Trader Joe’s, aldi, and small private stores from now on. Go fuck yourselves Kroeger.
this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
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If ethical reasons are a concern, you might want to avoid Trader Joe's as well on account of their union busting activities.
I hear you. I agree that union busting is bad. I support trader joes employees unionizing. I don't want their stores to close and those employees to be out of a job.
Any employer that's a union buster deserves to be boycotted until they close and something better comes along to fill the need (which it will do quickly). In truth, the grocery supply chain/warehousing being so strongly coupled with the supermarkets is the primary point of inertia in the US regarding grocery stores opening where they're needed. Most independent distributors only focus on restaurant contracts, because they can achieve higher margins there.
Edit: Not that coop distribution doesn't exist. For example https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Wholesale_Grocers who are represented by the teamsters in four of their distribution centers.
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They're also one of the companies trying to destroy the NLRB.
AND they actively steal small brand recipes and ideas, then have a contract manufacturer churn it out at a cheaper price.
Traitor Joe's is more like it
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Aldi is so rad and they have the best chocolate.
That Burnt Caramel Sea Salt though. The best!
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Kroger and Safeway have been the absolute face of enshittification since the pandemic. They've also been accused of price fixing, and are trying to merge into a monopoly. They also regularly abuse disabled employees (at multiple stores in my area).
I have absolutely no doubt that they will do this the moment they think they can get away with it. In a fair economy, they would have been driven out of business years ago.
They also renamed a bunch of locations from Safeway > FreshMart and laid off career employees with years of raises and benefits and forced them to reapply under the new franchise name. Same owners, same stores, but LOOPHOLE.
Fucking assholes.
That's so dirty and unethical. I hope their conscience tortures them for years, but I realize that's wishful thinking since there is a good chance they've so completely repressed any concept of ethics or morality that they would sell their own mother into slavery for an extra tenth of a penny.
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Who said AI was gonna put people out of jobs? Look here, a whole new industry of gig work where people can market themselves as "best buyers". Is your Kroger algorithm fucking you over with horrible prices? Not to worry, with a low low subscription fee, you'll have access to our best buyers whose meticulously curated profiles will buy your items for you with guaranteed lowest price every time. They'll even deliver it to your door for a small fee, or upgrade to our premium plus preferred plan for unlimited free deliveries. We also offer a comprehensive algorithm consulting service to help you reshape your algorithm for optimum purchasing power. Be the best buyer your can be ;) /SARCASM
That is some Philip K Dick reality right there.
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Kroger is the largest grocery store chain in the U.S. by revenue and owns a number of different brands, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Pick’n Save, Food 4 Less, and Dillions, among a host of others
Kroger told Gizmodo... “customers are shopping more with Kroger now than ever because we are fighting inflation and providing great value.”
... or maybe customers don't have much of a choice ?
“customers are shopping more with Kroger now than ever because we are fighting inflation and providing great value.”
I call shenanigans. I don't always pay close attention to the prices of all the things I buy, but one thing I do pay attention on is soda. (Probably because it's bad for me, so I give myself additional justification to buy it or not.)
And amidst all this "inflation", and all the talk about lowering prices back down to reasonable levels Kroger's price just on soda just jumped 25%.
Years ago I used to get a 12-pack for $5, and sometimes there'd be a 3-for-$12 deal. When COVID hit, it was 3-for-$15. Post-COVID, $7 a box. When they raised it to $8, I stopped buying it unless it's on sale or if my wife specifically requests it, and then I only buy one.
Then I went to Kroger a few weeks ago, and the only way to get a price under $8/box was to sign up for something on their app and sell them my personal information. So I decided not to buy from Kroger anymore.
This week my wife specifically requested a box, I was in Kroger anyway, and now it's $10/box or 3-for-$8. Fuck that. They hit their limit with me, and there are no circumstances in which I'm paying that much for soda.
Soda in general has increased across the board, but 12 for $8 is ridiculous since that's basically vending machine levels (I can find local vending machines for $0.75/can).
At Costco, I can get a 35-pack for about $18, less if it's on sale, which is still pretty expensive, but way less than the grocery store (basically ~$6/12-pack). Just a few years ago it was around $0.25/can, and now it's $0.50 in bulk, which is a huge shift.
2-liter prices are still pretty reasonable, so it seems the price increase is mostly for the packaging, not the product.
I live in a major city. The nearest Kroger is 2 blocks away. The nearest non-kroger is 7 miles away. And I have to drive past 3 Kroger's to get there. It's ridiculous.
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I already don't shop at my local Kroger owned store because they're anti union cuntfucks, this is just icing on the cake to never enter their stores ever again.
I thought Kroger employees had a union. Does this one not?
Most are unionized but not all. Kroger's union is also just not very good. I never met a union rep that wasn't friends with management. They do very little to actually represent workers. Also, Kroger has such a high turnover rate that newer employees will usually vote to approve any contract that gives them a raise, no matter how small.
These contracts last for a few years, so as other retailers raise wages to compete with each other, Kroger workers are stuck in their old contract until it expires. If anything, Kroger's union results in lower wages for the workers compared to other grocery retailers.
UFCW is further weakened by "right-to-work" laws that give union benefits to non-union employees. In my experience, many of the people who opt out of union membership are brainwashed by conservatism and are anti-union. They are also often the people who stay at Kroger the longest.
In addition, Kroger has dozens of "districts", each with their own contract. These contracts are all negotiated at different times so that if there is a strike, Kroger can send managers from other districts and hire scabs until the strike is over. This prevents strikes from ever really hurting Kroger's bottom line.
So, to answer your question, Kroger is technically unionized but it's union is pretty ineffective. Kroger basically operates the same as Walmart or Meijer but with a handful of union policies that they have to follow or they might get fined for a union violation.
With that being said, I am still very pro union. The above is just based on my own experience, having worked there for too many years.
Honestly if there's one union I'd opt-out of it's UFCW. They're either in bed with the corporations or so inept at what they do, that you're better off at a non-union job.
I'm anti Kroger - my wife and daughter both worked there after the pandemic. They're definitely union around here but they've negotiated the worst wages in the area. You make $13/hr and still have to pay dues.
Any kind of surge pricing by for profit companies providing basic needs should be illegal full stop
Any kind of surge pricing ~~by for profit companies providing basic needs~~ should be illegal full stop
Fixed that for you
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Now would be a good time to start a line of headwear that has infrared leds to shield your face from cameras.
IR-Cloak is a wrap around frame designed to shield the maximum amount of your eye measurements from being captured on technology using infrared for illumination or mapping/scanning. With adjustable nose pads and flexible silicone temple ends, IR-Cloak is extremely comfortable and accommodating to all facial features.
Frame is not reflective to cameras (works with IR-blocking lenses only)
Infrared blocking lenses turn black on infrared cameras to remove critical eye measurements
Blocks 3D infrared facial mapping (iPhone Face ID) & infrared iris scanning during day & night
☞ https://www.reflectacles.com/order/ircloak
Appreciate the info and link, but $168 for what is essentially a few dollars of SOLAS tape and a pair of IR laser safety glasses? Bruh.
it was a reply to "Now would be a good time to start a line of headwear that has infrared leds to shield your face from cameras."
i won't buy it but it's already out there. He probably produces them alone and can't sell them for less than that.
If you've got the time, diy; if you've got more money than time, $168 may be preferable. There are people who won't be making that much money this month, there are others who buy media platforms as a hobby for $44000000000 🤷
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How will the camera categorize someone with an led cap?
As an asshole that deserves the highest price hahahaha
Ralph's in SoCal used to be a midrange grocery store. These days, its prices are sometimes higher than Whole Foods! I feel like most large grocery chains are moving to a premium price point. They aren't interested in providing food for everyday families
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The high cost of being poor strikes again.
Time to invent The Shopping Mask.
Everyone should enter these stores dressed up like it's Payday (the video game) until they stop with this facial recognition nonsense.
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Don't they teach market research in business schools?
Do they realize how unpopular this is and week cost them market share?
Then again, what choices will there really be if this is the trend with all big retailers.
My town has three stores, Kroger, Safeway, and Walmart. As one goes so go they all most likely on this one so idk how I’d even begin to think about avoiding this longer term…
I'm lucky enough to have a WinCo nearby, but I'm not sure how widespread they are
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Looks like I'm finally going to have to start wearing the ol' anti facial recognition makeup
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Woof. The logo was always a hint about what they were planning to do to the customers. First the K and the G came for the letter o...and I did nothing because I am not the letter o.
Cool, I'll continue not buying from them.
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