Proposed grocery merger would affect all communities

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Many still do not grasp the size of and implications of this this merger between two grocery behemoths. (“Grocery giants merger raises concerns for shoppers,” The Herald, Nov. 10).

Unreported are other market areas affected such as the Stanwood-Camano Island region where four stores compete. They are QFC and Haggen soon to be bosom buddies, leaving stand-alone Grocery Outlet Bargain Market and on Camano Island, the IGA. The implications for Stanwood and Camano Island are immense with Esau and Jacob working out who will remain. Grocery Outlet has two other locations near Stanwood, one in Arlington and the other in Marysville and the Grocery Outlet chain based in California is no small potato.

If one lives in the Stanwood area, eight miles east are more Haggen, Safeway, Fred Meyer, Albertson, Walmart, Costco, Winco, Asian Market, and Target stores. If one of the redundant Stanwood stores closed, About 18,000 islanders, 8,438 Stanwood residents, and thousands of rural residents including several senior retirement communities or more would have to chose between two stores in Stanwood, or making a 16-mile or more roundtrip for presumed cheaper shopping venues.

One would think the region’s mayors would be irate. Jobs will be lost. Redundant product lines will be consolidated and less variety of shopping experience will be the result. Formerly independent owners of stores — Joe Albertson, QFC, Fred Meyer, Bartell, et.al — all sold out to the big corporations. They got their money and yours. Who gets your money now?

Sam Bess

Stanwood