Retail Watchers

Interesting that Stater Bros has begun mentioning in their print ads that they don't plan to do away with full service meats. With the previously mentioned rumors that Kroger is closing service meat counters in some stores I wonder if there are any Ralphs stores in their service area that have made this change? This is one of those odd mentions, like when you see a banner on a pharmacy mentioning say "Welcome Rite Aid Customers" when they've closed stores nearby. It seems like oddly specific marketing.

If nothing else it is a good customer information campaign.

It is also possible a major competitor is starting to switch to case ready meats.

Maybe they are installing self checkouts in more stores and rumors started they were going to get rid of service meat since they were installing self checkouts (I know these two things are completely unrelated but rumors tend to spread from some widely drawn conclusions).

Stater Bros. has always been known for quality meats. I am aware of this even as a vegetarian. Back in the day, their slogan was "it's our meat that made us famous".

My guess is that this is a shot at Walmart, which is getting more popular in the inland empire due to inflation and the poor economy.

Most meat departments used the boxed Tyson product which is large sections of meat that are cut by the store butcher into the smaller common cuts.

HCal wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 2:34 pm Stater Bros. has always been known for quality meats. I am aware of this even as a vegetarian. Back in the day, their slogan was "it's our meat that made us famous".

My guess is that this is a shot at Walmart, which is getting more popular in the inland empire due to inflation and the poor economy.

Wal Mart meat program is interesting. I've bought chicken multiple times, which is on par with any other grocery store chicken but I find it overpriced, and plenty of Ground Round/Sirloin which is fine and priced okay with no issues. I think it is the exact same Ground Round/Sirloin Kroger sells in Private Selection (Kroger gets it in big 3 pound squares to display in the service case). The cut beef is unappealing looking and doesn't seem to be particularly well priced either; I've been tempted a few times with markdowns on some thin cuts of steaks which they seem to have a lot of, but figuring the stuff is already many days old due to being pre-pack, I pass on it every time because I don't want to waste time cooking stuff that is not going to be good.

storewanderer wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 2:25 pm If nothing else it is a good customer information campaign.

It is also possible a major competitor is starting to switch to case ready meats.

Maybe they are installing self checkouts in more stores and rumors started they were going to get rid of service meat since they were installing self checkouts (I know these two things are completely unrelated but rumors tend to spread from some widely drawn conclusions).

There were rumors on Reddit that Kroger was going to expand its use of case ready meats.

ClownLoach wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 9:02 pm

storewanderer wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 2:25 pm If nothing else it is a good customer information campaign.

It is also possible a major competitor is starting to switch to case ready meats.

Maybe they are installing self checkouts in more stores and rumors started they were going to get rid of service meat since they were installing self checkouts (I know these two things are completely unrelated but rumors tend to spread from some widely drawn conclusions).

There were rumors on Reddit that Kroger was going to expand its use of case ready meats.

Ralphs already had case ready meats in NorCal 20 years ago, the stuff came from a meat plant in Vernon. I think the meat plant may have been called Alpha. It was lesser cuts like Short Ribs, Beef Shank, etc. All of the steaks, london broil, even ground beef was cut and packaged in store. Does Ralphs not do that case ready beef on the lesser volume cuts anymore?

Smiths for a number of years has had a lot of case ready pork but in the past couple years it has been about 50/50 case ready pork and store packed pork. Recently Smiths has started to sell some vac-pack (looks just like Wal Mart meat) beef in the "Kroger Mercado" label and it is all very thin cut flank, round, etc. for marinating catering to Hispanic customers.

King Soopers has been 100% case ready on all meat at all stores for decades now, they have a meat plant in Denver. This is the model Kroger is reportedly trying to emulate elsewhere.

storewanderer wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 11:39 pm

ClownLoach wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 9:02 pm

storewanderer wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 2:25 pm If nothing else it is a good customer information campaign.

It is also possible a major competitor is starting to switch to case ready meats.

Maybe they are installing self checkouts in more stores and rumors started they were going to get rid of service meat since they were installing self checkouts (I know these two things are completely unrelated but rumors tend to spread from some widely drawn conclusions).

There were rumors on Reddit that Kroger was going to expand its use of case ready meats.

Ralphs already had case ready meats in NorCal 20 years ago, the stuff came from a meat plant in Vernon. I think the meat plant may have been called Alpha. It was lesser cuts like Short Ribs, Beef Shank, etc. All of the steaks, london broil, even ground beef was cut and packaged in store. Does Ralphs not do that case ready beef on the lesser volume cuts anymore?

Smiths for a number of years has had a lot of case ready pork but in the past couple years it has been about 50/50 case ready pork and store packed pork. Recently Smiths has started to sell some vac-pack (looks just like Wal Mart meat) beef in the "Kroger Mercado" label and it is all very thin cut flank, round, etc. for marinating catering to Hispanic customers.

King Soopers has been 100% case ready on all meat at all stores for decades now, they have a meat plant in Denver. This is the model Kroger is reportedly trying to emulate elsewhere.

Could have been a former Alpha Beta meat plant. I know the old Acme Alpha Beta had a packing plant in Pueblo (CO)

storewanderer wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 11:39 pm

ClownLoach wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 9:02 pm

storewanderer wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2023, 2:25 pm If nothing else it is a good customer information campaign.

It is also possible a major competitor is starting to switch to case ready meats.

Maybe they are installing self checkouts in more stores and rumors started they were going to get rid of service meat since they were installing self checkouts (I know these two things are completely unrelated but rumors tend to spread from some widely drawn conclusions).

There were rumors on Reddit that Kroger was going to expand its use of case ready meats.

Ralphs already had case ready meats in NorCal 20 years ago, the stuff came from a meat plant in Vernon. I think the meat plant may have been called Alpha. It was lesser cuts like Short Ribs, Beef Shank, etc. All of the steaks, london broil, even ground beef was cut and packaged in store. Does Ralphs not do that case ready beef on the lesser volume cuts anymore?

Smiths for a number of years has had a lot of case ready pork but in the past couple years it has been about 50/50 case ready pork and store packed pork. Recently Smiths has started to sell some vac-pack (looks just like Wal Mart meat) beef in the "Kroger Mercado" label and it is all very thin cut flank, round, etc. for marinating catering to Hispanic customers.

King Soopers has been 100% case ready on all meat at all stores for decades now, they have a meat plant in Denver. This is the model Kroger is reportedly trying to emulate elsewhere.

Ralphs is 100% shelf ready ground beef here. Nothing appears to be done fresh in store. I suspect even the service case is the previously described 3lb block of meat dropped in from a package. I shopped there so little before I moved I couldn't tell you if they're doing something different out here vs the LA/OC area.

ClownLoach wrote: ↑May 4th, 2023, 2:18 pm

Ralphs is 100% shelf ready ground beef here. Nothing appears to be done fresh in store. I suspect even the service case is the previously described 3lb block of meat dropped in from a package. I shopped there so little before I moved I couldn't tell you if they're doing something different out here vs the LA/OC area.

Smiths has some 80/20 that is labeled "Store Trim" here and it is usually not very good (one store seems to put it into packages that say Private Selection Ground Round and you can tell because it looks way fattier than the Private Selection Ground Round is supposed to look). Raleys also has this "Premium Ground Beef" also supposedly an 80/20 and also supposedly Store Trim that I also don't think is very good. Safeway's 80/20 is supposedly a mixture of store trim/some pre ground product. It is terrible. None of these stores grind anything fresh in store anymore beyond the store trim. Ask them for a ground pork or ground chicken and they'll tell you no due to "contamination." Well, Smiths has some case ready ground pork product that looks scary.

The service case at Fred Meyer and King Soopers have the same blocks of ground round/sirloin in their service case as Smiths. I forget what Ralphs had, if they even had any plain ground in the service case. Ralphs may just have patties (those are made from the Private Selection Ground Round; that meat makes an excellent burger).