Decline of Macy's, Kroger's (Columbus, Cincinnati: purchasing, tornado, gated)

[Renownedtheworldaround]

And in other Kroger news, today.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnat...yone-will.html

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Macy's had three or more years of steady continous stock price increase. And then, the day that Macy's CEO was called out for his political swipe at the then budding candidate Trump, the stock began the slide with no relief right up to today.

On July 15, 2015, the day of infamy, political operative, Terry Lundgren CEO was called out and the boycott began. The price of Macy's stock was $66/share on that date. Today it is $22/sh and it has been in a death spiral with no relief in sight.

Lundgren is a moron. And, the boycott has ruined what was once a thriving retailer.

I'm a Trump fan, but I'm not convinced that Trump is entirely the reason for Macy's woes. It certainly had an effect, but not as much of one as most Trump fans think.

Lazarus in its hey day (and through the 1960's and 1970's) was a full-line department store. They had books, records, sneakers, tires, appliances, a pharmacy, restaurants and just about anything else a department store had. Lazarus had nice high-end clothing and a bargain basement. What does it have now? It's an overpriced clothing and home goods store, with some stores selling furniture and a couple of auto centers in Atlanta. It's not a compelling mix of merchandise.

I admit the newer stores like Polaris, Tuttle and Easton are very nice, but some stores like Beechmont literally hurt my eyes when I walk in there. Kenwood should be their flagship mall store. The expansion area isn't bad, but the older area is, again, hard on my eyes.

Macy's simply isn't relevant anymore. They used to be the "go to" store in their markets, but they gave all their business away to Kohl's, Nordstrom, Target and Walmart. Macy's is an afterthought to most people.

Macy's should have left up the local names because that's the only thing they had going for them. I was in a Baker's (Dillon's Division) store in Nebraska recently. It was a high-end store in a nice neighborhood. It was essentially a Kroger inside, right down to the Kroger private label products, but for some reason leaving that Baker's sign up and keeping some signature Baker's items makes all the difference in the world. That makes it a Baker's store, not a Kroger. Marketing is 75% psychology, after all.

By the way, here's the Baker's store interior at 505 N 155th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68154 if you care to see it. Look at the back wall in the first picture and you can see the same graphics (the painted wheat).

https://goo.gl/maps/SxLdv3Jvchx
https://goo.gl/maps/fgwRyg2zQPU2
https://goo.gl/maps/SpLDGA8JcTs

http://www.jewishomaha.org/jewish-pr...s-of-the-year/

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by SWOH

This is a poor analogy. I'm guessing you haven't been to a Kroger recently? Or at least not a Marketplace one?

I don't find Marketplace very compelling, but then again what do I know? I'm a guy. Those stores appear to be geared toward women.

Originally Posted by SWOH

Ah, that explains it. You're not from here, looks like you're from a Harris Teeter market and don't like that Kroger bought the chain. Fair enough. But if you're hinging the prospects of a grocery chain on its pre-packaged cookies (which are horrible for you by the way) then I don't understand why you don't just buy that processed crap in bulk from Amazon or Costco now.

I wonder how many Kroger private label products have been worked their way into the Harris Teeter stores by now. They said they were going to keep Harris-Teeter's private label goods intact, but I have trouble believing that unless they don't want to make it too obvious that they are part of Kroger since they compete with Kroger stores in a few parts of Virginia and North and South Carolina.

Kroger's private label goods are excellent.

Originally Posted by SWOH

Keep in mind this is a Kroger

So is this, the store I prefer to go to because of its small size. Unfortunately, they are closing it and building another behemoth to replace it. This store looks pretty damn good for a store that dates back to the mid-1960's!

[PerryMason614]

Another Kroger story that might be of interest. A new convenience store format they are testing in East Columbus.

http://www.dispatch.com/news/2017051...-of-everything



A Rebranding for Kroger's Turkey Hill Stores? | Convenience Store News



The irony is that they were also testing these large-sized convenience stores.

https://goo.gl/maps/Ww9A7ZyqNk52

[Renownedtheworldaround]

Originally Posted by PerryMason614

I wonder how many Kroger private label products have been worked their way into the Harris Teeter stores by now. They said they were going to keep Harris-Teeter's private label goods intact, but I have trouble believing that unless they don't want to make it too obvious that they are part of Kroger since they compete with Kroger stores in a few parts of Virginia and North and South Carolina.

Kroger's private label goods are excellent.

I can answer that, since I am in North Carolina.

Simple Truth products are available for purchase at Harris Teeter. Kroger, Private Selection, Big K and the Owl Brands are nowhere to be seen, but I believe that some of the HT store brand items some of the items are made in Kroger Facilities now (just with HT packaging)

Additionally, I have seen items from Kroger's nonfood brands (HD designs, Joy of Gardening, Holiday Home, and Everyday Living) in Harris Teeter.

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by Renownedtheworldaround

I can answer that, since I am in North Carolina.

Simple Truth products are available for purchase at Harris Teeter. Kroger, Private Selection, Big K and the Owl Brands are nowhere to be seen, but I believe that some of the HT store brand items some of the items are made in Kroger Facilities now (just with HT packaging)

Additionally, I have seen items from Kroger's nonfood brands (HD designs, Joy of Gardening, Holiday Home, and Everyday Living) in Harris Teeter.

You'd think that they will work anything that doesn't specifically say Kroger into the mix over time.

I don't know if Kroger makes Big K anymore. Given that they closed a beverage plant in West Virginia and that Kroger's Seltzer Water flavors match those of Cott's (Sam's and other private labels), I'm guessing that Cott's makes the Big K sodas these days.

Bluefield Beverage of Bluefield, VA

[WRnative]

Kroger CEO: How we plan to continue our business

McMullen's comments apparently have boosted the stock by over one percent. He claims Kroger is customer focused, but I wonder if the lack of emphasis on delivery options is consistent with that claim.

The interviewer asked great questions, but never asked about the cost of competing with Amazon technology, especially in artificial intelligence.

McMullen also seemed to brush off the impact if Amazon decides to slash prices at Whole Foods and operate with very low margins or even at a loss in a predatory bid for market share. A real question is whether the Whole Foods acquisition will be punitive to Amazon earnings to such a degree that investors finally rationalize AMZN's market valuation.

Dan Niles, one of the sharpest tech investors extant, already has made that negative call on AMZN. However, he sees Wal-Mart as the winner in the coming battle, at least in the stock market. He's not happy with AMZN's entry into the "messy" physical grocery market.

Short Amazon, Long Wal-Mart: Niles

[WILWRadio]

^^^Not everyone shops and buys based on price alone. I think this may be a midwest attribute since I rarely saw this behavior during my years in New England. People there are price conscious to be sure but they won't hesitate to pay more for superior service or products vs. paying less for something that may be considered of marginal quality or for sub par service.

Kroger will do fine. The only complaint I have with them is those damn self checkout machines. They are a PITA and screw up a lot. Have had the same problem in other grocery stores as well. Bad technology that has not been refined yet. Aside from that, the products are fine and the service is good. That alone will keep me shopping there until or if I move to an area that doesn't have a Kroger store.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

The only complaint I have with them is those damn self checkout machines. They are a PITA and screw up a lot. Have had the same problem in other grocery stores as well. Bad technology that has not been refined yet. Aside from that, the products are fine and the service is good. That alone will keep me shopping there until or if I move to an area that doesn't have a Kroger store.

If your experience is typical, this is a sad indictment of Kroger.

I use self check-out machines most of the time at Giant Eagle and rarely have any problem. I've even become expert at entering produce codes, even when not present on packaging.

Self check-out is great when only purchasing 12 or fewer items, typical for me as I usually shop at three different groceries as well as farm markets in season.

[Sarah Perry]

Everybody has different standards, but I think Kroger's self-checkouts are fine. I use them all the time. It would be nice if they'd upgrade them to allow the customer to scan coupons--occasionally I have to wait on the attendant to do that. It's really my only complaint.