Winn-Dixie to Cut 5,300 Jobs as It Exits Oklahoma, Texas Markets

Dow Jones Business News(via yahoo) ^ | 5/6/02 | Dow Jones Business News

[Diddle E. Squat]

Pretty much everybody from New York(and many not from there) loves Zabars.

[cynicom]

jalis....

As a transplanted yankee, these southern folks do not know what a super market is until they see a Wegmans. We have Winnless Dixie and Food Lion here in NC, both born losers.

These places are dirty, aisles stacked full of junk and meat prices that would scare a millionaire. Service???? Forget about it, they care less if you come in or not.

Danny Wegman could make a fortune here.

[McLynnan]

Winn-Dixie tried to pull out of the DFW market a couple of years ago by selling to Kroger, but was blocked from doing so by the Clinton Justice Dep't as anti-competitive

I'm not too happy to hear W-D is pulling out. This will give HEB a stranglehold monopoly on the Waco grocery market. This area has two W-D's, 2 Super Wal-Marts and one Albertson's that compete with 8+ HEB stores. HEB has effectively managed to block all competition out of this market. Now all they have to do is choke off the remaining Albertson's. Wal-Mart will compete with them for the low end of the market, and HEB will pick up the rest. I see our grocery prices rising.

[Jennifer in Florida]

Another bump for Publix! The Winn-Dixie in my area is nasty. I've had a bad experience with Albertson's too. A relative worked there part time doing stock, when over Christmas one of their freezers died and everything thawed out until the store was open again on the 26th. The stock people were told to just move everything to another freezer so that it could refreeze and be sold!

[curmudgeonII]

Apparently the departure of Winn-Dixie will result in either :
a] Other stores picking up the slack [and having to hire additional employees], and/or
b]Existing Winn-Dixie stores being sold out to other food supermarkets [which also will result in a demand for employees].

In either event the loss of 5,300 jobs seems rather over-stated.

[Caipirabob]

If this story is true, Publix was actually started by a guy who used to work for the owner of Winn-Dixie. The guy had a bunch of ideas to improve the service (which sucks like everything about Winn-Dixie) and such but was constantly ignored. Finally he had enough and went out and establish a competing grocery chain - Publix.

My guess is Winn-Dixie will never recover from the *ss-kicking. I will never go to one of those forsaken roach-motel/grocery stores. I go to Publix and maybe Albertson's in an emergency. Yep, I'm the primary cook so I'm also the primary shopper. Then again, I haven't done laundry since 1996. : )

[Clemenza]

Have ordered online from them on several occasions during my three year Miami exile. They still are EXTREMELY expensive.

In SE Florida, we still haven't seen Wal-Mart/Target grocery stores enter the market in a big way. We still have to deal with "the big three."

Anyone here know about Supermarket chains on the west coast, such as Vons or Safeway?

[Clemenza]

Another true story about Publix: They ONLY promote internally. Everyone starts near the bottom rung. If you quit Publix as, say, an AVP and try to come back, you will have to start all over again as a junior manager.

[jalisco555]

Wegmans has the most loyal customers of any business I have ever dealt with. My wife and I will shop nowhere else. Our local store has an enormous parking lot and it's always full. Wegmans is certainly not the low-price leader but it offers a pleasurable shopping experience, decent prices, excellent service and an outstanding prepared food section. Hard to put my finger on exactly why but nobody else comes close.

Some people on this thread are high on Publix. I've shopped there several times while visiting relatives in Florida and it doesn't come close to Wegmans.

As to your message to Danny Wegman he has a very cautious expansion strategy. They're just getting into PA and NJ so don't expect one near you soon, unfortunately.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Anyone here know about Supermarket chains on the west coast, such as Vons or Safeway?

In the San Francisco area, Safeway predominates, and their stores tend to be big, clean, and expensive. Albertson's tends to be big, less clean, and just as expensive. Beyond the big two, there isn't much competition, except from Whole Foods and other "specialty" grocers that are small, clean, and even more expensive. Vons is primarily a Southern California chain, but I think they are owned by Safeway now, too.

Food prices around here seem to reflect the overall cost-of-living: stratospheric.

[Clemenza]

Thanks. I remember when Beatrice owned Vons Foods, among other businesses.

I happen to love Wild Oats, but only shop there for specialty items due to the cost. Their cafe is an excellent place for a cheap lunch, though.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Piggly Wiggly history.