Quality Food Centers (QFC) is a supermarket chain based in Bellevue, Washington, with 64 stores in the Puget Sound region ofWashington state and in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.

History
Jack Croco first started in the grocery business in Boise, Idaho in the 1940s working for Albertsons Supermarkets. By 1950, he had become the district manager in the Northwest and was responsible for opening the first Albertson's stores in the Seattle area. Soon afterward in 1956, he opened his own grocery store in Bellevue which was called Lake Hills Thriftway. The grocery concern that would come to be named QFC in 1963[1] was founded in 1955 with the first store at 6600 Roosevelt Way Northeast[1] by a group headed by Vern Fortin, the former president of Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries and founder of Vernell's Fine Candies. Croco merged his store with QFC in 1960. He remained involved in the company until his death in 1991 at the age of 65,[2] though in 1986 he sold QFC to Seattle investment firm Sloan, Adkins & Co.[3] Sloan Adkins took QFC public in 1987.[1] Christopher A. Sinclair became the CEO in 1996. In 1997, QFC purchased the Uddenberg grocery company which operated Thriftway and Stock Market stores throughout western Washington. In late 1997, QFC was sold to Fred Meyer,[1] and less than a year later Kroger acquired Fred Meyer and QFC.[4] The Roosevelt store remained open through 05 May 2012, when it was closed to make way for construction of a Link Light Rail station.[5]

Expansion
Over the years, QFC has expanded aggressively through acquisitions. When A&P Supermarkets abandoned the Seattle area in 1974, QFC took over several locations. They expanded to surrounding counties in the 1990s by acquiring and renaming Olson's Food Stores, Johnny's Food Centers, and Stock Market Grocery Stores as well as several Thriftway stores. Between 1990 and 1996, 30 stores were acquired from 11 different independent grocery chains.[6] Reed's Super Valu in Port Hadlock and Stock Market Foods inPort Townsend were acquired in 1997.[7][8] The company expanded into the Portland, Oregon market as well.[9]

In the mid-1990s, QFC expanded to Southern California by acquiring Hughes Family Markets (which kept its name). By the mid-1990s, many Hughes chains were sold to Ralphs, which soon was sold to Fred Meyer, before going to Kroger.[10]

Philanthropy and controversy
In 1996, Stuart Sloan, former owner and chairman of QFC, promised to spend at least $1 million a year for the next eight years to overhaul one of Seattle Public Schools's most challenged schools, T.T. Minor Elementary. The funds were donated in addition to public dollars and helped to pay for uniforms, smaller class sizes and a year-round schedule, though the manner in which the funds were applied sparked controversy.[11][12]

Advertising
In the 1960s, QFC ran a memorable animated ad which made use of produce puns, such as "raise our celery".[citation needed]

Positioning
QFC and Safeway are the dominant supermarkets in the city of Seattle and its surrounding suburbs. QFC is positioned as a smaller upscale market relative to Fred Meyer, although both are owned by Kroger. QFC uses a preferred customer card to track customers and offer discounts.

Popular culture
Two QFC Stores in Seattle, Washington were used for taping of the TLC
Our Pharmacists are professionally trained to administer vaccinations. Let us protect your health!

Vaccinations Available at Your QFC Pharmacy*:
• Hepatitis A Vaccine
• Hepatitis B Vaccine
• Hepatitis A and B Combo Vaccine
• Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine
• Influenza Vaccine and Intranasal Application
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella
• Meningococcal Vaccine
• Pneumococcal Vaccine
• Shingles (Zoster) Vaccine Live-Varicella Zoster Virus
• Tetanus-Diphtheria Vaccine (Td Boosters)
• Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis Vaccine (Tdap Vaccine)
• Vitamin B12 Injection may be available upon request
*Certain states have patient age requirements and additional limitations. See your Pharmacist for details.
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Travel Vaccinations
Our Pharmacies are equipped to administer many of the travel vaccines needed for overseas travel. Our Pharmacists use specialized travel vaccination databases to help make sure you and your family are prepared for your trip.

Common Vaccinations Needed When Traveling Abroad*:
• Influenza
• Pneumonia
• Meningitis
• Yellow Fever oJapanese Encephalitis
• Typhoid
• Rabies
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Polio
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella
• Chicken Pox
*Please be aware that vaccination requirements are subject to change. See your QFC Pharmacist or visit www.cdc.gov for the latest recommendations.

Flu Shots
Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious complications, hospitalization or even death. Anyone can get the flu, and vaccination is the single-best way to protect against influenza. Even healthy children and adults can get very sick from the flu and spread it to family and friends.

Flu Shot FAQs

Why do I need to get a flu vaccination?
There are two common reasons for getting a yearly flu vaccination:
• Flu viruses are constantly changing, and vaccines are updated from one season to the next to protect against the most recent and commonly circulating viruses
• Your immune system's protection from a vaccination declines over time, and annual vaccination is needed for optimal protection
Who SHOULD get a flu vaccine?
Everyone is at risk for seasonal influenza. Health experts now recommend that everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated against influenza. While everyone should get a flu vaccination each flu season, it's especially important that certain groups get vaccinated. These groups are either at high risk of having serious flu-related complications, or they live with or care for people at high risk of developing flu-related complications:
• Pregnant women
• Children younger than 5 years of age - especially children younger than 2 years of age
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• People who live with or care for those at high risk of complications from flu, including: health care workers, household contacts of persons at high risk of complications from the flu, household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated).

Who should NOT get a flu vaccination?
• Influenza vaccine is not approved for use in children younger than 6 months of age, so they should not be vaccinated. Instead, their caregivers should be vaccinated
• People who are sick with fever should wait until their symptoms pass to get vaccinated

What kinds of flu vaccines are available?
There are two types of flu vaccine available:
• The “flu shot” is an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months of age, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions. There are three different flu shots available:
o A regular flu shot approved for people ages 6 months and older
o A high-dose flu shot approved for people 65 years of age and older
o An intradermal flu shot approved for people 18 to 64 years of age
• The nasal-spray flu vaccine is made with live, weakened flu viruses that are given as a nasal spray (sometimes called LAIV for “Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine”). The viruses in the nasal spray vaccine do not cause the flu. LAIV is approved for use in healthy people 2 through 49 years of age who are not pregnant

What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccination?
• Protection for yourself
• Protection for newborns and infants who are too young to get vaccinated
• Protection for people at high risk of complications from flu

Flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe. Over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-related deaths in the United States ranged from a low of 3,000 people to a high of about 49,000 people. Each year, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from the flu, including an average of 20,000 children younger than 5 years of age.

What are the side effects of the flu vaccine?
Flu shots are safe and cannot give you the flu, because they are made from killed or very weakened virus. However, there may be some mild side effects from the two different types of vaccines (shot and nasal spray). The most common side effects from the flu shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot is given. Side effects from the nasal spray vaccine include runny nose, cough or nasal congestion.
It is recommended that everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated against the flu. A flu vaccination reduces your risk of illness, hospitalization or even death and can prevent you from spreading the virus to your loved ones. Protect your family from the flu - get vaccinated.
Talk to your Pharmacist for more information about the flu and flu vaccination.