I'm always annoyed, albeit amused, about some of the items that show as out of stock on my pickup order. You're telling me you don't have yellow onions Kroger? Or peanut butter?! I think it's usually the case that the picker just doesn't feel like walking over to get it. "Meh, cheerios are out of stock"
We stopped doing pickup for that reason. So many things were out of stock but magically on the shelf when my wife went in while we were waiting for them to bring them out.
Ive heard horror stories about pickup orders so I wouldn’t say you’re wrong in all cases, but as someone who only does their own grocery shopping I will also say this is a weird thing that has continued to happen since the covid shortages. It’s be cilantro one week, onions the next, something even more random after that. For whatever reason, canned diced chiles and large pasta shells for stuffing have been out for weeks at a time at various points.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood in front of a shelf thinking “really, of all things, this??” and then have to brainstorm a new dinner plan on the spot.
Yup. Still ramifications in the supply chain. I still remember when I couldn't get shallots anywhere for love or money. It was such a funny thing to have a shortage of
I've noticed that since covid. Almost every time I go, they'll be cleaned out on some random item. At first it was logical stuff like TP and cleaning products, then it was just like...canned tomatoes. Cilantro. Almond milk.
When we moved to Kentucky in mid 2020, I was shocked to find that Kroger was regularly out of stuff like basil, cilantro, parsley, and scallions. While it has improved a bit, I still find that to be the case sometimes. It's something I've never come across in other parts of the country, even with Kroger owned stores.
I think a lot of that depends on when and where you’re shopping, a high volume store like Hyde Park Kroger will be out of stock on some items come Sunday afternoon/evening or right before a holiday. That timing may not apply to your specific scenario, but I know that was the case for me when I used to shop there during those times, before the remodel, they’d occasionally be out of things I was wanting.
This is another reason Kroger sucks ass. The horrible lack of consistency between stores. There are like 4 in the city that are fully staffed and stocked beautiful grocery stores and the rest are garbage. They’ve been price gouging on all kinds of shit for 2 years now it’s significantly more expensive than most other places. They just removed the fresh fish/meat counter at the Mt Washington one. They can’t keep their stores staffed because they won’t pay people fairly even though they’ve been raking in record profits for years.
I’ve been saying forever how expensive Krogers can be! And I believe Whole Foods, Findlay, JJs all have better produce. WF told me a long time ago they tend to get first pick which is why they’re strawberries for example look so much better
Their store workers are union and make more than you think. People complain at my store because the deli is so slow, the deli are all senior tenured union ladies that don’t get in a hurry for anything but break time.
They pay entry level and mid level employees garbage wages. That’s a situation where you have to be there for a very long time to see the union make any difference in your pay rate. If they paid decent wages they wouldn’t have severe understaffing problems everywhere but like Anderson, Oakley, and Newport.
I think that is store dependent. I shop at both the downtown and Corryville stores and I have no complaints. Rarely is produce bad or out. I shop Fridays if that matters.
Yoooo Friday is the best!!! Especially, the downtown one in the morning! That being said, I went this past Friday night and there were zombies all over in the parking lot.
My experience with KrOTR ever since it moved to central parkway is often the opposite... they'll just randomly be out of very common produce like apples or strawberries or grapes or berries, or all of the avocados will be either mushy junk or so hard they won't be usable for over a week.
You are probably beating the weekend crowd going on Fridays, especially early. I usually shop on Mondays and Tuesdays (before weekly sales end) and often KrOTR hasn't recovered from the weekend yet.
I will say I mostly buy what's in the ad or o
Seriously. Half the time I get berries from there there’s already rotting fruit. I joke about their commercials “fresher than fresh” as in its already decaying into compost to grow fresh new berries.
Still better than Trader Joe’s or Aldi on the regular. Can’t really speak to other options.
Kroger has buying power and scale to get more consistently better produce.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted for this, anytime I’ve bought produce from Aldi or Trader Joes it goes bad much more quickly than what I get from Kroger.
I frequently shop at Aldi as well, but tend to avoid their produce for these reasons. It's not worth buying produce that goes bad in 2–3 days to save like 10% on the price.
It is very well known that Aldi intentionally buys lower grade produce for a better price point. Someone posts about produce quality on r/aldi almost every week.
Hate mob mentality of these threads.
I don't love Kroger. I don't have any ties to Kroger, but they're the best one-stop-shop for most of our needs, especially produce (which Costco also is hit or miss on, but didn't mention).
They regularly are out of stock of basic herbs or spices (Oakley) that I then have to hit up Meijer for on the way home, but whatever.
I always buy my produce at JJ if I can. I've noticed lately if I go to Kroger, the veggies are already wrinkled and look old, or if they seem ok, they go bad much more quickly in my fridge.
I think there’s a pretty major variability in quality of various Kroger stores which can be frustrating. Some of them are pretty nice but some neighborhoods don’t have particularly nice stores to go to or they may lack quality items or high selection.
I’d guess some of the hate is related to Kroger being a major grocery monopoly. They own nearly half the grocery chains/companies in the country so no matter the name of the store in a lot of areas you only have access to a Kroger owned store. Monopolies allow for things like unfair pricing because you have no alternative. With the impending Albertson’s merger this is amplified.
We have a few Aldi’s also but other midwestern cities have way more competitors to Kroger even though Kroger is king there too. If the 3 closest krogers to you are the shitty ones and you have to drive to Newport or Oakley it’s frustrating.
My 2 cents is this... What people are frustrated with isn't necessarily a Kroger problem. It's an everything, everywhere problem. Product quality, value and service has degraded everywhere. I think people just feel it more with their grocery trips because that's the thing they do the most maybe?
Everyone clamoring for a competitor like Publix to come in and save the day is going to be in for a rude awakening when they find out it's the same thing over and over again. I left the Kroger region and settled in the Publix region almost 10 years ago, and after 10 years I came back. Now that I'm back, the only thing I really miss from Publix are their Chicken Tender subs in the deli and their Key Lime Pies. Everything else is just about eh... the same.
I agree mostly with your post but I do feel that a large portion of the blame lies solely with Kroger itself. Their digital coupon process is cumbersome. Those large blue instacarts cause congestion in every aisle and those pushing them seem to contribute to the disfunctionality. The coupon mailers have not worked correctly the past 3 times I have gone.
The first instance I had to have an employee input all proper amounts manually. As I walked out I saw that she forgot 2 items so I went back to the customer service desk. I asked the woman if she sees more and more angry customers and she replied emphatically "yes!" And quickly blamed the company for the frustrations. As I walked out every wheel locked on my cart in the foyer. Quite embarrassing. I drive an extra 10 minutes to Aldi and Meijer and don't regret the decision at all.
> As I walked out every wheel locked on my cart in the foyer. Quite embarrassing.
It has been this way since it opened in 2019. There are signs up everywhere saying that you can't take carts out of the building, but I still see people missing them or surprised by that almost every time I go.
They had a big problem with cart theft (amongst other problems) at the previous OTR location that was closed to open this one — it seems like stopping that was their goal here.
I walk to that store, but I could see this being a nuisance for people who drive there and don't want to park in the free attached garage for whatever reason.
Market competition, albeit small at the start is a net positive for the consumer. I’m all aboard the Publix train cutting in to Kroger’s market share around Cincy.
Wow, very similar history to me. Timeframe and everything. I loved Publix bakery and store brand ice cream but it's identical to Kroger imo. Love the private selection ice cream and those outrageously expensive 4 packs of giant cookies that cost like $5. That's the only I go now and to chat with the cart attendant at the Oakley location.
Edit: this would be hilarious if you were the guy I moved down there with but then discovered he was married. It would be likely for him to move back lol
I loved Kroger because of its proximity to where I've lived and their selection. But recently I've been shopping at Aldi and I'm spending about half what I was at Kroger ($75-90 vs $125+/wk). Aldi's produce isn't great, but their prices are clutch for me rn.
Kroger is my go to. I do clicklist and have for the last 7 or so years. It was rough at the start but I very rarely have any bad substitutions or out of stocks anymore.
I like Aldi but Aldi always required a stop at Kroger anyway
I've started doing similar. Mostly a combination of Kroger Delivery for the things that are sales / deals at Kroger, and then Aldi in-person for the things that Aldi is good at like specialty food items. And then short runs to Kroger in-person for produce as needed since the latter two are often both so bad at produce.
There are so many items at Aldi that are often identical to the brand name packaged version offered for twice the price at Kroger.
I will miss Castle Wood deli meats disappearing from Aldi for $6/lb while Kroger sells it for double that :(.
As someone who came from out of state, I don't think some people realize just how awful Kroger runs its Cincinnati stores. At least within the city limits. I've been to quite a few and hate them all.
In Texas, they've been renovating the old ones and building new ones. They're always clean and constantly upgrading down there. Of course, there are a few ugly ones in the unfortunate neighborhoods, but that's not common. I suppose it's because they have stiff competition against HEB.
Seems like Kroger knows it's a dominant force here and just doesn't care to upkeep it.
I’ve just had a lot of issues with Kroger recently. A few months ago the self checkout glitched and I ended up getting double charged on a $70 bill and they didn’t refund me for it, so that obviously made me upset.
The quality has gone down on a lot of things while the prices continue to go up, and the stores themselves really aren’t that pleasant to shop in (super squeaky carts, cramped spaces)
Lately I’ve just been buying most of my stuff from Costco. I did a price comparison for a month’s worth of groceries at Costco vs the exact same quantities of the same or comparable stuff from Kroger, and I was actually shocked. Costco came out to $450 and Kroger was $780. Not to mention that the stuff from Costco is higher quality, and the company actually pays the workers fairly, too… so it’s a more enjoyable experience to go there.
So yeah. I’m done with Kroger for now unless I just need to pop in for one or two small things.
Because Kroger used to be a place that priced competitively and cared (illusion of caring because they had to). Then they got really really huge and just said fuck you to everyone and now are just as bad as Walmart.
It is across the board. Even 10-20 cents here and there on all items. Jack up the price but then offer it on "sale" to make it seem like a good deal. One perfect example is: the Kroger brand Italian sausages are now 5.99 a package. Johnsonville typically is that, and when on sale 4.99 a package. (the used to be 2 for $5 for the Kroger brand sausages).
Kroger brand is suppose to offer the customer a cheaper/more economical alternative/option. But instead it now is at the same tier as name brand. Which defeats it purpose to me.
This. They may be a Cincy-based company but as they’ve grown (they now own the second-largest share of the market thanks to the acquisition of Pick n’ Save, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, etc.) they prioritized profits over the communities they’ve serve—lots of dollars for theft prevention and self-service machines but chronic understaffing and hit or miss product quality.
This is anecdotal, but since COVID hit I feel like Kroger is where I’ve seen the most egregious price inflation and product shrinkage.
Locally, they’ve also made a lot of promises about sustainability (Zero Hunger Zero Waste program, eliminating plastic bags by 2025) but results have been underwhelming given their size.
Elaine Chao is also on their board, so there’s that.
I’ve been an Aldi guy for a couple of years now and I supplement with the occasional JJ’s trip but every time I have to go into a Kroger I’m shocked at how much they’ve raised prices on shit and expect people not to notice.
The Kroger near me is routinely out of product, with the only replacement being an overpriced, worse quality product, the pharmacy is horrid, with new scripts going to a central fill center so it’s not available for 2 days after it’s written, if you get delivery or pick up, expect your bread to be in a bag with heavy items or under heavy items so it’s squashed, and the deli is normally out of the cheap cheese/meat option with only boars head available, which to be is too expensive.
I wish we had a Super Target around Downtown / NKY. The fresh grocery selection at Newport Target is just so limited compared to even the smallest Krogers.
Oh yeah they’re all awful. Always understaffed. I mostly use Walgreens and while they suck they don’t suck nearly as bad as Kroger or CVS but shit has gotten significantly worse since covid for all 3.
Krogers CEOS are reporting record breaking profits and, get this, record breaking work bonuses for themselves. But then they pay their workers 11$ an hour only to shorten their work hours by enforcing self checkout lanes, etc. Their management is usually terrible and couldn’t give a actual eff about the company itself (or it’s reputation).
I prefer shopping at Aldi’s but that involves physically going to the store so for most trips I just do Kroger delivery and hope that my shopper isn’t a total idiot
I mostly go to Kroger, but I've noticed that Meijer is cheaper by a noticeable amount on most of the things I buy that both stores stock.
I never used to bother much with coupons and the like and am getting increasingly irritated with the amount of store app interaction that is required these days, unless you don't mind spending quite a bit extra to ignore it. Everyone's doing it these days it seems like, but I think Kroger is the worst about it. I could be wrong.
I go to Aldi for basics and fruit, Kroger for non bulk vegetables and specialty items, and Fresh Market for seafood. I cannot stress enough how much money I save by getting all of my weekly grocery basics at Aldi. I’m saving about $20-$40 bucks every two weeks for a single person.
At least that much is added on. I switched to Meijer this year and I save about 15-20% a week on groceries.
In addition to the savings, Meijer is consistent. I can get everything I need in one trip. Kroger was very unreliable, cant get a roast or poblanos or garlic. Their shopping bags are better, wider aisles and more product selection.
I wouldnt say i "hate" kroger but it just.....it just isn't what I want anymore? It's big and loud and always crowded. I do my regular shopping at Aldi and go to Kroger to do periodic (*not weekly*) restocks of non-Aldi things. Aldi is absolutely cheaper no matter how you slice it, smaller, quieter, easier......
Quality has degraded and prices have increased across the board. I'm now just looking for the best possible prices and most tolerable shopping experience. So, based on those criteria, Aldi is the winner for me.
Kroger has the worst produce of any grocery store. Walmart, and Aldi have better produce, and Meijer has both fresher produce and a wider produce selection. This has been going on since 2012, so for 10 years. What did Kroger do to resolve this? They changed their slogan to “Fresh for everyone” and introduced Kroji mascots.
Krogers price point was reasonable pre Covid. Post Covid they have become the most expensive grocery store, while the quality of the products has dropped to Dollar Store levels. Even Walmart beats them on quality now.
The Kroger I used to patronize is always chronically understaffed, and therefore the customer service is worst than Walmart. Walmart used to have the worst customer service of ANY business I’ve been to in my lifetime. Kroger dropping below Walmart means Kroger is actively racing to the bottom. Kroger Corporate is actively testing how much they can drop quality before it affects profits.
The quality and service has gone down hill rapidly in recent years. We stopped doing click list all together. At first it was great, then we kept getting meat that was a day or so off from spoiling, the produce was only good for another day or two at most as well. I understand first in first out, but why give customers food that’s going to be bad in 48 hours?? If we have to go back to the store and request replacements what is the point of click list? It’s just costing us more time. I understand this might happen occasionally but not EVERY SINGLE ORDER. The stores near us (Anderson, Cherry Grove and Amelia) are just a shit show these days. They are grimey , poorly stocked and customer service is so hit or miss. Now we just shop at Aldi, Sam’s and Costco. If we need something really quick we’ll run in but honestly I don’t want to spend a dime with Kroger anymore.
The Blue Ash Kroger store is a joke. It's a nightmare to get into since they put traffic circles in the intersections to get into the store. When you turn in the main entrance, you find some wizard decided to put a McDonald's right there, with the cars waiting in the drive thru line sticking out into the lane of incoming cars, as well as drivers shooting out of the drive thru on the other side of the building right into the oncoming cars in the lot. Inside the store, they are constantly out of products and woefully understaffed. With a deli counter that is 50ft or longer, they often have ONE employee there. The nearby IGA deli counter is about 10ft, and they always have 3 or 4 people working it. I'm fine with other Krogers, but Blue Ash needs to go!
The Kroger closet to me is garbage. Their management team is terrible. They have huge sections of empty shelves. There are so many displays in the aisles people have to take turns in them.
If I go to a less convenient one, it is great, just as one would expect.
Kroger reported record profits but raised prices, cut employee wages, and fired employees. They are also largely subsidized by tax dollars as most of their employees need food stamps just to survive.
Here are three examples from across the political spectrum. Do you have any evidence?
[workers](https://economicrt.org/publication/hungry-at-the-table/)
[leftist](https://perfectunion.us/exclusive-kroger-memo-workers-poverty/)
[conservative ](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/09/12/kroger-ranks-among-top-employers-of-workers-on.html)
[far right wing](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=XGKdRVCe9in8Wy_f)
I don’t mind Kroger. The biggest inconveniences presented with Kroger are easily fixed by a 5-10 minute drive to another Kroger.
That being said, once Publix opens in NKY I’ll likely never shop at Kroger again.
I moved to Florida last year, and miss the hell out of Kroger. Yea, we have Kroger delivery down here, but not the same. Publix is so expensive and Winn Dixie is decent but low quality. Miss Kroger among many Cincy things, can’t wait to move back home.
I didn’t realize how bland Kroger was until moving away and then moving back. I remember looking at their online “international cuisine” section and “Hispanic Food” being a photo of unseasoned shredded chicken, ground beef, translucent lettuce, and hard tortillas. Like, what!?
Kroger’s produce selection is awful. The fact that it is easier to find apricots when they’re in season at Target than at Kroger is quite telling. Do you want fresh herbs? 50/50 choice if you can find the common ones in Kroger.
Do you want bay leaves? Get ready to pay $6 for 7 bay leaves (despite your Hispanic grocery store having like 20 for $3).
Their in-house bakery has become quite subpar too. The bread has no taste.
Despite having megastores, I can’t find a whole lot of interesting products. They just have massive aisles of the same produced variations with different labels.
Have you seen their hot sauces in their condiment aisle? It’s the same 4 variations just with different branding.
Same with mustard. I can either get yellow, Dijon, or brown seed mustard (sometimes).
My issue is their prices. It's kind of crazy that I can get cheaper groceries at Target. And it kind of seems like Kroger is just raising prices because they can, especially when you start comparing prices at other chains. And their deals and coupons have started degrading in quality.
There are a lot of people who feel Kroger's size and buying power is tantamount to a local monopoly. They're even more upset at the Albertsons merger that they're trying to close, and how that will make it worse. People feel the Kroger is price gouging.
I don't think that's accurate, as I have a job in the Grocery industry and get to peek behind the curtains. I see the costs the manufacturers deal with and see the details behind the contracts that Kroger engages in with them.
It's all relatively up-and-up.
There are also people who feel Kroger engages in unfair labor practices. That side of things I have less insight into, but I believe that if those labor claims are as exaggerated as the pricing claims are, then they're probably bunk as well.
The labor claims aren’t exaggerated. If anything, they’re understated. I mean, all you have to do is walk into any store at any hour of the day and look at the staffing levels.
I have family who worked at a different Kroger for over a year who left to go to School recently. They said that they just couldn't fill the spots. They wanted more employees, no one would do it.
Kroger keeps dropping over $1 million bringing celebrities to town for the damn wellness seminars. Carrie Underwood has a minimum $150k appearance fee, John Cena is $500k minimum. Venus Williams, Bethenny Frankel, $100k each, Fitz and the Tantrums, $150k.
Thanks for attending my thesis on shopping at Kroger and reading the long post below! I always think it's a matter of grocery shopping being a necessity plus observing controllable actions/behaviors that significantly decrease the experience (to the point of being so internally angry that I have to vent, usually to friends/family though). For me, it boils down to two things:
-fellow customers either being completely oblivious or downright rude while shopping (pretty consistent no matter where you shop)
-how well or poorly the Kroger is managed (this varies widely by store). I typically shop at Delhi, and compared to my experience at Dent, Delhi is managed a lot worse.
Some of the experiences that make me hate shopping at Krogers in Delhi that I don't experience elsewhere:
-Constantly out of carts in the cart well
-Constantly out of stock or stocked incorrectly
-Poor quality (leaky containers, dented cans, "off taste" of store produced food)
-LONG checkout lines, especially on a busy evening where 2/3rds of the cashier lines are closed and 1 section of self checkout is closed.
-Cashiers and baggers that spend more energy conversating with the customer than doing their job (I swear there is 1 cashier that will scan 1 item, stop what they are doing, stare at the nutrition facts of the item, then comment on it before scanning the next item).
-Customers that treat the produce aisle as their own personal orchid, touching each edible portion of fruit/veg, licking their fingers/hands, or eating a portion of the food (disgusting)
-Customers that treat aisles as their own personal walk in closet and take up as much space as they can without letting anyone pass in the aisle
Just a few of the reasons why shopping at Kroger annoys me. I'm sure it's just me getting older and angrier at the world, and I'm sure Kroger isn't an exception, it's likely like this at any other SM chain that's poorly ran.
Thanks for attending my TED talk. TL;DR: Grocery shopping is a necessity, some stores are better ran than others and it shows, there are controllable factors that lessen the experience that can vary by location, on a bad day when I experience these controllable factors I like to complain (usually to friends/fam). Guess it's a first sign of me getting old and crotchety....
> I typically shop at Delhi, and compared to my experience at Dent, Delhi is managed a lot worse.
I actively avoid Delhi and hit Dent or the one on Rt. 128.
Aldi and target. Kroger is so expensive I only shoot there if something is on sale or I can’t get it elsewhere. You can also get in and out of Aldi very quickly.
I personally do Amazon Fresh delivery and Market Wagon delivery for a combination of locally grown and the “mainstream” groceries. Nothing really against Kroger but I have had good success with Fresh.
Delivery is my favorite thing— I hate shopping.
Amazon Fresh was great until they killed it with a $100 minimum for free delivery. With just 2 of us in the house it's rare to spend $100 except around holidays or special occasions.
I have had generally positive experiences with shopping my preferred Kroger locations—Madeira, Harper’s Point, Montgomery, Blue Ash, and Oakley (in that order). I like the selection of fresh produce, the quality of fish and meat, and the specialty items.
I like using the self-scan carts at the Madeira location, but I wish they had a place to set a phone or purse like the last models did. I also use the Kroger Boost delivery service bc it’s so much better than Instacart.
Walmart, Meijer, and other stores seem more chaotic and inconsistent.
I live very close to one of the shittier Kroger in the area. Tylersville and Cox. I drive right by it to go to the Meijer on Tylersville and 75. They came to terms with the senior center that was behind it and are going to build a new Marketplace sometime soon. Meanwhile, at Western Row and Mason Montgomery, a new Dorthy Lane is being built. I imagine that'll be nice for special occasion items that I would typically go to Jungle Jim's for. And....breaking news, a Whole Foods is going up a t Liberty Way and Butler Warren. The new Costco has some options too. I expect my Meijer will do an expansion soon to keep up.
The Kroger Plus Card has one of the most insanely invasive “privacy policies” of any American corporation. (Their subsidiary Ralph’s had to disclose the full details due to California state law.)
Their prices aren’t competitive (esp without the Plus Card). Their produce sucks. And I really hate the new gates they’re installing at the entrances.
Maybe none of this would matter if it was a choice between that and Walmart, but I live pretty close to Meijer, Whole Foods, Aldi and Trader Joe’s, and not insanely far from Jungle Jim’s. Between all of those it’s extremely rare that I actually need to visit a Kroger.
They used to be great one of the best for low prices but lately they’ve been more expensive than other stores. This might just be at the one I frequent (loveland) but they have rotten produce and expired food sitting out. I’ve had to ask them to correct the prices on multiple items that rang up more than what was priced on the shelf. I still go there for some things bc of limited options but they definitely aren’t how they used to be.
People like to whine and complain about things. Some people's entire existence is to be outraged about something and post about it on social media. It seems like a total waste of your life, but since people like doing that. Who am I to say how people should live their life?
But I'm with you, Kroger is a decent store.
Although, I miss the old Bigg's grocery stores in town. Before Rempke drove them into the ground. And not the super big ones like they had at Eastgate. Better prices than Kroger and the employees actually seemed happy to be working there. I used to joke that the Bigg's employee union must be better than the Kroger employee union.
We don’t hate Kroger but for our family of five it is 40-50% more expensive than Aldi for the same items (we’ve compared four different times now).
The only problem with Aldi is we can’t typically get everything we need there so we have to go somewhere else for a few things every week.
Aldi is also much smaller so it takes a lot less time and there are fewer people when we go at 9 AM on Sunday. Produce is always good at our store. Never once had an issue with anything.
I love Jungle Jim’s but the closest one is too far from where we live and my wife wants to strangle me when I go there because I spend a *shitload* of money. I only get to go there on special occasions once or twice a year.
Reddit is, generally speaking, liberal. Liberals, generally speaking, hate big successful corporations. Ergo, they hate Kroger. Downvote me all you want but it's true.
I disagree. I have no issues with large corps who treat their employees and customers well. It's just that there are so few of them around anymore. Sears used to be a great example and thankfully Costco is still holding the line. Also take the simple fact that Aldi let's their cashiers sit on a stool. It's a small thing but says a lot about how they view their workers.
Sears? Really? The same old Sears or some modern version that didn't understaff the cash wrap and force credit cards down everyone's throat while selling merch from the previous decade.
I'm referring to the Sears of long ago where the people were well paid and they gave pretty much unconditional refunds for many of their products and lifetime guarantees.
Because big corporations only get there by killing small local businesses, by under paying and exploiting the workers. They have record profits but claim inflation is the issue.
Liberals do not hate big, successful corporations. Liberals hate companies of all sizes who engage in shady business practices and exploit human beings to achieve that “success.”
Downvoted.
I don’t hate Kroger because of politics. I hate them because they charge 13.99 / lb for Flank steak when it’s 9.99 / lb everywhere else and are closer to Wal Mart in how they compensate and treat their workers than they are to themselves 20 years ago. Just straight up greed.
The area needs more grocery options.
Giant Eagle, Publix, Kroger, etc.
You go anywhere else and you have options. All you have around here for grocery specific is Korger and Aldi (and Aldi isn't really a full on grocery IMO).
I was born into the kroger family - been shopping for 52 plus years . I just can’t take myself to go any place else / plus my son now works there & we get great discounts .. my dad is a retire
The quality of Kroger’s produce has degraded over the past few years. I now get my produce at Jungle Jim’s.
I went once and they were out of garlic. I was like, "what?" "-yeah we're out of garlic right now." That was at the Hyde Park Kroger.
I'm always annoyed, albeit amused, about some of the items that show as out of stock on my pickup order. You're telling me you don't have yellow onions Kroger? Or peanut butter?! I think it's usually the case that the picker just doesn't feel like walking over to get it. "Meh, cheerios are out of stock"
We stopped doing pickup for that reason. So many things were out of stock but magically on the shelf when my wife went in while we were waiting for them to bring them out.
Yep same. At least 20% of items are “out of stock” if I do pick up yet if I go in the store I almost always find the items.
Krogers should give you the item for free if that happens. I get being out of a certain brand or size but out of PB completely is not really possible.
Ive heard horror stories about pickup orders so I wouldn’t say you’re wrong in all cases, but as someone who only does their own grocery shopping I will also say this is a weird thing that has continued to happen since the covid shortages. It’s be cilantro one week, onions the next, something even more random after that. For whatever reason, canned diced chiles and large pasta shells for stuffing have been out for weeks at a time at various points. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood in front of a shelf thinking “really, of all things, this??” and then have to brainstorm a new dinner plan on the spot.
Yup. Still ramifications in the supply chain. I still remember when I couldn't get shallots anywhere for love or money. It was such a funny thing to have a shortage of
TJs almost always has shallots in stock and for a lot less, too. (I’m so happy they finally put in the second one here!)
I've noticed that since covid. Almost every time I go, they'll be cleaned out on some random item. At first it was logical stuff like TP and cleaning products, then it was just like...canned tomatoes. Cilantro. Almond milk.
When we moved to Kentucky in mid 2020, I was shocked to find that Kroger was regularly out of stuff like basil, cilantro, parsley, and scallions. While it has improved a bit, I still find that to be the case sometimes. It's something I've never come across in other parts of the country, even with Kroger owned stores.
I think a lot of that depends on when and where you’re shopping, a high volume store like Hyde Park Kroger will be out of stock on some items come Sunday afternoon/evening or right before a holiday. That timing may not apply to your specific scenario, but I know that was the case for me when I used to shop there during those times, before the remodel, they’d occasionally be out of things I was wanting.
This is another reason Kroger sucks ass. The horrible lack of consistency between stores. There are like 4 in the city that are fully staffed and stocked beautiful grocery stores and the rest are garbage. They’ve been price gouging on all kinds of shit for 2 years now it’s significantly more expensive than most other places. They just removed the fresh fish/meat counter at the Mt Washington one. They can’t keep their stores staffed because they won’t pay people fairly even though they’ve been raking in record profits for years.
I’ve been saying forever how expensive Krogers can be! And I believe Whole Foods, Findlay, JJs all have better produce. WF told me a long time ago they tend to get first pick which is why they’re strawberries for example look so much better
Their store workers are union and make more than you think. People complain at my store because the deli is so slow, the deli are all senior tenured union ladies that don’t get in a hurry for anything but break time.
They pay entry level and mid level employees garbage wages. That’s a situation where you have to be there for a very long time to see the union make any difference in your pay rate. If they paid decent wages they wouldn’t have severe understaffing problems everywhere but like Anderson, Oakley, and Newport.
I think that is store dependent. I shop at both the downtown and Corryville stores and I have no complaints. Rarely is produce bad or out. I shop Fridays if that matters.
Yoooo Friday is the best!!! Especially, the downtown one in the morning! That being said, I went this past Friday night and there were zombies all over in the parking lot.
My experience with KrOTR ever since it moved to central parkway is often the opposite... they'll just randomly be out of very common produce like apples or strawberries or grapes or berries, or all of the avocados will be either mushy junk or so hard they won't be usable for over a week. You are probably beating the weekend crowd going on Fridays, especially early. I usually shop on Mondays and Tuesdays (before weekly sales end) and often KrOTR hasn't recovered from the weekend yet. I will say I mostly buy what's in the ad or o
Seriously. Half the time I get berries from there there’s already rotting fruit. I joke about their commercials “fresher than fresh” as in its already decaying into compost to grow fresh new berries.
Still better than Trader Joe’s or Aldi on the regular. Can’t really speak to other options. Kroger has buying power and scale to get more consistently better produce.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted for this, anytime I’ve bought produce from Aldi or Trader Joes it goes bad much more quickly than what I get from Kroger.
I frequently shop at Aldi as well, but tend to avoid their produce for these reasons. It's not worth buying produce that goes bad in 2–3 days to save like 10% on the price. It is very well known that Aldi intentionally buys lower grade produce for a better price point. Someone posts about produce quality on r/aldi almost every week.
Hate mob mentality of these threads. I don't love Kroger. I don't have any ties to Kroger, but they're the best one-stop-shop for most of our needs, especially produce (which Costco also is hit or miss on, but didn't mention). They regularly are out of stock of basic herbs or spices (Oakley) that I then have to hit up Meijer for on the way home, but whatever.
Agree I’ve never been thrilled about ALDIs produce but people do think they can do know wrong
I always buy my produce at JJ if I can. I've noticed lately if I go to Kroger, the veggies are already wrinkled and look old, or if they seem ok, they go bad much more quickly in my fridge.
I think there’s a pretty major variability in quality of various Kroger stores which can be frustrating. Some of them are pretty nice but some neighborhoods don’t have particularly nice stores to go to or they may lack quality items or high selection. I’d guess some of the hate is related to Kroger being a major grocery monopoly. They own nearly half the grocery chains/companies in the country so no matter the name of the store in a lot of areas you only have access to a Kroger owned store. Monopolies allow for things like unfair pricing because you have no alternative. With the impending Albertson’s merger this is amplified.
We have a few Meijer stores that compete with Kroger very well, for those of us that are lucky enough to have a car.
We have a few Aldi’s also but other midwestern cities have way more competitors to Kroger even though Kroger is king there too. If the 3 closest krogers to you are the shitty ones and you have to drive to Newport or Oakley it’s frustrating.
My 2 cents is this... What people are frustrated with isn't necessarily a Kroger problem. It's an everything, everywhere problem. Product quality, value and service has degraded everywhere. I think people just feel it more with their grocery trips because that's the thing they do the most maybe? Everyone clamoring for a competitor like Publix to come in and save the day is going to be in for a rude awakening when they find out it's the same thing over and over again. I left the Kroger region and settled in the Publix region almost 10 years ago, and after 10 years I came back. Now that I'm back, the only thing I really miss from Publix are their Chicken Tender subs in the deli and their Key Lime Pies. Everything else is just about eh... the same.
I agree mostly with your post but I do feel that a large portion of the blame lies solely with Kroger itself. Their digital coupon process is cumbersome. Those large blue instacarts cause congestion in every aisle and those pushing them seem to contribute to the disfunctionality. The coupon mailers have not worked correctly the past 3 times I have gone. The first instance I had to have an employee input all proper amounts manually. As I walked out I saw that she forgot 2 items so I went back to the customer service desk. I asked the woman if she sees more and more angry customers and she replied emphatically "yes!" And quickly blamed the company for the frustrations. As I walked out every wheel locked on my cart in the foyer. Quite embarrassing. I drive an extra 10 minutes to Aldi and Meijer and don't regret the decision at all.
> As I walked out every wheel locked on my cart in the foyer. Quite embarrassing. It has been this way since it opened in 2019. There are signs up everywhere saying that you can't take carts out of the building, but I still see people missing them or surprised by that almost every time I go. They had a big problem with cart theft (amongst other problems) at the previous OTR location that was closed to open this one — it seems like stopping that was their goal here. I walk to that store, but I could see this being a nuisance for people who drive there and don't want to park in the free attached garage for whatever reason.
Market competition, albeit small at the start is a net positive for the consumer. I’m all aboard the Publix train cutting in to Kroger’s market share around Cincy.
Wow, very similar history to me. Timeframe and everything. I loved Publix bakery and store brand ice cream but it's identical to Kroger imo. Love the private selection ice cream and those outrageously expensive 4 packs of giant cookies that cost like $5. That's the only I go now and to chat with the cart attendant at the Oakley location. Edit: this would be hilarious if you were the guy I moved down there with but then discovered he was married. It would be likely for him to move back lol
I loved Kroger because of its proximity to where I've lived and their selection. But recently I've been shopping at Aldi and I'm spending about half what I was at Kroger ($75-90 vs $125+/wk). Aldi's produce isn't great, but their prices are clutch for me rn.
Kroger is my go to. I do clicklist and have for the last 7 or so years. It was rough at the start but I very rarely have any bad substitutions or out of stocks anymore. I like Aldi but Aldi always required a stop at Kroger anyway
I've started doing similar. Mostly a combination of Kroger Delivery for the things that are sales / deals at Kroger, and then Aldi in-person for the things that Aldi is good at like specialty food items. And then short runs to Kroger in-person for produce as needed since the latter two are often both so bad at produce. There are so many items at Aldi that are often identical to the brand name packaged version offered for twice the price at Kroger. I will miss Castle Wood deli meats disappearing from Aldi for $6/lb while Kroger sells it for double that :(.
As someone who came from out of state, I don't think some people realize just how awful Kroger runs its Cincinnati stores. At least within the city limits. I've been to quite a few and hate them all. In Texas, they've been renovating the old ones and building new ones. They're always clean and constantly upgrading down there. Of course, there are a few ugly ones in the unfortunate neighborhoods, but that's not common. I suppose it's because they have stiff competition against HEB. Seems like Kroger knows it's a dominant force here and just doesn't care to upkeep it.
I miss HEB!
Me too! Great produce.
They are too expensive and they treat their employees like garbage.
I’ve just had a lot of issues with Kroger recently. A few months ago the self checkout glitched and I ended up getting double charged on a $70 bill and they didn’t refund me for it, so that obviously made me upset. The quality has gone down on a lot of things while the prices continue to go up, and the stores themselves really aren’t that pleasant to shop in (super squeaky carts, cramped spaces) Lately I’ve just been buying most of my stuff from Costco. I did a price comparison for a month’s worth of groceries at Costco vs the exact same quantities of the same or comparable stuff from Kroger, and I was actually shocked. Costco came out to $450 and Kroger was $780. Not to mention that the stuff from Costco is higher quality, and the company actually pays the workers fairly, too… so it’s a more enjoyable experience to go there. So yeah. I’m done with Kroger for now unless I just need to pop in for one or two small things.
Because Kroger used to be a place that priced competitively and cared (illusion of caring because they had to). Then they got really really huge and just said fuck you to everyone and now are just as bad as Walmart.
Is there a grocery chain in this area that hasn’t jacked up prices?
I have a level of expectation. But when you went higher than Meijer in multiple places, you're doing it for malicious purposes.
It is across the board. Even 10-20 cents here and there on all items. Jack up the price but then offer it on "sale" to make it seem like a good deal. One perfect example is: the Kroger brand Italian sausages are now 5.99 a package. Johnsonville typically is that, and when on sale 4.99 a package. (the used to be 2 for $5 for the Kroger brand sausages). Kroger brand is suppose to offer the customer a cheaper/more economical alternative/option. But instead it now is at the same tier as name brand. Which defeats it purpose to me.
This. They may be a Cincy-based company but as they’ve grown (they now own the second-largest share of the market thanks to the acquisition of Pick n’ Save, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, etc.) they prioritized profits over the communities they’ve serve—lots of dollars for theft prevention and self-service machines but chronic understaffing and hit or miss product quality. This is anecdotal, but since COVID hit I feel like Kroger is where I’ve seen the most egregious price inflation and product shrinkage. Locally, they’ve also made a lot of promises about sustainability (Zero Hunger Zero Waste program, eliminating plastic bags by 2025) but results have been underwhelming given their size. Elaine Chao is also on their board, so there’s that.
People are just now starting to get wise to it but they kinda have us over a barrel with so few competitors.
I legitimately go to Aldi and Meijer regularly now to get everything except for a few things at Sam's Club. I hate going to Walmart or Kroger.
I’ve been an Aldi guy for a couple of years now and I supplement with the occasional JJ’s trip but every time I have to go into a Kroger I’m shocked at how much they’ve raised prices on shit and expect people not to notice.
The Kroger near me is routinely out of product, with the only replacement being an overpriced, worse quality product, the pharmacy is horrid, with new scripts going to a central fill center so it’s not available for 2 days after it’s written, if you get delivery or pick up, expect your bread to be in a bag with heavy items or under heavy items so it’s squashed, and the deli is normally out of the cheap cheese/meat option with only boars head available, which to be is too expensive.
kroger sucks and treats employees like shit. target >>>>>
I wish we had a Super Target around Downtown / NKY. The fresh grocery selection at Newport Target is just so limited compared to even the smallest Krogers.
The pharmacy is HORRIBLE across all locations. Absolutely horrible.
I've never experienced a good pharmacy anywhere anymore.
Oh yeah they’re all awful. Always understaffed. I mostly use Walgreens and while they suck they don’t suck nearly as bad as Kroger or CVS but shit has gotten significantly worse since covid for all 3.
Krogers CEOS are reporting record breaking profits and, get this, record breaking work bonuses for themselves. But then they pay their workers 11$ an hour only to shorten their work hours by enforcing self checkout lanes, etc. Their management is usually terrible and couldn’t give a actual eff about the company itself (or it’s reputation).
I prefer shopping at Aldi’s but that involves physically going to the store so for most trips I just do Kroger delivery and hope that my shopper isn’t a total idiot
I mostly go to Kroger, but I've noticed that Meijer is cheaper by a noticeable amount on most of the things I buy that both stores stock. I never used to bother much with coupons and the like and am getting increasingly irritated with the amount of store app interaction that is required these days, unless you don't mind spending quite a bit extra to ignore it. Everyone's doing it these days it seems like, but I think Kroger is the worst about it. I could be wrong.
I go to Aldi for basics and fruit, Kroger for non bulk vegetables and specialty items, and Fresh Market for seafood. I cannot stress enough how much money I save by getting all of my weekly grocery basics at Aldi. I’m saving about $20-$40 bucks every two weeks for a single person.
Kroger adds .10-$1 to each item compared to Meijer. go their websites and add items to the cart then compare the final price.
At least that much is added on. I switched to Meijer this year and I save about 15-20% a week on groceries. In addition to the savings, Meijer is consistent. I can get everything I need in one trip. Kroger was very unreliable, cant get a roast or poblanos or garlic. Their shopping bags are better, wider aisles and more product selection.
I wouldnt say i "hate" kroger but it just.....it just isn't what I want anymore? It's big and loud and always crowded. I do my regular shopping at Aldi and go to Kroger to do periodic (*not weekly*) restocks of non-Aldi things. Aldi is absolutely cheaper no matter how you slice it, smaller, quieter, easier...... Quality has degraded and prices have increased across the board. I'm now just looking for the best possible prices and most tolerable shopping experience. So, based on those criteria, Aldi is the winner for me.
Kroger has the worst produce of any grocery store. Walmart, and Aldi have better produce, and Meijer has both fresher produce and a wider produce selection. This has been going on since 2012, so for 10 years. What did Kroger do to resolve this? They changed their slogan to “Fresh for everyone” and introduced Kroji mascots. Krogers price point was reasonable pre Covid. Post Covid they have become the most expensive grocery store, while the quality of the products has dropped to Dollar Store levels. Even Walmart beats them on quality now. The Kroger I used to patronize is always chronically understaffed, and therefore the customer service is worst than Walmart. Walmart used to have the worst customer service of ANY business I’ve been to in my lifetime. Kroger dropping below Walmart means Kroger is actively racing to the bottom. Kroger Corporate is actively testing how much they can drop quality before it affects profits.
The quality and service has gone down hill rapidly in recent years. We stopped doing click list all together. At first it was great, then we kept getting meat that was a day or so off from spoiling, the produce was only good for another day or two at most as well. I understand first in first out, but why give customers food that’s going to be bad in 48 hours?? If we have to go back to the store and request replacements what is the point of click list? It’s just costing us more time. I understand this might happen occasionally but not EVERY SINGLE ORDER. The stores near us (Anderson, Cherry Grove and Amelia) are just a shit show these days. They are grimey , poorly stocked and customer service is so hit or miss. Now we just shop at Aldi, Sam’s and Costco. If we need something really quick we’ll run in but honestly I don’t want to spend a dime with Kroger anymore.
Those of us that like Kroger aren't as happy as the disgruntled crowd is mad.
The Blue Ash Kroger store is a joke. It's a nightmare to get into since they put traffic circles in the intersections to get into the store. When you turn in the main entrance, you find some wizard decided to put a McDonald's right there, with the cars waiting in the drive thru line sticking out into the lane of incoming cars, as well as drivers shooting out of the drive thru on the other side of the building right into the oncoming cars in the lot. Inside the store, they are constantly out of products and woefully understaffed. With a deli counter that is 50ft or longer, they often have ONE employee there. The nearby IGA deli counter is about 10ft, and they always have 3 or 4 people working it. I'm fine with other Krogers, but Blue Ash needs to go!
The Kroger closet to me is garbage. Their management team is terrible. They have huge sections of empty shelves. There are so many displays in the aisles people have to take turns in them. If I go to a less convenient one, it is great, just as one would expect.
Pop over to r/Kroger and see how the employees feel about the place. It’s mostly not great.
My partner and I crunched the numbers. Kroger is habitually the most expensive option for shopping.
Monopoly. Plain and simple.
Kroger reported record profits but raised prices, cut employee wages, and fired employees. They are also largely subsidized by tax dollars as most of their employees need food stamps just to survive.
These statements are not correct
Here are three examples from across the political spectrum. Do you have any evidence? [workers](https://economicrt.org/publication/hungry-at-the-table/) [leftist](https://perfectunion.us/exclusive-kroger-memo-workers-poverty/) [conservative ](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/09/12/kroger-ranks-among-top-employers-of-workers-on.html) [far right wing](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=XGKdRVCe9in8Wy_f)
It’s expensive, they run out of stuff all the time, their substitutions for click list are bizarre.
I always mark “No Substitutions” for that reason.
I don’t mind Kroger. The biggest inconveniences presented with Kroger are easily fixed by a 5-10 minute drive to another Kroger. That being said, once Publix opens in NKY I’ll likely never shop at Kroger again.
I hope Publix does well here. They're a great option, albeit not always the cheapest. We will see.
I moved to Florida last year, and miss the hell out of Kroger. Yea, we have Kroger delivery down here, but not the same. Publix is so expensive and Winn Dixie is decent but low quality. Miss Kroger among many Cincy things, can’t wait to move back home.
I lived in Florida for 11 years, and I hated it
Yeah, as soon as I finish this job in St. Pete I’m out of Florida.
Prices
I didn’t realize how bland Kroger was until moving away and then moving back. I remember looking at their online “international cuisine” section and “Hispanic Food” being a photo of unseasoned shredded chicken, ground beef, translucent lettuce, and hard tortillas. Like, what!? Kroger’s produce selection is awful. The fact that it is easier to find apricots when they’re in season at Target than at Kroger is quite telling. Do you want fresh herbs? 50/50 choice if you can find the common ones in Kroger. Do you want bay leaves? Get ready to pay $6 for 7 bay leaves (despite your Hispanic grocery store having like 20 for $3). Their in-house bakery has become quite subpar too. The bread has no taste. Despite having megastores, I can’t find a whole lot of interesting products. They just have massive aisles of the same produced variations with different labels. Have you seen their hot sauces in their condiment aisle? It’s the same 4 variations just with different branding. Same with mustard. I can either get yellow, Dijon, or brown seed mustard (sometimes).
My issue is their prices. It's kind of crazy that I can get cheaper groceries at Target. And it kind of seems like Kroger is just raising prices because they can, especially when you start comparing prices at other chains. And their deals and coupons have started degrading in quality.
Meijer is my go to!
There are a lot of people who feel Kroger's size and buying power is tantamount to a local monopoly. They're even more upset at the Albertsons merger that they're trying to close, and how that will make it worse. People feel the Kroger is price gouging. I don't think that's accurate, as I have a job in the Grocery industry and get to peek behind the curtains. I see the costs the manufacturers deal with and see the details behind the contracts that Kroger engages in with them. It's all relatively up-and-up. There are also people who feel Kroger engages in unfair labor practices. That side of things I have less insight into, but I believe that if those labor claims are as exaggerated as the pricing claims are, then they're probably bunk as well.
The labor claims aren’t exaggerated. If anything, they’re understated. I mean, all you have to do is walk into any store at any hour of the day and look at the staffing levels.
>and look at the staffing levels. > >17ReplyShareReportSaveFollow What are the issues with the labor practices? I honestly do not know.
When companies deliberately understaff, it creates an unsustainable workload for the people who work there.
I have family who worked at a different Kroger for over a year who left to go to School recently. They said that they just couldn't fill the spots. They wanted more employees, no one would do it.
That’s another issue entirely. Many stores do struggle to hire people.
I would expect people familiar with the Milford Kroger would tell you the labor practice complaints are understated if anything.
Kroger keeps dropping over $1 million bringing celebrities to town for the damn wellness seminars. Carrie Underwood has a minimum $150k appearance fee, John Cena is $500k minimum. Venus Williams, Bethenny Frankel, $100k each, Fitz and the Tantrums, $150k.
Thanks for attending my thesis on shopping at Kroger and reading the long post below! I always think it's a matter of grocery shopping being a necessity plus observing controllable actions/behaviors that significantly decrease the experience (to the point of being so internally angry that I have to vent, usually to friends/family though). For me, it boils down to two things: -fellow customers either being completely oblivious or downright rude while shopping (pretty consistent no matter where you shop) -how well or poorly the Kroger is managed (this varies widely by store). I typically shop at Delhi, and compared to my experience at Dent, Delhi is managed a lot worse. Some of the experiences that make me hate shopping at Krogers in Delhi that I don't experience elsewhere: -Constantly out of carts in the cart well -Constantly out of stock or stocked incorrectly -Poor quality (leaky containers, dented cans, "off taste" of store produced food) -LONG checkout lines, especially on a busy evening where 2/3rds of the cashier lines are closed and 1 section of self checkout is closed. -Cashiers and baggers that spend more energy conversating with the customer than doing their job (I swear there is 1 cashier that will scan 1 item, stop what they are doing, stare at the nutrition facts of the item, then comment on it before scanning the next item). -Customers that treat the produce aisle as their own personal orchid, touching each edible portion of fruit/veg, licking their fingers/hands, or eating a portion of the food (disgusting) -Customers that treat aisles as their own personal walk in closet and take up as much space as they can without letting anyone pass in the aisle Just a few of the reasons why shopping at Kroger annoys me. I'm sure it's just me getting older and angrier at the world, and I'm sure Kroger isn't an exception, it's likely like this at any other SM chain that's poorly ran. Thanks for attending my TED talk. TL;DR: Grocery shopping is a necessity, some stores are better ran than others and it shows, there are controllable factors that lessen the experience that can vary by location, on a bad day when I experience these controllable factors I like to complain (usually to friends/fam). Guess it's a first sign of me getting old and crotchety....
> I typically shop at Delhi, and compared to my experience at Dent, Delhi is managed a lot worse. I actively avoid Delhi and hit Dent or the one on Rt. 128.
Aldi and target. Kroger is so expensive I only shoot there if something is on sale or I can’t get it elsewhere. You can also get in and out of Aldi very quickly.
I personally do Amazon Fresh delivery and Market Wagon delivery for a combination of locally grown and the “mainstream” groceries. Nothing really against Kroger but I have had good success with Fresh. Delivery is my favorite thing— I hate shopping.
Kroger delivery is fantastic as well
Amazon Fresh was great until they killed it with a $100 minimum for free delivery. With just 2 of us in the house it's rare to spend $100 except around holidays or special occasions.
Capitalism /j
I have had generally positive experiences with shopping my preferred Kroger locations—Madeira, Harper’s Point, Montgomery, Blue Ash, and Oakley (in that order). I like the selection of fresh produce, the quality of fish and meat, and the specialty items. I like using the self-scan carts at the Madeira location, but I wish they had a place to set a phone or purse like the last models did. I also use the Kroger Boost delivery service bc it’s so much better than Instacart. Walmart, Meijer, and other stores seem more chaotic and inconsistent.
I love kroger. It may be store dependent. I love more in the suburbs with seemingly the latest products and tech at my store so idk.
Because people on this sub would rather you ship at that Clifton Market.
I worked there and now I hate it with a passion.
I live very close to one of the shittier Kroger in the area. Tylersville and Cox. I drive right by it to go to the Meijer on Tylersville and 75. They came to terms with the senior center that was behind it and are going to build a new Marketplace sometime soon. Meanwhile, at Western Row and Mason Montgomery, a new Dorthy Lane is being built. I imagine that'll be nice for special occasion items that I would typically go to Jungle Jim's for. And....breaking news, a Whole Foods is going up a t Liberty Way and Butler Warren. The new Costco has some options too. I expect my Meijer will do an expansion soon to keep up.
The Kroger Plus Card has one of the most insanely invasive “privacy policies” of any American corporation. (Their subsidiary Ralph’s had to disclose the full details due to California state law.) Their prices aren’t competitive (esp without the Plus Card). Their produce sucks. And I really hate the new gates they’re installing at the entrances. Maybe none of this would matter if it was a choice between that and Walmart, but I live pretty close to Meijer, Whole Foods, Aldi and Trader Joe’s, and not insanely far from Jungle Jim’s. Between all of those it’s extremely rare that I actually need to visit a Kroger.
They used to be great one of the best for low prices but lately they’ve been more expensive than other stores. This might just be at the one I frequent (loveland) but they have rotten produce and expired food sitting out. I’ve had to ask them to correct the prices on multiple items that rang up more than what was priced on the shelf. I still go there for some things bc of limited options but they definitely aren’t how they used to be.
The Kroger at Harpers Point has never done me wrong
People like to whine and complain about things. Some people's entire existence is to be outraged about something and post about it on social media. It seems like a total waste of your life, but since people like doing that. Who am I to say how people should live their life? But I'm with you, Kroger is a decent store. Although, I miss the old Bigg's grocery stores in town. Before Rempke drove them into the ground. And not the super big ones like they had at Eastgate. Better prices than Kroger and the employees actually seemed happy to be working there. I used to joke that the Bigg's employee union must be better than the Kroger employee union.
It's Reddit. The site basically solely exists because of whining, complaining, and opinionated know it alls.
We don’t hate Kroger but for our family of five it is 40-50% more expensive than Aldi for the same items (we’ve compared four different times now). The only problem with Aldi is we can’t typically get everything we need there so we have to go somewhere else for a few things every week. Aldi is also much smaller so it takes a lot less time and there are fewer people when we go at 9 AM on Sunday. Produce is always good at our store. Never once had an issue with anything. I love Jungle Jim’s but the closest one is too far from where we live and my wife wants to strangle me when I go there because I spend a *shitload* of money. I only get to go there on special occasions once or twice a year.
Reddit is, generally speaking, liberal. Liberals, generally speaking, hate big successful corporations. Ergo, they hate Kroger. Downvote me all you want but it's true.
I disagree. I have no issues with large corps who treat their employees and customers well. It's just that there are so few of them around anymore. Sears used to be a great example and thankfully Costco is still holding the line. Also take the simple fact that Aldi let's their cashiers sit on a stool. It's a small thing but says a lot about how they view their workers.
Well said and I agree with the valid points you bring up
Sears? Really? The same old Sears or some modern version that didn't understaff the cash wrap and force credit cards down everyone's throat while selling merch from the previous decade.
I'm referring to the Sears of long ago where the people were well paid and they gave pretty much unconditional refunds for many of their products and lifetime guarantees.
Because big corporations only get there by killing small local businesses, by under paying and exploiting the workers. They have record profits but claim inflation is the issue.
Liberals do not hate big, successful corporations. Liberals hate companies of all sizes who engage in shady business practices and exploit human beings to achieve that “success.”
Downvoted. I don’t hate Kroger because of politics. I hate them because they charge 13.99 / lb for Flank steak when it’s 9.99 / lb everywhere else and are closer to Wal Mart in how they compensate and treat their workers than they are to themselves 20 years ago. Just straight up greed.
The area needs more grocery options. Giant Eagle, Publix, Kroger, etc. You go anywhere else and you have options. All you have around here for grocery specific is Korger and Aldi (and Aldi isn't really a full on grocery IMO).
I was born into the kroger family - been shopping for 52 plus years . I just can’t take myself to go any place else / plus my son now works there & we get great discounts .. my dad is a retire
Awesome! The weekly Kroger bitch session thread!
Theres good krogers and bad krogers, I won't say where the good ones are because I don't want you coming to it.