HCal wrote: ↑December 19th, 2023, 12:38 am
storewanderer wrote: ↑December 19th, 2023, 12:23 am
Pak N Save has a lower wage scale/slightly different job titles and duties union contract in place. It is worth keeping those stores open to keep that contract alive. This is the same reason Albertsons kept one Super Saver open in NorCal until the LLC store purge shortly after LLC took ownership (they were under the same contract as PNS).
Sure, but isn't the pricing lower as well, or is it now just standard Safeway pricing on all items?
I thought it was like SaveMart/FoodMaxx where the latter has lower everyday prices due to the limited service model, and therefore they run separate ads.
Pak N Save has been on Safeway pricing for the past 15+ years. They have run common ads with Safeway for the past 25+ years. Pak N Save has also had common perishables from Safeway for the past 25+ years. In the late 90's Safeway used to circulate a coupon book (monthly)- that had Safeway and Pak N Save logos. That coupon book was one version for all of NorCal plus Reno area. Pak N Save logos right next to Safeway logo all over, and on every coupon.
Save Mart and Food Maxx also have the two different union contracts with the lower wage scale thing going on at Food Maxx. Another distinction in that contract that the grocers like is the "utility clerk" position at the box format stores which is similar to a "courtesy clerk" but can perform more duties than a "courtesy clerk."
Back when Fred Meyer had its one store in Chico in the early 90's it was also under this lower wage scale/different job title union contract that the Pak N Saves were under.
There are some differences in what Save Mart and Food Maxx sell. The bakery items are not the same and in many cases produce isn't the same either with Food Maxx receiving different stuff, more "small" size produce (or the giant Ambrosia Apples Food Maxx gets every year that never appear at Save Mart), etc. The meat is also not the same meat.
Back to that contract again, FoodsCo is also on that box store contract. But some FoodsCo units were non-union. As I recall the new Oakland FoodsCo opened as a union store however the new (well, 15 years old now) FoodsCo in Sacramento on East Stockton at Highway 99 opened non-union and was actively picketed by UFCW due to opening non-union, I am not sure if that store ever unionized or not.
So chances are after this merger between Kroger and Safeway goes through there is no point to having Pak N Save anymore. Kroger has the contract with FoodsCo so there is no need to keep Pak N Saves open to keep this contract alive, they can do that with FoodsCo. The Pak N Save store in Emeryville is a Lifestyle Safeway but the sign says Pak N Save (and they are on the lower wage scale). The store in San Leandro is very tired and does not appear to perform well. In South San Francisco on Gellart they were going to keep that store as an Pak N Save even putting up signs that said Pak N Save by Safeway in the middle of the remodel but changed their mind mid-remodel and did re-banner it to Safeway, what is funny is that store kept the self bagging checkstands of Pak N Save after the Lifestyle remodel and I always wondered what contract that store fell under after the remodel as it still had utility clerks and no courtesy clerks. It wasn't until the more recent Florida remodel that they finally took the self bagging checkstands out and put in typical Safeway checkstands.
Raleys also runs one final box store the Food Source in Stockton. I am not sure if that store is unionized or not, as I recall all of the non union Raleys were unionized sometime in the past decade but I am not clear how that impacted Food Source or if it did. But that store may well stay open to keep that contract alive for them too.
