Ingles's grocery chain...Am I alone here? (Asheville, Jacksonville: fit in, prices)

[miokie]

Originally Posted by shawn byington

I'm with you on Engles, the stores are filthy,high prices for there garbage food,and the help are no help at all. Bring on Publix.

I've never been to a Publix but based upon my experiences at Ingles, it wouldn't have to do much to get my business.
We're only in Asheville a couple of times a year so we're not your typical buyers but when there we buy produce at the farmer's market, baked goods and some meats at Earthfare (yeah, upscale but the service and quality are good) and the rest at Sam's. Ingles is good only for laughs and colorful stories about the clueless teens who sip their mocharinos and talk to each other while they ring up our purchases.. they don't multitask... it's ring up an item, then take a sip, then flirt with the sack boy, then ring up another item, repeat..

I'm a patient person, don't demand hustle bustle, and I understand slow, friendly, personal service. But that's not what you get at Ingles. The workers are completely disinterested in the customers and the job. That's managment's fault, they're not properly recruiting and training. Customer service is obviously a very low priority.... and don't even get me started on the quality and variety of goods.

[silveraymoon]

[quote=Investrman;2314158]Bob Ingles and family have a lot of clout as he lives in Biltmore Forrest. He has as it has been said in quiet talks, forced many grocery stores out. In South Asheville Food Lion and Bi-Lo both finally closed leaving Ingles to do as he pleases.

It is said at the annual grove Park Resport parties he throws for his vendors, he makes them offers they cannot refuse to give him special treatment so that he can maintain the hold he has over the areas food markets.

In Asheville, Ingles controls the food, Beverly Hanks controls the real estate, and Beverly Grant controls the majority of construction- and if you are not related to them or connected to someone associated to them, you will not get a job either no matter how experienced you are or educated. A lot of underlying prejudice exists in the Ashevilel area, so when you newcomers get the mountain mist out of your eyes and settle in, you will start to see what many of us other former transplants realized after we came here and got stuck in a financnial demise.QUOTE]

I seriously wonder if there isn't some anti-trust laws being played with here by the upstanding" Mr. Ingles and his cronies. I also suspect a bit of subliminal "brainwashing" by the local boys in order to keep "the locals" thinking they really have a local company. Laura Lynn products aren't just cheaper, they're inferior, have higher profit margins and cost what name brands would cost if the stores didn't undercut the vendors and the customers with less quality. We are being led into mediocrity under the guise of value, which is not what we are recieving. But we believe the local boys don't we? After all, they're local boys.

[Ghostgecko]

...There's just no more love for the scarecrow....

Sorry, I work at a country bar!

[jbird22]

Harris-Teeter on Hendersonville Road. Best service, hands down. Excellent produce and meats. If I need something convenient, I go to Food Lion, and I generally get canned goods, etc at Sav-Mor and hole in the wall places like that. Nice combo of the Good, The not-too Bad and The Ugly.

My biggest beef with Ingles - they hire teenaged cashiers and baggers who talk to each other, clown around with other friends on other aisles and send/receive text messages ad nauseum. All this, while they are ignoring the customers standing in front of them.

[halcyon419]

Ingles seems overpriced on about half of what they sell. I haven't shopped anywhere else except ALDI in a while so it's misleading, though. Also the produce at Ingles is no better or worse than any other grocery store. I have noticed some of the help at Ingles being kind of dumb, too. That's okay though, I don't really need their help. Also SAV-MOR is owned by Ingles and reflects the prices that Ingles SHOULD be selling their stuff for. And sav-mor should be less expensive than it is. Don't tell me to buy local by shopping @ Ingles, cause that's a bunch of B.S. Their milk might be local but I doubt anything else is. They have cornered the market here and are obviously somehow preventing other stores from emerging and even causing some supermarkets to disappear from the area (i.e. BI-LO on Patton Ave). I don't think it's right to monopolize the supermarket availability in town, because then they can jack up prices on whatever they want and the consumer will have no way of knowing the difference. Or, maybe people just prefer Ingles and that's why they are doing so well here. But if that's the case then why is there absolutely no direct competitor as abundant as Ingles? You can't even count Bi-Lo or Food Lion b/c there aren't enough of them left. It's not necessarily bad, it's just abnormal to have so many of only ONE brand of supermarket chain.

[halcyon419]

I am not going to edit my previous post, instead i'm going to say YES it IS BAD. I think there is something crooked going on when it comes to Ingles Supermarkets. Usually when I think perhaps I'm being paranoid, it turns out instead that I'm right.

[drfranklin]

As I've stated before, Greenville has a multitude of Publix stores - they're wonderful - and have Boar's Head deli! The closest Publix to Asheville (I believe) is 4 miles south of Traveler's Rest (near Furman; relatively new Publix there, nice). There's also one Publix in Spartanburg.

[RockyTopNC]

Ingles stores seem to vary in quality. The one at exit 103 in Morganton is scroungy, but the one in Forest City is every bit as nice as a Harris Teeter or Publix, I think.

[lorriem]

Originally Posted by RockyTopNC

Ingles stores seem to vary in quality. The one at exit 103 in Morganton is scroungy, but the one in Forest City is every bit as nice as a Harris Teeter or Publix, I think.

The same was true with Publix. We had an old one right around the corner from us where we use to live then they opened a brand new one a few miles away. I loved the new one. I really miss Publix as I miss Safeway out west. Prices were less and I checked both stores when we visited both states a few months ago. Prices here are a bit more.
I do like Ingles and shop there some and the prices are really not that bad and the selecton is good. It is a newer one. Lowes is rundown as is fairvalue and the prices are higher there for several items we buy.

[earthfaries]

We moved from Asheville to Florida in Jan. and let me tell you all the years I lived in Asheville I wished we had a Publix!
The closest one is on the way to Greenville, I enjoyed stopping there on my visits to Greenville and of course to Florida.
Let me tell you now that I shop exclusively at Publix it is SO much better than Ingles! They actually put items on sale that you need and use and they are just overall much better.
I will keep crossing my fingers for a Publix to come to Asheville!