Every Saturday morning, Beth’s father walks to…
groceries
Kroger Apologizes For Calling You A Thief, Banning You From Store For Buying And Eating Their Donuts
By 2.3.09
Supermarket Chain Adds 10% At Register, But Only In Some Stores
By 10.10.08
The Nash Finch stores Avanza, Food Bonanza and Wholesale Food Outlets add the 10 percent charge to food at the register and specialize in serving Hispanics, according to store workers.
Food Makers Want To Sell You Cheap Food For Big Profits
By 9.29.08
Gone are the days of pushing “premium” food offerings, says the Wall Street Journal— big food manufacturers like Kraft and Campbell are going to be pushing “cheap” foods like tomato soup and cheese singles — foods which are thought of as “easy on the wallet” but are still hugely profitable for the manufacturers.
Shaw's Wants You To Shop More With Their Wheeled Baskets
By 9.29.08
Shaw’s has wised up to the trick of using a basket instead of a shopping cart to physically limit your grocery purchases, and they’ve come up with a creative workaround: convertible baskets that you can drag behind you on wheels when they become too heavy to carry.
Central Florida TV News Accuses Walmart Of Price Gouging Poor People
By 9.23.08
Local 6 news in Central Florida is accusing Walmart of setting their prices for sugar and other “staples” by demographic — charging more in stores where the population isn’t as wealthy as other neighborhoods. Walmart’s spokesperson claims to be offended by this accusation.
By 9.18.08
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MisterJalopy over at BoingBoing has put together a rough outline of a cheat sheet when shopping for eggs, based on an article in yesterday’s New York Times on how to interpret egg carton labeling. [BoingBoing]
Supermarkets Begin To Shrink
By 9.12.08
The New York Times reports that several supermarket and retail chains, including Safeway, Walmart, and Whole Foods, are beginning to experiment with much smaller store sizes that emphasize things like cafes, prepared meals, and produce. The idea is to emphasize speed over choice, and was apparently triggered by UK competitor Tesco, which has launched over 70 small-format supermarkets in Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California over the past year. Of course, the stores also require less shelf space for products than they did a year ago.
Wegmans' New Metal Spring-Flavored Bagels Recalled
By 9.10.08
Wegman’s is recalling all in-store made bagels and bialys (flattened bagels) sold between August 24th and September 9th “because the bagels may contain pieces of a metal spring from a mixer that entered the dough.” If you have some, return them to your store’s customer service desk for a refund. Wegmans says this doesn’t affect their frozen bagels.
55% Off Groceries At Amazon
By 9.5.08
Amazon is having a grocery clearance sale, 55% off regular price with coupon code CLRNCFTY. [Amazon]
Pepperoni Hot Pockets Recalled For Containing Plastic
By 8.22.08
The recall is for 54-ounce, 12-pack cartons of Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza with the following printed on the sides of each carton: “8157544614D,” “EST 7721A” and “BEST BEFORE JAN2010.”
Hey Banquet, Chicken Pot Pie Usually Comes With Filling
By 8.22.08
Does anyone remember Bunnicula? We think there’s a similar beast in the Banquet pot pie plant, only instead of sucking vegetables dry he’s draining the pies before they ship. That’s the only thing that can explain how the real pot pie this Consumerist reader cooked looks nothing like the bountiful pot pie harvest shown on the box. Oh wait: it could also be that Banquet is a cheap-assed company that can’t be bothered to sell decent frozen food.
Arm & Hammer Responds To Baking Soda Controversy With Complete Nonsense
By 8.19.08
Widge at Needcoffee.com wrote a similar post about Arm & Hammer’s new “30 day” baking soda and got a response from Arm & Hammer PR. We’re being kind when we say that reason consumers are being told to buy 3 times as much baking soda is nonsense. We’re sure there are more colorful words that would be just as accurate.
Fred Meyer Says Cheese Is Not A Dairy Product
By 8.12.08
Go shopping for cheese at the Ballard Fred Myer in Seattle, and you’ll learn an interesting new fact about your food:
Whole Foods Seeks To Define Its Prices As Bargains
By 8.11.08
As the economy sours, premium stores like Whole Foods are struggling to keep customers, reports the New York Times. To remain competitive, the pricey natural grocery store is offering guided tours to customers who want to cut costs but can’t stand to set foot in Winn Dixie.
Wield Grocery Coupons Like A Pro
By 8.9.08
Becoming a committed coupon wielder is one of the best ways to reverse the damage of rising costs and shrinking portions. Nancy Rivera Brooks has slashed $250 from her family’s grocery bill this year by using a handful of tricks to get the most from her coupons…
By 7.28.08
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Kraft is making money by raising prices. Forbes reports, “Kraft said price increases, which were a response to rising commodity costs, accounted for more than 7.0% of the revenue gain.” [Forbes]
Wegmans Grocery Store Admits That The Dreaded Grocery Shrink Ray Exists
By 7.28.08
Wegman’s a grocery store chain in the northeast has addressed the issue of the grocery shrink ray, and shed some light on why even store brands are affected by its malevolent beam. Wegmans says that their store brand merchandise is manufactured by companies that also make products for other stores — so they have little say about the size of their products.
Is Target Intentionally Using Its "Special Deals" To Screw Over Customers?
By 7.25.08
Dan can do math in his head, which is a great skill these days when you’re checking out the n objects for x price! specials at Target. In this case, Dan notes that the “temporary price cut” is so temporary that it doesn’t even exist: you’ll pay 13 cents more per box if you buy three of them. This is the third Target “special” we’ve seen this month that screws the consumer. Are we seeing a new trend? Is it legal to call it a price cut if it’s not?
