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Rumors about Marianos in Chicagoland

Rumors about Marianos in Chicagoland
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  • Post #541 - August 4th, 2021, 8:13 pm
    Post #541 - August 4th, 2021, 8:13 pm Post #541 - August 4th, 2021, 8:13 pm
    As by cito says, I was thinking too, are these issues with Mariano's in particular or current supply chain issues in general? I've noticed similar gaps at Jewel too.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #542 - August 11th, 2021, 3:32 pm
    Post #542 - August 11th, 2021, 3:32 pm Post #542 - August 11th, 2021, 3:32 pm
    I do most of my shopping at Sunset in HP. However, I just can't bring myself to pay Sunset beef prices and go to Mariano's when I buy beef, which isn't all that often.

    I do keep an eye on Sunset prices as I walk past and today I burst out in laughter when I saw that skirt steaks were $26.99 per lb.
  • Post #543 - October 24th, 2021, 12:48 pm
    Post #543 - October 24th, 2021, 12:48 pm Post #543 - October 24th, 2021, 12:48 pm
    Really really frustrated with Marianos. Went in today to learn that they will not bag your groceries if you bring bags from home. This is protect their employees from COVID, they say. Okay, so the checker, who is touching every product I just touched, and who knows how many other people have touched, puts their hands on every item in my cart to ring it up. But bagging those items puts them at risk, because of the bag I brought from home?

    Is it because they care so deeply about their employees or because they can cut back on the number of baggers they pay per shift?

    Wouldn't requiring gloves solve that? If they care so much about their employees, why not just require gloves?

    And doesn't that discourage using recyclable bags?

    I know the science is not perfect right now and erring on the side of safety is the best practice but this strikes as simply cost cutting and to dress it up as "caring about their employees" is awful.
  • Post #544 - October 24th, 2021, 1:18 pm
    Post #544 - October 24th, 2021, 1:18 pm Post #544 - October 24th, 2021, 1:18 pm
    cleanplateclub wrote:I know the science is not perfect right now and erring on the side of safety is the best practice but this strikes as simply cost cutting and to dress it up as "caring about their employees" is awful.

    Yes. Another bullshit, corporate, blame-it-on-covid pretext. Mariano's cares about one thing: their bottom line. Good thing no one else in the store ever touched any of those products before you put them in your cart! :lol:

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #545 - October 24th, 2021, 5:39 pm
    Post #545 - October 24th, 2021, 5:39 pm Post #545 - October 24th, 2021, 5:39 pm
    I was in Whole Foods on Friday, and I told the cashier that I brought my own bag. She did not even offer to bag my groceries. She did give me my $.10 for bringing my own bag though. A few times I was in the store, the cashier forgot to credit me for my bag. Since the pandemic started, they have allowed you to bring your own bag, but people were told from the beginning of the pandemic that if they brought their own bag, they had to bag their own groceries. I only bought five items anyway. I don't think Whole Foods uses as many baggers as Jewel does anyway. When I go there I usually don't buy more than 5-6 items anyway.

    For what seems like an eternity you were not allowed to bring your own bags at Jewel. I tried to get around that by using self check out, but I was told I could not do that one day. I heard that the union did not want their baggers touching the bags that customers brought in to use. I don't know though why I could not bring my own bags and bag my groceries. About five months ago, when I was at Jewel, I saw a sign that said we could now use our own bags, and so I used one of my bags, but I offered to bag the groceries myself, but the cashier said that the baggers were now allowed to bag groceries in bags brought from home. 80% of the time at Jewel I use self checkout anyway, because then I always remember to enter in my phone number. Last month I forgot to enter in my phone number, and the cashier had to void my purchase, and start all over again after I entered in my phone number to get my J4U discounts. Sometimes they scan everything before I have a chance to enter in my number though. There is an older cashier at the Chicago Avenue store who has been there forever though, who will remember that I am a J4U customer, and she will remind me to enter in my phone number in case I forget.

    I was in the Jewel on the Chicago side of Howard right before Thanksgiving last year, and I did not realize that the city of Chicago charges $.07 per bag used, and so I was forced to pay an additional $.14, and yes I went to self checkout. If I knew that I would have tried to sneak in my own bags. Since the pandemic started I have only had one transaction at Mariano's, and that was in June.
  • Post #546 - October 27th, 2021, 7:30 am
    Post #546 - October 27th, 2021, 7:30 am Post #546 - October 27th, 2021, 7:30 am
    Sunset in HP has caught the Kroger disease. They now have the number which tracks you, though they do not yet require the number to get the sale price ( that will come ). They have installed, but not yet opened self service checkout stations.
  • Post #547 - October 27th, 2021, 8:48 am
    Post #547 - October 27th, 2021, 8:48 am Post #547 - October 27th, 2021, 8:48 am
    lougord99 wrote:Sunset in HP has caught the Kroger disease. They now have the number which tracks you, though they do not yet require the number to get the sale price ( that will come ). They have installed, but not yet opened self service checkout stations.

    They probably held out longer than most, they likely have the same issues related to obtaining labor and cost of labor.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #548 - January 10th, 2022, 8:00 pm
    Post #548 - January 10th, 2022, 8:00 pm Post #548 - January 10th, 2022, 8:00 pm
    Is Mariano's Smokehouse just a badly dumbed down version of Todd's BBQ?

    There had been posts several years ago that Todd's offered a decent value. Recently I was out running errands and looking for something to take home for lunch. I was near the Northbrook Mariano's (Skokie Blvd.) and stopped in.

    As soon as I got near the Smokehouse I smelled smoke and thought whatever they had must be better than the boil-in-a-bag ribs sitting on the meat shelves, so I got some spares which were still hot. Also, a package of smoked salmon as I had gotten some there a few years ago that was pretty good.

    When I started eating the ribs, I tried to convince myself that I could get it again, but it was no go. Ribs are inherently great, but these just didn't cut it. They were in the world's blandest sauce and, while I smelled smoke, I just didn't get any flavor.

    The smoked salmon was also a disappointment. It was lemon dill and I couldn't detect either. The salmon itself tasted like fish that had been cooked in the general vicinity of smoke, but not really near the smoke.

    Just to make sure it wasn't me, today I picked up a blister pack of smoked salmon at Jewel to compare. The difference was immediately clear. The Jewel salmon had a deep ruby color and intense flavor. I compared both the salmons by themselves and then each on a bagel mit cream cheese, green onions and cucumber. No doubt about it. The Mariano's product paled in comparison.

    Looks like Mariano's has been thoroughly Krogerized.
    Where there’s smoke, there may be salmon.
  • Post #549 - May 17th, 2022, 1:52 pm
    Post #549 - May 17th, 2022, 1:52 pm Post #549 - May 17th, 2022, 1:52 pm
    George R wrote:Looks like Mariano's has been thoroughly Krogerized.

    Speaking of Kroger,

    foodmanufacturing.com wrote:A Kroger supermarket allowed minors to engage in hazardous work and exceed hours standards, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation in Mississippi found.

    Kroger Fined for Child Labor Violations

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #550 - May 17th, 2022, 2:08 pm
    Post #550 - May 17th, 2022, 2:08 pm Post #550 - May 17th, 2022, 2:08 pm
    just the worst
  • Post #551 - September 15th, 2022, 7:17 am
    Post #551 - September 15th, 2022, 7:17 am Post #551 - September 15th, 2022, 7:17 am
    I had a memorable experience at Marianos a few nights ago. Thought this mite be worth a giggle. No idea how I wind up in these situations, but it makes life interesting, imo. I had a few hours to kill in something called Glen Ellyn, so I brought a cooler and ice packs, and decided to do some grocery shopping at Marianos and Whole Foods. Both had just a few specific items I wanted to load up on. Should be quick stops in the area. First off - I should say that I had a flippin fantastic dinner at Ghareeb Nawaz in Lombard before any of this. Their meat thali and parathas were OUTSTANDING that night. I carbed out big time, and it was glorious. I skipped the rice, but ordered an extra paratha. So, after carbfest, I headed out on my mission to Marianos. My objective was to buy a bunch of their housemade snausage, which was on sale for $2.99/lb. I'e tried a few of their varieties, and found them to be decent. Figured I'd try a few more. So, granted, it was Tuesday night, 7pm, the store was basically empty, which, I liked. I headed to the "Butcher Counter" as it's labeled. and saw that they had quite a few different sausages on display, probably upwards of 10-12. BUT, only 3 of them were labeled. One was Hot Italian, and the other was Sweet Italian, and one was Bratwurst. A few of them had big green chunks, red chunks, little green flecks, dark flecks, white flecks, white chunks - a decent looking variety. I remembered I really did like their "Giardiniera Sausage." I started getting giddy to try whatever these unlabeled snausages were. So...

    A very pleasant young lady comes out to the counter, and asks if she can help me with anything. I say, "what's up? I'm gonna get a bunch of sausage to try." She says, "cool!"

    So, then, I say, "There's a lot of stuff here, but almost none of it is labeled."
    She says, "Yeah, they barely label any of this stuff anymore so..."

    Me:
    Her: "That one might have like Feta in it."
    Me:
    Her:
    Me:
    Her:

    We basically stared at each other for like 8 seconds.

    Me: Ok, well, have a good night, I guess.

    As I left, I reassured myself that my kids will obviously be trillionaires by the time they are 30, and I'm guessing they'll barely have to even try, if the "competition" still trends the way I'm viewing this new world.


    Not as great of a story, but when I went to Whole Foods after that, the cashier asked me if I wanted to pay using my Prime Account. I should also say that the cashier was super nice, extremely friendly, and very easy on the eyes, to boot. I said "sure, but I truly don't know how to do it." I've never done it before, but I have all my credit card details in the app, and I know that it's possible to do. I had the QR code at the ready for the membership discount, and that's about as far as I got. So, then she says, "I know that it's possible, but I really just don't know how to do it, so..."

    And then, another stare off.

    Me: Well, can I just use a credit card instead?
    Her: "Sure"
    Me: Card tap on the machine.

    This is all true.
    We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.
    Pronoun: That fool over there
    Identifies as: A human that doesn't need to "identify as" something to try to somehow be interesting.
  • Post #552 - September 15th, 2022, 7:31 am
    Post #552 - September 15th, 2022, 7:31 am Post #552 - September 15th, 2022, 7:31 am
    Hi,

    Did you buy sausage at Mariano's or did you forget to fill in the dialogue?

    It sounds like you had a super evening.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #553 - September 15th, 2022, 7:36 am
    Post #553 - September 15th, 2022, 7:36 am Post #553 - September 15th, 2022, 7:36 am
    Oh, I left nothing out of the interaction.

    I walked away without buying the unknown snausage flavors. More often than not, these days, I've been employing the "If you don't care, then neither should I" method of shopping when it makes sense. It made sense to me in this situation.
    We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.
    Pronoun: That fool over there
    Identifies as: A human that doesn't need to "identify as" something to try to somehow be interesting.
  • Post #554 - September 15th, 2022, 11:19 am
    Post #554 - September 15th, 2022, 11:19 am Post #554 - September 15th, 2022, 11:19 am
    seebee wrote:Oh, I left nothing out of the interaction.

    I walked away without buying the unknown snausage flavors. More often than not, these days, I've been employing the "If you don't care, then neither should I" method of shopping when it makes sense. It made sense to me in this situation.

    Good call!

    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #555 - September 17th, 2022, 10:16 am
    Post #555 - September 17th, 2022, 10:16 am Post #555 - September 17th, 2022, 10:16 am
    seebee wrote:Her:

    That's happened to me at Mariano's.

    At the checkout:
    Her: Did you find everything you came for today?
    Me: No, there wasn't any cilantro (or lemons or some other common item, I forget).
    Her:
    Me:
    Her:

    She can't do anything about it, I know she can't do anything about it. Its just a silly script that can only lead to an awkward interaction.
  • Post #556 - September 18th, 2022, 8:15 am
    Post #556 - September 18th, 2022, 8:15 am Post #556 - September 18th, 2022, 8:15 am
    For the record, the sausages were still $2.99 lb yesterday, when I popped into Marianos in Elmhurst. Totally standard experience. Everything was labeled, and the counterperson was able to perform basic, human, tasks. I got some "giardiniera sausage," and also, something called, "pizza on a rope," which is apparently pizza ingredients inside a sausage casing.
    We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.
    Pronoun: That fool over there
    Identifies as: A human that doesn't need to "identify as" something to try to somehow be interesting.
  • Post #557 - September 19th, 2022, 7:21 am
    Post #557 - September 19th, 2022, 7:21 am Post #557 - September 19th, 2022, 7:21 am
    BrendanR wrote:
    seebee wrote:Her:

    That's happened to me at Mariano's.

    At the checkout:
    Her: Did you find everything you came for today?
    Me: No, there wasn't any cilantro (or lemons or some other common item, I forget).
    Her:
    Me:
    Her:

    She can't do anything about it, I know she can't do anything about it. Its just a silly script that can only lead to an awkward interaction.

    They do this at Costco, too, unless I check myself out. You're right, there is nothing anyone will do.

    You could experiment to state what you did not find, then advise the reaction.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #558 - October 9th, 2022, 4:47 am
    Post #558 - October 9th, 2022, 4:47 am Post #558 - October 9th, 2022, 4:47 am
    HI,

    I received an email Friday about their weekend sales. They were offering ice cream for $1.99 per 48-ounce carton with card.

    Everything calculated correctly on my bill, except for the ice cream. I presented my phone to show the sale price without any restrictions on quantity. It was adjusted manually.

    A few weeks ago under similar circumstances, I did not detect the descrepancy until I was home. It was corrected later by a clerk who suggested I did not put in the correct account phone number. He really would not give up the idea that I was wrong, but did refund the overpayment grudgingly.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #559 - October 13th, 2022, 1:01 pm
    Post #559 - October 13th, 2022, 1:01 pm Post #559 - October 13th, 2022, 1:01 pm
    I can't get behind Crain's paywall, but this headline is sufficient information:

    https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consume ... rger-talks

    Giovanna
    =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

    "Enjoy every sandwich."

    -Warren Zevon
  • Post #560 - October 13th, 2022, 1:05 pm
    Post #560 - October 13th, 2022, 1:05 pm Post #560 - October 13th, 2022, 1:05 pm
    Giovanna wrote:I can't get behind Crain's paywall, but this headline is sufficient information:

    https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consume ... rger-talks

    Giovanna

    https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/shares- ... roger.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #561 - October 13th, 2022, 3:16 pm
    Post #561 - October 13th, 2022, 3:16 pm Post #561 - October 13th, 2022, 3:16 pm
    Dave148 wrote:
    Giovanna wrote:I can't get behind Crain's paywall, but this headline is sufficient information:

    https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consume ... rger-talks

    Giovanna

    https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/shares- ... roger.html

    If this merger goes through, I'm assuming that Kroger will have to divest some of its stores in certain markets due to anti-trust concerns. I would guess that they would keep Jewel and sell Mariano's to someone. However, I'm not sure who could or would buy Mariano's.
  • Post #562 - October 13th, 2022, 3:55 pm
    Post #562 - October 13th, 2022, 3:55 pm Post #562 - October 13th, 2022, 3:55 pm
    Jim-Bob wrote:
    Dave148 wrote:
    Giovanna wrote:I can't get behind Crain's paywall, but this headline is sufficient information:

    https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consume ... rger-talks

    Giovanna

    Im assuming that Kroger will have to divest some of its stores in certain markets due to anti-trust concerns. I would guess that they would keep Jewel and sell Mariano's to someone. However, I'm not sure who could or would buy Mariano's.


    Maybe Bob Mariano buys back his namesake? It was pretty nice store when he owned it prior to getting bought out by Kroger and the subsequent closing of all the independent food stalls and cheapening the brand and product offerings!
  • Post #563 - October 13th, 2022, 4:06 pm
    Post #563 - October 13th, 2022, 4:06 pm Post #563 - October 13th, 2022, 4:06 pm
    Mariano's was also more expensive when Bob owned it. I don't know how many chains there are besides Kroger and Albertson's. I cannot see Meijer's buying it. Is Publix a possibility?
  • Post #564 - October 13th, 2022, 5:49 pm
    Post #564 - October 13th, 2022, 5:49 pm Post #564 - October 13th, 2022, 5:49 pm
    NFriday wrote:Mariano's was also more expensive when Bob owned it. I don't know how many chains there are besides Kroger and Albertson's. I cannot see Meijer's buying it. Is Publix a possibility?

    I wouldn’t think so. They really don’t have any stores close to the Midwest. I’m guessing chains like Schnucks or SpartanNash would be more likely.
  • Post #565 - October 14th, 2022, 10:19 am
    Post #565 - October 14th, 2022, 10:19 am Post #565 - October 14th, 2022, 10:19 am
    Just saw an announcement that Albertson's and Kroger are going to merge Jewel and Mariano's.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #566 - October 14th, 2022, 11:03 am
    Post #566 - October 14th, 2022, 11:03 am Post #566 - October 14th, 2022, 11:03 am
    Kroger has an agreement to acquire Albertsons. Story from CNN that is not behind a paywall. The deal is not expected to close until 2024 and faces major antitrust hurdles.
    The companies said they will spin off nearly 400 stores to form a new rival in an effort to gain antitrust clearance.

    Analysts expect some store closures if the deal goes through and also say it will be a significant hurdle to pass antitrust scrutiny.

    “A deal of this size that has a direct impact on consumers would face significant scrutiny from regulators and take a long time period to be approved,” Joseph Feldman, an analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said.


    I am very skeptical of a single spinoff being viable because the markets where there is substantial overlap are so scattered. The Chicago market is certain to require divestitures. Quote from Bloomberg on Crain's:
    Kroger and Albertsons both have strong footprints on the West Coast, as well as in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Illinois and parts of Texas.
  • Post #567 - October 14th, 2022, 12:34 pm
    Post #567 - October 14th, 2022, 12:34 pm Post #567 - October 14th, 2022, 12:34 pm
    As much as I'm not a fan of Jewel, based on what I've already seen on the shelves at Mariano's/Kroger, this would very likely dumb down Jewel's offerings even further. I think the talk of this deal facing antitrust scrutiny is largely a bunch of bs, too. It'll happen, quality and variety available to consumers will suffer and prices will go up. It's all but inevitable. This is the world in which we live.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #568 - October 14th, 2022, 1:54 pm
    Post #568 - October 14th, 2022, 1:54 pm Post #568 - October 14th, 2022, 1:54 pm
    I agree with your basic sentiment, Ronnie. However, there are no complaints from me about the quality, variety and pricing of grocery store offerings North and Northwest of Chicago ( the only areas I am familiar with ).

    I never shop at Jewel and almost never at Mariano's ( since it was sold to Kroger ) and I do not feel any loss.
  • Post #569 - October 14th, 2022, 3:24 pm
    Post #569 - October 14th, 2022, 3:24 pm Post #569 - October 14th, 2022, 3:24 pm
    lougord99 wrote:I agree with your basic sentiment, Ronnie. However, there are no complaints from me about the quality, variety and pricing of grocery store offerings North and Northwest of Chicago ( the only areas I am familiar with ).

    I never shop at Jewel and almost never at Mariano's ( since it was sold to Kroger ) and I do not feel any loss.

    I pretty much agree, Lou. We have it pretty good up here, especially since I work in Niles, which has (and is near) a lot of great shopping options. Like you, I never shop at Mariano's (well, I did a few times and then swore it off) but I mainly worry because the quality of produce at Jewel is very high, especially their fruit, and I'd hate for that conduit to dry up.

    If this goes according to script, Krogiano's will eliminate a bunch of smaller, local and regional brands in the dry aisles in favor of larger, crappier brands and their own house brands. I don't buy a ton of those products but it's nice knowing they're there when I want them. Once Jewel gets assimilated -- and resistance is futile -- that'll probably be the end of that.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #570 - October 14th, 2022, 6:27 pm
    Post #570 - October 14th, 2022, 6:27 pm Post #570 - October 14th, 2022, 6:27 pm
    This administration is reversing the trend in antitrust of the last couple decades. I would expect some sacrificial lambs, but whether either Jewel or Mariano's gets sold off, versus brands in other markets is anyone's guess.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang

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