Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday sued to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons, two of the nation’s largest grocery chains.
In the suit filed in King County Superior Court, Ferguson argued that the $25-billion deal would harm consumers and raise prices, The Seattle Times reported. Kroger and Albertsons have more than 300 locations in the state and account for more than half of its grocery sales, according to the suit.
“This merger is bad for Washington shoppers and workers,” Ferguson said in a news release Monday. “Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and, without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store.”
There are several QFCs and Fred Meyers near each other in Washington that are also near a Safeway or Albertson. This would absolutely result in the closure of a lot of stores.
I am not from that region, so all I can think of when I hear the name Fred Meyer is Jello Biafra mentioning it and someone yelling out, “FRED MEYER!” during the spoken word Night of the Living Rednecks track on The Dead Kennedys Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death album.
I would love to know why that guy was so excited about Fred Meyer.
I isn’t as big as it used to be, but was actually a pretty big grocery chain in its heyday. I suspect that in the case of the song, it was a recognizable name and probably flowed off the tongue somewhat.