Home Chef

[storewanderer]

...I'm not sure when these stores will give up on these programs and quit tolerating the shrink. When they work at all it is always in a very limited number of stores...

My nearby Safeway, located on the fringe of Downtown Phoenix where several affluent neighborhoods meet along a major, well-traveled, east-west arterial street (McDowell Rd) just north of the principal freeway (I-10), has ready-to-cook entrees, pre-cut vegetables/vegetable kits (think a sprig of rosemary, some garlic, and some squash), and the occasional ready-to-cook complete meal. They sell well. Well enough, in fact, that the hot wing bar was removed in favor of a large display of these things. They aren't branded, just prepared ingredients in heavy-duty foil-like trays, much like the ready-to-cook Publix main courses. They are prepared in-store (like Publix), are very good and generally sell out by 7:00 PM.

The other local Safeways don't carry them (or carry a very limited quantity) because they didn't sell. Just depends on the store.

That is the Ready Meals program. That is the brand/program that is supposedly being divested to C&S. I'm not sure why your store isn't using the Ready Meals branding. Do the price stickers say Ready Meals?

I have noticed in CA Stores the prepackaged sandwiches (made in store) say Ready Meals on the price label (this comes out of the deli price scale) but in Reno even in a store with the Ready Meals program in place (with all the items you describe) for some reason the sandwiches have a standard Safeway logo deli sticker. I've wondered why the differences in when they use the branding and when they don't. I'm not sure they know- their programs are a mess; this is an extension of their Signature private label program and that program has had a lot of similar odd branding decisions made. At least in the case of Kroger they actually do have all of their prepared food labeled as "Home Chef" including their hot food so there is consistent labeling. This is helpful at Kroger so I know to avoid the products since the quality is not good.

I have yet to try any "Ready Meals" products at Safeway. Prices are outrageous and items do not look very good/fresh. The best they mark down on day of expiration is $2 off which isn't enough. They'd rather just throw stuff out I guess, than do an actual 50% off markdown that would move the product.

The wing bar removals were part of a wider scale program to remove those where they didn't sell. The wings can only sit out there for 2-4 hours if they follow the timing rules (based on how those wing bars looked last time I was in Las Vegas where just about every location still has them, they definitely aren't following the time rules very well down there). There has been a lot of waste with the wing bars; they do not do as well as they did before COVID due to the price increases that have occurred plus a larger group of customers who are hesitant to purchase from open air "bars" like that. NorCal removed most of its wing bars after closing them "temporarily" during COVID but did reopen a handfull of them. NorCal is not putting wing bars in new stores or remodels anymore. These Ready Meals have 2-4 day shelf lives.

[Romr123]

Albertsons definitely failed with the Plated meal kits, those only lasted two years.

It is strange Safeway launched Ready Meals instead of trying to re-launch Plated.

I'm not sure when these stores will give up on these programs and quit tolerating the shrink. When they work at all it is always in a very limited number of stores.

Smiths where I shop in one store has a little 4 foot or so cooler of Home Chef ready to heat refrigerated foods (look like frozen meals). These items actually sort of kind of sell, and I don't see them marked down much. The other Smiths locations I go into, I am not sure if they even carry those items at all; if they do, it is very few, and I don't notice them.

The "meal kits" are largely gone.

I must say that F&E had ready to heat refrigerated meals that sold like hotcakes. Customers seemed to really love them.

The one thing they imported in concept from Tesco that worked. Currently visiting the UK and amazed at the quality and variety of these. Their supply chains here are quite sophisticated for this type of fresh, limited life merchandise (urban stores get an overnight truck daily) so you can be pretty confident in what you buy. Tried Marks and Spencers' highest-priced dinner for 2 (an entree, side and dessert for 13 pounds/15 dollars) and was blown away at quality and portion. Lasagna good enough for a restaurant after 45 minutes in the convection oven. Tesco could and did deliver that level of quality within a UK-sized geography for F&E.....but that's only a portion of North America!