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.”
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.
Washington has a few grocery store franchises, but only a few standard grocers with Kroger & Albertsons dominating the market.
Standard Grocers:
Discount:
Bulk:
Super Centers:
Specialty:
Asian:
Outlet:
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.
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.