Attention, Albertsons shoppers!

Albertsons is staying in Boise. This is a big relief to 2,000+ area families who have breadwinners employed at the corporate headquarters here, as well as the city's economy as a whole.

It'll be a relief to many Boise shoppers, too. "It's your store," was the company's motto - perhaps still is - and for me, that's true. Albertson's is my neighborhood grocery store. I'll occasionally hit Fred Meyer for its all-under-one-roof convenience, the Boise Co-op for its sheer coolness, and Winco for ... uh, I have no idea, the place bugs the hell out of me with its anti-customer attitudes (no hand baskets for small orders, no express lines, no self-check-out option).

But here in Boise, at least, most of us are within walking distance of an Albertson's. Mine is three blocks away, and I do at least 75 percent of my shopping there, usually leaving my car at home unless I have a lot to buy. The staff are super-friendly, the store is well-organized, and the prices - although not the lowest in town - are fair on the items I buy most. And with the headquarters here, it still feels like I am "shopping locally," even if Albertsons is a huge corporation that gives too much money to Republicans.

We'll work on that. In the meantime, I'm pleased to know that my neighborhood grocery won't be going away - and that many people I know will keep their good jobs at Albertsons' lovely campus on the Boise River.

Comments

[Shane]

My mother worked at Albertsons Headquarters for 20+ years and they treated her very well until the current CEO came in. I really feel for all the workers that are still there, I wish the best. The only reason my mother left was due to bad management(and after holding a job for 20+ years it takes a lot to make you quit...) Hopefully Albertsons Management does some changing because deep down, they're really a good store. The convenience is astounding.

[Julie in Boise]

Shane,

I've heard similar things from others about the way Albertsons was a better place to work before Larry J took the reins. I'm sorry your mom had to leave.

The company has done so much for Boise. I may snark about how their donations go 3-to-1 to Republicans, but those political donations are dwarfed by the amount poured into this community each year. Albertsons deserves management befitting of Joe Albertson's legacy.

[Sara]

I am a big fan of Winco. It's extremely employee-friendly with good benefits and things like stock options. I have a friend who graduated from college, couldn't really find work in her field, and decided she'd just stick with working at Winco. I'm not sure it's a fantastic idea, but I think it speaks to the way they treat employees.

And, as for the "anti-customer attitudes," I am also bugged by the lack of hand baskets (a new development in the past year or so, I have no idea why). The one in Moscow does have an express line, though, and no one 'round these parts has an self-checkout line. I do appreciate that Winco, like Costco (another employee-friendly company, by the way), doesn't spend a lot of money on advertising or prettifying the place. Our Winco only sends out two advertisements a year, comparing its prices to those of other stores in the area.

[Julie in Boise]

Sara,

You make good points about Winco's employee friendliness. It's even employee owned, and I have a friend in Twin Falls who's raising his huge Catholic family on a Winco salary - so those folks must do alright. Another friend, a Russian physicist who immigrated to Idaho and couldn't find work in his field, worked there for years before moving back east to take a teaching job.

Still, the way they dropped both the hand baskets and the express lines in the past year or two rankles me. I wrote a letter to the company - also based here in Boise - to express my displeasure at these moves, and I received no response.

Thanks for pointing out that Costco is extremely worker friendly. I tend not to go there only because it's not very convenient to my home and because our family of three (with a very small fridge and a small, older home) doesn't have - or require - much food storage space. That's why I'm happy to be an old-school shopper, hoofing it down to the corner grocery every few days.

[Sara]

I actually wrote a post expanding my thoughts above, but am still trying to figure out how to do trackback, so if anyone is interested:

http://f-words.blogspot.com/2005/12/plate-is-political.html

By the way, I also go to the grocery store almost every day, but it's because I'm not very good at planning ahead. It's a good thing I live a block from the co-op and two blocks from Rosauers.

[Vander]

I too like the Winco in Moscow. Unfortunatly, a nother Walmart, this time a Mega store, is supposed to move in. (Cue the Empire theme from Star Wars) Dum Dum Dum, Dum da dum, Dum da dum.....

[Julie in Boise]

Aaaagh, the dreaded Walmart. Needless to say, "I won't go there ..."

Sara, I read your post on your blog. Very interesting about Albertsons pulling Seventeen mag from their shelves because of the biology lesson. That's just wrong, of course.

[brad]

Just to chime in about other experiences with Albertson's. When we moved to Oregon several years ago, the closest grocery was Albertson's, although there was a Safeway not much further down the street. We always went to Albertson's because it was a great store, the employees were friendly and happy and helpful. It was clean, etc., etc.

But after the near-strike a couple of years ago, where employees of Albertson's, Fred-Meyer and another chain, I think, were threatening to strike in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, things took a major turn for the worse.

I don't know if it was related, or just coincidental, but the employees really soured on the new local management team that was moved in. There were a lot of transfers and they left a lot of positions open when people left, so the checkers were more frazzled, lines were longer, and getting help with bagging, recycling, etc., was nearly impossible.

There were some horror stories, too. Discrimination against a lesbian couple, etc. Formerly cheery employees became real drones. Some almost cried when we would go in and talk to them about what was going on.

We moved recently, and our closest grocery is a Safeway (actually, the closest is a walmart superstore, but I'll never set foot in there), and the Winco is now within range, so we don't shop at Albertson's anymore.

peace to everyone on this first post-winter solstice weekend. :-)

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