Another grocery store casualty

The three major grocery store chains, Smith's, Albertson's, and Raley's is going to be two. Raley's is moving out of NM in August. Woe is me, because they had fabulous deals on vino. Plus the lack of competition bothers me once again. We lost Furr's markets a few years ago, Wild Oats is merging with Whole Foods, and now this.

[Jenise]

Ouch, that hurts. How many Raley's stores were there--is there a chance someone else will buy their locations and you'll still have competition, if not great wine deals?

Albertson's bought Raley's. And I'm going to pick up mucho vino by August when Raley's closes. I knew the wine deals were too good to last.

I liked having three competitive grocery chains.

BTW, my favorite wife returned from Pennsylvania with a whole Lebanon Bologna (Seltzer's brand--the best). I schmoozed the meat guy at Raley's to slice it for me, telling him it was USDA and unopened. The stuff's 7 or 8 bucks a pound here and only 4-something in PA.

BTW, my favorite wife returned from Pennsylvania with a whole Lebanon Bologna (Seltzer's brand--the best).

Absolutely my favorite brand, Larry!!! You are a lucky man!

There goes my diet. How can I resist Lebanon bologna sandwiches and Middleswarth BBQ chips?

http://www.seltzerslebanonbologna.com/

How can I resist Lebanon bologna sandwiches and Middleswarth BBQ chips?

Don't fight it, Larry. Give in!

Living where you live, I would expect that you would have some excellent Mexican markets to shop in. Where I live (Palo Alto, CA) we have all the chains as well as some very expensive high-end markets, but I've found that heading to the barrio is my best bet. Just a few miles to the north of where I live, I can go to a market that still cuts meat from the carcass. They don't sell lamb, but if it’s pork, beef, or chicken—they have it all. And they’ll cut pieces to order. When I need a whole pig’s head (for head cheese) or beef kidneys, they have those, too. The market also has good quality vegetables—many of which are organic. And the prices? Better than any of the other stores.

Between this Mexican market, our local farmers markets, and one small vegetable store, I can do almost all my shopping.

Living where you live, I would expect that you would have some excellent Mexican markets to shop in. Where I live (Palo Alto, CA) we have all the chains as well as some very expensive high-end markets, but I've found that heading to the barrio is my best bet. Just a few miles to the north of where I live, I can go to a market that still cuts meat from the carcass. They don't sell lamb, but if it’s pork, beef, or chicken—they have it all. And they’ll cut pieces to order. When I need a whole pig’s head (for head cheese) or beef kidneys, they have those, too. The market also has good quality vegetables—many of which are organic. And the prices? Better than any of the other stores.

Between this Mexican market, our local farmers markets, and one small vegetable store, I can do almost all my shopping.

It's similar here. And for lamb and goat, there's a place run by Indian Muslims nearby.

Raley's is now another Albertson's. Not only are the prices higher, particularly on the wine, but one of the endcaps that always had some wine deals is now filled with Maxipads.

So much for reduced competition.

Larry, you could buy some maxi-pads and use them as drip-wraps for your wine bottles. Just peel of the adhesive cover and wrap the thing around the neck of the bottle...no more drips. And with red wine, after you finish the bottle, it would look...well, I won't go there.

rwj

[Jenise]

And with red wine, after you finish the bottle, it would look...well, I won't go there.

rwj

You're a troublemaker. Which is why we love you, of course.

Larry, you could buy some maxi-pads and use them as drip-wraps for your wine bottles. Just peel of the adhesive cover and wrap the thing around the neck of the bottle...no more drips. And with red wine, after you finish the bottle, it would look...well, I won't go there.

rwj

They're great for waxing cars, too.

Albertson's recently sold off all of its Tulsa stores to other chains.

Albertson's recently sold off all of its Tulsa stores to other chains.

Can anyone really blame them for wanting to get the heck out of Tulsa? That's my reaction every time I'm there.

Hey, it's not THAT bad!

And with red wine, after you finish the bottle, it would look...well, I won't go there.

rwj

You're a troublemaker. Which is why we love you, of course.

It's good to know that I have the moderators on my side.

rwj

Larry, you could buy some maxi-pads and use them as drip-wraps for your wine bottles. Just peel of the adhesive cover and wrap the thing around the neck of the bottle...no more drips. And with red wine, after you finish the bottle, it would look...well, I won't go there.

rwj

They're great for waxing cars, too.

You could apply them backwards and wax the bikini line, too.

rwj

This MaxiPad stuff is really funny and timely. My daughter recently bought a new pair of dressage boots and is using StayFree minipads to protect her ankles from chafing while breaking them in. And last week at two shows she used them to pad the inside of her slightly too-large top hat.

You guys are cracking me up!

My dad once thought that a package a Sure and Natural maxi pad (which had come in the mail as some kind of free sample) was a box of prunes. The whole family got a GREAT, HUGE laugh when he announced that he was looking for them so he could eat them.

rwj

Raley's is moving out of NM in August.

This episode is a strange sort of "what goes around comes around", I guess, and seems interesting in light of the FTC's stance on the WF's purchase of Wild Oats. Raley's was only in NM in the first place because of Alberston's purchase of the parent of the Lucky grocery chain in 1999. The FTC looked at competitive issues on a region-by-region basis and, in the case of New Mexico, forced Albertson's to sell the eight or ten stores or whatever. Raley's was looking to expand at the time and bought them, as well as a similar number in Las Vegas. In the Sacramento area, where Raley's is based, a few stores became Ralph's, a SoCal chain.

So here we are in 2007, and Albertson's is rebuying the same stores it was forced to sell in order in order to maintain competition just eight years ago. Hmmm. I suppose a lot has changed in the meantime - Albertson's was itself bought by somebody else and Walmart has entered the business, driving down margins, among other things. Still, it's at least interesting. BTW, as I understand it, that's why Raley's is retrenching (they've already backed out of Las Vegas) - they've decided they need to concentrate on defending the home turf in Northern CA.

They come and go in Albuquerque. I remember Safeway and Furr's (a large, very long-time, New Mexican grocery chain) and now, Raley's. John Brooks Supermarkets (local) has moved out of my area and have shrunk their base. And there are probably others I don't remember.

Albertson's has also changed its name several times: Skaggs, Jewel-Osco, Alpha-Beta, Albertson's are what I remember. All in a decade or so.