Letter: Thoughts on Kroger-Albertsons merger

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has asked for citizen input regarding the potential merger of Kroger (City Market) and Albertsons (Safeway).

The concerns I have, if this merger were to take place, are:

• The likelihood of higher costs with the loss of competition
• The loss of consumer ability to compare prices
• Less brand selection
• The loss of consumer ability to search for better quality produce in another store
• Only one purveyor attempting the winter drive over Vail Pass to restock empty shelves
• Monopolization of access to a life essential — food.

Vail offers both City Market and Safeway. They are located so that it is an easy walk between the two, and this affords the option of quickly finding just the item needed. Besides this, having both stores offers the benefit of dividing guest shoppers between the two during peak summer and winter seasons. At those times, the parking lots are already close to full. Congestion in the grocery aisles and in the parking lot of a lone grocery store in Vail will be a horror to be avoided. A case in point is the nightmare City Market scenario in Aspen that makes shoppers take their grocery lists downvalley.

Offer your input to the Attorney General at https://coag.gov.  It most definitely is a quick and easy survey.  I hope you register your thoughts with the attorney general’s office soon.

Charlyn Canada
Vail