Kellogg Testing New Box Design

26 01 2009
The new boxes Kelloggs is testing in the Detroit market

The new boxes Kellogg's is testing in the Detroit market

I got an e-mail about a pilot program taking place in Detroit.  Battle Creek based Kellogg is conducting a six month test with a redesigned box at Kroger’s and Walmart’s in the Detroit area designed to save shelf space.

Kellogg Co., the largest U.S. cereal maker, has reconfigured the size of its boxes in an effort to sell more Froot Loops and Special K at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Kroger Co. stores in Detroit.

Kellogg is replacing cereal at 40 Wal-Mart and Kroger stores with shorter, deeper containers that hold the same amount, Kim Miller, vice president of morning-foods marketing, said in a telephone interview. The six-month test starts today.

[snip]

After several years of research, Kellogg reduced packaging by 8 percent for the test, wagering that consumers who lack kitchen storage will buy cereal in smaller boxes, Miller said.

Consumers put cereal boxes “on top of refrigerators, on countertops, lying down and on their sides,” Miller, 43, said today from Battle Creek, Michigan, Kellogg’s hometown. “Retailers are taking a similar direction, trying to optimize shelf space.”

They’re not shrinking the amount of cereal you get, they’re just shrinking the box and getting rid of all that empty space.  The interesting thing is Walmart is encouraging companies to come up with new packaging ideas that save space and are rewarding companies that do so with premier display space.  The new packaging won’t cost you anything more…at least yet..

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Kroger – Frandor

17 11 2008
  • 443 Mall Ct.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 332-2090
  • Website
Kroger in the Frandor Shopping Center.

Kroger in the Frandor Shopping Center.

I have a feeling one day I will visit all the Kroger’s in Lansing.  For some reason, when I need something, I instinctively go to Kroger.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been around Kroger all my life whereas the other supermarket’s in the area or foreign to me.  Maybe it’s because there just always seems to be a Kroger when I need one.

J and I were in Frandor to check out Linens ‘N Things again.  My dad wants some pans for Christmas and he’s very, very picky about what he wants, so we were hoping to find something cheap at LNT. They just lowered their prices again, so we thought it was a good time.  We picked up a few things there, but I needed to pick up a few groceries as well and there was a Kroger not too far down the parking lot.

So, we headed back to the truck to drop of the “Things” we bought from Linens ‘N Things before heading to Kroger.  I’m guessing this store is one of the older ones in Lansing.  They still have an old sign on the building and the layout is a little wierd for a grocery store.  When you walk in, you come in behind the cash registers.  There’s only one door in and out so you come out the way you go in.  If you keep walking past the cash registers, you’ll eventually hit produce and you can start shopping just like you would at any store. Read the rest of this entry »





Coke Zero – My Replacement Vice

27 08 2008

If you’ve been following along, you know Pepsi is my weakness.  I’m not the healthiest eater in the world, but my biggest problem with weight gain since college has been Pepsi.  I got in a bad habit of drinking out of a 2-liter whenever I got thirsty instead of drinking water. 

My Pepsi replacement....Coke Zero

My Pepsi replacement....Coke Zero

Well, it’s time to lose the weight.  I’ve been fairly inactive this summer but have managed to keep my weight steady.  I’m not gaining or losing, but I’d much rather be losing.  In order to do that, the four to five cans of Pepsi a day need to stop.

I’ve tried Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke.  Both taste like crap.  I’ve tried mixing Pepsi with Diet Pepsi.  That sorta worked, but I don’t want to open both a can of Diet and regular whenever I need a fix.

The other day I was in Kroger and I was walking buy the single serve cases near the check-out.  I started to grab a Diet Coke to see if I could stomach that.  My brother swears it’s better than Pepsi.  As I started to reach, another bottle caught my eye.  Coke Zero. I’ve seen the commercials but never paid attention because I prefer Pepsi to Coke, but I picked it up to read the label.  Zero calories!  Like a diet pop they use aspartame to sweeten the drink instead of HFCS.  Why not give it a shot.  I can handle regular Coke so if the commercials are true, this could be the solution to my problems. 

I got home and took a drink.  YAY!  It works!  It doesn’t have that bitter after taste that Diet does.  It tastes like Cola, so until Pepsi comes out with a competitor, it looks like I’m going to have to switch over to the dark side and start drinking Coke.  It looks like I picked the right time to give up Pepsi.  A few years ago and I would have been stuck drinking Diet.





Ohio Woman Sues Kroger

30 06 2008

Frivolous lawsuit.

Amanda J. Adam, 26, purchased and consumed beef patties from the Kroger store at 7100 Perimeter Loop on June 4, the suit says. Four days later, she felt ill, and the symptoms worsened over the next two days. Adam spent two days in a Cincinnati hospital and tested positive for E. coli.

She declined interviews through a spokeswoman. Cleveland attorney Nicholas Phillips filed the lawsuit as co-counsel to the Seattle firm Marler Clark.

Shit happens.  Grow up and deal with it.





Kroger Recalling Beef

26 06 2008

After the E. Coli outbreak, Kroger is recalling ground beef bought in Michigan and the Columbs and Toledo, Ohio areas sold between May 21 and June 8.

The recall involves an undetermined amount of ground beef, including all varieties and weights of products sold in Michigan stores as well as stores in counties in the Toledo and Columbus areas in Ohio.

Kroger and health officials said none of the infected product remains in stores.

“The products are no longer available,” said Amanda Eamich, spokeswoman for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. “We actually are encouraging people to look in their freezers.”





Kroger – Saginaw Highway

26 06 2008
  • 6430 W. Saginaw Hwy.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-1039
  • Website

A few weeks ago when I originally posted about Kroger in Holt (review HERE), a commentor suggested I check out the Kroger on Saginaw and Creyts Rd.  I figured a Kroger is a Kroger, right?  Boy, I was wrong.

My girlfriend had me running some errands while she was getting her hair cut.  I tried to do pick up everything I needed at Meijer, but was one thing short.  I thought I was just going to go to Wal-Mart, but as I drove by Kroger, I remembered the comment and decided to stop.  My plan wasn’t to get anything food releated.  I was actually looking for a skin care product, but I wanted to check it out.  Let me tell you.  This is like no Kroger I’ve ever been in before.  Read the rest of this entry »





E. Coli Alert For Michigan

24 06 2008

They’ve traced the strain of E. Coli at least partially meat bought at Kroger

The state agency has confirmed 15 E. coli cases of the same genetic strain in Michigan; 10 of those patients are hospitalized.

More than half of the Michigan patients report purchasing and consuming ground beef from Kroger Food Stores. Additional retailers and outlets may be identified.
Read the rest of this entry »





Kroger – Holt

18 06 2008
  • 2495 S. Cedar St.Kroger
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-4119
  • Website

I figured since I seem to be at the grocery store everyday, I’d write  up a few blog posts about why I go to which grocery store.  There isn’t one store where I do all my shopping because there is something that I think each store does better than others.

I’m going to start with Kroger because I had to run there tonight to get some baking supplies to make cookies for my girlfriend.  No, I’m not in trouble.  I just like to do nice things every now and then…and she asked me to because every Thursday is treat day (or something like that) at her job and it’s her to bring treats.  For quick pantry trips, I usually run to Kroger because it’s the easiest to get to from our place.  Meijer may be closer, but it’s harder to get to.  We’ve walked to both stores so you know they’re not too far away. Read the rest of this entry »