Grocery Rumors Swirling

[MontroseNeighborhoodCafe]

Feb. 14, 2005, 11:30PM

Grocery rumors swirling

Speculation centers on what's ahead for Randalls

By DAVID KAPLAN

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[GovernorAggie]

I hope Harris Teeter buys Randall's. Even mid-range Harris Teeter stores can give Central Markets a run for their money.

[jm1fd]

I'd like to see HEB pick them up. I think HEB has a great combination of price, quality, and selection....price being the more important in my book. Failing HEB, I'd like anyone but Kroger.

[Parrothead]

There's no secret to this one. Randall's is practically price gouging. I can get a stick of butter down the street at Kroger's for .25 cents....Randall's buys the same stick of butter from the same vendor for the same price but charges .40 cents. It would be different if they were more of a boutique grocer like Whole Foods, or Rice Epicurean, but...no......it's Randall's. So I only go to Randall's if I am desperate.

I would love to see the Onsteads buy it back. I hate Safeway.

[kzseattle]

I hope Harris Teeter buys Randall's.

[kjb434]

I literally avoid Randals at all cost. It just too expensive. I primarily go to Kroger and if i lived within 5 miles of a Super Wal-Mart or SuperTarget (which i don't), I'll use them. Randalls needs to be more competitive.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I used to prefer HEB over Kroger's and Randalls, but since all the HEBs near me are so busy nowadays, I shop at old reliable: Kroger's.

Randall's has always been too expensive, and their selection is surprisingly ho-hum compared to their competitors.

I mean, go to the Randall's in Midtown, for example, and they barely have any Lil' Debbie snack cakes.

I mean, c'mon!

[MidtownCoog]

Randall's in Midtown is a special case.

Check out the size of the carts.

[kzseattle]

I used to prefer HEB over Kroger's and Randalls, but since all the HEBs near me are so busy nowadays, I shop at old reliable: Kroger's.

Randall's has always been too expensive, and their selection is surprisingly ho-hum compared to their competitors.

I mean, go to the Randall's in Midtown, for example, and they barely have any Lil' Debbie snack cakes.

I mean, c'mon!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I havnt been in town long enough to check out all Randall's and Krogers. However, I have seen a few. For eg, The Kroger on Westheimer in Westchase next to Hilton hotel and Randalls also in Westchase on Westheimer near Target. If I compare just these two, its like comparing Target and Wal-mart. In Kroger, staff is usually no where to be found and when I do find it they are rude and act as if they are having a bad day. The store is rather dirty too. Compared to it, Randall looks much better. Just my opinion.

[citykid09]

Kroger is for old farts.

It's a Yankee union shop from Ohio.

I prefer HEB.  Keep my money in Texas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was about to say the same thing. Keep it in Texas. But if not, I would like to see a new chain come to the area. Like Food Lion use to be in Houston, or Publix. I just like the name "Publix" http://www.publix.com/

[HeightsGuy]

Kroger is for old farts.

It's a Yankee union shop from Ohio.

I prefer HEB. Keep my money in Texas.

I really try to like HEB, but they make it hard. The problem with HEB is that there are so many flavors, and I'm not talking the difference between an HEB and Central Market either. It could be HEB, or HEB Pantry, or a few other types, and I can never remember which is which. And that's a bad thing because some of them can be absolute dumps in regards to the selection, and then you can turn around and walk into one that makes you think you were in their Central Market location. Unfortunately, the HEB flavor by my house (the one on 18th in Shady Acres) is the dump variety. It's a fairly new store stocked full of the crappiest selection.

With Kroger (now that most are Signature), a Kroger is a Kroger is a Kroger. I can go in knowing exactly what their selection will be. I think they seem to "get it" with my demographic group (30-somethings). The stuff I tend to like and buy is always in abundance there.

I know I may get grilled for this (being the hippy liberal that I am), but I am pretty impressed with the small Walmart Neighborhood stores too.

Randalls is just a waste of time these days. I know some people swear by the prices there, but the items I buy always seem more expensive at Randalls.

[Parrothead]

Oh Publix!! Makes me long for Florida. "Where shopping is a pleasure." I grew up between Naples and Houston and Publix was my granny's fave grocery store!! I miss it!!!

[Lowbrow]

I think we need Piggly Wiggly. There is just no way to go into the Pig and be cool. Gotta love that. I've never been in a store that sells all its produce saran wrapped before. hehe.

[ssullivan]

I really like Randall's and have never understood what the beef about their prices is. When I lived in Westchase I shopped at both Randall's and HEB after the new one opened (wouldn't go near the nasty HEB Pantry it replaced) and I never saw much difference in my grocery bill between the two stores. Granted I use a lot of coupons and with my Randall's card many of those get doubled and tripled. So maybe that's why I've never really felt like I was getting ripped off.

Unfortunately there's not a nice HEB near me, so Randall's gets pretty much all my business these days. I've tried the Kroger (former Albertson's) on South Main which is just a few blocks away but I just don't like the atmosphere of that store. I really like the recently remodeled Randall's - I usually go to the one at West Bellfort and South Post Oak. It's not quite as big as the one in Westchase that I loved but it's still very nice. Other than Randall's I also do a lot of shopping at Whole Foods on Kirby - I prefer them for organic produce and some meats (I prefer non genetically modified, and hormone- and antibiotic-free meat), as well as some of the brands that only they carry. However it is noticeably more expensive.

I think it's sad Randall's has been in decline the last few years. Their stores are definitely not as busy as they once were - which I have mixed feelings about. Because of that checkout lines move pretty fast there usually - but I hate to see what was a wonderful local company going downhill after a big corporate takeover.

It would be so great for the Onstead family to buy the company back but I don't think it will happen. I hope they don't go the way of Albertson's and end up getting sold off to three or four different competitors on a store-by-store basis. God forbid Kroger take them over.

[volvo99]

I agree that Randall's is a bit pricier than Kroger. But I feel I'm getting something more for my money: clean stores, helpful staff, the little things that make shopping a pleasure there.

I support the Midtown Randall's even though I'm closer to the Montrose Kroger; a world of difference IMHO.

[Heights2Bastrop]

Randall

[bachanon]

i frequent the randall's store here at grogan's mill, and like ssullivan said, with coupons and my randall's card, i save a bundle. the woodlands new HEB woodlands market is just down the street as well, talk about higher prices. i go to HEB woodlands market for a better wine selection or niche products i can't find elsewhere, but for my everyday items it's randall's. i would hate to see them gobbled up by kroger's or HEB.

i heard a rumor that the woodlands may get a whole foods. anyone in the know?

[Guest danax]

i frequent the randall's store here at grogan's mill, and like ssullivan said, with coupons and my randall's card, i save a bundle.  the woodlands new HEB woodlands market is just down the street as well, talk about higher prices.  i go to HEB woodlands market for a better wine selection or niche products i can't find elsewhere, but for my everyday items it's randall's.  i would hate to see them gobbled up by kroger's or HEB.

i heard a rumor that the woodlands may get a whole foods.  anyone in the know?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whole Foods has a website that shows all of their stores-in-progress and Houston doesn't have any, last time I checked. Between the Champions. Spring and Woodlands I'm thinking one would work up there.

[GovernorAggie]

I was about to say the same thing. Keep it in Texas. But if not, I would like to see a new chain come to the area. Like Food Lion use to be in Houston, or Publix. I just like the name "Publix" http://www.publix.com/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NO, not Food Lion. I HATE Food Lion. If you guys think that Kroger is crap--wow, you would think otherwise with Food Lion. However, I will say that Food Lion has started this new concept store called Bloom that seems nice, and they have been remodeling stores--so maybe they're better now.

I still prefer Harris Teeter.

[editor]

There's no secret to this one.  Randall's is practically price gouging.  I can get a stick of butter down the street at Kroger's for .25 cents....Randall's buys the same stick of butter from the same vendor for the same price but charges .40 cents.  It would be different if they were more of a boutique grocer like Whole Foods, or Rice Epicurean, but...no......it's Randall's.  So I only go to Randall's if I am desperate.

I would love to see the Onsteads buy it back.  I hate Safeway. 

This doesn't surprise me at all. Yesterday I saw a spokesman for one of Safeway's other supermarket brands on TV. He actually admitted that his stores have higher prices than the competition, but said it didn't matter because nobody shops off the shelf prices. As far as he knows, people only buy stuff that's in the newspaper circular.

News flash: If you need milk, you need milk; whether it's on sale, or not. And how many people really sit down on Sunday and go through the supermarket coupons anymore? This isn't All In The Family. People are busy these days. They buy when they need stuff. Shopping is no longer a leisure activity.

[Parrothead]

OMG I TOTALLY clip coupons from the Sunday paper!!! I guess I am one of the few? Maybe it's a girl thing. I dunno!

[jm1fd]

This doesn't surprise me at all.  Yesterday I saw a spokesman for one of Safeway's other supermarket brands on TV.  He actually admitted that his stores have higher prices than the competition, but said it didn't matter because nobody shops off the shelf prices.  As far as he knows, people only buy stuff that's in the newspaper circular. 

News flash: If you need milk, you need milk; whether it's on sale, or not.  And how many people really sit down on Sunday and go through the supermarket coupons anymore?  This isn't All In The Family.  People are busy these days.  They buy when they need stuff.  Shopping is no longer a leisure activity.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do shop the shelf prices....or at least did before the Heights HEB closed. It wasn't a 100% documented affair with spreadsheets and spreadsheets of prices, but I do remember about how much stuff costs here and there.

I don't do coupons for groceries either....too much time to manually clip, sort, and haul around.

[GovernorAggie]

I do shop the shelf prices....or at least did before the Heights HEB closed.

[kzseattle]

OMG    I TOTALLY clip coupons from the Sunday paper!!!  I guess I am one of the few?    Maybe it's a girl thing.  I dunno!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When someone remembers that butter costs 25 cents here and 40 cents there, we can kind of guess we got a coupons-clipper I wish I could remember all those prices!

[ssullivan]

OMG    I TOTALLY clip coupons from the Sunday paper!!!  I guess I am one of the few?    Maybe it's a girl thing.  I dunno!

I'm a coupon clipper too (as I referenced above). Funny you mention the "girl thing" -- last year in the check out line at the store a lady saw me waiting with my stack of coupons and commented that I was the first man she'd ever seen in the store with a stack of coupons.

Anyway, back to prices. Yes, I may pay a little extra on non-sale, non-coupon items at Randall's, but I've found that the coupon/Randall's card savings I get (which are usually a LOT) tend to compensate for the fact that I might have paid an extra 10 cents for a quart of milk. And despite having a tight budget due to being unemployed right now, I don't just shop on price. I also shop for quality and try to do things like buy organic produce and meat whenever possible, so I know I pay a premium there. That's why I usually get that stuff at Whole Foods because there's a better selection of it. And I'm willing to pay a little more for vegetables that haven't been sprayed down with pesticides and meat from animals that haven't been injected with all sorts of chemicals.

[ssullivan]

I shop at Kroger (closest one to my apt.) and I learned to clip coupons like a maniac since they have those triple coupons up to 39 cents and double coupons for 40-50 cents.  Are you kidding?  With that Kroger card, I have bought things for free with those coupons.  A 35 cent coupon is suddenly a $1.05 discount off something that was a $1.50 to begin with?  A $3 can of Tyson's chicken for 75 cents?  A medium-sized Hunt's ketchup for a penny?  A can of Manwich for free?  6 boxes of cajun rice (mmmm) for the price of 4?  I even print coupons from smartsource.com.  I'm a 24 year old male, but I must admit--yes, I clip coupons, lol.

My last grocery bill was for $70.00--the most I've ever spent at a grocery store.  But because of that card and a few coupons, I saved over $50.00.  $70.00 for $120.00 worth of groceries?  Not too bad.

Sounds like one of my grocery store trips!

I once pulled off a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper for better than free -- I actually made money on the deal because of a sale price combined with a tripled coupon and a mail in rebate deal. :-)

[bachanon]

i'm feeling a little validated knowing that i'm not the only male coupon cutter around.

[GovernorAggie]

i'm feeling a little validated knowing that i'm not the only male coupon cutter around. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes! We Male Couponers have to stick together!

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[jm1fd]

I once pulled off a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper for better than free -- I actually made money on the deal because of a sale price combined with a tripled coupon and a mail in rebate deal. :-)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do the same sort of penny pinching, but with bigger stuff....like a $600 color laser printer for $60. For a $3 case of DP, its not worth the hassle....to me anyways.