Day 39

Newell, SD Corner Store Assessment

We had an off-day in Newell, South Dakota today after an 8 day stretch of biking. Everyone enjoyed sleeping in and having a late breakfast after the midnight pranks played against Brian for his birthday. The crew then performed routine maintenance on their bikes and caravanned off to Newell Lake for a picnic courtesy of some of Brian’s friends visiting from Colorado. Later, I luckily had time to fit a corner store assessment into the schedule.

Background: Newell has a locally owned grocery store that is fairly well stocked. The only area where selection may not have been up to par was the fresh produce section. Hence, I automatically assumed that most locals purchase their groceries from this downtown store, however, one local stated otherwise. She thought that most Newell citizens purchase their groceries from Spearfish, Bella Fouche, or Sturgres (each approximately 25-30 miles away). The rationale for the traveling could be attributed to better prices and selection in these towns. Additionally, she stated that many locals had to travel to these towns daily for work, thus allowing routine grocery stops. It should be noted that locals do make infrequent purchases at the downtown grocery store and sorely missed it when it was out of business for a year as ownership passed between two different parties.

There are two neighboring convenience stores located on the outskirts of town adjacent to the major highway. Their food selection is discussed further below. Newell has no locally sponsored farmer’s market, yet many people do buy fresh fruits and vegetables from farms outside of town depending on the annual crop’s success. No atypical activity levels have been witnessed during our stay.


Sinclair Gas Station (traditional convenience store with take-out pizza parlor addition)

1. No cereals in stock
2. All types of milk available except skim
3. Single sized portions of baked Lays, larger sized portion of baked Lays and Ruffles
4. N/A
5. 100 % Juice: Orange, apple, and vegetable
6. N/A
7. N/A

Conoco Gas Station (traditional gas station with antique shop addition)

1. No low sugar/high fiber cereals
2. Only 2% and whole milk in stock
3. Single sized baked Lays in stock
4. 2 packages of Sara Lee Wheat Bread
5. 100% Juice: vegetable, orange, apple, and pineapple-orange
6. N/A
7. 1 can of whole kernel corn shelved

Hitting the road again tomorrow and traveling through three states: South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana!