Thoughts on Albertsons - Kroger?

[KyMUfan]

Walmart - Sam's Club combined has about 25% of the US grocery market. This merger would result in about 15%, or 40% of the market in two companies.

Feds are concerned about anti-trust issues in the merger. Would a break-up of Walmart - Sam's Club be in the future?

Government is also trying to block a company from paying dividends to its shareholders...

King County judge temporarily blocks $4 billion dividend payment to Albertsons investors

Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued to stop the payment, which his office said would deprive the company of cash it would need to operate and threaten jobs.

www.king5.com

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Tom Cotton had some thoughts

 

[i am herdman]

Kroger already owns Harris Teeeter down South. They closed many of the Krogers in our area ans converted then to Harris Teeter

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Kroger already owns Harris Teeeter down South. They closed many of the Krogers in our area ans converted then to Harris Teeter

And your prices went up I bet

 

[herdfan429]

And your prices went up I bet

Harris teeter has always been expensive

 

[i am herdman]

And your prices went up I bet

Yes Kroger is perceived as more lower end store than Harris Teeter. All about the demographics.

 

[greengeezer]

Bill Gates growing all the food and Kroger/Walmart selling it. What could possible be wrong with that?

 

[raleighherdfan]

Despite Kroger converting all their locations to Harris Teeter here, the number of lower cost options has also increased and increasing. Aldi & Lidol continue to open.

 

[KyMUfan]

Tom Cotton had some thoughts

He's had some thoughts on Iran's nuclear program too...

 

[OldielovesHerd]

Walmart - Sam's Club combined has about 25% of the US grocery market. This merger would result in about 15%, or 40% of the market in two companies.

Feds are concerned about anti-trust issues in the merger. Would a break-up of Walmart - Sam's Club be in the future?

Government is also trying to block a company from paying dividends to its shareholders...

King County judge temporarily blocks $4 billion dividend payment to Albertsons investors

Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued to stop the payment, which his office said would deprive the company of cash it would need to operate and threaten jobs.

www.king5.com

The merger between Kroger and Albertsons should be stopped .I believe all major food stores should not be allowed to merge. This is inflationary and also is costing jobs.

 

[-CarlHungus-]

I try to do meat from local or White Oak Pastures at Publix or Whole Foods. We shop a lot at Trader Joe’s too.

I am fine with Kroger but their meat is sub par IMO. I like their Carb Master line of low carb milk or yogurt though.

When I was poor we did Aldi a lot more but I haven’t been in there in years. It was pretty good as I recall.

 

[KyMUfan]

I try to do meat from local or White Oak Pastures at Publix or Whole Foods. We shop a lot at Trader Joe’s too.

I am fine with Kroger but their meat is sub par IMO. I like their Carb Master line of low carb milk or yogurt though.

When I was poor we did Aldi a lot more but I haven’t been in there in years. It was pretty good as I recall.

Publix have always seemed to be nice, clean stores.

Anyone remember Big Bears? Great bakeries!

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Publix have always seemed to be nice, clean stores.

Anyone remember Big Bears? Great bakeries!

Publix is nicer than Kroger but more expensive. Their curb side pick up shopping steep too as I recall (use 3rd party instacart I think).

But they have better produce and meat I think. Plus they early on supported White Oak Pastures (even before Whole Foods).

 

[KyMUfan]

The merger between Kroger and Albertsons should be stopped .I believe all major food stores should not be allowed to merge. This is inflationary and also is costing jobs.

Sooo... Walmart has twice the current market share of Kroger and will still have considerably more than Kroger-Albertsons combined. Following your logic, should Wlamart be broken up?

 

[herdfan429]

Screw all
Those grocery stores Aldi is where it’s at. Same shit but cheap. And seriously low carb milk? Where I’m from we call that water

 

[herdfan06]

I wonder what this would look like had the Rite Aid/Albertsons merger had gone through.

 

[greengeezer]

I made the mistake of buying a Sam’s Club membership. I’m not accustomed to buying my pretzels in five gallon containers or 20 bottles of sinus spray wrapped into a single shrink wrapped block.

 

[riflearm2]

When I was poor we did Aldi a lot more but I haven’t been in there in years.

Jesus, you're vicious. I may make fun of Middle Class Murox's $300k house and how you guys clean your own house, but I don't outright call them "poor."

Oh, and the correct answer to all of this is Wegmans.

 

[herdfan06]

Oh, and the correct answer to all of this is Wegmans.

 

[greengeezer]

I just eat out 90% of the time. Problem solved.

 

[OldielovesHerd]

Sooo... Walmart has twice the current market share of Kroger and will still have considerably more than Kroger-Albertsons combined. Following your logic, should Wlamart be broken up?

For me having to have my groceries delivered now Walmart is the cheapest and I dont have to use a third party. The only breakup I see could possibly be Sams but they too have good prices so I dont know .

 

[OldielovesHerd]

I just eat out 90% of the time. Problem solved.

Eating out has gone up very much also and in most all places very unhealthy.

 

[riflearm2]

I just eat out 90% of the time. Problem solved.

As do I. I rarely even use my own silverware, as I use the utensils that the restaurant provides. Which leads to Oldie's point . . .

For me having to have my groceries delivered now Walmart is the cheapest and I dont have to use a third party.

I don't care about the cheapest part. I care about the time part. The nearest Walmart is 15-20 minutes from me. By the time I drive to/from, park and walk to/from, and do the shopping, it's easily over an hour.

In five minutes, I can order the dozen or so things that I need, have it delivered within a one hour window even if I am not home, and other than the tip that I can throw in the app, it's free. I don't know why anyone would do anything differently unless you don't know what you usually get. The app even saves all of your normal selections, so you simply go down the list and click on what you need.

 

[greengeezer]

Eating out has gone up very much also and in most all places very unhealthy.

Yeah, sometimes when I glance back from my table and see the kitchen staff, I wonder if I should just learn to cook at home. But all the waitresses love me.

 

[greengeezer]

As do I. I rarely even use my own silverware, as I use the utensils that the restaurant provides. Which leads to Oldie's point . . .

A number of years ago, I finally bought some nice colorful China that can be seen through my glass front cabinets. Bought some unusual cutlery too.
Not sure why. If I have a bowl of cereal, I use a paper bowl and a plastic disposable spoon.

 

[KyMUfan]

For me having to have my groceries delivered now Walmart is the cheapest and I dont have to use a third party. The only breakup I see could possibly be Sams but they too have good prices so I dont know .

Sooo... You don't want a combined Krogers-Albertsons to exist with the same market share as Walmart because that would be bad???

And you want Sam's to be broken up with only 5% of the marketshare???

 

[Rock98Dog]

I support our locally owned FoodFair chain. I know exactly where everything is and can do a full run in 20 minutes.

Hate Walmart. Too busy, parking sucks in bad weather. I do buy certain bulk stuff at Sam’s.

 

[ThunderCat98]

As do I. I rarely even use my own silverware, as I use the utensils that the restaurant provides. Which leads to Oldie's point . . .


I don't care about the cheapest part. I care about the time part. The nearest Walmart is 15-20 minutes from me. By the time I drive to/from, park and walk to/from, and do the shopping, it's easily over an hour.

In five minutes, I can order the dozen or so things that I need, have it delivered within a one hour window even if I am not home, and other than the tip that I can throw in the app, it's free. I don't know why anyone would do anything differently unless you don't know what you usually get. The app even saves all of your normal selections, so you simply go down the list and click on what you need.

Online grocery shopping is great, with two exceptions. This wouldn't impact you since you eat out most of the time, but you can't buy your meat or produce through online shopping. The kids they have filling the orders aren't adept at selecting the best cuts or good produce.

 

[HerdandHokies]

Sooo... Walmart has twice the current market share of Kroger and will still have considerably more than Kroger-Albertsons combined. Following your logic, should Wlamart be broken up?

Absolutely yes. Walmart has been a disaster for local economies. But we haven’t taken trust busting seriously in, what, 70 years?

The issue with a merger would be if the geographical footprint has a lot of overlap. If it does then the merger would likely result in reduced competition and increased prices for consumers. All our Albertsons closed already so I’m not sure where they’re still strong.

 

[OldielovesHerd]

Sooo... You don't want a combined Krogers-Albertsons to exist with the same market share as Walmart because that would be bad???

And you want Sam's to be broken up with only 5% of the marketshare???

I dont want Sams to be broken up because they have good prices already....kroger and albertsons combine would mean higher prices so dont want that merger.

 

[MarshallManiac]

Harris Teeter prices are ridiculous. My wife, having lived in the UK for several years, loves Aldi and Lidl. I will only go in Wegman's, Aldi or Lowe's (not the home improvement one).

 

[HerdandHokies]

TJs is cool for their unique stuff but it’s hard to do all your shopping there. It’s possible and I did for a couple years but you have to really plan around what they have. We have Ralphs which is Kroger and is the best balance of quality and cost. Sam’s has the best meat though outside of an actual butcher.

 

[KyMUfan]

Absolutely yes. Walmart has been a disaster for local economies. But we haven’t taken trust busting seriously in, what, 70 years?

Walmart, along with Wall Street, has absolutely destroyed Main Street. Interestingly Sam Walton had many Wall Street critics during the early years.

The issue with a merger would be if the geographical footprint has a lot of overlap. If it does then the merger would likely result in reduced competition and increased prices for consumers. All our Albertsons closed already so I’m not sure where they’re still strong.

Somewhat true but the inverse is also true. If left unchecked to dominate smaller retailers Walmart could do the very same thing.

 

[HerdandHokies]

Walmart does do the same thing. The answer to that isn’t letting someone else do it too.

 

[KyMUfan]

Walmart does do the same thing. The answer to that isn’t letting someone else do it too.

So only let one be dominant to dictate market pricing rather than have an equal to provide competition to that pricing?

 

[HerdandHokies]

So only let one be dominant to dictate market pricing rather than have an equal to provide competition to that pricing?

No, break up Walmart.

Edit: and let me tell you first hand, Kroger has plenty of market control as it is. I’m standing right next to a disaster we’re doing for them right now.

 

[i am herdman]

No, break up Walmart.

Edit: and let me tell you first hand, Kroger has plenty of market control as it is. I’m standing right next to a disaster we’re doing for them right now.

Break up Wal-Mart? One what legal grounds?

 

[HerdandHokies]

Monopolistic practices that are inherent when one company owns 25% of a sector, as WM/Sam’s does with groceries.

 

[KyMUfan]

No, break up Walmart.

Edit: and let me tell you first hand, Kroger has plenty of market control as it is. I’m standing right next to a disaster we’re doing for them right now.

Kroger absolutely does but this just goes back to my original point - this proposed merger doesn't create a dominant player by combining two large players, this combination would put the resulting entity at relatively the same position as the current industry leader, at least in terms of market share.

Now if sometime down the road Walmart/Sam's would merge with post merger Kroger then you would have one dominant entity controlling over 50% of the market.

 

[KyMUfan]

Monopolistic practices that are inherent when one company owns 25% of a sector, as WM/Sam’s does with groceries.

Quick question.

You are seemingly against one entity controlling 25% of a segment. Why would you therefore want one entity to control 100% of the Healthcare industry?