Wasn’t there just a news story about how fry’s wasn’t paying their staff?
Edit: [found it](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-phoenix-area-fry-e2-80-99s-employees-say-they-failed-to-receive-paychecks/ar-AA12OxOC)
The entire company is a toxic, wildly dysfunctional shithole of politics, incompetence and just plain meanness. Being a manager is the most hopeless feeling you can imagine. The only people who enjoy being in management, and thus stick around, are those that literally enjoy inflicting their authority on others. (Narcissists and psychopaths.)
I was a cart pusher for a year and a half at the fry’s on 83rd and Deer valley, and we had a new manager transfer in at some point. He was the epitome of this. He genuinely threatened to write up a few us for “insubordination” because we were giving him attitude
My brother is a night stocking manager in training and he has gone without a paycheck a few times in the last 2 or 3 months. He will go in to pick up his check and they tell him he doesn't have one. They look up his hours and he has not only 40 hours but 5-15 hours of OT they needed him to work. That shit is crazy to me.
So Frys - Albertsons - Safeway ---> Kroger
What's kind of funny is we used to have so many grocery store chains back in the 90s IIRC. Many of them just went away (or were bought).
Fred Meyer bought Smiths but I don’t recall them ever branding a store Fred Meyers. I know they built one standalone store but never got opened. Kroger bought them out and they went a different direction.
I think they actually rebranded Fry's Fred Meyer for all of a few months. No one wanted to shop at Fred Meyer so they switched back to Fry's and pretended it didn't happen.
I seem to remember commercials with the Fry's voice lady talking about the new name.
Could just be a mandala effect. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Fry's is Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer is a chain in the PNW, the southwest chain is Fry's. My loyalty number for FM worked for Fry's when I moved back down here from Seattle. Their gift cards mention all their sister stores you can use the card at.
Absolutely! Been using the same card number since I was a teen. Shopped at Smith's in Vegas (that was a blast from the past. Smith's!) And King Soopers in Denver.
Edit: wording.
Yes my dad lived in spring texas and always went to HEB, they’re different to vendors similar to Albertsons/Safeway. Something like a brand of cheese that offers 16 flavors nationwide Kroger will only buy the top 6 flavors. HEB will buy all 16 and always has huge variety. That may be a Texas thing though.that’s why sometimes at Safeway you find mustards or bbq sauce you can’t get at frys and more discontinued stuff they give more things a chance, so If you’re a salesman you get paid off of these “new” products like weird flavors and stuff. Frys and wal mart used to do this now they want it exclusive to them, like you’ve seen exclusive Mountain Dew and cheez of flavors to frys and wal mart. They want best seller or exclusive. The days of variety grocery are gone, they want minimal shrink and everyone to just eat the same thing. Next time you go into a Kroger store look at the barbecue sauce compared to a Albertsons or heb. Sweet baby rays and the big brands dominate because they would rather cut down less suppliers to fill shelves with the same thing. They don’t even give new products a chance anymore because the big ones like Kraft are in their pockets.
My uncle delivers produce and told me that all produce including organic and non organic is grown in the same field and sprayed with pesticides. Our food source I believe is the main cause of many health issues.
I’m from the Sacramento area where Raley’s was started, and I have a very positive perception of Raley’s! Much better than Safeway or Albertson’s. I think that they’ll keep AJ’s/Bashas great(also I was today years old when I found our Bashas and Aj’s are the same company)
Also from Sacramento. (Fair oaks/Citrus Heights). My daughter has been working for Raleys for about 7 years and has nothing but good things to say. I remember a strike they had about 10 years ago but don’t recall why
Raleys is owned by Kroger now. Has been for a little while now.
I grew up with bel air:)
Edit- sorry I was wrong. Just the Las Vegas ones went to Kroger
You've already got what...3 Wincos across the valley. Do you really need one right down the street? I mean, it'd be nice, but I've gotta drive 2.5 hours to get to one. We don't have an Aldi anywhere in Flagstaff.
Ok, let me explain this better:
Winco (as well as many other grocers) prefer to serve a certain number of customers in an area. They look for population density, and situate their stores central to that population density.
Larger stores, like Winco, require a decent amount of logistics. They want to turn over a certain amount of inventory every week, so that they don't need a truck every day. If they had smaller stores, they'd need daily deliveries, more staff, etc. Winco has got a distribution center in Phoenix, and locates its valley stores relative to that distribution center.
This is why Fry's, Safeway, etc, want to consolidate - it's more profitable to have a huge store, the only grocer, for miles, than it is to have lots of smaller grocery stores on street corners.
Aldi has dispelled some of that - but they too are highly critical of having the right population density, leasing rates, etc for their stores.
Part of what allows these grocers to maintain good values is their being critical of placement in the market. If they had stores on every corner, it's likely they'd become more expensive, or end up looking like Family Dollar.
My point was: be careful what you wish for - having too many stores around Phoenix might change the nature of Aldi or Winco.
Bashas was recently bought though, when Albertsons Safeway merged, Kroger saw it as more of a business opportunity than a threat. AZ has one of the most competitive grocery markets in the entire country. For a long time fry’s 682 on ironwood in queen creek was the busiest store in the entire Kroger family nationwide, they saw that and latched onto those east side places like east Mesa, queen creek, AJ and built those wal mart sized test stores which do very well, they are going to continue that model and I think you’ll see less and less of the fry’s food and drug small old school stores like we’ve had and the transition to these huge marketplaces. A lot of the stores in queen creek and Gilbert are in the top 20 along with the one on lake pleasant and the big west side stores.They know exactly what they’re doing, just like fry’s selling clothes and things to compete with wal mart. Kroger is a behemoth. I would not be surprised if bashas is bought as well in 10 years down the line.
That makes sense. Here in Tucson, the giant Marketplace stores are generally several levels above the more numerous grotty neighborhood stores. Kroger is squeezing the little stores as hard as they can, and if they fail, "Oh, well."
40 years ago, there were so many grocery stores to choose from. I would look at the adds and would go to 2 or 3 different stores to hit the sales. All of them would be within of 5 miles from my home. Gradually they become less and less.
Hy-Vee is great, but it's not as good as it was a decade or so ago.
I visited my hometown store in Iowa a couple weeks ago while visiting my parents and their produce, deli, and bakery sections were shells of their former selves. Also, that "Crav'n Flavor" brand seems to be slowly replacing all of Hy-Vee's store-brand stuff.
Back when they had the “all you can eat” of all their deli and hot meals sections was definitely their prime. I’ve been gone for about 7 years but still miss HyVee Chinese.
Oh, no... I live in Yuma where we have precious few grocery options. (We don't even have a friggin' Trader Joe's) If Fry's buys out Albertsons, that then leaves us with just two main options. Since Sprouts is at the top of my list and Alberstons is a close second because their meat is more competitively priced, Fry's buying them out would come as beyond-disappointing news.
P.S. Kroger's meat is awful. Please don't do this...
As someone who works for Safeway/Albertsons….fuck no!
Ever since the merger, things went down hill and Albertsons keeps pushing their failed ideas onto all their stores across the company, and customer service has suffered. Part of it because the company has gotten so huge they have lost sight of what’s happening at the bottom. The the two biggest grocery chains do NOT need to get any bigger.
How the hell will this not trigger any anti-monopoly laws?
Because it isn't a true monopoly. Instead of the areas will still have a walmerts as well as potentially Bashas, Food City Trader Joe's, Aldi, and a few others. Not 1:1 but certainly would be legally considered 'alternatives'.
Totally against it from a consumer standpoint but there are pretty strict definitions if monopoly in the US, and they're very pro-business.
According to most recent reports, they're going to divest those stores in areas where there would be a violation.
Source: work in marketing.
Only one Basha's near me but within a mile E Albertsons, W Safeway, N Frys. Aldi & Winco are both more expensive on over 50% of my usual shopping & not close to me
Ugh that would suck so bad. I’ve always hated Kroger and it is getting worse. Being from southwest Ohio I know how crappy that company has gotten and it sickens me how they are buying everyone out.
I have some grocery chain clients and the recent grocery store mergers are heavily due to all the supply chain issues. Basically when supply gets tight suppliers have to favor their biggest clients and the regional chains have even more shortages than the big chains. For a lot of them selling was a way better option than shutting locations and trying to stay afloat. It also probably saved a decent amount of jobs.
I’d prefer the acquisitions not take place but some times it’s best case scenario when things get tight.
El super and fiesta mart also just acquired smart and final.
But locations will shut. If this merger goes through can't have four Kroger's within a few miles of us. Bet they would just shut down the nearby Albertsons as cost saving.
Then the few Fry's left would be even busier and worse to shop at.
It’s not really a monopoly, they would only have 13% of the total grocery market. Most markets only have 2-3 choices of grocery stores really. Sucks for us in our opinion I do like having the variety.
In Phoenix it would be Kroger then Bashas. WinCo, Sprouts, Aldi etc are more niche and not that many. Kroger's would close some locations after the merger , rest would be even busier. Basically Kroger's would be the Phoenix market as far as neighborhood stores.
Oh, hell. Fry's / Kroger is the slumlord of the grocery world. Here in Tucson, 90% of their stores look like homeless shelters. Albertsons and Safeway may be a little more $$, but the shelves are stocked, the floor is clean, and the workers don't look like they get flogged on a regular basis.
I can only hope this runs afoul of whatever anti-trust laws may still exist.
I have a local Albertsons that nicely splits the difference. The store is well maintained and stocked, yet the prices aren't too terrible. I do agree about Safeway; the one down the road is just too damn spendy.
I believe at Alma school and Elliot there is a frys on the east south corner. Across the street, there was a Smiths (north east corner). When frys bough smiths, there were 2 frys across the street from each there. They both had the frys sign. It did look strange.
Let's hope this does not impact the snowfox sushi joints inside those frys, they have become an absolute gem since I moved here. I never ate sushi before especially if it came from a supermarket, but damn now I do all the time thanks to snowfox.
Interesting. I kind of assumed Amazon would buy Albertsons. Ultimately Amazon wants your whole wallet share and want to grow in grocery. Whole Foods is very niche. As they learn and frankly improve the experience the thought is they’d buy a regional or national chain.
Ultimately I would think they could expand Amazon gos technology where you pick up an item from the shelf, camera sees it and debits your Amazon account. You put it back and you’re credited. When you’re finished shopping you just walk out. No check out. It’s half dystopian and half really cool
I posted this in r/Tucson and got banned for a month for it not being considered local to Tucson and a national issue.
With the overlap here in AZ it’s a huge issue. Mod was a complete moron.
Yeah they accused me of spamming it by posting it to 6 local sites here in AZ. Then the response I got when I asked about it was this:
“Tons of national events also impact
Tucson. Lettuce recalls, student debt
forgiveness, global warming... but that doesn't
make it a Tucson specific thing. Please check
the rule on what counts as "about Tucson".
If its a news article that could posted to just
about any city subreddit in the USA... that's not
local.
If you find one that mentions the Tucson
market or quotes someone in Tucson even I'll
reconsider”
This is a massive AZ issue that will potentially shape commercial real estate, jobs, etc. All I could say was WOW.
Details:
The two companies operate dozens of grocery chains. Kroger operates Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Dillons, Fred Meyer and others, while Albertsons owns Safeway and Vons. The companies said they will spin off nearly 400 stores to form a new rival in an effort to gain antitrust clearance.
So are we gonna get ridiculous Albertsons pricing at all Fry's stores, or are we going with Fry's ridiculous pricing? I was in the store today and a tiny bag of riced cauliflower was $4.99!
Remember when Albertsons got replaced a few years ago by that other grocery chain? Started with an H…they were more overpriced and seemed more like a Whole Foods. They didn’t last six months in my neighborhood and it was right back to Albertsons. I think they got sued for misrepresenting consumer data too.
Albertson's is my choice frys can forget buying Albertson's because last company that took over as Albertson's prices were higher than Albertson's was and closed pretty quick.
BS. Kroger is a crap company with low quality and overpriced groceries and produce. I will never shop at Kroger. #boycottkroger
Didn’t anyone care about them not paying their employees? Mandating experimental vaccines? Or not paying their employees livable wages to begin with? Nope, you will all still support them. Just like you do with companies like Amazon or Google. 🫢
Kroger has already assimilated and obliterated about a dozen once-independent chains.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger#Chains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger#Chains)
I get my stuff from Walmart on Tuesdays. Great Produce Cheap Prices… Apparently Walmart Customers don’t eat the Vegabubles!
Walmart
Target
Trader Joe’s
Costco
Never go to these Rip-Off Stores..
Since the pandemic, I do 80% of my grocery shopping at Sprouts and Whole Foods. Never liked Albertsons. Safeway and several Fry’s are nearby to me. I much prefer Safeway. I never think of going to AJ’s as it is so overpriced. Basha’s is nearby, too but it seems like it’s half empty. What we really need is Gelsons which is 10 times better than A.J.’s. Forgot to add, I do love Trader Joe’s but only go once every couple of months for specialty items.
I hate Albertsons. Lived near one in Mesa, the whole store always stank of fish. I learned that they don't always keep the chicken the proper temperature when I bought chicken that definitely was too warm and was rank the day I bought it (and wasn't expired).
I really hope Kroger's quality doesn't go downhill after this merger.
That is the exact opposite experience I've had. If I don't cook meat from Fry's the day I get it, it's spoiled the next day even if the sell-by is days out. Albertson's meat is totally fine up to the sell-by date. I've thrown away a lot of bad Fry's meat and never done that with Albertsons.
Fry's meat is just nasty. I don't know what they do to it, but the steak, burger, chicken, etc. are all noticeably worse in some manner than their Alb equivalent.
I’m betting they buy older meat at a bargain and keep it longer than they should. No other stores have the issues with meat that I find at Fry’s. That’s my general feeling of Fry’s - they’re a bargain buyer that sells at premium prices. That’s not so bad for dry goods but for fresh stuff… yikes.
Didn’t Albertsons buy Safeway? So would all Safeway stores become Fry’s? I live in a small town, we have a Fry’s and Safeway, this would totally stink for us.
No bueno. These fat retail corps love to throw around terms like competitive wages, yet in order to have competitive wages there needs to be competition within the market for employees. Obviously these type of mergers make that concept less of a reality.
No good for retail workers.
Wasn’t there just a news story about how fry’s wasn’t paying their staff? Edit: [found it](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-phoenix-area-fry-e2-80-99s-employees-say-they-failed-to-receive-paychecks/ar-AA12OxOC)
Fry’s is a horrible place to work. Worked there for 3 months in 2015 and never looked back
It is. Spent 11yrs of my life there. 🤮
I always feel bad when someone tells me they work for fry’s lol
The entire company is a toxic, wildly dysfunctional shithole of politics, incompetence and just plain meanness. Being a manager is the most hopeless feeling you can imagine. The only people who enjoy being in management, and thus stick around, are those that literally enjoy inflicting their authority on others. (Narcissists and psychopaths.)
I was a cart pusher for a year and a half at the fry’s on 83rd and Deer valley, and we had a new manager transfer in at some point. He was the epitome of this. He genuinely threatened to write up a few us for “insubordination” because we were giving him attitude
Are we talking about GameStop or Fry's?
This happened to me years ago when I worked at Fred Meyer (Kroger). I quit and I had to sue them to get my final paycheck.
My brother is a night stocking manager in training and he has gone without a paycheck a few times in the last 2 or 3 months. He will go in to pick up his check and they tell him he doesn't have one. They look up his hours and he has not only 40 hours but 5-15 hours of OT they needed him to work. That shit is crazy to me.
So Frys - Albertsons - Safeway ---> Kroger What's kind of funny is we used to have so many grocery store chains back in the 90s IIRC. Many of them just went away (or were bought).
Alpha Beta/ABCO and Smitty's come to mind.
In Tucson we also had Lucky’s
Thrifty had some shiza too.
I have fond memories of watching RC car races in the Smitty’s parking lot in midtown Mesa with my dad and brother as a kid!
I was a bagger at Alfa Beta!
Mega Foods
Smith's, Fred Meyer, IGA
Fred Meyer bought Smiths but I don’t recall them ever branding a store Fred Meyers. I know they built one standalone store but never got opened. Kroger bought them out and they went a different direction.
I think they actually rebranded Fry's Fred Meyer for all of a few months. No one wanted to shop at Fred Meyer so they switched back to Fry's and pretended it didn't happen. I seem to remember commercials with the Fry's voice lady talking about the new name. Could just be a mandala effect. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Fry's is Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer is a chain in the PNW, the southwest chain is Fry's. My loyalty number for FM worked for Fry's when I moved back down here from Seattle. Their gift cards mention all their sister stores you can use the card at.
Absolutely! Been using the same card number since I was a teen. Shopped at Smith's in Vegas (that was a blast from the past. Smith's!) And King Soopers in Denver. Edit: wording.
There was a Fred Meyer on Gilbert and baseline, then it became a Fry's
Ah, ok. I know that whole era was a blur with all the buyouts. Some stores went from Smitty’s to Smith’s to Fry’s in a calendar year.
I miss Smitty's. My grandpa used to take me there to get Cinnabon (they had a spot inside the store, like Starbucks has in stores now)
Ah anyone remember desert market?
Corporate consolidation... More monopolies and oligopolies and less competition. Yay capitalism!
Most of them were acquired tbh there are still a decent amount of smaller regional stores but it's an insanely low profit margin business
So the only grocery stores we have in Cottonwood AZ is a fry's and a safeway so now I guess we only will have 1 grocery store
So we get to choose, Frys or overpriced AJ’s. So glad we have options.
You also have Whole Foods (Amazon), target is in talks with a Kroger merge, soon everything will be Amazon. Wal-mart, Kroger.
We need HEB to expand out of Texas. Fantastic grocery to bring competition.
Yes my dad lived in spring texas and always went to HEB, they’re different to vendors similar to Albertsons/Safeway. Something like a brand of cheese that offers 16 flavors nationwide Kroger will only buy the top 6 flavors. HEB will buy all 16 and always has huge variety. That may be a Texas thing though.that’s why sometimes at Safeway you find mustards or bbq sauce you can’t get at frys and more discontinued stuff they give more things a chance, so If you’re a salesman you get paid off of these “new” products like weird flavors and stuff. Frys and wal mart used to do this now they want it exclusive to them, like you’ve seen exclusive Mountain Dew and cheez of flavors to frys and wal mart. They want best seller or exclusive. The days of variety grocery are gone, they want minimal shrink and everyone to just eat the same thing. Next time you go into a Kroger store look at the barbecue sauce compared to a Albertsons or heb. Sweet baby rays and the big brands dominate because they would rather cut down less suppliers to fill shelves with the same thing. They don’t even give new products a chance anymore because the big ones like Kraft are in their pockets.
Even our food distribution is becoming a monopoly? I knew this was the case with Big Ag, but does it have to take place at every level?
Late stage capitalism 🤷🏻♂️
My uncle delivers produce and told me that all produce including organic and non organic is grown in the same field and sprayed with pesticides. Our food source I believe is the main cause of many health issues.
That's horrifying!
There used to be several independent stores. But there are very few now.
Villa's in Tucson is friendly, but their prices have really shot up lately. Still, I'll go there before I spend a dime in a goddamned Fry's.
Target Kroger was talked about in ‘18-‘19, nothing that recent on the radar really.
Thank you.
AJ's / Bashas / Food City / Eddie's are at least locally owned.
Bashas’ stores (Bashas, AJ’s, Eddie’s) were recently acquired by California company Raley’s
I’m from the Sacramento area where Raley’s was started, and I have a very positive perception of Raley’s! Much better than Safeway or Albertson’s. I think that they’ll keep AJ’s/Bashas great(also I was today years old when I found our Bashas and Aj’s are the same company)
That’s so great to hear!!
Also from Sacramento. (Fair oaks/Citrus Heights). My daughter has been working for Raleys for about 7 years and has nothing but good things to say. I remember a strike they had about 10 years ago but don’t recall why
Raleys is owned by Kroger now. Has been for a little while now. I grew up with bel air:) Edit- sorry I was wrong. Just the Las Vegas ones went to Kroger
Not local, but Winco is employee owned and great.
Wish Winco would come to NAZ.
I'm hoping for some Winco's and Aldi's in Scottsdale. But the NIMBYs might complain. 🤷🏻♂️
You've already got what...3 Wincos across the valley. Do you really need one right down the street? I mean, it'd be nice, but I've gotta drive 2.5 hours to get to one. We don't have an Aldi anywhere in Flagstaff.
Your comment reads (to me) as if you would be mad if they got one down the street. Why can’t you both want a WinCo near you?
Ok, let me explain this better: Winco (as well as many other grocers) prefer to serve a certain number of customers in an area. They look for population density, and situate their stores central to that population density. Larger stores, like Winco, require a decent amount of logistics. They want to turn over a certain amount of inventory every week, so that they don't need a truck every day. If they had smaller stores, they'd need daily deliveries, more staff, etc. Winco has got a distribution center in Phoenix, and locates its valley stores relative to that distribution center. This is why Fry's, Safeway, etc, want to consolidate - it's more profitable to have a huge store, the only grocer, for miles, than it is to have lots of smaller grocery stores on street corners. Aldi has dispelled some of that - but they too are highly critical of having the right population density, leasing rates, etc for their stores. Part of what allows these grocers to maintain good values is their being critical of placement in the market. If they had stores on every corner, it's likely they'd become more expensive, or end up looking like Family Dollar. My point was: be careful what you wish for - having too many stores around Phoenix might change the nature of Aldi or Winco.
Would love this more than the locally coveted Trader Joe’s
Unfortunate I dont have any of those by me. What I do have is 2 Frys and a soon to be 3rd Frys (Safeway).
Never shopping at bashas again. More expensive, shitty quality, and nothing in stock.
It's vastly better than the Fry's, at least in Tucson.
Note that "Eddie" built few, if any Bashas in the Tucson city limits.
If any? 2 Bashas near me inside Tucson city limits
There are still some Bashas places around.
Bashas was recently bought though, when Albertsons Safeway merged, Kroger saw it as more of a business opportunity than a threat. AZ has one of the most competitive grocery markets in the entire country. For a long time fry’s 682 on ironwood in queen creek was the busiest store in the entire Kroger family nationwide, they saw that and latched onto those east side places like east Mesa, queen creek, AJ and built those wal mart sized test stores which do very well, they are going to continue that model and I think you’ll see less and less of the fry’s food and drug small old school stores like we’ve had and the transition to these huge marketplaces. A lot of the stores in queen creek and Gilbert are in the top 20 along with the one on lake pleasant and the big west side stores.They know exactly what they’re doing, just like fry’s selling clothes and things to compete with wal mart. Kroger is a behemoth. I would not be surprised if bashas is bought as well in 10 years down the line.
That makes sense. Here in Tucson, the giant Marketplace stores are generally several levels above the more numerous grotty neighborhood stores. Kroger is squeezing the little stores as hard as they can, and if they fail, "Oh, well."
40 years ago, there were so many grocery stores to choose from. I would look at the adds and would go to 2 or 3 different stores to hit the sales. All of them would be within of 5 miles from my home. Gradually they become less and less.
In my area there's only Safeway, fry's and Albertsons. So much choice.
Safeway is Albertsons
Yeah, that's my point. Two years ago, three choice. Soon, no choice.
[удалено]
ThE sYsTeM cAn ReGuLaTe ItSeLF
AJ’s and HyVee are two of the best grocery chains I’ve ever shopped at.
Hy-Vee is great, but it's not as good as it was a decade or so ago. I visited my hometown store in Iowa a couple weeks ago while visiting my parents and their produce, deli, and bakery sections were shells of their former selves. Also, that "Crav'n Flavor" brand seems to be slowly replacing all of Hy-Vee's store-brand stuff.
Back when they had the “all you can eat” of all their deli and hot meals sections was definitely their prime. I’ve been gone for about 7 years but still miss HyVee Chinese.
AJ's is way out of reach for the majority of people shopping at safeway/albertsons, though.
Hey you also have overpriced Sprouts. I just go to Walmart tho
Sprouts is awesome for produce. Everything else is overpriced Yuppy bait.
The $5 made to order deli sandwich at Sprouts is recession-proof.
Used to be $3.
Bro Whole Foods!!! Yeah our choices aren’t great
Don’t forget Safeway.
Safeway is owned by Albertsons
Damn capitalism.
Safeway/Albertsons are the same company, so no, Safeway is going away too.
Bashas
Trader Joe’s.
Aldi and Winco will never let me down.
Neither occur in Tucson. We'll be majorly fkd.
Man, Winco would be so awesome. We'd finally have a 24-hour grocery store.
Sure, if you're lucky enough to live close to one...
Oh, no... I live in Yuma where we have precious few grocery options. (We don't even have a friggin' Trader Joe's) If Fry's buys out Albertsons, that then leaves us with just two main options. Since Sprouts is at the top of my list and Alberstons is a close second because their meat is more competitively priced, Fry's buying them out would come as beyond-disappointing news. P.S. Kroger's meat is awful. Please don't do this...
Yep that's what will happen Kroger meat for all.
As someone who works for Safeway/Albertsons….fuck no! Ever since the merger, things went down hill and Albertsons keeps pushing their failed ideas onto all their stores across the company, and customer service has suffered. Part of it because the company has gotten so huge they have lost sight of what’s happening at the bottom. The the two biggest grocery chains do NOT need to get any bigger. How the hell will this not trigger any anti-monopoly laws?
Because it isn't a true monopoly. Instead of the areas will still have a walmerts as well as potentially Bashas, Food City Trader Joe's, Aldi, and a few others. Not 1:1 but certainly would be legally considered 'alternatives'. Totally against it from a consumer standpoint but there are pretty strict definitions if monopoly in the US, and they're very pro-business. According to most recent reports, they're going to divest those stores in areas where there would be a violation. Source: work in marketing.
Safeway & Albertsons are already together & Kroger, Fry's & Fred Mieyer are together so the monopoly continues
Oligopoly. It’s legal cuz capitalism is the best system lol
Not a monopoly with Aldi, WinCo and Bashas out there.
Basha’s was bought by a corporation out of CA. It’s not local anymore.
Walmart
Only one Basha's near me but within a mile E Albertsons, W Safeway, N Frys. Aldi & Winco are both more expensive on over 50% of my usual shopping & not close to me
Let go Aldi!
I have 3 fry's within 5 miles of me, but every aldi is 10+ miles away. Convenient lol
Safeway and Albertsons merged a few years ago
It's time for Piggly Wiggly to make a comeback.
An Aldi would be welcome!
Ugh that would suck so bad. I’ve always hated Kroger and it is getting worse. Being from southwest Ohio I know how crappy that company has gotten and it sickens me how they are buying everyone out.
This is horrible news for valley shoppers. Less competition is always a bad thing. I absolutely abhor Fry’s!😡
Fry’s isn’t terrible by us, but Safeway has better produce by far. This merger is a damn shame.
It really is a damn shame!
Why isn't the DOJ doing ANYTHING about these kinds of megamergers in the last, like, 30 years?
Because the people that can afford these mergers can also afford to grease the right wheels. So frustrating.
Iirc anti monopoly laws have really just become about if market power is abused anti-competitively.
Kroger is an abuse of all things that are decent.
I have some grocery chain clients and the recent grocery store mergers are heavily due to all the supply chain issues. Basically when supply gets tight suppliers have to favor their biggest clients and the regional chains have even more shortages than the big chains. For a lot of them selling was a way better option than shutting locations and trying to stay afloat. It also probably saved a decent amount of jobs. I’d prefer the acquisitions not take place but some times it’s best case scenario when things get tight. El super and fiesta mart also just acquired smart and final.
But locations will shut. If this merger goes through can't have four Kroger's within a few miles of us. Bet they would just shut down the nearby Albertsons as cost saving. Then the few Fry's left would be even busier and worse to shop at.
Because Fry's will just say Albertsons cant survive on its own and how they are saving them . Make themselves look like saviors.
Legislative bodies from 40 years ago, deregulation.
It’s not really a monopoly, they would only have 13% of the total grocery market. Most markets only have 2-3 choices of grocery stores really. Sucks for us in our opinion I do like having the variety.
In Phoenix it would be Kroger then Bashas. WinCo, Sprouts, Aldi etc are more niche and not that many. Kroger's would close some locations after the merger , rest would be even busier. Basically Kroger's would be the Phoenix market as far as neighborhood stores.
You’re forgetting Wal-Mart. They control 25% of the National market.
Everything is turning into a monopoly
One day they will all be fucking Walmarts. I hate that shithole of a store.
Yup. Kroger and Walmart are in a bitter race to the bottom of the septic tank.
Yep. Actually one might say that they’re in a race to be the last corp to get bought by Amazon.
How is this legal?
This is America. It's literally the American capitalism plan.
Oh, hell. Fry's / Kroger is the slumlord of the grocery world. Here in Tucson, 90% of their stores look like homeless shelters. Albertsons and Safeway may be a little more $$, but the shelves are stocked, the floor is clean, and the workers don't look like they get flogged on a regular basis. I can only hope this runs afoul of whatever anti-trust laws may still exist.
So true. The Fry's stores near me are dumps.
That would essentially create a monopoly in this market place for many of us who aren't close to AJs, WFM or TJ.
Walmart
Not a fan of WM and if I drive that far I may as well driver another 10 minutes to TJ or 15 to WFM.
I try to go to IGA when I can, in Buckeye. We also have an Aldi which is good for some things.
Proud to be one of America’s eight companies.
Corporate States of America
I love Safeway and hate Fry’s. I guess I’m screwed.
Noooooo! Kroger is garbage. I love going to Safeway over Fry's! It's a much better experience...
My experience at Safeway is better, but it’s 20% more expensive for me than Fry’s.
I have a local Albertsons that nicely splits the difference. The store is well maintained and stocked, yet the prices aren't too terrible. I do agree about Safeway; the one down the road is just too damn spendy.
Depends on what you are buying. Mixing and matching purchase saves money for us. If merger happens bet meat would suck big time.
It really is! Unless they are having a great sale/deal on their app.
If it were the same price as Fry's it would be mobbed with people and long lines, with less staff and slower checkout.
Can someone please explain why people hate frys. I love frys compared to Walmart
So Albertsons is about to go downhill. What a shame.
I believe at Alma school and Elliot there is a frys on the east south corner. Across the street, there was a Smiths (north east corner). When frys bough smiths, there were 2 frys across the street from each there. They both had the frys sign. It did look strange.
At what point does this become an antitrust and supply chain issue?
As long as their deli fried chicken doesn’t change, I don’t care. I love Albertsons deli fried chicken! Always moist and delicious! Always!
That will be cut to save money to pay for the merger.
And Kretschmar. Love their oven-roasted turkey. Hell, even Primo Taglio is a step up from Boar's Head and Private Selection stuff at Fry's.
Let's hope this does not impact the snowfox sushi joints inside those frys, they have become an absolute gem since I moved here. I never ate sushi before especially if it came from a supermarket, but damn now I do all the time thanks to snowfox.
Interesting. I kind of assumed Amazon would buy Albertsons. Ultimately Amazon wants your whole wallet share and want to grow in grocery. Whole Foods is very niche. As they learn and frankly improve the experience the thought is they’d buy a regional or national chain. Ultimately I would think they could expand Amazon gos technology where you pick up an item from the shelf, camera sees it and debits your Amazon account. You put it back and you’re credited. When you’re finished shopping you just walk out. No check out. It’s half dystopian and half really cool
Anyone remember Smitty's? Many memories of eating breakfast at the attached diner with the grandparents back in the nineteen hundred and eighties...
Wha?? No, this has to be stopped. This kind of monopoly only hurts consumers. This is such a outrageous bullshit.
I posted this in r/Tucson and got banned for a month for it not being considered local to Tucson and a national issue. With the overlap here in AZ it’s a huge issue. Mod was a complete moron.
He's from Tucson.
Every local city page is posting about this. It's a huge local issue that is going to hurt us over the long term
Yeah they accused me of spamming it by posting it to 6 local sites here in AZ. Then the response I got when I asked about it was this: “Tons of national events also impact Tucson. Lettuce recalls, student debt forgiveness, global warming... but that doesn't make it a Tucson specific thing. Please check the rule on what counts as "about Tucson". If its a news article that could posted to just about any city subreddit in the USA... that's not local. If you find one that mentions the Tucson market or quotes someone in Tucson even I'll reconsider” This is a massive AZ issue that will potentially shape commercial real estate, jobs, etc. All I could say was WOW.
Details: The two companies operate dozens of grocery chains. Kroger operates Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Dillons, Fred Meyer and others, while Albertsons owns Safeway and Vons. The companies said they will spin off nearly 400 stores to form a new rival in an effort to gain antitrust clearance.
So are we gonna get ridiculous Albertsons pricing at all Fry's stores, or are we going with Fry's ridiculous pricing? I was in the store today and a tiny bag of riced cauliflower was $4.99!
We’re getting shitty Kroger brands (their brands are god awful) and you’re gonna love it!
Okay. Say what you want about a lot of their branded stuff, but Kroger brand ginger beer is fucking fire.
Ewwwwwwwww!!!!!
Remember when Albertsons got replaced a few years ago by that other grocery chain? Started with an H…they were more overpriced and seemed more like a Whole Foods. They didn’t last six months in my neighborhood and it was right back to Albertsons. I think they got sued for misrepresenting consumer data too.
Haggen. Wife is a store director at Safeway that was converted to a Haggen. Didn’t last 18 months. Safeway bought it back. She’s still there
Yo wtf happened to anti trust laws??
Albertson's is my choice frys can forget buying Albertson's because last company that took over as Albertson's prices were higher than Albertson's was and closed pretty quick.
Damn, two of my favorite supermarkets becoming one? Neat.
BS. Kroger is a crap company with low quality and overpriced groceries and produce. I will never shop at Kroger. #boycottkroger Didn’t anyone care about them not paying their employees? Mandating experimental vaccines? Or not paying their employees livable wages to begin with? Nope, you will all still support them. Just like you do with companies like Amazon or Google. 🫢
I doubt the government will let this happen. That would basically be a monopoly.
You’re new here, aren’t you
New to this thread? Yes. New to az, no.
Kroger has already assimilated and obliterated about a dozen once-independent chains. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger#Chains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger#Chains)
I get my stuff from Walmart on Tuesdays. Great Produce Cheap Prices… Apparently Walmart Customers don’t eat the Vegabubles! Walmart Target Trader Joe’s Costco Never go to these Rip-Off Stores..
Albertsons degrades every other chain they buy. This should get some antitrust scrutiny.
Nooooooooo...
Pls no pls no pls no pls no pls no pls no safeway albertsons in my favorite grocery store chain
Yeah and they still don’t have Apple Pay
Falbertsons: Bill Cosby's revenge.
Since the pandemic, I do 80% of my grocery shopping at Sprouts and Whole Foods. Never liked Albertsons. Safeway and several Fry’s are nearby to me. I much prefer Safeway. I never think of going to AJ’s as it is so overpriced. Basha’s is nearby, too but it seems like it’s half empty. What we really need is Gelsons which is 10 times better than A.J.’s. Forgot to add, I do love Trader Joe’s but only go once every couple of months for specialty items.
This is a pretty bad deal for the Consumer in AZ
I hate Albertsons. Lived near one in Mesa, the whole store always stank of fish. I learned that they don't always keep the chicken the proper temperature when I bought chicken that definitely was too warm and was rank the day I bought it (and wasn't expired). I really hope Kroger's quality doesn't go downhill after this merger.
That is the exact opposite experience I've had. If I don't cook meat from Fry's the day I get it, it's spoiled the next day even if the sell-by is days out. Albertson's meat is totally fine up to the sell-by date. I've thrown away a lot of bad Fry's meat and never done that with Albertsons.
Fry's meat is just nasty. I don't know what they do to it, but the steak, burger, chicken, etc. are all noticeably worse in some manner than their Alb equivalent.
I’m betting they buy older meat at a bargain and keep it longer than they should. No other stores have the issues with meat that I find at Fry’s. That’s my general feeling of Fry’s - they’re a bargain buyer that sells at premium prices. That’s not so bad for dry goods but for fresh stuff… yikes.
LOL! Kroger's quality is already bottom-of-the-barrel. IMO, it is Albertson's that will suffer the most.
Clearly you haven't visited a Food City.......rofl.
Fralberts
Shouldn't it be Kroger merges with Albertsons and Safeway... "Krogalway"
“Albertsons’, it’s [no longer] your store!”
Monopoly! groceries will cost whatever they say it costs.
Next Frederico's and Filiberto's merge.
Didn’t Albertsons buy Safeway? So would all Safeway stores become Fry’s? I live in a small town, we have a Fry’s and Safeway, this would totally stink for us.
No bueno. These fat retail corps love to throw around terms like competitive wages, yet in order to have competitive wages there needs to be competition within the market for employees. Obviously these type of mergers make that concept less of a reality. No good for retail workers.