A 22-year-old Kentucky man has been charged with burglary after breaking into an IGA overnight and making a huge mess. According to court records, the man smashed a glass door to enter the store, discharged fire extinguishers, smeared his nude body and the manager’s office with peanut butter and chocolate, and used liquid cold remedies to scrawl the word “Sorry” on the floor. [More]
grocery stores
Experts Point Fingers At Europe For Rising Grocery Bills & Gas Prices
By 1.19.12
A trip to the grocery store or to the gas station could start costing more than it used to, as inflation is expected to rise. So who should we blame for higher priced food and fuel? Europe! Experts say it’s their fault for having the nerve to be suffering from a debt crisis. [More]
Don't Buy These Things At The Grocery Store
By 1.19.12
As big box stores like Target and Walmart have expanded to include groceries, so have more traditional grocery store chains begun to offer more than foodstuffs for your pantry. But as tempting as it might be to turn your trip to the supermarket into a one-stop shopping trip, there are some things you might be better off buying elsewhere. [More]
No, Really, How Much Does Yogurt Cost At This Kroger?
By 12.15.11
An anonymous and slightly confused tipster sent in this photo of a cooler filled with ambiguously priced yogurt at a Kroger store. The sign on the left says that yogurt cups are five for $10. The one on the right says that they’re 10 for $5. The latter is the more likely price for little six-ounce store brand yogurts, but we don’t want to rule anything out. [More]
Customer Says Grocery Stores Wouldn't Accept $32 In Quarters
By 11.2.11
Any number of stores have policies against accepting cash in denominations higher than $20 or $50 bills, but what about loose change? A woman in Portland (the one on the left side of the country) says her local grocery stores refused to let her use quarters to pay for $32 in groceries. [More]
Fewer Supermarket Shoppers Using Self-Checkout Lanes
By 9.26.11
We wrote earlier this year about the decision by Albertsons LLC, which controls about 1/3 of that grocery store brand’s outlets, to shut down self-checkout machines in favor of human cashiers. Now a new report says we supermarket shoppers are just not using the self-checkout aisle as frequently as we were in recent years. [More]
SoCal Grocery Workers Agree To Strike If Terms Not Met
By 8.22.11
Grocery store checkout lines in the Los Angeles area could get a lot longer if unionized workers follow through with their plan to strike against employers. The United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents 62,000 workers at Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons in the area, say they will strike if they can’t work out a new contract. [More]
Price Chopper's Ice Cream Is Always A Full Half-Gallon, Except When It Isn't
By 8.12.11
Northeastern grocery chain Price Chopper is one of the few companies around that still sells a full half-gallon of ice cream. None of this 1.75 or 1.5 quart shrink-rayed nonsense that you find at their competition, but a proper half gallon. You can’t blame them for bragging about this in stores and in their advertising materials. But Scott discovered where all of this bragging falls apart: Extreme Moose Tracks, which has a slightly smaller container than other flavors. Harbinger of shrinkage to come? Not quite. When he contacted Price Chopper, they explained that there’s a little less ice cream in that flavor’s container because of the amount of candy included. Guess it’s too extreme. [More]
How Local Is That "Locally Grown" Produce At Your Grocery Store?
By 8.1.11
Last October, Walmart announced a pledge to double the amount of produce it purchases from local growers by 2015, with the three-pronged goal of saving on fuel costs, reducing spoilage and catering to a growing consumer appetite for local produce. But while Walmart defines “local” as grown and sold in the same state, your grocery store might have a different definition for the term. [More]
The Whole Foods Resignation Letter Of Doom
By 7.25.11
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if you pulled back the shiny hippy veneer of Whole Foods and saw what was squiggling underneath, now’s your chance. A Whole Foods worker just cc:’d their resignation letter to the entire company, and it’s quite the mangum opus. [More]
Portland (The One In Oregon) Jumps On The Plastic Bag Ban-Wagon
By 7.22.11
In recent years, a growing number of cities all over the country have been moving to put an end to — or at least curb — the use of plastic shopping bags. Last night, in a unanimous vote, the Portland, OR, City Council approved legislation that bans the use of these bags at larger grocery stores and big-box retailers. [More]
Some Albertsons Ditching Self-Checkout Lanes In Favor Of Humans
By 7.11.11
The owners of about 1/3 of the nation’s Alberstons grocery stores are giving up on the notion of self-checkout lanes because store executives worry that shoppers aren’t getting enough human interaction during their Albertsons experience. [More]
Packaging-Free Grocery Store To Open In Texas
By 6.27.11
While there are plenty of farmers’ markets or bulk spice shops you can go to buy fresh goods with zero packaging, some entrepreneurs in Austin, TX, are aiming to open what they say is the first 100% packaging-free grocery store in the country. [More]
Woman Acquitted For Slapping Other Trader Joe's Customer Over Pad Thai
By 6.17.11
A “freelance opera singer” who slapped another female Upper West Side Trader Joe’s customer in a fight over who would get the last package of frozen vegan pad-Thai dinner was acquitted yesterday, reports the New York Post. [More]
Study: 25% Of Meat Sold In Groceries Contains Drug-Resistant Bacteria
By 4.15.11
A new study claims that not only does half the meat sold in groceries harbor a nasty little bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, but a full quarter of the beef, chicken, pork and turkey carries a drug-resistant strain of the bug. [More]
Check Out International Grocery Stores To Find Savings
By 4.11.11
The only things as great as saving money is getting stuff for free, and since that is frowned upon at most grocery stores, it’s best to stick with finding deals. One way to possibly score some lower prices on foods you love: Check out the shelves at your local international grocery stores. [More]
Ben Popken On NPR Talking About Shrinking Food, Higher Prices
By 3.31.11
I got to verbally joust with the wielders of the Grocery Shrink Ray yesterday on NPR on the Diane Rehm show. Scott Faber vice president, the Grocery Manufacturers Association talked about how food makers have to pass on their rising costs somehow and I agreed, but took issue with deceptively designed packages and the misleading marketing practices. Just be upfront about it! [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Widens Blast Radius In Tough Times
By 3.30.11
Grocery Shrink Ray use tends to be more prevalent during a down economy, as manufacturers look to cut down on costs while making it appear through packaging as though they’re giving you the same amount. The practice takes more of a toll on consumers when they have less money to throw around. [More]
