# Why does Kroger have so many aliases? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995 "2021-06-10T19:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/101 "2022-10-16T15:45:36Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > people simply continued to refer to it as the original name. This reminds me of the story about one of the now-Kroger chain stores, the Wallingford (Seattle) QFC. It was (IIRC) oringinally a Food Giant. Now the store has (or had) a large sign along its front, saying WALLINGFORD. Locals refer to it as “Giant Foods.” Kinda close to its original name. It is still this way, @Atamasama ? And: [link](https://www.wallyhood.org/2022/08/recalling-the-wallingford-food-giant/#gsc.tab=0) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/102 "2022-10-16T15:51:10Z")
I can attest that it’s still that way, although I have never heard anyone call it Giant Foods, just Food Giant. The idea with the “WALLINGFORD” sign is that it reuses some of the lettering from “FOOD GIANT”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/103 "2022-10-16T15:52:30Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > It is still this way, @Atamasama ? I’m a bit away from Wallingford; more than an hour on some days. It’s on the other side of Seattle from me. So I’m not familiar with the location, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/104 "2022-10-16T15:55:55Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I have never heard anyone call it Giant Foods, just Food Giant. OK. I had some sarcastic friends from Wallingford and Fremont who called it that, and I assumed they were referring to the giant signage at that store. Maybe it wasn’t common to call it Giant Foods after all. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/105 "2022-10-16T16:57:29Z")
Around here Smith’s (Kroger) has the barest shelves and refuses to offer higher pay. Tough to get workers for $15/hour when WalMart on the next block is offering $21.50. Safeway and Albertson’s are better stocked, but also significantly more expensive and in inconvenient locations. We are lucky to also have 2 local chains and WinCo (and Whole Foods sometime soon). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/106 "2022-10-16T17:21:26Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Around here Smith’s (Kroger) has the barest shelves and refuses to offer higher pay. My understanding is that Kroger employees around Ohio are fully unionised get quite decent terms. At least that was the case when I had acquaintances who worked there. I do t know about now. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/107 "2022-10-16T17:45:21Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > There was a regional chain in Indiana and a bit of Ohio called Marsh Supermarkets. They went bankrupt in 2017. Kroger bought most of their old stores. > > What’s interesting is that in my city, Muncie, Indiana, they re-opened the two former Marsh locations under the Pay-Less name, not the Kroger name. Pay-Less had never had any presence in Muncie before, so it couldn’t be because of brand loyalty. I’m still not sure why they chose that branding. Whenever I buy anything there, the purchase shows up on my credit card receipts as “Kroger.” I thought the Marsh on McGalliard near the old Kmart became a planet fitness. Muncie represent. Were there 3 Marshs in Muncie? I know of the other 2 you’re speaking of on Tiillitson and one near Sitara. I don’t know why they opened it as a Pay-less either. I think everywhere else in the state (Richmond, Indianapolis, Bloomington, etc) its known as Kroger, but in Muncie its pay-less. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/108 "2022-10-17T20:56:30Z")
Home Depot is “The Home Depot.” Nobody calls it that. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/109 "2022-10-17T21:35:30Z")
Huh, the Smith’s here is probably the best run of the grocery stores; it’s my preferred store, and has the best selection, prices, and quality of our 4 grocery options (the others being Walmart, Albertsons, and a little Affiliated Foods-type store thats dingy, dirty, and high-priced). ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/110 "2022-10-18T12:48:23Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I thought the Marsh on McGalliard near the old Kmart became a planet fitness. Muncie represent. Were there 3 Marshs in Muncie? I know of the other 2 you’re speaking of on Tiillitson and one near Sitara. You’re right; there was a third Marsh which is now a Planet Fitness. I don’t get out to that side of town very often, so I forgot about it. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/111 "2022-10-18T13:14:28Z")
They just acquired Jewel’s, one of the biggest chains in the country. What’s happening is that all these stores are losing any individuality or uniqueness they may have had just like Mariano’s has lost its individuality since Kroger acquired it. It’ll be like going to same store with just a different name. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/112 "2022-10-18T15:33:00Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > What’s happening is that all these stores are losing any individuality or uniqueness they may have had just like Mariano’s has lost its individuality since Kroger acquired it. For the benefit of non-Chicagoans: Mariano’s is a relatively new grocery chain which operates in the Chicago area; it came into being a little over a decade ago, and originally was part of the Roundy’s company (a Wisconsin company, which also operated the Pick 'n Save grocery stores). Bob Mariano was, at that time, CEO of Roundy’s, and had previously been CEO of Dominick’s (a now-defunct Chicago grocery chain); the Mariano’s stores were a bit more upscale than Chicago’s other big grocery chains (Jewel and Dominick’s) – they had a big selection of imported food items, an extensive deli and fresh-cooked food buffet, and a wine bar. They also had pianos, with actual humans playing them during prime shopping hours, at their entrances. Kroger bought Roundy’s (and, by extension, Mariano’s) in 2015, and has, in the years since, largely gutted most of the things that made Mariano’s different from other grocery stores. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/113 "2022-10-18T15:47:13Z")
Thanks, Kenobi\_65! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/114 "2022-10-18T16:06:44Z")
It’s interesting that despite having so many stores and names, they really have no presence in the northeast & New York metro area. It looks like the closest one is 100 miles away in Philadelphia. I’d never been to one until I went to California. The big supermarket chains here are Stop and Shop, Shop Rite and King Kullen out on Long Island. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/115 "2022-10-18T16:55:02Z")
The grocery market is about to shrink further. Kroger has announced that it intends to buy Albertsons for almost $25 billion. > **[Two of the largest supermarkets in America are merging | CNN Business](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/14/business/kroger-albertsons-merger/index.html)** > > Kroger announced Friday that it plans to buy Albertsons in a nearly $25 billion deal that could change the US retail industry and impact how millions of customers buy their groceries. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/116 "2022-10-18T17:04:45Z")
Yes. That proposed merger is why this thread was revived on October 14, in post 65. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/117 "2022-10-18T17:06:18Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > It’s interesting that despite having so many stores and names, they really have no presence in the northeast & New York metro area. It looks like the closest one is 100 miles away in Philadelphia. I’d never been to one until I went to California. The big supermarket chains here are Stop and Shop, Shop Rite and King Kullen out on Long Island. There are more in New England and upstate New York, like Big Y, Market Basket, Hannaford, Wegman’s and Price Chopper. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/118 "2022-10-19T13:27:15Z")
35 years ago they were expanding rapidly. Back then I remember there being both “regular” Wal-Marts that were strictly the “hard goods” lines- hardly any food, and all clothing, hardware, appliances, etc… and there being “Supercenters” which were more what they have today. Nowadays they’re all either Supercenters or Neighborhood Markets (a sort of grocery-only version). But there’s a lot of individual variation in terms of the services each store offers- some have tires/automotive, some (especially rural) have extensive outdoor sports sections including gun counters, some have all sorts of services for low income people up front- insurance (would ANYONE with two cents to rub together actually go to Fred Loya by choice?) , cell phones, banks. Depends on where you are. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/119 "2022-10-26T16:41:17Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Nowadays they’re all either Supercenters or Neighborhood Markets (a sort of grocery-only version). Where I live, there are two Walmarts within a reasonable distance. One is a “Supercenter” and the other is the “hypermarket” style, like a Fred Meyer. There are quite a few of the latter around the general area. The hypermarkets have a fairly limited grocery department; it’s a pretty small part of the store. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995/120 "2022-10-26T20:15:29Z")
I’m pretty sure they created QFC markets so they could put them in the suburbs and charge 20% more for the same shit they sell at the larger stores. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-kroger-have-so-many-aliases/943995.md?page=7)