Associated Food’s “Fresh Market” opens in Richfield

The sale and transition of Utah Albertsons stores over to Associated Food Stores is officially completed. The Richfield Albertsons store has changed its name to “Fresh Market” and is re-stocking its shelves with their products.

Some outside observers are concerned that the transition appears to have been rushed, rather than following a specified schedule. The turn-over from Albertsons to Associated has been delayed from its original plan by several weeks. Some are concerned that the new store will undermine or even upend the successful Lins Marketplace store in Richfield, which is also owned by Associated Foods. The local Lins had been slated to be upgraded and expanded, perhaps as early as next year. Now, those plans appear to be in question.

Rand Mickelson, spokesman for Associated Food Stores, responds that Fresh Markets have already slashed prices on thousands of items throughout their stores. Associated Foods services over 500 independent grocery stores throughout seven Intermountain Western States. Utah companies such as Harmon’s, Ream’s, Winegar’s and Kent’s are members of the retailer-owned cooperative. The company also owns 22 stores operating under the Macey’s, Dan’s, Lin’s and Dick’s Market banners.

Customers at the new stores will see additional value and an increased focus on fresh products. The stores will benefit from the substantial buying power of Associated Food Stores and because of these economies
of scale, shoppers will see better value. Dick King is the new president of Fresh Market is a former VP at Associated and Albertsons, including here in Utah. He tells Ideal Living that “We will drop prices on a significant number of items in the store and begin carrying the popular Western Family brand. In today’s market, customers want top-quality products at a great price. Our first priority will be to deliver on both fronts.”

Fresh Market’s web site is available now at: http://www.freshmarketstores.com and they have a video about their stores available here: http://www.freshmarketstores.com/Page.aspx/freshnews .

H1N1 Vaccine: Too little, too late?

Supplies of the “Swine” or H1N1 flu vaccine have arrived in the local area, yet are availabe only to those in the following groups:

– Pregnant women: We are taking names and calling them when thimerasol-free vaccine becomes available
– Healthcare workers and first responders
– Caretakers of infants less than 6 months of age
– All children 6 months to 4 years of age
– Those aged 4-24 years of age with underlying health conditions

Health professionals have been told to regard any and all flu-like symptoms as H1N1, and not to take the time to narrow the specific virus down as to whether it is a seasonal flu or the swine flu. There are no widely-accepted cures for viruses, and Tamiflu, a derivative of Chinese star anise, reportedly only helps if administered within the first few hours of infection — before many people would even recognize the symptoms of a heightened immune response, i.e., feeling “sick.”

Some parents are concerned about the effects of thimerosol, a mercury-based preservative, used in multiple packages of the vaccine; mercury is proven to cause numerous, serious brain problems. Individually-packaged doses of the flu vaccine do not contain thimerosol. The inhaler version of the vaccine does not contain thimerosol either, but medical professionals concede that the “live” virus contained in the inhaler can be spread to family members, co-workers, or others.

With many local folks complaining of already having the flu, or even already gotten over it, it appears that the vaccine may arrive in large doses too late to help many to fight the infection. Those with flu-like symptoms are advised to stay home, get rest, and drink plenty of fluids to help the immune system function well. Frequent hand washing, avoiding touching the face or eyes when in public, and using an alcohol-based gel are common practices to avoid the flu. Some say that rinsing the sinuses with a salt water solution may help clean the sinuses of possible infections, while helping to clear the sinuses as well (for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation ).

Regardless, local health professionals are hard at work to get as much flu vaccine as they can, as soon as they can. For more updates and information about H1N1 or other health matters, visit http://centralutahpublichealth.com .

Redbox solidifying its position — or losing its customers?

Redbox DVD rental kiosks have been encroaching on the territory held
by local rental stores. Part of its efforts to get customers used to
renting from the $1-per-night machines was to regularly give out free
rental codes.

Reportedly, that approach is ending, and free code distribution has
apparently ended for everyone except for those who signed up with the
company to get codes delivered via SMS. Those were previously sent
out weekly, but have moved to a monthly schedule and can no longer be
used multiple times by different people, or by using different credit
cards.

The company is also running trials in specific areas with increased
rates for rentals.

Some customers have been growing frustrated with limited selections at
the kiosks, and are using the kiosks less often, it at all. This
could be the reason behind the raising rates. We’ll see if Redbox can
hold onto its customers, or if people return to their local DVD rental
stores.