As Houston households continue to contend with high gas and food prices, several of the nation’s biggest grocers are trying to woo shoppers across the state.
H-E-B, headquartered in San Antonio, announced in March that it is lowering prices on thousands of items throughout its stores. Kroger followed suit on April 8, announcing it will lower prices on a number of products at its Texas stores, through July 8. For example, the store will sell half gallons of Blue Bell Ice Cream, and 60-packs of eggs, for $7.99 each.
“There are no coupons, digital deals or special promotions required,” said Rudy DiPietro, president of Kroger’s Texas Division, in a statement announcing the price cuts. “We’ve simply made saving money easy for every shopper by lowering prices.”
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Although Kroger is headquartered in Ohio, a spokesperson said Texans are being singled out for special treatment this spring.
“Texans will be among the first Kroger shoppers to receive these savings,” the spokesperson said.
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Meanwhile, Walmart — the largest grocer in the United States and the world’s largest physical retailer — is also pitching to Texas shoppers. Last month, the Houston Chronicle received a box containing four products from producers based in Texas, including a package of instant pho from Houston’s PhoLicious and a bottle of hot sauce by Boerne Brand, which is actually based in Tomball.
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A promotional insert noted that both businesses have been recognized by Walmart’s annual “Open Call” event, which is getting underway this year and includes a May 14 stop in Dallas. Entrepreneurs who are interested in pitching their products to Walmart must apply by April 24.
The insert added that PhoLicious and Boerne Brand are among 2,509 Texas-based suppliers Walmart works with, which collectively represent more than 200,000 jobs in the state. About 180,000 people in Texas work at Walmart, according to the company’s website.
“Walmart is proud to champion Texas businesses,” said the insert, commending the Texas suppliers for their “creativity, craftsmanship and entrepreneurial spirit.”
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Why Texas? H-E-B, of course, is focused on the state. The other two grocers didn’t say, exactly.
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“Walmart regularly engages with stakeholders to share examples of the suppliers and products we support across the U.S,” said a company spokesperson, in response to questions about the Texas-touting box. “In this case, this box highlights Texas-based suppliers as one example of the local businesses we work with and support.”
Houston-area shoppers are unlikely to object. Food prices in the region have changed little since the year began, according to the Houston Chronicle’s tracker, but experts have warned that that could change. The war in Iran has kept oil prices high since February, raising the cost of transporting food and other necessities to stores across the nation.
As of April 9, the average gas price in Harris County stood at about $3.81 per gallon, according to AAA.