Posted on 10/25/2005 7:44:36 AM PDT by SmithL
I have no problem using the card. It saves me money on groceries and gas.
To my knowledge there are no grocery Unions in Dallas - it is one reason why Safeway left the state years ago, then came back by buying Tom Thumb and Randalls. Kroger is the #4 store in the area,because they do a poor job. Winn Dixie left 2 years ago and Kroger is fighting Albertson's for third behind Walmart and Tom Thumb (safeway.)
ROFL!!!!!!!
I also don't understand the problem with the crads, I've been using them for years...heck I have some in my wallet for stores that are 100 miles away that I get to maybe a couple times a year.
One of the things I like about the Food Lion card is that they have a partnership program where you can pick a non-profit group and FL will donate a percentage of all your purchases to your group. Right now every purchase I make at FL means the PTA at my daughter's school gets a FL contribution. Apparently a lot of people are doing it, because th PTA fundraisers have dropped to only 2 year, which is a good thing and better yet all the money stays here and doesn't go to the state or national PTA.
How does one prepare/serve that?
I have absolutely no idea. I could spend HOURS just walking around looking at all the weird stuff they have.
No reason to argue about use, to each his own, but are you sure it saves money?
The weeks after they started them, the prices WERE great. But then the started to rise until the shelf price of many items were actually much higher then other stores. Only when you used the card, did the price become competitive.
The only difference now between the card and the old "On Sale" days is that they can now track what you buy and when. And of course the extra income from the poor fools that pay 'full price'.
I truly wish them well. Competition is a heart of all low prices and if Wal-Mart were the only store in town they would not stay the good deal they are very long.
These cards are just a point that we all deal with in choosing where we shop. Kroger must think it's worth more in information gathered than in costumers lost.
In a word, no.
Don't forget the hidden costs in the WalMart superstores. I once made a bet with my wife that she didn't have the willpower to just buy groceries there without getting anything from the non-grocery side. I won.
There are so many things you buy at Walmart that you wouldn't have bought if you just went into a pure grocery store.
Give me my slight Kroger markup, big-brother card and .10 off every gallon of gas! Plus, I really don't need to people-watch in the Walmarts to find out what they're wearing in the trailer parks these days. ;)
Around here the prices have been getting better in relation to Walmart. I don't shop exclusively there but for the things I specifically buy there the prices are much better than Walmart. I also love the variety and specialty items I get that Walmart won't carry.
Competition is good. But Kroger has never been close to WalMart's prices. We'll see how they do if they join forces with Albertson's. Larger volumes should allow them to purchase at a greater discount.
Target is hitting them with bright, clean and upscale, Giant Eagle with specialty upscale shopping and items not found elsewhere, and Mejier...
Well I'm just glad that Mejier is still around. ;)
I do understand what you mean about Wal-Mart's wide variety and urge to 'look around'. But isn't that just another point of success on their part? More selection, good planing, layout and product that keeps shoppers in the store longer and spending more.
That's not something to fault them on, it's something for others to compete against.
You make some good points about competition. The WalMart I shop in really has no competition other than the local stores, the dollar store chains and 2 supermarkets. It's 15 miles from where I live and nearly 50 miles from the next nearest one, along with Target, more supermarkets, etc.
I have to say that the prices in this WalMart (it's in Maryland) are far less for the same items as I was paying in WalMart in Delaware, even after factoring in MD's 5% sales tax - Delaware doesn't have a sales tax (just lots of hidden ones)
I really think pricing is a local/regional issue. I shop at Food Lion, and use the card here in Virginia, the prices are far lower than what I was paying for the identical products in Food Lion in Dover, DE which is less than 100 miles away.
There was a time when Acme (an Albertson store) was pretty much the only game in town in Dover for groceries, as more supermarkets started openning up, we all started learning just how badly we were being gouged pricewise. It was truly amazing how the price of such staples as toilet paper dropped EVERYWHERE when WalMart openned it's first store in the area.
Thanks for the info. I've wondered how they knew to go pick the stuff up off the floor.
Al
It ain't rocket science - just follow Target's model. Make the store a little nicer, keep aisles wider & cleaner, charge the same for commodities, and make the spread on premium goods. People will happily pay slightly more for certain items as long the overall shopping experience seems like a good deal and doesn't involve going to a yucky Wal-Mart.
Just so long as I don't have to hear
"Let's Go Krogering" 1700000000 times anymore.....
WM in my area, St. George, UT, does not seem to have much brand variety - one or two brand names and their house brand for each type of canned goods. Different story on paper goods like kitchen wipes, toilet tissue, etc. Have some great prices on deli meats and cheeses - usually a couple of bucks cheaper than elsewehere - AND $4.29 rotisserie chickens at the same weight as Kroger's $6.00 birds.
The wife tried their house brand tomato sauce and said it should have been called tomato juice. We buy canned goods at Smith's (Kroger) and the balance at WM.
You nailed it. Each location has to deal with local and state regulations, taxes, shipping costs, employee costs and other variables that are location related.
Now toss in the local market with whatever the level of competition, and the prices can be very different.
I like the Kroger Green Peppers w/mushrooms Pasta Sauce.
I second that. I have a Wegmans locally here in Upstate NY. The other day, I happened to stumble into their gargantuan selection of cheeses from around the world. They had three whole isles of cheese, complete with an attendant that cut us a block of cheese that just so happened not to be on display.
Anyway, I don't see it on the Future Stores page for Wegmans, but cynicom says they'll soon be moving into NC.
Wegmans sells cheese that costs $13.50 a lb. Wont find that in Wal Mart. Wegmans has proven to be a winner in every state into which it has expanded.
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