Albertsons workers may be getting screwed soon

Went to Albertons tonight and when the grocery clerk rang up my bill I noticed my little "reward card" didn't do shit for my total like it used to a few months back.
The clerk giggled when he pointed it out to me.

When I made the comment "explains why there are rumors that Albertsons is going under", he confirmed that his manager was told that "negotiations started this Saturday" with buyers for Albertsons.

The grocery chain pisses me off but I feel for any of the workers/communities that will be losing their jobs when these stores shut down.
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http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050903/NEWS02/509030337/1034

09-03-2005

Larry Johnston, chairman and chief executive officer of Albertsons, said in a statement sent to employees that the company's board of directors "is exploring strategic alternatives to increase shareholder value, including a possible sale of the company."

Albertsons, the nation's second-largest grocery chain, has hired Goldman Sachs & Co. and The Blackstone Group as financial advisers while the board explores its options. Company officials declined to comment further until the board approves what it called a "definitive transaction."

A sale would be a wise move for Albertsons "because the supermarket sector is under siege from Wal-Mart Supercenters," said Burt Flickinger III, managing director of the Strategic Research Group, a New York-based retail consulting firm.

He said Albertsons might want to sell its stores in Southern states, like Arizona, Texas and Florida, which face the heaviest competition from Wal-Mart.

already

It's big news if they are actually going under. Also, it's bad for the economy too.

Albertson's is number 2 to Kroger.

when it used to be called Lucky (& Food Basket before that). I have never been that impressed with Albertsons.

Tammy

union labor competing with Walmart. Not promising for unionized supermarkets...

said that they will probably be losing their seniority and will be down on the totem poll all over again. Monday, I went shopping and I saw only one clerk I recognized. The atmosphere was strange and the checkout clerk helping me wouldn't say what was going on. I haven't been back yet, so I wonder what was up.

Gee wiz. I know I worked for Shop and Save, (parent company is SuperValu). The parent company sold off all the shop and save stores. Several have closed thanks in part to that bloated pig known as Mal Wart. This is in the Pittsburgh area by the way.

http://www.retailworker.com/forum/233

They are talking/posting about what is happening. One poster gave this recent link:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bizj/060113/1215224.html?.v=1


Albertson's Inc. plans to resume talks with potential buyers, the New York Post reported on Friday.
A $15.7 billion deal to take the grocery store chain private collapsed last month.

The new talks are targeted at completing a similar $26-a-share deal within the next few weeks, the Post quoted sources as saying.

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Here is another one:
http://albertsonsworkers.com/

scheme and all the markets are involved. Albertson's did a slick move in my area by moving up the road and turning my store over to Ralph's. The employees were allowed to stay at Ralph's and keep their pensions and seniority. Those who went with Albertson's up the road had to start from scratch.

When the workers went on strike a couple of years ago, Ralph's locked the union members out. Then it went out of business. The displaced worker's have been showing up working at Albertson's and Von's. They lost all their seniority anyway.

I don't think we've seen the end of this.

Corporations just begrudge treating the employees who make opening the doors possible like human beings instead of appliances. They hate the concept that employees have a business agreement with employers and BOTH parties have obligations to fulfill. Corporations just plain don't want to pay people. They want cogs which will work and then be switched off with no lives or needs of their own. They want to treat people like things.

Feigning poverty to employees is an old trick. That it is now systematic and industry wind is part of making the US a third world nation. This is the logical progression of easing regulation of corporations, turning a blind eye on industry collusion and starving agencies charged with enforcing what laws and rules are still applicable in business.

It's the Robber Barons all over again folks. You kids will be doing labor for pennies on the dollar pretty damned soon.

America, plant a garden. We are gonna be needing to help each other pretty damned soon.

ALL of us

no exceptions

He started the chain in Boise, Idaho with a few thousand bucks borrowed from his aunt. He believed in quality products, customer service, and treating employees right. At one time they were considered the best employer in the state.

The employee morale has been poor for several years now as hours and benefits were cut while CEO's bonuses have never been larger. Johnston is thought of as an inept prick.

A funny thing has been happening to grocery prices around here.

The chain stores (Safeway, Albertsons) seem to have gotten more expensive, while
the once-pricey independent stores are having a lot more sales than they used to.
Of course, the meat and produce is of much higher quality at the independent stores
than at Safeway or Albertsons!

If the chains can't compete with the local stores on either price or quality,
it is no wonder they are losing business.

Walmart isn't really a factor in the Bay Area. Costco is, and with their ability to deliver
high quality at low prices I am sure that Albertsons and Safeway are losing business to them,
but they may also be losing business to the local stores.

their prices are too high and they never seem to have what I want. I only go there if it's convenient.

went down. Its not the clerks fault, its management.

We now shop at Safeway.

they were great. Prices were reasonable and I shopped there a lot. The employees were well paid, especially for this area, and six months after becoming full time employees, they had paid full health benefits.

Then Albertsons started buying up more and more stores. They did a refit not long after Walmart added a grocery store to it's department store here, and their prices went through the roof. Everything in the store went up fifty cents to five or more dollars per item.

I still shopped there once in a while, but I could no longer afford to do most of my grocery shopping there.

Then during late summer last year, Albertsons sold off a bunch of stores in northeast Florida to a former (management/administration) employee who went with IGA (Independent Grocers of American) and called his new store Rowe's.

Their prices are much better than Albertsons were, but still higher in many cases than Walmarts.

I have started shopping their sales and for the products that are reasonably priced.

Rowe's however, lowered the wages they were paying to the employees and most of those who had been their for three to fifteen years have moved on.

edit: for clarification

they are already empty (overpriced produce, always out of sale items, lousy bakery) people eventually catch on. There are Stater Bros. across from both our local Chez Albert, and they do alright. Albs is overpriced , they think they are Ralphs, or Pavilions.

I almost cried real tears when they closed ours and converted it into a shabby Vons..and then closed THAT after a few years..

I shop at Costco/Food4Less/and StaterBros..Never pay any attention to the prices, so I can;t say which is cheaper..Closeness and decent parking is my thing.

I like them cause they have all the Nat'l brands and they give FF miles. But they are high. Stater is my regular, and F4L. I pay attention to the ads every week .

Hence the "Albertson's is going under" talk.

on their employees. at least when i know about it, such as the local alberson's that has a sign right at the front door bragging about their shameful invasion of privacy.