4 ms·

This seems like a very simplistic analysis, I'd expect more from the economist. They compare huge chains like Walmart, Aldi, and Whole Foods to Europe's Tesco.

This seems like a very simplistic analysis, I'd expect more from the economist. They compare huge chains like Walmart, Aldi, and Whole Foods to Europe's Tesco. Yet we have lots of regional options in our small city and very rarely go to these big chains. Kind of disappointed I created an account just to read this tbh.

brewdad 4y ago
This tends to be a forum of financially advantaged people. The vast majority of Americans are shopping at Walmart, Aldi, Safeway, Kroger etc. (Maybe not Whole Foods). In that light, the comparisons are valid. Like you, I shop at a local chain and the farmers market. I know I pay more for my groceries than my neighbors who shop at WinCo and I'm ok with that since I feel I get higher quality meats and produce along with those higher prices.
- nightski 4y ago
  Interesting that is the case elsewhere. Our local stores are not always more expensive. We have one high end chain, one average chain, and one lower end chain all of which are local to the region. Walmart is usually on par or even slightly more expensive in some cases than the average option.
socialdemocrat 4y ago
I don't get your comment. 1) Both Aldi and Tesco are European. 2) The point is that food shopping in the US is dominated by large stores like Wall Mart, Target etc, while in Europe stores more akin to Aldi, Tesco etc dominate. I live in Norway but have lived in the US and Netherlands while visiting a lot of Europe on vacation naturally. There is most definitely a very different way in which food is sold in general. The article points out pretty much the same experiences I have had when comparing. In fact this has been remarked on for years as a difference between Europe and the US: The US is about really large stores where land is cheap and you can store a lot of products. In Europe one tends to follow the opposite model: Smaller stores with more limited selection which has rapid replacement of products. Automation is also quite different. I was also surprised by the kind of old fashion way checkout works in the US. Like how they meticulously pack your bags. I would say in Europe scanning is generally faster or one uses a more self automated systems where shoppers scan, pay and pack themselves. Of course there are stores of all kinds of sizes in the US. The same applies to Europe. There are Wall-Mart style shopping Europe as well. It is just that there is a difference in what is more common in each region. And of course saying "Europe" may be quite inaccurate as there are such large regional variations in Europe. Broadly speaking smaller stores in central areas is more common in Europe than in the US, but once you get into the details then each country tends to do things in quite different ways. For instance I loved shopping groceries in the Netherlands but kind of hated doing it in Germany.
- karaterobot 4y ago
  > I don't get your comment. 1) Both Aldi and Tesco are European. 2) The point is that food shopping in the US is dominated by large stores like Wall Mart, Target etc, while in Europe stores more akin to Aldi, Tesco etc dominate. Aldi has a large presence in the U.S., as noted in the article. About 2100 stores, according to a search. That's nearly half as many as Walmart grocery stores. > Like how they meticulously pack your bags. I would say in Europe scanning is generally faster or one uses a more self automated systems where shoppers scan, pay and pack themselves. I dunno, having your shopping bags loaded for you is pretty nice. With respect to self-checkout, I haven't been in a chain grocery store in the U.S. in at least 10 years that didn't have it. They may exist, I dunno. Usually, you have a choice of both. > And of course saying "Europe" may be quite inaccurate as there are such large regional variations in Europe. Broadly speaking smaller stores in central areas is more common in Europe than in the US, but once you get into the details then each country tends to do things in quite different ways. This is the truth.

brewdad 4y ago

This tends to be a forum of financially advantaged people. The vast majority of Americans are shopping at Walmart, Aldi, Safeway, Kroger etc. (Maybe not Whole Foods). In that light, the comparisons are valid. Like you, I shop at a local chain and the farmers market. I know I pay more for my groceries than my neighbors who shop at WinCo and I'm ok with that since I feel I get higher quality meats and produce along with those higher prices.

nightski 4y ago
Interesting that is the case elsewhere. Our local stores are not always more expensive. We have one high end chain, one average chain, and one lower end chain all of which are local to the region. Walmart is usually on par or even slightly more expensive in some cases than the average option.

socialdemocrat 4y ago

I don't get your comment. 1) Both Aldi and Tesco are European. 2) The point is that food shopping in the US is dominated by large stores like Wall Mart, Target etc, while in Europe stores more akin to Aldi, Tesco etc dominate. I live in Norway but have lived in the US and Netherlands while visiting a lot of Europe on vacation naturally. There is most definitely a very different way in which food is sold in general. The article points out pretty much the same experiences I have had when comparing. In fact this has been remarked on for years as a difference between Europe and the US: The US is about really large stores where land is cheap and you can store a lot of products. In Europe one tends to follow the opposite model: Smaller stores with more limited selection which has rapid replacement of products. Automation is also quite different. I was also surprised by the kind of old fashion way checkout works in the US. Like how they meticulously pack your bags. I would say in Europe scanning is generally faster or one uses a more self automated systems where shoppers scan, pay and pack themselves. Of course there are stores of all kinds of sizes in the US. The same applies to Europe. There are Wall-Mart style shopping Europe as well. It is just that there is a difference in what is more common in each region. And of course saying "Europe" may be quite inaccurate as there are such large regional variations in Europe. Broadly speaking smaller stores in central areas is more common in Europe than in the US, but once you get into the details then each country tends to do things in quite different ways. For instance I loved shopping groceries in the Netherlands but kind of hated doing it in Germany.

karaterobot 4y ago
> I don't get your comment. 1) Both Aldi and Tesco are European. 2) The point is that food shopping in the US is dominated by large stores like Wall Mart, Target etc, while in Europe stores more akin to Aldi, Tesco etc dominate. Aldi has a large presence in the U.S., as noted in the article. About 2100 stores, according to a search. That's nearly half as many as Walmart grocery stores. > Like how they meticulously pack your bags. I would say in Europe scanning is generally faster or one uses a more self automated systems where shoppers scan, pay and pack themselves. I dunno, having your shopping bags loaded for you is pretty nice. With respect to self-checkout, I haven't been in a chain grocery store in the U.S. in at least 10 years that didn't have it. They may exist, I dunno. Usually, you have a choice of both. > And of course saying "Europe" may be quite inaccurate as there are such large regional variations in Europe. Broadly speaking smaller stores in central areas is more common in Europe than in the US, but once you get into the details then each country tends to do things in quite different ways. This is the truth.