Someone’s missing the point. I hope the FTC tells them to get fucked.
this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2024
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Same. Both of these companies have done acquisitions over the years, all promising better prices and more jobs when the end result is poorer quality products at the same or higher price and less jobs overall.
I hope the FTC tells them to get bent.
Pro tip to regulators: STOP. ALLOWING. MERGERS. They just make companies bigger and more powerful, while rarely helping the majority of workers.
Or consumers.
I used to love Kroger. Until the pandemic, everything is 30% more. Went to Walmart a few weeks back and saved so much, it was nuts. I hate Walmart but I guess now I’m going back.
Get to an Aldi if you have one near you!
I haven't shopped regularly at Kroger since I found out about Aldi around 2017. I never did like Kroger's membership program and they've only added tiers to it since. I do love their brand of natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt in the ingredients list), so on the rare occasion I'll stop by to pick that up. Each time I have stopped by, I see more and more ridiculous pricing and with dumb tiered membership pricing on the tags which is annoying when trying to get pricing info at a glance.
I would love for there to be an Aldis here. Got WinCo and their prices and quality are really good. I almost never shop at Walmart or Smith's (Kroger) anymore.
What membership program? They only have the rewards that's also used to clip coupons and get the special prices and the other one for free shipping, don't they?
We shop at aldi mainly and then go to kroger or Meijer for the stuff we could get there
Kroger has a card where you get discounts for having it.
edit: not sure why I'm getting downvoted. This is what I'm talking about https://www.kroger.com/pr/free-membership
IDK what you're talking about. They just have reward and non-reward pricing. Though, they do often have various sales going on so sometimes you have non-reward, reward, and sale price all on the same item. Not very often though.
The sale would be something like mix and match where if you buy five items that are part of the sale you get a dollar off each of them. Can be used to get some very good deals from time to time.
I frequent Kroger but it's not my go-to store for groceries or meat. I've got plenty of Asian stores around me that usually have better prices. I'd say quality isn't all that different between them either. Each rarely has bad produce but it does happen from time to time. Seems random.
Yes, that is the reward program I'm talking about. I see nothing about different tiers in that link. Am I missing something?
Interesting. Unfortunately it's pretty vague on the exclusive savings. Just says "one-time offers and more." If it's just stuff you get once it's no different from buying coupon books. You remember those?
Sadly, I've been unable to find any reviews of the service that talk about these supposed exclusive savings. If it is indeed regular recurring savings on their items, they can fuck right off.
I already don't like the idea of having a specific card for every (or really any) store I shop at. With kroger still ending up more expensive on many items even with the free membership, I was warded off from shopping there. Stores in general are trying to copy the costco membership model but without providing the low prices that make the costco membership worth it. They just want the extra profit. That's what this boost membership seems to be.
Walmart is hilariously cheaper.
Some advice from Canada, whose gov't didn't stop grocery store mergers ... get out and protest the fuck out of this or in a few year's time it will be far, far worse than now.
So who's buying 166 grocery stores?
A: C&S Wholesale Grocers
https://www.cswg.com/services/private-label-brands/
Best Yet
That’s Smart!
Piggly Wiggly - Never been in one, but I've at least heard of it.
IGA - This one I know, rare to see in the wild here.
TopCare
Simply Done
Full Circle
Culinary Tours
Crav’n Flavor
Paws Premium
Pure Harmony
Tippy Toes
Albertsons has been closing stores in my area and what’s replaced them isn’t other grocery stores. So much for “increasing competition”. So far it’s been condos, and a hobby lobby.
My Albertsons became another megachurch... /facepalm
One in my ol' hometown got replaced with some sort of bouncehouse or something. It is notoriously unsuccessful but somehow the doors stay open.
C&S is just a fulfillment warehouse and not buying anything. They handle the logistics and provide stock behind the scenes. What you're seeing in what you linked is just them handling the "Store brands" for that particular chain.
Whomever the owners of the new chains are will have a choice of which warehouse they choice to do business with as there are a few larger players, but that depends on the region.
I worked IT for grocery for years and have had to deal with C&S as a middleman numerous times.
Then why would they be buying 166 grocery stores from Albertson's and Kroger?
I’d bet they’re just parking the stores temporarily only to buy them back later after the deal happens. But then I’m a cynic.
one of the primary arguments against the original sales package was that C&S does not have meaningful operational experience
Your guess is as good as mine, but the section I quoted may indicate they might be trying to break more into front-end operations.
They have extraordinarily robust market channels set up already and have their hands in the vast majority of the grocery industry for grocers that aren't large enough to have their own vertically integrated warehousing like Walmart, Kroger, etc.
I wouldn't be surprised if they negotiate regional buyouts to their existing clients or just sell off the assets. I hope they don't become a brick and mortar store because honestly that would just be another industry monopoly coming into the forefront.
I hope they get denied, because they can rebuy those stores again.
Ma Bell came back with a vengeance after it was split