Robert ReichIf the Kroger-Albertsons merger goes through, they will own more than 5,000 U.S. stores.
What's to stop them from continually raising their prices if there's nowhere else to shop?
Albertsons, Kroger, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Jewel-Osco, Pick'n Save, Ralph's, Safeway, Shaws, Star Market, Vons—as well as at least 22 other grocery brands—would all be part of the same chain if the Kroger-Albertsons merger goes through.
The monopolization of America continues.
In your own neighborhood, would you have any grocery stores that would not be owned by the combined company?
mikej@rbreich Food desert.. don't even have a grocery store here and I'm downtown :(
svegress@mikej @rbreich Here, in Canberra, Australia, I have one of the two dominant food stories within walking distance but I also have five flourishing independents and a two weekend markets. The competition is fierce; the level of service and the quality good. I put it all down to good planning in our Territory.
Mike Roach
Scooter 🏳️🌈 ⚽ 🚴♂️ 🐻@rbreich i would love to have a mom and pop corner grocery store within walking distance! But that can't happen because zoning demanding you have a car and drive to a grocery store in a shopping center (but that is a different conversation)
RunningResister@rbreich IDK, where do Publix and H-E-B fall?
Jules@RunningResister @rbreich H-E-B is an independent company.
somcak@rbreich Yes. We have an Aldi and an IGA near us. We are very lucky in that respect.
Ken Laster 😎@rbreich
Sprouts, Trader Joe's. Do they qualify?
Sprouts, Trader Joe's. Do they qualify?
Buster McNutt@rbreich should set up a poll
Professor Michael T@rbreich Spring Street Market. Family owned and operated.
Seanannigans@rbreich
Krogers is in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.
Albertsons in AZ, CA, CO, ID, LA, MT, NV, NM, ND, TX, OR, WA, WY.
Krogers is in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.
Albertsons in AZ, CA, CO, ID, LA, MT, NV, NM, ND, TX, OR, WA, WY.
Laura Durnell@rbreich Yes. Fresh Harvest on Lawrence in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood remains independent (and delicious). There are also Mexican and Turkish supermarkets down the street from me that remain independent.
just relax, you’re doing fine@rbreich Raley's and their stores, Nugget Markets, small locally owned stores, and co-ops. But I know how fortunate we are.
Stix@rbreich No. And the closest independent or family owned store is 8 miles away.
Mary Anderson@rbreich Hy-Vee, Target, Walmart
Laura K. Curtis@rbreich yes. But there's no denying that the no - big box shops are more expensive.
legraLeGra@rbreich we’ve got to rely on Bezos for competition. Heaven help us. And keep my local CTown local.
Kshanti@rbreich in Maine we have Hannaford, so fortunately, yes.
glynor
Samhain Night@rbreich Yes, but only because I live in a rural town with a small, locally owned store.
IdahoChick Samantha@rbreich Yes, WinCo Foods, Inc: "a privately held, majority employee-owned American supermarket chain based in Boise, Idaho, with retail stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. It was founded in 1967." I almost exclusively shop there. WinCo undersells Albertsons and Fred Meyer near me.
@rbreich Only one grocery store that I can think of off the top of my head. The rest would fall into this family of stores.
SSFC KDT (MOVED)@rbreich Just the co-op
@rbreich
In Fairfield County we have Carluzzis, Big Y, Stop and Shop, Stew Leonards, ShopRite, Price Rite, Trader Joes, Ctown and Whole Foods. Xpect and Aldis nearby too.
And prices still went up.
Carol Rizzolo
MedicZod@rbreich Yes, we have a small, local chain that is privately owned. I do most of my shopping there
Not a doctor@rbreich I'm #blessed to live in #Texas and have H-E-B #HEB - I use their #pharmacy, too, as #CVS kept having issues keeping my #HRT prescription filled.
(There's a #joke that the three branches of Texas government are H-E-B, #Buccees and #Whataburger)
However, the grocery stores in my #neighborhood are #Kroger (x2), H-E-B, #WholeFoods, #ElRanchoSupermercado #Walmart, and #Target
Of these, I shop HEB, and El Rancho and I leave my neighborhood for #99RanchMarket, #Costco, and #HMart
Note that I can get to all of these on public transit. I usually don't after I fell on a bad sidewalk coming home from HEB in the dark. (I've never had #OrientationAndMobility training so I can't use a #WhiteCane which would have likely prevented my fall as I would have known the sidewalk was munged).
jeffhorowitzNJ@rbreich ShopRite, but I was surprised to find out Albertson's owns Acme, the other nearby option...
Roberta Millstein 🌎🌱🐩🏊🏼♀@rbreich Yes, we have a Trader Joes's and a Co-op -- we are lucky.
@rbreich Yes, Stop N Shop and Trader Joe's.
Kevin S. Ford@rbreich There’s an ACME (Albertsons) down the block, but they compete with the nearby Shop-Rite (Wakefern) and Stop & Shop (Ahold Delhaize). They’d need to keep prices down if they want to stay in business at that location.
dyanam0@rbreich would love to have a trader Joe's anywhere in west Virginia. Meanwhile, since I live 1/2 hour from mom,/pop and an hour from Aldi's, I rely on Amazon.
Lara Dodds@rbreich we do! Zanottos in San Jose
HunterBlackComxTrader Joe's and Aldi's. Smart & Final, maybe?
AtomPorter@rbreich Aldi, Walmart, and Devon market are my local grocery stores. Trader Joe's and whole paycheck are a bit further.
While this proposed merger wouldn't affect me, i oppose almost all mergers since few benefit consumers.
Amy Brunner, MLIS@rbreich Eastern OH & yes. Aldi, Giant Eagle, independent grocers under IGA, Buehler's.
Ms Cyndy Metcalf@rbreich Tom Thumb in North Texas?
Beandog9@rbreich yeah. Walmart! And a mediocre Natural Grocers
Eric Lundquist@rbreich we have 2
thurman “scuz” chesterfield iv@rbreich I know a town in the southwest that will be reduced to two Krogers and a Walmart. Gross
James DeVol@rbreich Meijers, Aldi, Walmart...Muskegon Michigan
Bogie B. 🇨🇦 🇺🇸@rbreich I live near an Alberstons that is surrounded by 4 Walmarts in a mile circle. My understanding is that Krogers is lower cost than Albertsons (true?), in which case I'd be OK.
LaMarshall@rbreich Just got a Wegmans. How about Trader Joe’s?
@rbreich
Yes, plenty: Meijer, D&W, Harvest Health, and several others.
Yes, plenty: Meijer, D&W, Harvest Health, and several others.
Kelley Boles@rbreich I have 2 Walmart neighborhood markets within a half mile of me. None of the others anywhere near me.
lllcypherlll (Twitter: @colinrubbert )@rbreich only one comes to mind PCC. Local company that sources locally but yeah EVERYONE else is owned by a major corporation. The insane part is that even though we have 3 groceries stores owned by the same conglomerate with the same products, if you go to one side of town you seem to have roughly a 15%-30% difference in costs. One has regular sales (the cheaper one) and the other rarely has sales (the more expensive one).
Peter Butler@rbreich Yes, and I’ve seen you there, lol. Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Market.
Swearwoolf@rbreich currently in my county and the neighboring county our only grocery store options are Safeway/Albertsons and Walmart.
KerryFitz@rbreich Yes. I’m lucky enough to say I will. I live in Massachusetts and we have Demoula’s/Market Basket. It’s a family owned supermarket chain. Market Basket is phenomenal, the prices are great.
MarkAs a recent immigrant to Michigan from the left coast, I can say yes. I am not sure what/how they did it here but many of the National/Transnational monopolistic companies are not in my day to day, only in-state monopolistic businesses.
Jonny Miskatonic@rbreich HEB here in Texas
Onedollarjuana@rbreich No. Trader Joes and Whole Foods are not full- service grocery stores. We do have a co-op, but it's a few miles away.
Thinking about Good Trouble@rbreich Yes we have a local mountain store plus Lunardis is not far.
Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe@rbreich yes but also Aldi, WinCo, and, sometime soon, HEB