Randalls didn't seem to have any problems during tax day flooding, most of their stores tend not to be in flood-prone areas (but that may change). Long lines and poor staffing are a chronic problem, and it's compounded for Randalls since they're not used to heavy traffic. The real test will be recovery after the floods, as recovery will be needed.architect wrote:So in the midst of great destruction across South Texas and resultant extreme flooding in the Houston area, there are numerous reports floating around that Randalls was price gouging on water and other supplies immediately prior to the storm (for example, bottled water priced at $1 a bottle). In addition, they have made no efforts to reach out to Houston residents through social media. Photos also show the stores being plagued with excessvely long lines due to minimal staffing. This sits in direct contrast to both HEB and Kroger, who are both actively sending relief crews and supplies into the affected areas as quickly as possible, and are also using their social media platforms as a place to find general emergency alerts far beyond just their operations. In addition, both HEB and Kroger have been recognized across social media for providing as much product and manpower as possible despite the emergency nature of the storm, often with every checkout open and product being brought directly from trucks out to the salesfloor. If Randalls cannot respond to this situation quickly, the resultant bad PR will likely kill their market share even more than it already has been. It will also be interesting to see if Randalls decides to reopen stores which have been heavily affected by flooding, as stores with borderline shopper traffic might not make economic sense to reopen.
I should point out that in the days after Ike, Randalls was one of the first stores and gas stations to reopen on the island, while the H-E-B (which was probably closer to storm surge, admittedly) did not reopen.