Can Kroger slow Wal-Mart?

Sacramento Bee ^ | 10/25/5 | Jon Ortiz and Dale Kasler

[Warren_Piece]

I suppose this is a subjective thing, and varies from city to city, but I an tell you for a FACT that wait times are MUCH longer at WalMart than Publix in my area . I can take a stopwatch next time, just to prove it. Part of the reason is that the Publix near me is almost ALWAYS near empty. I suppose everybody is at WalMart or Kroger, but the Publix usually has MANNED checkouts waiting for me every time I go. I don't see how they stay in business. But it is a verifiable fact that, in extreme western Davidson county, the waits are MUCH longer at WalMart than Publix. Kroger is somewhere in between.

[Gabz]

Wal*Mart still hasn't figured out how to sell groceries without being a pain in the arss for the customer. Never have, never will.

I don't shop WM all that often, particularly for groceries, but I have to disagree with you. I find the food/grocery section of the local WM to be very well laid out, well lit, and well stocked. Granted that is only one WM, as I have neveer shopped in the grocery section of any other one, so everyone's mileage will vary :)

[caver]

I love Aldis. They got some great stuff, cheap too.

You really have to watch the prices at WalMart & Krogersa round here. They can stick it to you on some things.

[TomGuy]

You really have to watch the prices at WalMart & Krogersa round here. They can stick it to you on some things.

No Krogers here, but the new WMT Superstore (3 years old) does have some very high prices on some items. For example, the price locally has ranged from $7.49 regular price at Walmart down to $3.99 everyday price at Save-a-lot for the same item. That's a sizeable $2.50 difference for the exact same. I have checked the register tapes on a monthly basis, and I consistently save around 10% per month by NOT buying all my groceries at Walmart. They must be trying to pay for that new store in a hurry.

[pepperhead]

Yes they are, but OMG you have to bag your own groceries and pay a nickle for a paper bag and a dime for a plastic one and they are closed on Sundays.(/sarcasm)

Tell me about it, and you have to have a quarter to get the stupid cart.(/sarcasm) But our Aldis is now open on Sunday.

Seriously though if you want cheap prices on the basics (milk, eggs, bread, produce etc. etc) Aldi's is the place to go.

They have very nice prices on a lot of stuff. I don't like their milk though.

[pepperhead]

You really have to watch the prices at WalMart & Krogersa round here. They can stick it to you on some things.

I don't think I have ever felt like WalMart has stuck it to me on the price. Kroger on the other hand has. You also better check the dates on stuff at Kroger because you never know how long it has been on the shelf.

[Gabz]

They must be trying to pay for that new store in a hurry.

I'm sorry, but that line struck me as hilarious!!!

[Glenmerle]

but Albertson's closed down a couple of years ago. They were the highest price grocery store chain in town

Albertson's is by far the highest price grocery here too. Their prices are outrageous. I have no idea how they manage to stay open with such obvious overpricing. And their stores look like Ukranian warehouses -- empty Ukranian warehouses, since, around here, everyone's off shopping at Safeway, Wal-Mart, and King Soopers.

[Glenmerle]

but Albertson's closed down a couple of years ago. They were the highest price grocery store chain in town

Albertson's is by far the highest price grocery here too. Their prices are outrageous. I have no idea how they manage to stay open with such obvious overpricing. And their stores look like Ukranian warehouses -- empty Ukranian warehouses, since, around here, everyone's off shopping at Safeway, Wal-Mart, and King Soopers.

[TomGuy]

They must be trying to pay for that new store in a hurry.

I'm sorry, but that line struck me as hilarious!!!

Oh, yeh. You can laugh---because you aren't the one who has to pay nearly 8 bucks for a 7-piece box of frozen Banquet fully-cooked chicken because I'm too lazy to cook it yourself !!!!

[kAcknor]

I haven't been in an Albertson's in years but I like Kroger. They are clean and well stocked

I used to shop at Kroger all the time, but then they implemented the rip-off spy on customer cards and now they get my 'Need a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread" business only, and not very often for that.

Their prices shot through the roof, and unless you show that card, they will happily screw you standing for the things they sell.

[ShadowDancer]

I know others that feel that way about that card but it really doesn't bother me.

[Gabz]

You can laugh---because you aren't the one who has to pay nearly 8 bucks for a 7-piece box of frozen Banquet fully-cooked chicken because I'm too lazy to cook it yourself !!!!

YIKES!

I generally shop in Food Lion.........it's amazing how the prices vary depending upon location of a particular store in a Chain grocer. Even with Viginia's sales tax my big shopping trips to Food Lion is more than $50 less than what it was when I shopped in FL in Delaware, less than 100 miles away and with no sales tax.

The WaMart I shop at is in Maryland, and even with the MD sales tax, prices are much lower than in Delaware. In fact theonly places where I even notice sales tax is the dollar stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree) those prices are the same everywhere and so the extra 5cents on the dollar is noticeable.

[smith288]

We count mullets when we go to Wal-Mart... Not so at our local Kroger.

I would gladly pay a tad more to experience a better atmosphere (no offense to the mulleted folks).

[Gabz]

I would be lost without my Food Lion card - particularly for meats and poultry, often it means a sale price of more than 50% off.

[NickatNite2003]

Kroger has a bunch of stagnant stupiheads for
management. Istead of trying to beat another
business at it's core competancy, they should
be trying to perfect their own. Case in point,
they have, and *have* had, for *years*, on their
website, a FAQ, saying that "while we do not offer
online ordering at this time, we are investigating
options..." Who the frig do they have doing thwe "investigation? Barnaby Jones??

They want to put the knock on other groceries?
Let me browse their offerings, orfder online, pay
online, and arrange for a pick-up "window" time,
so that i can drive up, and hand my print out
reciept to a bag boy, pop my trunck and haver
him load my car with my purchases...and if
they think that this will cut down on my
"impulse purchases" they are stupid. From my
online shopping at other online retailers, i
have found it tends to increase it. as long as
the "ompule offerings" are conveiniently presented.

They waould be wise to set up a shopping expirience
that mirrors the brick and mortar shopping trip.
IE: Present the online products/aisles, exactly as
one would get to rthem, pushing a cart through
the aisles.

[aberaussie]

You are telling me average Publix's customer service is better than average Wal-Mart. That's false assumption and conclusion.

Nope. That's not what I said. I said "our local Publix" does a great job. When I lived on the other side of town, I hated the Publix there. Whether Publix in general has improved or I just have a great one, I can't say. Unless I shop the day before Thanksgiving or right before a hurricane, I never wait in a long line. They have lots of registers open. When I go to Walmart at midmorning, late at night, whenever...I wait and wait. If they are not busy, they only have one or two registers open. So we wait anyway. Just my experience.

[aberaussie]

Pig uterus???

How does one prepare/serve that?

[devane617]

Albertson's and Kroger will need a huge expansion to compete. I can think of many areas in the SE where no Kroger or Albertson's can be found. However, I never shop WMT and never will.

[ShadowDancer]

I never understood the hysteria people have about those cards just because they track your purchases. Evidentally, the next logical step in that scenario is they are going to steal your credit, turn your daughters' into lesbians and make you go bald everytime you purchase a kumquat.