Safeway sued for price gouging toilet paper

[CalItalian]

Safeway had trouble selling their single rolls of Kleenex Mexico toilet paper. They just started putting them in giant plastic bags. It is now $5 for one big bag of 15.

They are .25 cents each at Vons and Albertsons in SoCal. Tons and tons of them both on the shelf and special displays (at the Lake Elsinore Albertsons, it's at least 6 feet high). They're inferior qualify. They also have Petalo toilet paper and Renew toilet paper at the Vons in Temescal Canyon (Riverside County) for .25 cents.

[storewanderer]

I went to Safeway yesterday and the toilet paper aisle was basically full, about 50% of this imported product and 50% of store brand, Charmin, and a tiny amount of Quilted Northern (who has just downsized their packages, again). Safeway also had some big packages of "White Cloud" which seemed to be a really good deal at 400+ square feet of 2 ply for 4.99 (9.99 then had 50% off sticker on all packs). I think White Cloud is a lesser known name brand that also produces private label stuff in some part of the US other than the west coast as this is not a brand I see in many stores in the west. These White Clouds were there a few days ago with 50% off stickers too so either they have restocked or nobody is buying them due to not knowing what the brand is. 189 sq ft. of Qulited Northern costs $8.99 so this White Cloud is quite a deal.

[mjhale]

I went to Safeway yesterday and the toilet paper aisle was basically full, about 50% of this imported product and 50% of store brand, Charmin, and a tiny amount of Quilted Northern (who has just downsized their packages, again). Safeway also had some big packages of "White Cloud" which seemed to be a really good deal at 400+ square feet of 2 ply for 4.99 (9.99 then had 50% off sticker on all packs). I think White Cloud is a lesser known name brand that also produces private label stuff in some part of the US other than the west coast as this is not a brand I see in many stores in the west. These White Clouds were there a few days ago with 50% off stickers too so either they have restocked or nobody is buying them due to not knowing what the brand is. 189 sq ft. of Qulited Northern costs $8.99 so this White Cloud is quite a deal.

What is interesting is the White Cloud brand name was being used exclusively in Walmart for a while. It was positioned as a step below the national brands but a step up from the store brands. Proctor and Gamble has since discontinued the brand and passed it over to an outfit called Kruger Products which apparently is Canada's number #1 toilet paper manufacturer. Imagine having that as your claim to fame! This all according to the Wikipedia page on P&G products.

On another note, I was in my local Safeway today. Gone are the big watermelon bins of the single rolls of toilet paper at the entrance. Unless they really marked them down over this week, as of last weekend the Kleenex rolls were 79 cents each and some other unknown brand was 3/$1. Both were single rolls that didn't seem to have much on the roll. Still at this same Safeway the paper goods aisle is dominated by these odd brands that Safeway brought in during the height of the toilet paper crisis. Next are the Safeway brand products which I actually find to be quite good but very pricey. Slowly the national brands are returning but still only in small quantities.

[Bagels]

What is interesting is the White Cloud brand name was being used exclusively in Walmart for a while. It was positioned as a step below the national brands but a step up from the store brands. Proctor and Gamble has since discontinued the brand and passed it over to an outfit called Kruger Products which apparently is Canada's number #1 toilet paper manufacturer. Imagine having that as your claim to fame! This all according to the Wikipedia page on P&G products.

I think the story was a little more complicated... P&G discontinued White Cloud, and several years later, a private company acquired the name (I don't recall if P&G sold it to them, or there was a dispute) and licensed it to Walmart, with Kruger being the product manufacturer. Many years later, Walmart dropped White Cloud in favor of its own brands, and the private owners have been trying to find other retail outlets.

On another note, I was in my local Safeway today. Gone are the big watermelon bins of the single rolls of toilet paper at the entrance. Unless they really marked them down over this week, as of last weekend the Kleenex rolls were 79 cents each and some other unknown brand was 3/$1. Both were single rolls that didn't seem to have much on the roll. Still at this same Safeway the paper goods aisle is dominated by these odd brands that Safeway brought in during the height of the toilet paper crisis. Next are the Safeway brand products which I actually find to be quite good but very pricey. Slowly the national brands are returning but still only in small quantities.

It seems as if there's a huge glut of toilet paper. All the Mexican brands at my local Albertsons are being cleared out at fire sale prices. It's a good time to stock up...

[storewanderer]

It seems as if there's a huge glut of toilet paper. All the Mexican brands at my local Albertsons are being cleared out at fire sale prices. It's a good time to stock up...

If you go into certain low volume Save Mart or Raleys locations in NorCal/NV you may still be greeted with an empty toilet paper aisle. Same goes for Rite Aid, in what seems to be every location. Those two are on a shared distribution for center store (definitely not for fresh departments) and some locations, especially Save Marts, have been, from a distribution standpoint, forgotten.

Raleys has found alternate suppliers in some cases and oddly they have some stocked aisles in their better stores. Save Mart seemed to have gotten things restocked on paper products again 4-5 weeks ago but now the past couple weeks is having problems again.

Everyone else is well stocked on toilet paper now; better than paper towels and kleenex actually.

Still seems to be a real shortage of cleaning supplies across the board. Also all those odd super high priced craft hand sanitizers are not selling well. Too small of container at too high of a price.

[TW-Upstate NY]

Also all those odd super high priced craft hand sanitizers are not selling well. Too small of container at too high of a price.

Some of the conventional/off the shelf stuff isn't exactly cheap either. Case in point-Purrel is FINALLY finding its way back onto store shelves in my area. An 8 oz. bottle of it now goes for $4.39. Some of those "boutique" brands aren't even that high. Right next to it on the same shelf were 32 oz. bottles of Germ-X selling for $5.99. With a purchase limit of one, of course you're going to buy the Germ-X-larger size and a much lower per unit cost.

[CalItalian]

What is interesting is the White Cloud brand name was being used exclusively in Walmart for a while. It was positioned as a step below the national brands but a step up from the store brands. Proctor and Gamble has since discontinued the brand and passed it over to an outfit called Kruger Products which apparently is Canada's number #1 toilet paper manufacturer. Imagine having that as your claim to fame! This all according to the Wikipedia page on P&G products.

I think the story was a little more complicated... P&G discontinued White Cloud, and several years later, a private company acquired the name (I don't recall if P&G sold it to them, or there was a dispute) and licensed it to Walmart, with Kruger being the product manufacturer. Many years later, Walmart dropped White Cloud in favor of its own brands, and the private owners have been trying to find other retail outlets.

On another note, I was in my local Safeway today. Gone are the big watermelon bins of the single rolls of toilet paper at the entrance. Unless they really marked them down over this week, as of last weekend the Kleenex rolls were 79 cents each and some other unknown brand was 3/$1. Both were single rolls that didn't seem to have much on the roll. Still at this same Safeway the paper goods aisle is dominated by these odd brands that Safeway brought in during the height of the toilet paper crisis. Next are the Safeway brand products which I actually find to be quite good but very pricey. Slowly the national brands are returning but still only in small quantities.

It seems as if there's a huge glut of toilet paper. All the Mexican brands at my local Albertsons are being cleared out at fire sale prices. It's a good time to stock up...

If that Mexican toilet paper was any good, though. I bought two rolls of the 25 cent Kleenex at Vons. It's good for your sewer pipes as it breaks up easily but only if you don't mind the same in your hand. Don't look at in the toilet, either, as it turns black.

[storewanderer]

If that Mexican toilet paper was any good, though. I bought two rolls of the 25 cent Kleenex at Vons. It's good for your sewer pipes as it breaks up easily but only if you don't mind the same in your hand. Don't look at in the toilet, either, as it turns black.

I was considering a 4 pack of some brand from Mexico for a collection item as Safeway had it .99 but noticed the rolls looked a little gray already and decided to pass on it. Maybe if I hold out I can get a better deal.

White Cloud is definitely a notch below the store brand "premium" versions (at least those at Safeway, Rite Aid, or Kroger which are all made by the same provider) but certainly acceptable quality.