Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday sued to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons, two of the nation’s largest grocery chains.

In the suit filed in King County Superior Court, Ferguson argued that the $25-billion deal would harm consumers and raise prices, The Seattle Times reported. Kroger and Albertsons have more than 300 locations in the state and account for more than half of its grocery sales, according to the suit.

“This merger is bad for Washington shoppers and workers,” Ferguson said in a news release Monday. “Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and, without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store.”

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️
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    1310 months ago

    I’ve never been in a Kroger’s but I hear a lot about them, and I know first hand how shit Albertson’s is.

    If those are the only two choices people in Washington have, that already sucks.

    • @NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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      710 months ago

      In Portland Oregon, I’ve got these two choices, then a local chain that’s much smaller and much more expensive… and a coop that’s also quite expensive.

      So for semi-reasonably priced food, it’s either Kroger or Albertsons.

          • @NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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            210 months ago

            The farmers markets I’ve gone to were more expensive than getting the same things at the aforementioned expensive grocer.

            Trader Joe’s / Costco… for sure, for the things you can get there.

            Grocery outlet, Asian markets and meat markets, I haven’t tried, though I do actually have a couple relatively close, I’ll poke my head in soon.

      • @thereisalamp@reddthat.com
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        310 months ago

        Oh poppy cock. Oregon has some pretty diverse grocery options most of them cheaper than Kroger and Albertsons.

        For example, corvallis, has a winco, Walmart market, grocery outlet, and traders Joe’s, all of which I can easily spend less at than Safeway or Fred Meyer, which is the big Kroger brand in Oregon.

        Then there’s also, university market and natural grocers, 15 minutes down 22 there’s an iga, locally owned chains designed to be close to certain housing, smaller, a little more expensive.

        Then there’s the Asian (like HK) and Indian (like Desi) markets. There used to be a Mexican grocery they’re but it shut down. I’m certain you’ll have one in Portland though. These places have amazing specialty ingredients as well as some great deals on standard stuff.

        Finally there’s a market of choice which is traditionally expensive, but occasionally has some seriously good deals.

        • @NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Damn, it’s so true when they say that if you want to get help on the internet, just say something false and you’ll get a hoard of people coming to correct you.

          There are a few options I need to explore, but I think I’m just not use to having to go multiple places to get everything I need…. I’m from Texas, home of HEB.

          • @thereisalamp@reddthat.com
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            10 months ago

            Oh someone mentioned it under Washington, but cash n carry is gold too. It’s a restaurant supply store and is better for bulk imo than Costco because it’s just food and kitchen supplies. Easier to walk in and buy what you need then leave than Costco.

            Also, no membership needed

            Also sorry if I seemed like a dick. The poppycock thing sounded funny in my head but on reread came across condescending.

    • @odelik@lemmy.today
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      10 months ago

      Washington has a few grocery store franchises, but only a few standard grocers with Kroger & Albertsons dominating the market.

      Standard Grocers:

      • QFC (Kroger)
      • Safeway & Albertsons (Albersons)
      • Red Apple

      Discount:

      • Saars
      • Grocery Outlet

      Bulk:

      • Winco
      • Costco

      Super Centers:

      • Walmart
      • Target
      • Fred Meyer (Kroger)

      Specialty:

      • Whole Foods
      • PCC
      • Trader Joe’s
      • Metropolitan Markert

      Asian:

      • H-Mart
      • Uwajimaya

      Outlet:

      • Cash-n-Carry
    • @hobovision@lemm.ee
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      410 months ago

      You want to know how bad Kroger is? I’d much rather go to an Albertsons. In fact, I have a Kroger owned store less than a mile from where I live, but if I need certain things, or just want a more pleasant shopping experience, I’ll go the 10 minutes to the Albertsons or Hmart.

    • @Soggy@lemmy.world
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      310 months ago

      We have a few others, at least near major population centers, that range from cheap to pricey. I don’t see Costco going away anytime soon for example.