Albertson's Rolls Out Combo Formats
e said last week that it recently completed the conversion of all seven Albertson's stores in the Tucson, Ariz., market to food-and-drug combo stores bearing the Albertson's/Osco banner and all but one Albertson's in the Reno, Nev., market to the Albertson's/Sav-on format. The stores offer twice as much general merchandise as traditional Albertson's supermarkets and add one-hour photo, seasonal products and an expanded cosmetics and beauty care department featuring beauticians. The format, also used by Albertson's Jewel-Osco stores in the Midwest, "enhances the shopping experience by providing two stores under one roof," the company said in a prepared statement. The move also "demonstrates Albertson's commitment to gaining market share," the company said.
H-E-B PULLS Tokens After Choking Report
SAN ANTONIO -- H.E. Butt Grocery Co. here last week stopped giving out coin-shaped tokens for its in-store arcade games after government safety officials began investigating a report that a 2-year-old girl nearly choked on one of the items. The H-E-Buddy tokens were used in crane-type games in which children tried to collect stickers that they could redeem for school merchandise and other H-E-B products. The stores now issue bill-shaped Buddy Bucks, which the games also accept. Kate Brown, a spokeswoman for H-E-B's central division, Austin, Texas, told SN that the alleged choking incident occurred in a private home and was "the only official complaint in the central division." Officials at H-E-B headquarters could not be reached for further comment.
