this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2024
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Kroger, America's biggest supermarket chain, is being investigated over its use of electronic price labels on store shelves nationwide. US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey announced they were looking into the practice to see if the chain was engaging in surge pricing. So-called 'dynamic pricing' is common in other industries, such as flights, hotels and car-sharing services like Uber . It sees customers paying more or less depending on demand


There are multiple posts on lemmy about the stores switching to digital tags, some of which claim they will "save the customer money", obviously an outright lie as the point is to make more money for the store.

Ex: https://lemmy.world/post/16718848 , https://lemmy.world/post/17161297

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Is stater bros still less corporate-y than Kroger?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

It's only in southern California I think, so probably. I just left one to start school, and it wasn't that bad. They were just starting to get much more serious about a greeting program, and they send secret shoppers to evaluate the workers a couple times a month, but that's about it. It's unionized, too, which is nice.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

And with the Kroger/Albertsons merger likely imminent considering they announced all the stores in my city they're going to close or sell off, it's likely to become the norm and even if it's deemed illegal, the fines won't be enough to matter until they can pay to make it legal. It's not like they can be shut down if they're the only grocery stores.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

We keep giving them money and they keep fucking us over! What are we to do?!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Unfortunately some people don't have a choice. The only grocery stores near me are Kroger or Albertsons. I have to drive over an hour to get any other options.

But at the same time, even though I only shop for two, it might end up being cheaper to drive an hour and a half to Costco if shit keeps going the way it is. When you have to pay over $100 on less than a week of groceries, gas prices seem quaint in comparison.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Don't worry, once Kreuger merges and becomes even bigger. All this anti-consumer behavior will disappear.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

It practically regulates itself!

[–] [email protected] 49 points 2 months ago (2 children)

TIL Kroger is the biggest supermarket chain in the US. I thought it would be Walmart.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Walmart is a retailer, because they sell basically everything, while Kroger only sells groceries. I think that's the distinction they're making.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

My local Kroger sells clothes, has dressing rooms, has a pharmacy with a clinic, an attached gas station, and has a decent home goods section.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 months ago (6 children)

I think most Walmarts don't really sell groceries. Last time I lived near one, it didn't have any produce, which is really the whole point of a grocery store.

Didn't Kroger just buy another chain, though? That might have been what made them the biggest.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Neighborhood Walmarts are essentially a grocery store. So they do have dedicated grocery stores.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

They are trying to buy Albertson’s. Which sucks since those are the two closest to me and one is far better than the other.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I haven't seen a Walmart since like 1995 that didn't have a fuck ton of groceries, including produce

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Walmart has store classifications which govern how they are built according to the demographics of the area they serve, ie: population, average income, etc.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

The div1 walmarts without a grocery are mostly phased out I thought? There are only supercenters (general store + grocery) and neighborhood markets (grocery only) in the adjacent states to me.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Not yet. They are trying to merge with Albertsons which owns lots of local stores like Jewel Osco and Safeway. But they need the merger to be approved by the FDA before it can go through. Their case is supposed to be heard early next year. Let's hope it doesn't go through.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Wouldn't that be the Federal Trade Commission to make that determination?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

You're probably right, but I was tired last night when I posted this.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Whoever it is will be sufficiently bribed enough to make it happen.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

every Walmart I've been to has a big grocery section

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I think those are the "Superstores." I know in my tiny-ass hometown we had a regular Wal-Mart that was basically just a K-Mart.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I miss my blue light special at KMart 🥲

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Its getting harder and harder to find a regular walmart anymore here in Texas. They seem to be all Supercenters or Neighborhood Markets (only groceries)

https://www.walmart.com/store-directory/tx

[–] [email protected] 74 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I think we can safely say there’s no turning back from this dystopian hellscape now.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

If enough people would damage the digital tags their could be.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yes. Humans choose to allow other humans to suffer, over and over again. In fact, some of them make money from it, and then spend that money spreading the idea that it's good for people to suffer because they're not 'normal' (white, male, heterosexual).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I think you're right but, also, we a tend to discount the effect of having the most greedy and sociopathic people in our society leading it and owning most of the assets.

Not that you've said either way but I think that then gets confused with "human nature."