You've hit the nail on the head. I worked at Kroger for 7 years, and I remember how stressed out management was that year. The stock had tanked, especially after Amazon bought Whole Foods. We had hours cut from 2016 to 2021 every year with entire departments consolidated and removed. Every new hire became part time with next to no benefits. Old workers were forced out, some for no reason and others for good reasons. I really am glad to be a customer and not a worker anymore. I'm fairly cynical of the merger as well.
Meat departments are obviously missing from lots of grocery stores these days when they used to be effectively full-service butchers. A lot of that is because they are the some of the most interested in unionization (My dad had been suspended several times over the years for having a meat department even look into unionization). Bakeries/Deli counters too. To some extent, you can’t blame them - you don’t see much of that at Walmart and never at target, and for a long time the trend seems to be moving towards pre-packaged (Trader Joes, defunct Fresh and Easy, even gas stations). The general trend since at least 2008 has been to open stores under 100k sq ft, even to 80k (or half that in urban areas)
Every Walmart I shop at has a full service deli counter and bakery. The deli counter stocks unique items that would be rare or special orders anywhere else in town. My experience may not be universal, but it at least falsifies yours as being universal too.
Oh, I believe that - they are supercenters, and I that's especially true in rural communities. Walmart also has pure grocery stores (often much smaller). That's not the case with Target or the others. In the bay area, most the walmarts are not supercenters. I think maybe 2/12 or so are.
