not an issue, we just drive to Mountain View or Redwood City...but the sales tax goes with us...
	It's just hard for me to find what I'm looking for in Palo Alto. The Safeway on Middlefield is too small compared to MV.
	Palo Alto severely lacks neighborhood retail. In the 1970s Cal Ave had a variety store, a small movie house, a Chinese meat shop, and a hardware store, all of which have gone.
	Born and raised in PA, and now living here, I would really like to support my community more by shopping here. But....it's just too expensive. On my teaching salary, I simply cannot afford to shop at Stanford shopping center or Piazza's. Do I love these stores - yes; but do I shop there - no.
	1) convenience i just have no time --- i'm working too hard for my $. there're times i have to drive north to pick up a few things then south for another few things then after few errands, my whole weekend is half over. then what is worst is drive all the way only to find out that the store "doet NOT have it" or "out of stock" i'd rather not spend my precious weekend this way. if you want me to shop locally more, tell my boss to work me less. with on-line, i can shop after 9pm when i usually have time. & most of them let you know the on-line inventory right away. there'll be no instance of driving all the way to Sun & Country to get tea tree oil, only to be told it was "out of stock" (fuming) 2) selection local stores a lot of times don't have what i want i'd like to see more electronics store (not Fry's). perhaps i should give you a list of what i have bought on-line recently or plan to buy: Note: none can be found locally as far as i can tell. Handera 330 (PDA) leather case for Handera 330 waterproof case for PDA NiMH AAA batteries (750mAh) _unlocked_ Nokia 6310i Alkalol lysine in tincture breathe ease N95 masks women's outdoor & sport clothing (XS & not cotton) softwares (PDA & PC) ebooks for PDA books (SF & early history of Christianity, Roman empire & near east) small utility items for kitchen & bathroom (like mesh container for brushes) scents for fountain pens small _grided_ notepads & _gridded_ notebooks (not just lined) plants, bulbs & seeds (xeric perenials) Note: this list is by no means exhaustive. - sales tax if PA wants to help little mom & pop shops, how about lowering sale tax to _level_ the playing field.
	I would much prefer to do all of my shopping in Palo Alto, but stores with good price and selection are mostly outside the city (Target, Costco, Trader Joes, Home Depot, REI, etc.). I really don't like having to drive to San Jose to buy good soccer shoes for my kids. Nor do I like going on a trip and finding out that little towns elsewhere have great big nice grocery stores with far more selection of fruits and vegetables and other items.
	People are concerned with traffic. There is no such thing--these are your neighbors driving out of the area and neighborhood to shop now -- how would more and different stores change anything? The area from Alma to the hills and page mill to the border with los altos and mt. view has no shopping except for jiffy/quick/fast lubes or prostitutes in the many cheap motels.
	I'm a regular at C.P. Shades and other clothing stores downtown. Another favorite store is the Palo Alto Goodwill.
	Last Saturday I had to drive downtown and a bicyclist accosted me and tried to run me off the rode while I had my kids in the car. It was rude and scary and I don't know if I will take my family or come to downtown to shop again. Bicyclists should have a separate bike lane separated from the street and should not be with the cars or pedestrians. (please don't use my name with this I fear reprisal.)
	During the boom, I felt out of place in some Palo Alto stores. Thus I'm not loyal to them now. Many of my favorite stores were forced out by rent hikes. I try to ride my bike to many nearby stores but their bike racks are poor.
	I don't think internet is taking away local business. I'm just spending money that I otherwise would not spend cause they don't stock some of stuff I locally.
	Too many restaurants and not enough variety of interesting shops downtown. Traffic is too difficult to get through i.e. obstructions, calming devices, poor timing of lights, parking etc. We do most of our shopping from catalogues by mail with the convenience of phone orders etc.
	Would love to see neighborhood-oriented retail at Edgwood - groceries, ice cream, coffee, etc. It is walking distance for us but currently unappealing. I attended the neighborhood meetings and was very frustrated with the process -- too much concern about not hurting the feelings of existing tenants and out-of-town customers; very little concern about the neighborhood's shopping needs or potential for increased tax revenue! And then eventually the whole thing got dropped anyway because of fears about traffic (it sits on the corner of 101 & Embarcadero, for goodness sake!!) I'll get off my soapbox now :)
	I think it would be great to stop car traffic for a few blocks of University Avenue, to make it more of a street cafe and retail environment, where people can bring small children easily, similar to Stanford Shopping Center. It is not a safe shopping environment for small children and the elderly. If there is adequate & convenient parking, business should be fine winter or summer.
	No concerns.
	We should do what we can to encourage shops that are unique to Palo Alto, not just ones that are a carbon copy of a store elsewhere (e.g.Los Gatos) or ones that are at any mall. I've been here 10 years and I miss the eclectic, useful and interersting mix of homegrown downtown stores that used to be easy to walk to. How did we get so many oriental rug stores, bath & lotion shops and nail salons? The downtown Palo Alto and California Street shopping areas should offer a different experience from what you can get at any mall. If not, people will just go to the mall where it's easier to park.
	I buy my coffee here, my electronics and I try to patronize local businesses. I don't want McDonalds, Burger King and that stuff. I do want places that have some warmth or charm. Even chains can do that, like Peet's. I don't even mind Starbucks. I like hardware stores, ice cream, non-chain pizza. Any place with some charisma or even attitude. I loathe clothing stores. A waste of space in my view. Essentially I want to be able to walk down the street for a stroll, maybe grab a bite, go next door for a coffee, down the street for an ice cream. I don't want to see an ATT, Sprint or other cell phone store. An old fashioned down town.
	We moved to Palo Alto in 1994 and there were many small independent shops including Co-op, Stacey's and a Fabric Shop all of which along with many more are gone. High rent contributed to driving them away. I used to do almost all of my shaopping especially for gifts here.
	Too many rug galleries! (However, the market will help dictate store types.) I would like to see the City help keep the non-retail out of the first-floor storefronts (by zoning if required).
	I would like to see neighborhood centers anchored by a moderately-sized grocery store and flanked by a diverse mix of small retail. It is the later that gives neighborhood centers their character, and makes for a more robust shopping experience.
	In the clothing section you forgot to mention the Town and Country Village which has Patrick James and some other clothing and shoe stores as well. Our family likes to shop in PA for everything we can. First I think the quality and service is better plus it keep sales tax revenues in the city. We also live in South Palo Alto so there are already some large stores in Mt. View that are close by. Frankly my wife and I do not like to shop at the large stores anyway. We do our grocery shopping at Piazza Fine Foods. Trader Joes is a good size as well. We hate Walmart. I like the fact that PA limits the size of the stores. Although exceptions may have to be made. (like Fry's) We used to shop at Stanford but it has become too upscale. We still like Macy's and my wife likes some of the women's clothing stores esp. when they have sales. A big problem is the greedy landlords in PA who think they can charge high rents and force out good stores. Wheelsmith bike store was my favorite until they closed down. They were forced off Hamilton Ave. by a greedy landlord. We used to shop weekly at Harmony bakery until they were forced to move from Middlefield Rd.
	Piazza has a prosperous successful grocery at Charleston Center. Piazza has no more space than Albertsons at Alma Plaza or Edgwood, but Alma Plaza is a flop. I conclude that floorspace isn't the problem, but their management and marketing style. (Albertson has an enormous new store in Mountain View, and it too seems underutilized.)
	The "zone" system for downtown parking really detracts from patronizing downtown resturants for lunch.
	If parking were easier downtown, I probably would do more business. Parking rules say I cannot drop something off, and then come to retrieve it that same day from the same parking area.
	I like Whole Foods for certain items, but parking is difficult. Parking around Palo Alto Hardware is terrible, and cars whiz around onto Channing from Alma without stopping and cause near-misses of cars trying to pull away from the curb or out of the tiny parking lot. THERE SHOULD BE A LIGHT AT CHANNING COORDINATED WITH THE LIGHT AT HOMER. Restoration Hardware is very nice - to look IF one finds a parking space downtown. My wife looks then goes to Home Depot. R/H is too expensive. Now that Sears sells Lands Ends products, we'll go there. Parking in downtown Palo Alto is not worth the bother. E.g. Diddams would make a lot more money if it were at Midtown. PALO ALTO NEEDS A FULL SERVICE POST OFFICE in the Midtown area. Getting to PA Main Post Office on East Bayshore will be a nightmare with IKEA opening. Even the postal trucks may not get there. Palo Alto is too fancy.
	Town & Country Shopping Center could be a lot more useful. Add a useful Grocery Store (Trader Joes, Andronico's, Piazza) there. Connect it better with downtown across the train tracks.
	Stanford Shopping Center doesn't have the stores I like, except Sigonas, and it's inconvenient. I liked Ross in downtown PA.
	Guess I did that in the previous question. One other comment, tho. I can walk to Midtown. I love the coffee shop and Mike's Cafe. Natures Alley is a great addition. If there were a Target-like department store, I'd almost never have to get in my car to shop!
	It is becoming expensive without distinguishing or interesting characteristics.
	The main reason I do so much of my everyday shopping in Mountain View is that it's so easy to visit Safeway, Trader Joe's, and Walmart in one trip (at the San Antonio Shopping Center). Palo Alto doesn't have any similar constellations.
	Walgreen's and Long's are spreading like a cancer.
	Shopping downtown, as well as at the Stanford Shopping Ctr. is difficult due to limited parking.
	Existing groceries are too small, narrow aisles, not much variety. We only shop for groceries in Palo Alto when there is a big sale, or there is something offered that's unavailable elsewhere. Past time to expand the Albertson's in Alma Plaza.
	I shop mainly at discount stores like Marshall's, Ross TJ Maxx these don't exist in PA. Also Trader Joe's & Milk Pail Dairy for food. I did recently change my auto repair shop to one in PA. My old repair shop moved from PA (walking distance to my hse) to MV. I had to get someone to drive with me to take my car in and drive me back home or to work and again 2 car trips to pick up my car (they didn't provide "loaners"). My new car repair place is walking distance to my office which is much more convenient, & saves me (& my friends) time & gas.
	too many cutsie pie shops Calif. Ave and Midtown do not have enough basic needs shops to draw shoppers Downtown has inadequate parking if shops were there
	I use my bike to shop about 1/3 of the time, so access and location are important. I hate driving from one part of a mall to another, because there is no way to walk like in Mountain View/ San Antonio, so walking from store to store is important. I like looking a premium goods as much as the next person, but I do not think they serve the need of the city's population. If the city of PA wants to only generate tax base, which I can understand, than they are on the right track by focussing all of their efforts on the expensive down town shops. But if they want all of the retail areas to perform at their maximum potential, including South PA they need to work on more reasonably priced, needed rather than wanted goods. I live near El Camino, and feel that this could be our Mini down town, but it is difficult to walk, dangerous to bike, and has many empty and abandoned properties. This retail could function SO much better, generate more tax base and serve the needs of PA citizens. However I think it could use some direction and planning.
	I live on the border of SPA and Los Altos, so I shop at San Antonio Center. I hate going downtown due to the fast pace of the University Ave. traffic. People are rude and ride your butt while you are waiting a lifetime for a parking spot. Also, University Ave. is filthy and stinky. I feel on guard and tense when I walk down the street.
	I shop in Palo Alto less than 4 times a year because there is nearly nothing in Palo Alto that I want to buy or at a price I will pay. Mountain View has stores we can afford and they are easier to get into. The only stores I ever go to are Diddam's and Matteson and Most optometrist.
	I like to go downtown to shop and eat, but the parking is always a problem. So we end up going shopping at the malls because you never have to worry about parking and having to move your car in 2 hours! Also, it is nice to go to a restaurant where you can park your car and just walk right in to the restaurant, like Mike's Cafe in midtown.
	I live in south Palo Alto near the Mountain View border, so I shop Safeway in Mountain View. I also shop at Mervyn's and eat at Marie Callender's, which are not in Palo Alto.
	THE BEST PLACE THEY COULD HAVE PUT A NICE BIG GROCERY STORE IS WITH THE HOME DEPOT COMPLEX- PEOPLE GO THEIR ALL THE TIME- ADDING A GROCERY STORE AND SOME DECENT RESTRAUNTS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SMARTEST INVESTMENT ANYONE COULD MAKE- BUT NO, NO ONE HAS DONE IT YET- JUST KEEP ADDING THE BIG SHOPS BUT NO PLACES TO EAT OVER THERE OR SHOP FOR FOOD ALL THE EPA COME TO THE ALBERSTONS NOW ANYWAY- ADD A STORE NICE ONE SOMEWHERE !!!!!!!!
	Overall Palo Alto has the majority of retail that I need within the city limits. It would be great though if some addition retail restaraunt areas could be developed more like Santana Row in San Jose where you have a variety of restaraunts, bars, and shops in one area with a lot of underground parking. The University Ave area has a fairly good mix but just does not have enough parking.
	The main shopping centers, Stanford, University Avenue, California Street and the El Camino strip require driving from my Palo Alto residence location. Timing to avoid the peak traffic periods is a major factor in my shopping plans. These competing centers of commerce are the product of urban sprawl, a reality without a quick or eloquent solution.
	I do NOT want "big box" warehouse stores (e.g. Target/Costco...) in Palo Alto. They scatter trash, bring traffic, and face vast brick walls to the neighborhood.
	There are NO good all purpose grocery stores in Palo Alto with decent prices
	Midtown needs more restaurants for takeout and eat-in dining. The Mint Leaf will be a welcomed addition, but we need more. In general Palo Alto could use more kid-friendly restaurants.
	Most of my shopping is done after my gym workout at 24 hour fitness in san antonio square. I like the Milk Pail for quality and Trader Joe's for selection. I would still shop there no matter what was in palo alto b/c it's near my gym.
	I rarely shop in downtown Palo Alto because of difficulty parking near University Ave. Too many boutiques and restaurants -- with similar items. We need more repair shops, service related small stores. The rents are driving all those much needed small businesses away and changing the nature of Palo Alto. And it's inconvenient to purchase a large item and have to walk several blocks to the car -- lack of convenient, close to the store parking keeps me away from most Palo Alto stores
	Our "exclusionary" attitude and fear of growth are problems. Easier to resist EVERYTHING rather than manage improvements for the larger benefit of our neighborhoods (note PLURAL). Why invest in PA in this environment? Example: Delays to larger Albertsons Alma where virtually all customers would be PA residents now shopping in Mt.View.
	Zoning which allows a Walgreens to be built next door to a Longs Drugs really bothers me. There's no reason to allow the same types of stores right next to each other.
	Future displacement of Fry's will have major impact on me: I make frequent trips in for both home and office computer needs.
	Would like more retail in South Palo Alto
	Retain places like Fry's in Palo Alto. Piazza's in S Palo Alto is also a draw from other cities, according to my colleagues living in Mountain View and even San Francisco (!), but all modes of transportation to and around/through Charleston Center and Midtown need attention and a considerably larger portion of City spending: the opportunity to avoid future problems is greatest there. South El Camino offers many opportunities, but it's just too unpleasant to drive there, and no one would think of bicycling/walking there. El Camino Way shows how to make the area attractive and accessible. Side-street access to major attractions could help Midtown and S. El Camino. Charleston Center is central to a large area, but needs dollars desparately so that people can bike/walk/bus safely there and past to home, Mountain View.
	J J & F Mkt. in College Terrace ALWAYS seems to have the items I want--from the practical to the exotic. The large mkts have too much of the same thing; i.e., rows & rows of cereal, soda pop, etc.and not enough "unusual" items many recipes call for -- like Cream of Tartar. Albertson's didn't carry it, so I don't bother going there anymore for fear they will not carry other items I might need and I will have to make a trip somewhere else.
	My shopping is pretty much taken care of at: Safeway Piazza's Costco Wal-mart Orchard Supply Hardware Midtown Longs and perhaps new Walgreen's European market Trader Joe's Cost Plus Coffee shops! East-West Bookstore If they were all in one shopping center...great! But I still need occasional stores like Palo Alto Trophy; Macy's; hairdresser; cleaners; movie rentals; icecream; restaurants. This survey has shown me that I believe is small locales like midtown; Alma Plaza; but don't really frequent the local stores that much. To compare downtown Palo Alto with, say, downtown Los Altos, I find Los Altos much easier to access; pretty easy to park; and a compact area to walk up and down (three blocks and three streets). Even the post office is easy to access! I personally rarely go to downtown Palo Alto, whereas my husband walks to eat daily to downtown. Each area of Palo Alto has it's own neighborhood and that to me is very very important.
	Let the market forces decide what we have for shopping, not some committee or bureaucrat.
	There are few places where many similar stores are together other than at expensive Stanford shopping. I love many shoe stores together, target mervyns walmart all offer similar price ranges and products for comparison shopping.
	Would like to see the downtown area more inviting and friendly. Would like to see the street benches clean and inviting instead of being the meeting places for the homeless.
	THANK YOU for this survey. For years, I've been going to Redwood City or Mountain View to frequent the discount and "regular" stores. It's a pain to drive out of my way. I live two blocks from University Ave., yet most stores (and some restaurants) are impractical and way overpriced.
	Would like to see Albertsons approved for 29,000 and built quickly.
	All American Market is really missed in Barron Park
	Closest grocery is Albertson's on Alma, but produce is inferior. Going to California Ave is close to two miles away.
	Looking for parking doesn't bother me, but the heavy traffic and the constant construction do - so I tend to do go downtown only to stores I've used for years, like Bell's or Footwear. Chain stores are boring, so I prefer to shop in Berkeley or Menlo Park.
	University Avenue shops and restaurants are impossible to deal with: little parking, 2-hour limits, congestion, construction, drunks.... Midtown does not need 2 drug stores. Generally unappealing ambience. Too many irrelevant-to-neighborhood businesses.
	Mountain View has stores that are useful - Costco, Target, Mervyns, Walmart, Orchard Supply. Most Palo Alto stores are small with poor selection. (Frys is an exception.) A comment from a visitor from out of town, after seeing Stanford Shopping Center - she said she had never seen so many stores selling things that no one needs in one place.
	We live in Crescent Park, but do almost all of our shopping in Midtown. Edgewood Plaza is rundown and dangerous. Little useful shopping is available on University Ave- i.e., video, groceries, nor is easy parking.
	Grocery shopping is the only thing that's really regular. Clothing shopping is like twice a year, so I don't care if I drive (though internet is easier anyway). The only other shopping I do regularly is Target/Walmart kind of shopping -- so an inexpensive place to get toilet paper, laundry detergent, toothpaste, etc. would be great. (Longs & Walgreens are too expensive for that kind of stuff, as are all grocery stores).
	El Camino south of Page Mill Road needs some retail stores that serve the Barron Park and surrounding neighborhood - grocery,quality coffee shop ( to serve walkers, runners, bikers, dog walkers in the area) Too many fast food restaurants and undesireably liquor stores at present.
	I do not like to shop and when I do, I like to buy all my groceries at one large Safeway, Costco, Trader Joe's. Safeway in Palo Alto just does not have it and won't as it cannot be any where near as large as the one in Menlo.
	As I live in south P.A., the San Antonio Center is nearby and there's plenty of parking, I can do a lot of my shopping all in one center, thereby saving on driving. I don't find it attractive, but the choice, proximity and price lead me to shop there. I have made a conscious effort topatronize Palo Alto stores in the past six months, buying a camera there and having photo developing and printing done in P.A., though the cost may be somewhat higher than in M.V.
	May Peninsula Hardware live forever! (I worry that it will be forced out.) Walgreens is not needed in Midtown. Trader Joe's or an excellent produce market would have been welcome.
	Prefer non-chain stores and small businesses. Keep out chains such as subway. Do like Restoration Hardware.
	We are not big shoppers, but it would be nice to have a more neighborhood oriented mix of stores at small shopping centers like edgewood and charleston at alma
	Palo Alto has become primarily a high-end place to live and shop. The types of stores and stores and restaurants themselves reflect this. The (seemingly) only moderate income places left to shop are Walgreen's and Long's. I would like to see more one-of-a-kind small businesses, such as Peninsula Hardware. But in the current business climate and costs, this has become relatively impossible. Density and greed have changed the living environment on Palo Alto. The current redevelopment surrounding former Palo Alto medical center is a case in point. This type of development is changing the nature of the city into something foreign to what many considered most desireable about Palo Alto.
	Palo Alto has a set of attitudes that contradict each other and make this problem hard. On the one hand, PA wants people to shop locally but, on the other, PA hates traffic and parking and all that these entail to facilitate access to shopping. It has taken decades to create any reasonable access to Stanford Shopping Center, but even then parking at SSC has not gotten any easier. Trying to park and shop around the University Avenue district, including over to Whole Foods, is very very frustrating. Other formerly nice areas, like Town and Country or Midtown, have declined in terms of the diversity of stores available for "one-stop" shopping, probably in part because of traffic/parking problems. We still try to frequent stores in these areas, but it is work to run from one area to another to get to a store you want with difficult parking/traffic problems in each area. It is frankly easier to go to one of the major malls, park once, and walk among the stores you need to visit.
	The trend to up-scale in PA and bulk/low-scale in neighboring cities means that during hard times PA will lose market share. I don't think that's a long-term problem. If I had the $$, which I don't now, I'd (almost) always shop close to home.
	Palo Alto has been far too restrictive in letting businesses, particularly larger businesses, into our city and consequently, Mtn. View, RC and EPA now have many of the best stores for shopping. If we continue this mistake, we will soon have little funds for services. Encourage Business NOW!
	In terms of shopping downtown, difficulty parking is a main reason for avoiding the area. Most things are offered nearby with better parking. Also, it's annoying when small businesses like "Let's Draw" in midtown have to close up because a "chain" type place can afford to buy a longer rental agreement.
	I like the Town and Country center where you can just drive to the store or Stanford with plenty of parking.
	We just moved here from SF four months ago. It's hard to park in a lot of Palo Alto. I'd like to go to an organic green grocer, but I can't get to a convenient one easily
	I love Palo Alto and I don't mind paying a little more to support Palo Alto businesses. However, I just bought my son a toy that cost $40 at ToysRus; it was also $36 at Walmart, and $60 at Palo Alto Toys. A 10-20% premium is okay, but 50% is just way too much (especially since many of the staffers at this store are not very helpful). ----- I really love Anthropologie and am thrilled that they chose a location outside of Stanford Mall. I also love the Apple Store. Both have terrific merchandise and excellent customer service.
	Too many street people, too dirty, too few parking spaces.
	California Avenue is a diamond in the rough. It could be an amazing place. If some attention were given to sprucing it up (like has been done in recent years to downtowm Mountain View) it could attract so many more people. Making it 2 lanes (not 4) of cars, or even closing it off to vehicles for part of it. Some attention to the architecture and buildings. It really could be so nice, but now looks like an unkempt, unwanted step-child.
	I like Ca Ave much better over Univ Ave, nicer feel, easier parking. Wish Ca Ave had fewer hair salons and fewer Chinese restaurants and more coverage over other missing genres (drugstore, hardware store, Thai restaurant, etc.)
	I shop at Sears, Target, Payless Shoes, JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts, Michael's Crafts, OSH, Home Depot, Mervyn's, Ross, Marshall's, Cost Plus, Pier One. None of these is in Palo Alto which caters to people much richer and tonier than we are. The only clothes I buy in P.A. are from Macy's off season, big discount sale racks tucked in the back of the department, featuring my favorite designer, "Mr. Cler Awnce".
	Parking in downtown is being addressed, so the next step would be to attract some "Major" national stores to draw people- like an anchor store for a mall would. The smaller shops would benefit from the increase in shoppers brought by such a store. Palo Alto needs to make this arrangement attractive to major chains.
	RE: Transport. We use bicycle at least half the time when shopping (it is a tandem with a cart trailer). Also shopping with car is coordinated with other travel to other activities.
	Too many stores (many which are large, too) which are very narrow in focus and very high-end. A better mix of high and middle would be nice. Less designer and more mixed brands. And who needs all those rug shops? Would also love more casual, inexpensive restaurants where there are lots of outside tables (like a Cafe Borrone). Thanks for asking.
	For groceries, we mostly go to Costco and Albertson's or Safeway in Mountain View. For small grocery runs (e.g. just for milk), we will go to the local Albertson's on Edgewood, but it is not of much use otherwise.
	There is no bakery only or hardware store any more downtown or on California Avenue or at Town and Country Village that I know of but lots of boutiques and restaurants.
	University Ave. isn't a downtown, it's a restaurant zone.
	We live so far south in Palo Alto we are practically in Mountain View. I shop in Mountain View because it is so much closer to us than the retail centers of Palo Alto and I could walk if I chose to. Carrying stuff home is the burden. Also we had been dealing with an elderly family member in San Bruno so would shop there for convenience as well.
	I do not drive and hope that the Shuttle will continue so that I may continue to shop locally especially if more reasonably priced stores are built.
	Sometimes, Costco or Target is the best place for a less expensive item. I think price (or the idea that a particular store will be too expensive) is what keeps me away from stores occasionally.

Last Updated: September 5, 2003