Two well-known grocery stores under the Albertsons brand are scheduled to shut their doors next month in Texas.
Texans will soon lose two grocery shopping locations as both a Tom Thumb and a Randalls store are slated to close shortly, one after the other.
Grapevine Loses Tom Thumb, Another to Open Nearby
The Tom Thumb grocery store in Grapevine, located roughly 25 minutes north of Dallas, is scheduled to close its doors by February 24. However, in a twist, another Albertsons store just a mile away will be transformed into a Tom Thumb shortly after this closure.
Simultaneously, the Randalls store in Braker Village, Austin, is preparing to shut down around February 10. This information comes from a formal notice sent to the Texas Workforce Commission under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
The notice also warned that the pharmacy within the Randalls store would cease operations sooner than the store itself. However, a specific date for this closure was not provided.
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Albertsons Stores Offer Huge Discounts in Final Sale, but Shoppers Still Prefer H-E-B
As Albertsons prepares to close some of its stores, customers on Reddit have shared that the stores are hosting a final sale to clear their inventory, offering discounts ranging from 20% to 70% on various items.
On the r/Austin subreddit, one shopper recounted spending $130 on goods worth $250, including groceries, toiletries, and cleaning products. Even wines were reportedly marked down by 40%.
Despite these deals, many shoppers remain loyal to H-E-B, the local competitor. As per Reddit discussions, customers find H-E-B's prices and the quality of its house brands to be superior.
One Reddit user preferred H-E-B over national chains like Randall's or Kroger, describing the latter as "stodgy and bland." Another shopper who works near the closing Randalls store noted that even with the discounts, prices were higher than H-E-B's regular prices. They claimed that some items, like a cup of noodles, were still more expensive at Randall's after the discount than H-E-B's standard pricing.
The sale might offer value on unique items like flower pots or holiday merchandise, but regular inventory prices are reportedly similar or higher than usual.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Albertsons for additional details regarding the store closures.
Kroger's Planned $24.6 Billion Albertsons Purchase Faces Scrutiny
Amid these store closures, Kroger is still aiming to complete its massive $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons, a deal first announced in October 2022.
Both companies are looking to seal the deal in the upcoming months. However, this proposed merger is under close examination by state attorneys general and federal authorities.
Concerns are rising because Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the US. Adding Albertsons, the second-largest grocery chain with over 2,200 stores, raises fears of potential violations of antitrust laws due to the immense market control the combined entity would hold.
Kroger, a leading supermarket chain, has announced that its plan to acquire competitor Albertsons is now set to be finalized in the first half of the 2024 fiscal year rather than earlier this year as initially expected. The delay is due to extended negotiations with federal regulators.
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