Hy-Vee's weirdest business decision yet?

[DSM4Cy]

produce mostly at Aldi’s. (lower price and same quality. I won’t sacrifice quality, so if I can’t get top shelf at all Aldi’s, I move on to a different store)
watermelons, kiss melons, baby tomato’s at Sam’s Club. (Sam’s Club has the best watermelons in Ames. Also most expensive)
eggs/meat/fish at Fareway or Walmart (whichever I’m closest to)
If I want to pick up a pre-cooked meal or some Chinese food or whatever I’ll go to Hy-Vee.

Aldi’s gets a bad rap, but its a great place to shop.

Aldi can be good for most staples, and it’s dirt cheap for decent quality, but I usually can only get 70-75% of the items on my list there. Sometimes you have to buy produce in larger bulk than I need, so there can be stuff that goes to waste. And I won’t ever touch meat in the case from there when there are multiple local options for fresh stuff.

 

[NWICY]

Saw this post on Reddit and it fits pretty damn well...

Those folks need to go to Aldi's LOL.

 

[NWICY]

Personally, I like Hy-Vee a lot more. Selection is 100x better and that matters a lot with picky eaters in the house (myself included).

But, the thing I like most about Hy-Vee is actually the meat. Not only do you get a huge selection, but you can get the steaks, burgers, etc that last 2+ weeks instead of needing to be cooked in the next 2 days. That allows me a lot of flexibility when getting meat for the week (which we eat a lot of in our house).

Damn do you still use a icebox instead of conventional refrigeration?

 

[NWICY]

Our local grocery store still has a Christmas beer on the shelf from Christmas 2021

Just from an optics perspective they should dump that stuff

Put it on sale for the equivalent of 50 cents a can it will be gone in a flash.

 

[NWICY]

I was actually a little disappointed in Aldi's when they changed their policy and became open on Sundays. From what I can tell retail is hard work. It wasn't hard to plan my week around not having to shop on Sunday. I still sort of try to do that, but will pop in if I've forgotten something.

 

[CloneJD]

I get my meat at hy-vee now because that cowboy from Yellowstone said it’s really good. He’s an actor from the tv so i assume he’s knowledgeable about the industry and has absorbed so much about beef production that he’s qualified to judge carcass quality.

 

[IASTATE07]

I get my meat at hy-vee now because that cowboy from Yellowstone said it’s really good. He’s an actor from the tv so i assume he’s knowledgeable about the industry and has absorbed so much about beef production that he’s qualified to judge carcass quality.

Uh, he had that sweet Hy-Vee meat standard binder so of course he knows. Enjoy that Hy-Vee steak. You've earned it.

 

[Aduhbolu15]

After seeing how successful the indy car race was this weekend, it made me wonder how great hyvee would be if they spent more time focusing on their customers than branding.

Most of the people were hyvee employees and people from companies associated with hyvee that were given free tickets. I don’t consider that a success and heard they were in the red.

 

[Aduhbolu15]

You do realize that most of it comes from the same cows and the same processing plants? I've known somebody that worked in the distribution chain and managed part of the flow of meat that came from the same place and went to both distribution channels.

I think that’s true for dairy products too.

 

[nfrine]

Yeah, convenience is the main reason i go to fareway when I do. The fareway is pretty close to me and its easy to pop in and out if i'm just grabbing a few things.

Ive noticed that fareway moves product slower though, making it so the expiration dates are often a lot sooner than at hyvee. Especially for things like bread.

Expiration dates have been a far bigger issue at our HyVee. The traffic through the store, other than the pharmacy, has dropped dramatically over the the last several years. The two stores are only 3 blocks apart.

 

[Nor'MidWester]

So who actually watches Helpful Smiles TV? I want to know their viewership numbers lol.
They might be good Plan Z for our Tier 3 media rights

 

[KidSilverhair]

I used to go to the Urbandale Hy-Vee as our go-to. Then a year or two ago they shuffled every aisle around so after 3-4 years of learning where every way, I had to start over. No thanks.

That along with their higher prices and closing the distribution center so there are 20 personal shoppers dragging 3 carts all over the store that I have to maneuver around…I’m a Fareway guy for 90% of our stuff now. Simple, I know where stuff is, and I’m in and out much quicker (no shoes, bath bombs, or clothing tho…).

Apparently (and maybe this is a staffing thing too) the HyVees around here no longer stock overnight or during hours the store is closed. So every time I go I have to maneuver around huge stacks of boxes clogging the aisles as items are stocked, as well as the personal shoppers hauling their cart full of bins … it’s a minor irritation, sure, but it’s not a very good shopping experience when you’re having to search for the items you want hidden behind boxes and tote bins filling up the aisles.

 

[ISUCY23]

Lol, how long have you worked in the Fareway meat department?

Never. Hyvee meat just sucks. Maybe it’s just the one I live by. I get mine from the locker.

 

[carvers4math]

Expiration dates have been a far bigger issue at our HyVee. The traffic through the store, other than the pharmacy, has dropped dramatically over the the last several years. The two stores are only 3 blocks apart.

Ours just kept putting a yogurt that had been expired for four months at the front of the row. Maybe they thought it added probiotics.

When husband picked up our online Fareway order, he chatted with the woman who brought our groceries out within a minute of his arrival. I had commented that they pick out better produce than I do and he told her that. She said when she was trained for online, they told her to shop like she would, so they do things like always pick the furthest out expiration date.

When I used to go to HyVee as a convenience store before my last health scare incident, I tried to get a gallon of milk. They all were dated with the current date. Husband and I are not up to drinking a gallon of milk in a day. Went to Casey’s, they had a gallon of AE for a dime less than HyVee store brand and it had a sell by of a week away.

 

[CloneGuy8]

I get my meat at hy-vee now because that cowboy from Yellowstone said it’s really good. He’s an actor from the tv so i assume he’s knowledgeable about the industry and has absorbed so much about beef production that he’s qualified to judge carcass quality.

I refer to him as store-brand Sam Elliot

 

[carvers4math]

So will HyVee improve with Edeker stepping down as CEO? Doubtful since still Chair of Board. Probably give him more hang time with Marky Mark.

 

[Clonefan94]

Most of the people were hyvee employees and people from companies associated with hyvee that were given free tickets. I don’t consider that a success and heard they were in the red.

It would be interesting to see the numbers, but I assume Hy-Vee looked at it as a weekend long commercial. It would be interesting to see how much the weekend long event cost them compared to running a Super Bowl Ad. I know the Iowa Indycar race is far from the Super Bowl as far as viewership and probably cost them a hell of a lot more, but highlights, news coverage, YouTube replays etc. all have the HyVee name plastered all over, it’s not just the race.

I have no idea if it was really worth it in the long run, but from what I have been hearing, it really put HyVee in a positive light, especially with the drivers and teams.

 

[SCNCY]

It would be interesting to see the numbers, but I assume Hy-Vee looked at it as a weekend long commercial. It would be interesting to see how much the weekend long event cost them compared to running a Super Bowl Ad. I know the Iowa Indycar race is far from the Super Bowl as far as viewership and probably cost them a hell of a lot more, but highlights, news coverage, YouTube replays etc. all have the HyVee name plastered all over, it’s not just the race.

I have no idea if it was really worth it in the long run, but from what I have been hearing, it really put HyVee in a positive light, especially with the drivers and teams.

Since Hyvee is looking to expand beyond just Iowa, doing an event like this probably broadens their name in to future markets. I don't think they do this event to market in Iowa, its about marketing to racing fans in future Hyvee markets.

 

[SCNCY]

So will HyVee improve with Edeker stepping down as CEO? Doubtful since still Chair of Board. Probably give him more hang time with Marky Mark.

Doubtful, since Edeker is still chair of the board, he will probably hire someone that's similar to him. If anything, he will still be calling the shots while the new CEO takes the blame.

 

[BCClone]

So will HyVee improve with Edeker stepping down as CEO? Doubtful since still Chair of Board. Probably give him more hang time with Marky Mark.

Will get those good vibrations.