The city of Evanston banned regular plastic bags, but allowed Jewel and Valli to use the extra strong bags, assuming that people would bring them back to the store and reuse them. The majority of them have not been brought back to the store to reuse, and so this defeats their purpose. Even more plastic is being used to make these bags. The last time I went to Mariano's in Skokie, I brought my own bag, and so maybe I missed them, but I did not see the heavy duty plastic bags at that store. I think Mariano's gives you some money back if you bring your own bag. I know Whole Foods gives you $.10 back per bag. Whole Foods still only uses paper bags.

The plastic bags I have accumulated, I save to use at the farmer's market, or I use them at Jewel.

NFriday wrote:I think Mariano's gives you some money back if you bring your own bag.

Nope

Yup, Nancy, some unintended consequences in the Evanston plastic bag situation. On the other hand, I am willing to ram more groceries in the Valli bags than I ever would in an easily-broken ordinary bag. And at least they avoided a regressive bag tax, which seems like it does nearly nothing to change bagging behavior.

When Jewel did not allow you to bring your own bag in most of 2020, and part of 2021. I was at the Jewel on Howard in Chicago near the red line one day, and because I could not use my own bag, I was forced to use one of theirs. I was charged a bag tax, even though I could not use my own bag. I did not realize until then that Chicago charged a bag tax. After that instance, I boycotted that store until Jewel allowed people to bring their own bag. I did not go to that store very often anyway.

People at Aldi's get charged if they used one of the stores bags, and because of that most people bring their own bag, or use one of their cardboard boxes to bag their groceries. When some of the Aldi's stores did not allow you to bring your own bag into the store, people were putting their groceries back into their cart, and hauling the cart out to their car, where they bagged their groceries.

NFriday wrote: After that instance, I boycotted that store until Jewel allowed people to bring their own bag.

Was that on principle ? ( I think Jewel was in a no win situation given the laws in their jurisdiction ) Or was it because of the extra price you had to pay for the bag ?

If on principle, why did you penalize Jewel for what they were required to do by law ?

FYI = Jewel allowed you to bring your own bags. Cashiers were not obligated to handle them. I used my own bags at the self checkout throughout the pandemic.

I was using my own bags when I used the self checkout, but then one day, I was told by the person working the self check out that I could not do that. At Whole Foods I had no problem, because I always offered to bag my own groceries. I usually don't buy a whole lot at Whole Foods though anyway.

I am too cheap to pay the $.07 per bag. The only time I ever go to that Jewel store is when I have a doctor's appointment at St. Francis. I don't care for that store, and it is more inconvenient for me.

I wonder if using one's own bags for self-checkout is an issue because the scales that decide whether or not you've paid for everything might be confused.

During the first part of the pandemic, the union at Jewel decided that it was not safe for the baggers to handle everybody's bag, and so that is why you could not bring your own bag. Some stores like Whole Foods let you bring your own bag, as long as you bagged the groceries yourself, but Jewel did not until the union changed their mind, and allowed the baggers to use the customers own bags to bag the groceries.

That one time the person working self checkout, who told me I could not use my own bag, I am sure thought that all bags brought from home were banned in the store. When you are using self checkout at both Mariano's and Jewel they ask you if you are using your own bag. Mariano's did not allow you the baggers to use other peoples bags for at least six months too.

That's right, the Jewels around here didn't allow any home-brought bags to have groceries put in them at any style of checkout. I kind of remember people who were walking or taking a cab putting the plastic bags into reusable tote bags in the vestibule. It seemed kinda goofy to get hung up on bags when they didn't require customers to wear gloves, etc.

Cynthia wrote:I wonder if using one's own bags for self-checkout is an issue because the scales that decide whether or not you've paid for everything might be confused.

Jewel used to annoyingly weigh the bags when you said "I'm using my own bags" and would complain about some of my sturdier ones having items I hadn't scanned. They changed their software a few weeks ago, it no longer asks how many bags you're using and doesn't appear to weigh the bags.

Marianos, at least the one in Bannockburn, does not require you to weigh the items at self checkout. You can put them straight back in your cart.

-Will

WillG wrote:Marianos, at least the one in Bannockburn, does not require you to weigh the items at self checkout. You can put them straight back in your cart.

Ditto for PickNSave (same software). Handy when buying the 12 pack of soda special, musty buy 4. Or the Use 5 Times bottled water coupon.

Washington state's highest court will allow Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) to pay a $4 billion dividend ahead of its proposed deal with Kroger Co (KR.N), by declining on Tuesday to take up a claim that the payout would be uncompetitive.

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail ... 023-01-18/

A private lawsuit filed in California on Thursday seeks to stop Kroger Co's (KR.N) planned $25 billion purchase of rival Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N), a deal that state attorneys general, consumer groups and some U.S. lawmakers have questioned as harmful to competition in the grocery market.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/g ... 023-02-03/

Kroger to stop distributing weekly fliers in newspapers.

Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the United States, is ditching its long-running weekly newspaper ad circulars announcing the latest grocery specials.

The ads for Kroger (KR) stores and subsidiaries, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer and King Soopers, will shift online. Printed copies will be available in stores, the company said.

ekreider wrote:Kroger to stop distributing weekly fliers in newspapers.

Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the United States, is ditching its long-running weekly newspaper ad circulars announcing the latest grocery specials.

The ads for Kroger (KR) stores and subsidiaries, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer and King Soopers, will shift online. Printed copies will be available in stores, the company said.

Heinen's stopped sending ads in the mail perhaps last summer. In the last month roughly, they have been promoting their ads via facebook.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:

ekreider wrote:Kroger to stop distributing weekly fliers in newspapers.

Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the United States, is ditching its long-running weekly newspaper ad circulars announcing the latest grocery specials.

The ads for Kroger (KR) stores and subsidiaries, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer and King Soopers, will shift online. Printed copies will be available in stores, the company said.

Heinen's stopped sending ads in the mail perhaps last summer. In the last month roughly, they have been promoting their ads via facebook.

Regards,
Cathy2

Heinen’s color ad came with my Tribune this morning.

That is so interesting, so I guess they suffered a drop off in customers.

Regards,
Cathy2

We stopped in the "Glenview West" store (Willow and Sanders), and yeah, I'm done with them.
Previously, they were one of the few nearby places where I could get some Kosher prepared foods for my grandchildren. They still have a Kosher section in the freezer case, but it's encroached on both sides with non-Kosher items, and it's all vegetarian, mostly side dishes. Previously we'd bought chicken nuggets there, the staple of preschoolers. I'm going to end up trekking up to Buffalo Grove instead.

Other than that, shelves were bare, prices weren't great, previously interesting sections like their international sample aisle are just open areas for stacking cases of whatever's on sale.

Hi- On a Facebook group that I belong to somebody posted a link for a petition that Center for Science in the Public Interest is hoping people sign, and let the FTC know that they do not want the Kroger and Albertson's merger to go through. I know there are some people that hate CSPI and call them the food police, but in an article they posted on their website, they go into why the merger should not be allowed. They also give you a link to the petition that you can sign. I thought there was no chance the merger was going through, but not according to this article. Here is a link to the article.
https://www.cspinet.org/blog/why-kroger ... althy-food

The Attorney General of Arizona opposed the Kroger-Safeway merger a few months back. I did not find that any of her arguments were all that persuasive.

The Tucson market has too many of the standard grocery stores. I think that when the merger is completed, Kroger will be required to divest a number of their grocery stores which will open the market to more price friendly operators like ALDI and Winco Foods.

Personally, each year I am buying less from the Kroger affiliates each year because there not a lot of value with their recent pricing. We use their stores for fill-ins and specials. We do our pantry fills on our bi-monthly trips to Phoenix.

I know on a Jewel Facebook group I joined recently, people there are concerned that Kroger is going to take over Albertson's and then the Flavor Adventure game will disappear. I get the impression that Kroeger never has any games. I have never heard of Mariano's having any games.

I don't visit Mariano's very often because Jewel is a whole lot more convenient for me.

I have never stopped getting the heinens flyer. I dont get the tribune so all that stuff is delivered with the mail on tuesday.

-Will

WillG wrote:I have never stopped getting the heinens flyer. I dont get the tribune so all that stuff is delivered with the mail on tuesday.

-Will

I only see it in passing via facebook, but it has been quite a while since it came in the mail.

CAthy2

Kroger and Albertsons have a proposal for store divestitures to help on antitrust problems for their merger.
Cnn's more general story is not behind a paywall.

Kroger and Albertsons are selling roughly 400 stores to Piggly Wiggly’s parent company in an attempt to win antitrust approval for the mega merger between the grocery stores.

C&S Wholesale Grocers will pay $1.9 billion, with the deal expected to close in early 2024 subject to regulatory approval, the company said in a statement. C&S, a privately held company, operates 500 grocery stores under the Piggly Wiggly and Grand Union banners and is also a major grocery wholesaler.
Under terms of the deal, C&S will also get three smaller grocery store brands including QFC, Mariano’s and Carrs as well as the “exclusive licensing rights” to the Albertsons name in Arizona, California, Colorado and Wyoming.

Crain's has much more detail relative to Chicago market but is behind a paywall.

Included in the sale are 14 Kroger-owned stores in Illinois. C&S is also purchasing the Mariano's brand name. If the merger is completed, any Mariano's stores Kroger still owns would be rebranded to another Kroger- or Albertsons-owned grocery banner, according to a statement from the companies.

There are 44 Mariano's locations, all of them in the Chicago area. Kroger also owns about 10 Food 4 Less locations in Illinois. A Kroger spokeswoman declined to disclose which 14 stores are being sold, and if they are all Mariano's. If they are, that would leave Kroger with 30 Mariano's locations that presumably would be rebranded.
...
There is a chance C&S could acquire more stores beyond the 413 announced today, Kroger and Albertsons said. If those include other Mariano's locations, the name would remain on those stores.

Tribune story also behind a paywall indicates that more stores may be included in the sale.

I believe this isn't the company behind the Piggly Wigglys in this area and Wisconsin; it's the Southern Pigs. And I wonder if the selected Mariano's locations are those adjacent to Jewels, like in Gurnee. Which would also make sense with the rebranding of the remaining Kroger Mariano's to Jewel, too.

Later in the linked Crain's article:

For C&S, the deal will further an expansion into retail grocery stores. The Keene, N.H.-based company bought 12 stores from Tops Markets in 2021, when the latter grocer merged with the Price Chopper-Market 32 chain. That divestiture was approved by the FTC.

“C&S recently expanded its retail operations with the acquisition of 11 Piggly Wiggly Midwest retail stores, and hired a former retail grocery executive with significant retail experience to lead retail efforts,” the regulator said at the time.

I don't know how many Piggly Wiggly stores there are in the Midwest, but C&S owns 11 of them.

I seriously doubt that divesting 10 Marianos stores will be enough for the FTC, which has become more concerned about the viability of divested stores after some flops in earlier mergers. That number assumes that none of the proposed Illinois divestitures are Food 4 Less, which is probably a pretty good assumption.

Too early to judge but Mariano's has taken some baby steps in the right direction. The tinned fish/Spanish foods kiosk has already been mentioned here. I picked up a few tins but haven't tried them yet. They also have a boxed paella kit in seafood and vegetarian options - would make a nice hostess gift. This morning I stopped in at Ashland near Elston and they have added a Spice House kiosk with mostly spice blends in jars and packets. Prices looked about the same as their stores/online. There was also an endcap cooler in the dairy section with about 8-10 European butters including an Echire in a basket. They also have expanded their local products kiosk. Those are just the things I noticed in a quick visit.

Washington state is suing to block the proposed $25 billion merger between supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons, warning that if approved it could raise prices and harm consumers.

In a suit filed Monday by the state’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson, his reasons for opposing the merger are because it would “severely limit” grocery store options for Washington residents and “eliminate vital competition” among the brands.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/16/food/was ... index.html