Posted by Emily Koh, July 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM
A bill proposed by Massachusetts legislators would allow supermarkets to remove individual prices on each item, making customers rely instead on electronic scanners located throughout the store.
Some people don't like the idea, however. The Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group says it will inconvenience shoppers by forcing them to walk to scanning stations. Critics also say it will make it harder to catch overcharges at the register.
But Jon Hurst of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts says this move will ultimately benefit customers as it will lower prices and shorten lines without having to devote resources for item-by-item pricing. However, since most states don't follow this item-by-item pricing, the impact may be negligible.
I'm personally a big fan of the handheld electronic scanners available at my Stop and Shop back home in Connecticut, which lets you zap items as you shop through the aisles, and helpfully figures in any discounts available—not to mention informs you of items that are on sale as you walk around. When you finish, head to a register, scan the UPC code with your scanner, and pay up. It could be a little dangerous if you're guilty of being an impulse shopper, but the convenience can't be beat. [via Consumerist]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, March 5, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Their pita chips taste awfully familiar to the kind at Whole Foods. And that Goddess dressing—I swear that cosmic, flowy-haired woman was on another bottle. Is Joe trying to pass this stuff off as his own? He'd never... No. Would he? Sure enough, Chow reveals that 80% of Joe-San/Josef/Giotto's products are probably produced by a third party. So where does that leave the no-middleman promise? Yikes, his fingers might have been crossed when he said that.
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 9, 2007 at 5:45 PM
Legendary New York City cheesemonger Murray's has just signed a deal with Kroger in which it will help expand the grocery chain's specialty cheese selections. From the press release announcing the pact:
"We're thrilled to be pairing with Kroger," says Rob Kaufelt, President of Murray's Cheese. "As one of the nation's largest retail grocery chains, this opportunity gives Murray's an unprecedented chance to fulfill our mission, which is, simply, to bring great cheese to everyone."
"Our partnership with Murray's allows us to build on their expertise as we expand our cheese offerings for our customers," said Jeff Burt, Vice President of Deli Bakery Merchandising for Kroger.
The Kroger Co. operates in 31 states, either as Kroger's or as one of many names you might already know. [via Curdnerds.com]
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 21, 2007 at 2:55 PM
Great great story by Kim Severson in the New York Times today on how grocery chains have begun customizing their stores to target the increasingly affluent Latino shopper:
Although there is no one typical Hispanic shopper, some generalizations are driving the design of the new Latino-theme stores. Many have wider aisles because, research shows, grocery shopping is often a family outing. Hispanic families tend to be larger, and more people cook from scratch, so produce and meat departments tend to be bigger and better stocked. And loyalty to brands from the home country is strong. At Rancho Liborio, Tide is almost an afterthought. Mexican brands like Ariel dominate the shelves.
But the generalizations end there. The term Hispanic applies to people from many countries, each with particular preferences for things like fruit, meat, spices, bread and beans. Tastes can change from city to city, even neighborhood to neighborhood.
A walk through the dried-bean aisle at Rancho Liborio is a case in point. There are pintos, both the larger speckled brown ones preferred by Mexicans and the smaller, lighter-colored ones used in Peru. Pink beans appeal to Puerto Ricans, and black beans to Cubans, Guatemalans and Brazilians.
You don't have to be Hispanic to enjoy or benefit from shopping at a Rancho Liborio or other ethnic groceries, like those found in any Chinatown; what many people don't realize is that you can find many foods that are both cheaper and fresher than your average supermarket, and they're likely to have wider selections of fish, poultry and meat. Hooray for variety!
Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 17, 2007 at 3:28 PM
I read a lot of this blog when I lived in London. While they've been rather silent over the last few months, it's (usually) kept up by a group of marketing consultants who, as a hobby, discuss British supermarket megachain Sainsbury's.
I particularly like this post.
Are there any American forums for intelligent badinage about the directions our supermarkets head and tail in? I like John Mackey's blog on the Whole Foods website, particularly his open conversations with Michael Pollan (you may have to toggle between the WF and MP websites to follow the discussion all the way through), but I don't know of any others.
Wouldn't it be great to be an active participant in American supermarket construction?
