I tried shopping at the new Crest on Covell and Sooner in Edmond. Every time the meat I wanted was miss marked as something else way higher priced. It was plainly wrong like ground beef marked as a ribeye that kind of stupid. i would have to call the meat manager to get someone to properly label stuff. This takes way too long esp when the guy calls the employees out and chews them out. I just say its poor training and employees get to not caring. I went in one time to get some potatoes. First off the produce guess goes in to a Protestant come to my church and are you saved thing. Thank you I have my own church. it was again stupid. I went to the potato bags and they were flat out rotten potatoes in the bags. Nope I am not buying rotten potatoes. They were not just a little bad, they were way bad. I just gave up trying to shop at Crest. This is not how you keep customers.

The bagged produce products are not the same quality as the "same" loose produce product. The store employees don't have the time or ability to check each item in a bag. It's how the product comes to them from the warehouse.

It was not like one or two potatoes per bag. The lot of the potato bags with just about everyone were rotten. I mean really really rotten. All the bags needed to be thrown out. They were that bad.

I tried shopping at the new Crest on Covell and Sooner in Edmond. Every time the meat I wanted was miss marked as something else way higher priced. It was plainly wrong like ground beef marked as a ribeye that kind of stupid. i would have to call the meat manager to get someone to properly label stuff. This takes way too long esp when the guy calls the employees out and chews them out. I just say its poor training and employees get to not caring. I went in one time to get some potatoes. First off the produce guess goes in to a Protestant come to my church and are you saved thing. Thank you I have my own church. it was again stupid. I went to the potato bags and they were flat out rotten potatoes in the bags. Nope I am not buying rotten potatoes. They were not just a little bad, they were way bad. I just gave up trying to shop at Crest. This is not how you keep customers.

My wife has showed them at the Yukon Crest the meat prices were mismarked. And always over priced. And they would change them on the spot.

I've been using Kroger delivery more frequently because you can get next-day delivery as low as $3.95 (depends on which time window you select). And there is no minimum purchase or subscription.

The whole thing is just fantastic. No more driving to a store, walking blocks, searching up and down every aisle for items, hoping they even have them in stock (and you can find what you are looking for), then dealing with the whole checkout PIA.

It seems Kroger had issues with keeping some items in stock right after launch, but the last 3-4 times I've used them it's just been a great service. AND they won't let you tip, let alone guilting you into a 20% surcharge.


I hope people use them more because I'd be sick if they left our market. If nothing else, it's invaluable to older people and those who don't live near a store with fresh groceries. And as I've said many times, it pretty much eliminates the need for a downtown grocer.

^^^ Yes, all of that. We do subscribe to their Boost program (which now gives us the option to convert points to redeemable dollars instead of just fuel discounts) and get weekly deliveries of absolutely everything we used to go to Homeland for (better selection, in-stock, etc.). We go to Sprouts weekly to get fresh produce, etc., and specialty, less popular items that Kroger doesn't carry.

And frozen and refrigerated items arrive *cold*.

Way better than using something like Instacart (which is also way more expensive).

It was not like one or two potatoes per bag. The lot of the potato bags with just about everyone were rotten. I mean really really rotten. All the bags needed to be thrown out. They were that bad.

I have a little experience in this area and it sounds like 1) the produce people are not rotating their stock as new product comes in, 2) they are not culling their products daily and 3) because they operate on such small margins, management is under pressure to reduce shrinkage write-off so they leave it on the shelf longer. This is the produce manager's responsibility - but with pressure from store managers.

Have been using it weekly since 2022 and had my first-ever actual complaint; yesterday they delivered a head of cabbage that was rotten clear though. Black. Should have been easily caught when they were picking the order. Other than that the service has been a dream come true.

Still happily using the Kroger delivery here too, I've been getting a weekly Monday morning pre-work delivery for just a bit over a year now and I would not want to go back.

I use it weekly and have for a year or so. Only issues I ever have are broken eggs and bread getting smashed from time to time. But they always give a refund for damaged products.

I use it weekly and have for a year or so. Only issues I ever have are broken eggs and bread getting smashed from time to time. But they always give a refund for damaged products.

We stopped getting eggs from them, broken happened too many times, and the last straw was when they broke and the eggs got all over the container, bag, and porch. Drivers not ringing/knocking, just dropping and leaving has been the main problem for us.

My daughter placed a Kroger delivery for 8:00 PM and out of nowhere, Kroger decided to change the delivery time to 3:00 AM. No one responded to her messages to get this corrected and the groceries were indeed delivered at 3:00 and subsequently spoiled from the summer heat. She got a refund and claimed to be done with them but she confessed that she hated going to the store so much that she still uses them.

^

I find this very hard to believe.

Kroger only delivers between 5AM and 10PM.

Also, you always get a text and/or email when there is a delivery so she would have known it was there when she got up in the morning.

^

I find this very hard to believe.

Kroger only delivers between 5AM and 10PM.

Also, you always get a text and/or email when there is a delivery so she would have known it was there when she got up in the morning.

They’ll even give you a text if there’s weather causing issues. Also find it hard to believe.

My daughter placed a Kroger delivery for 8:00 PM and out of nowhere, Kroger decided to change the delivery time to 3:00 AM. No one responded to her messages to get this corrected and the groceries were indeed delivered at 3:00 and subsequently spoiled from the summer heat. She got a refund and claimed to be done with them but she confessed that she hated going to the store so much that she still uses them.

I'm guessing typo and that should be 3:00 PM? Could easily be user error since 3s look like 8s.

^

I find this very hard to believe.

Kroger only delivers between 5AM and 10PM.

Also, you always get a text and/or email when there is a delivery so she would have known it was there when she got up in the morning.

She scheduled the delivery for 8pm, Kroger said they were running late and gave a delivery time of 3am. She thought that couldn't be corect and when she got up at 6am, she found her ruined food on the porch. Not sure why anyone would make up such a story.

https://imgur.com/1H0l5ic

https://imgur.com/kGAvicE

It appears that I can't post pics but I have screenshots that show a delivery scheduled for 3:07AM. But like I said, she still uses the service, so it's not like that one issue has lost them a customer.

It appears that I can't post pics but I have screenshots that show a delivery scheduled for 3:07AM. But like I said, she still uses the service, so it's not like that one issue has lost them a customer.

Thanks for the clarification.

Very strange.

Kroger opens new 123,000 sq ft mega store in Melissa TX.
Starbucks kiosk
Murray’s Cheese counter fuel center featuring 18 fueling positions
grab & go kiosk with beverages and snacks
full-service groceryproduce, floral, meat, and seafood
pharmacy expanded general merchandise, including outdoor living products, home goods, apparel, toys, and more
19226

Kroger opens new 123,000 sq ft mega store in Melissa TX.
Starbucks kiosk
Murray’s Cheese counter fuel center featuring 18 fueling positions
grab & go kiosk with beverages and snacks
full-service groceryproduce, floral, meat, and seafood
pharmacy expanded general merchandise, including outdoor living products, home goods, apparel, toys, and more
19226

I wish they would come here. Crest is becoming more and more like Wal-Mart, in terms of customer service, and I would love better options.

I wish they would come here. Crest is becoming more and more like Wal-Mart, in terms of customer service, and I would love better options.

Will never happen. Crest, Homeland, and Wal-Mart have too great a stronghold on this market, and there isn't enough growth to support more stores, apparently.

Nah give me HEB or give me death.

Nah give me HEB or give me death.

For sure!

Our grocery stores are so mediocre.

Will never happen. Crest, Homeland, and Wal-Mart have too great a stronghold on this market, and there isn't enough growth to support more stores, apparently.

Whole Foods and Sprouts didn't think OKC would be a good market, either. It's possible once the Kroger merger situation gets sorted out, Kroger will be looking for expansion opportunities

Our grocery stores are so mediocre.

Can you expand on what makes them mediocre?

Stores like Crest, Walmart, and Winco focus a lot on price, so there isn't a whole lot of attention on presentation. They look they same here as they do almost anywhere else.

Homeland (the newer stores) and Uptown Grocery spend a lot of time on presentation and shopping experience, which brings up some of the prices of goods. Target spends also a lot of time on presentation and overall experience, too, but it closely matches the rest of the stores across the chain.

Sprouts, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers serve a certain demographic, just like Aldi is designed to be small and bare bones in selection and stocking for discount pricing.

As for food selection, it really depends on the stores size and overall layout. I find that Homeland offers a lot more speciality items, and Uptown has its speciality items too.

I would say the closest thing we have to a full service Kroger is Homeland, but as they build new stores they tend to be much smaller than their existing footprint of stores, but I wouldn't consider them mediocre. Homeland is similar to Reasor's in Tulsa. Reasor's does have a few larger stores, but they also have an assortment of older or smaller stores just like Homeland. Dillons (sub-brand of Kroger) in Wichita is also similar offering a few Marketplace locations that offer a lot of variety in goods sold, but they also have smaller grocery stores or older stores with a generic out and back racetrack aisle.

One of the reasons Kroger can open a 123,000 square foot store in Melissa, Texas, is because the market is not already being served by a Walmart Supercenter. According to Google, the closest Walmart's are in Anna and Mckinney. So there is probably some extensive market research that shows they can offer general merchandise outside of food or grocery items and succeed at selling it. Of course the main thing Texas has going for itself is population density. DFW, Houston, and San Antonio, and even Austin have giant customer bases to pull from, and stores like HEB have really pushed those markets to compete with giant stores.

Essentially, OKC needs to convince outside chains that there is a big enough demand for an alternative grocer compared to Walmart, but as many have pointed out, Walmart came in, and built a ton of Supercenter's across the metro, and dominates that market with locations all in OKC.

One thing that really helps newer stores stand out is the focus on natural light. Uptown Grocery and the newer Crest stores have giant windows that allow lots of natural light into the store to help the overall ambience. A lot of the OKC grocery stores built in the 80's and 90's would benefit from updated storefronts and brighter environments, but with grocery margins being so thin, and a defined customer base, its hard to justify more than a new paint refresh every now and then.

We have plenty of good grocery options these days.

Grocers have increasingly razor-thin margins, so don't expect some big new chain to come here to an already well-saturated market.

Dutch Bros roasting facility, Kroger, Walmart and HEB, among numerous other businesses will all be opening between 2024 & 2026 to Melissa TX.
Trust me when I say it’s a different level of shopping experience at Kroger, HEB and Tom Thumb IYKYK. They have more amenities just like my previous post with the new Kroger. None of the OKC stores have that. Have you been to any of those stores? Just ask anyone from TX.

I shopped at Ralph's in California, the Kroger brand on the West Coast.

It was my preferred store but I don't miss it and have found lots of good options here in OKC.

Dutch Bros roasting facility, Kroger, Walmart and HEB, among numerous other businesses will all be opening between 2024 & 2026 to Melissa TX.
Trust me when I say it’s a different level of shopping experience at Kroger, HEB and Tom Thumb IYKYK. They have more amenities just like my previous post with the new Kroger. None of the OKC stores have that. Have you been to any of those stores? Just ask anyone from TX.

We have friends that live in Houston and swear by HEB after living in OKC for years, we visit the metroplex often, and notice that HEB is always packed (...and huge!).

Comparing an HEB to a local store like Crest or Homeland, I feel like it's comparing a Buc-ees in Texas to an OnCue here in OKC. OnCue is definitely great, but it is not even in the same league as what a Buc-ee's can offer.

:yeahthat:

I saw on the news a day or 2 ago that Kroger just had their grand opening in Melissa.

I was amazed. This will be a butt-kicker for the other grocers and gas stations/convenience stores in the area.

I'm not going to link anything, but you can google "kroger store grand opening in Melissa" and read some stories. Certainly impressed me.

Next time I go down to Plano I'll stop there.

The fact that Melissa, TX will have better grocery elections, per capita, than OKC ever will, is hard to fathom.

OKC has a few nice grocery stores, but most Homelands are adequate, nothing special. Same with Crest, aside from the Fresh Markets. Uptown used to be elite, but I don't love them since the takeover (and it has NOTHING to do with no alcohol). 1 Whole Foods, 1 Trader Joe's, OKC hits way below its weight class, compared to other cities of its size. It can improve, but it would take Homeland and Crest stepping their game up, or an outsider coming in to force them to.

The fact that Melissa, TX will have better grocery elections, per capita, than OKC ever will, is hard to fathom.

Bison, your take on Melissa vs OKC is what’s hard to fathom.

Consider:
— DFW metroplex is the 4th largest in the U.S. 8.1 Mil
— Melissa is in Collin County - population 1.2 Mil
— Collin County is the second fastest growing county in the U.S.

Finally, the Average Mean Income:
Oklahoma City - $67,015.00
Collin County - $113,255.00

Kroger Megamarket in Melissa/Collin County over OKC is hard to fathom?
Why wouldn’t you find better grocery selections in Collin County?

Anyone bashing OKC's current grocery options is just being negative.

We've come lightyears in just a decade and if you can't find an option you like, that's on you.

Anyone bashing OKC's current grocery options is just being negative.

We've come lightyears in just a decade and if you can't find an option you like, that's on you.

I respectfully disagree. I moved to OKC 20 years ago, and the options have improved, but they are still not what you find elsewhere. We certainly don't have anything close to a Wegmans or Central Market, and our regular chains are not as good as Harris Teeter or something like Market Street in Texas. Every time I go to Whole Foods, their bakery case is empty and many products are not in stock. I don't see this when I visit Whole Foods in other parts of the country (NC, IL, VA). It is often the fresh and pre-prepared foods that lag here, not to mention the appearance of stores. I haven't been to Uptown Grocery lately, but more stores like that are needed around the metro.

Why would the Whole Foods in OKC be significantly worse than any other area of the country? I haven't noticed any difference compared to the Southern California area, which is like the world capital of WF. The TJ's here is far less busy and better stocked than any I saw in California; same is true of Costco.

We should have more stores like Uptown Grocery but you don't go?

The grass is always greener somewhere else.

Why would the Whole Foods in OKC be significantly worse than any other area of the country? I haven't noticed any difference compared to the Southern California area, which is like the world capital of WF. The TJ's here is far less busy and better stocked than any I saw in California; same is true of Costco.

We should have more stores like Uptown Grocery but you don't go there?

The grass is always greener somewhere else.

I honestly don't know why it's not as kept up as the other WF I've visited, but I think it might have to do with local management, foot traffic, and other efficiency concerns. It's a 30 minute drive for me, so it's very disappointing to go all that way and see that the hot bar is not looking good, the bakery case is empty, and so forth. I have mentioned it to them and tried to complain to Amazon (it seems worse since they took over). Uptown Grocery is also a 30 minute drive. Yes, we need more stores like that and Harris Teeter around the metro. And one Wegmans or Central Market would be nice.

^

You must be the unluckiest grocery shopper in the world.

Where on earth do you live where both WF and Uptown Grocers are 30 minutes away?

^

You must be the unluckiest grocery shopper in the world.

Where on earth do you live where both WF and Uptown Grocers are 30 minutes away?

Norman.

Why would the Whole Foods in OKC be significantly worse than any other area of the country? I haven't noticed any difference compared to the Southern California area, which is like the world capital of WF. The TJ's here is far less busy and better stocked than any I saw in California; same is true of Costco.

We should have more stores like Uptown Grocery but you don't go?

The grass is always greener somewhere else.

Whole Foods in OKC is exactly the same as the one l use in south Denver.

The fact that Melissa, TX will have better grocery elections, per capita, than OKC ever will, is hard to fathom.

OKC has a few nice grocery stores, but most Homelands are adequate, nothing special. Same with Crest, aside from the Fresh Markets. Uptown used to be elite, but I don't love them since the takeover (and it has NOTHING to do with no alcohol). 1 Whole Foods, 1 Trader Joe's, OKC hits way below its weight class, compared to other cities of its size. It can improve, but it would take Homeland and Crest stepping their game up, or an outsider coming in to force them to.

Actually, we drove through Melissa on the way back from Skate America in Allen last weekend, and it's part of the huge mega-DFW-sprawl, you can't compare Melissa by itself to OKC's metro area.

I will agree with the local stores not being up to where they should be. Homeland used to serve Boar's Head deli meat, now it's crap from Dietz & Watson, just for one data point. Their selection is very standard, nothing really out of the ordinary or great, just basic. Private Selection pizzas, mac'n'cheese, Home Chef Soup from Kroger are extremely good, and we have nothing like that at Crest, HL, etc., for another data point. I could go on, but just see what you can get at Kroger if you need something aside from the basic-level items and see if you can get that at Crest, WM, HL, Uptown, etc. Sprouts is our go-to for produce, some wine, and fresh things we don't want to take a chance on from Kroger, and even they are lacking sometimes.

We tried some Dietz & Watson hot dogs from Homeland after reading an article that they were rated #2 in quality after Nathans which were rated #1. The Dietz & Watson hot dogs were horrible. After grilling them the skins were so tough you couldn't bite through them.
Something I just saw at the Crest in Yukon a few days ago that I have never seen in any Oklahoma grocery store ever was Krakus Polish Ham. It is really big up north and in the Chicago area where I'm from. So anyone from up there that is missing some of that you can go to that Crest and get some.

We tried some Dietz & Watson hot dogs from Homeland after reading an article that they were rated #2 in quality after Nathans which were rated #1. The Dietz & Watson hot dogs were horrible. After grilling them the skins were so tough you couldn't bite through them.
Something I just saw at the Crest in Yukon a few days ago that I have never seen in any Oklahoma grocery store ever was Krakus Polish Ham. It is really big up north and in the Chicago area where I'm from. So anyone from up there that is missing some of that you can go to that Crest and get some.

For awhile, Crest had 8-packs of Vienna beef hot dogs, which I didn't think I would ever see. They were $5.98 at first but I think they were eventually marked down to $3.98 or even less.

I prefer Vienna Beef over Nathan's or Hebrew National. One of the highlights of our summer trips to Colorado/Manitou Springs was stopping at a small hotdog stand for Chicago Style hot dogs prepared with all of the authentic Vienna Beef products (hotdog, bun, relish, etc..).

I hope the Polish Ham at Crest is not a one and done thing and they continue to stock it. I will be a regular buyer if they do. I miss that from Chicago as much as White Castle.

I can attest to the difference in Whole Foods in north Dallas and ours in OKC. The one's in Dallas are much larger, has more items in stock and has a larger variety of items. Ours in OKC seems way more compact than others I've been to. In Ashville, NC, the Whole Foods has a large bar area and you can walk around shopping sipping on local brews.

This is not to knock ours here in the city. It is just different than others I've visited. I love ours and we frequent it often driving in from North Edmond. Hoping we do get one in Edmond perhaps in a larger footprint.

We also love Trader Joes, which ours here does seem more compact than the one in north Dallas we take my mom to when we go help her shop.

Would love to get an HEB or Kroger Marketplace here.

Would be super happy if Central Market would open a new location in OKC! One of my favorites when I lived in Plano! I was in TJ's last week on Sunday and they were slammed! I casually asked if they planned on opening up any new locations and the clerk replied they are looking at opening up to two additional locations in the OKC metro.

Looks like the Kroger/Albertson's merger was shot down.

Looks like the Kroger/Albertson's merger was shot down.

Outstanding! This merger would have been the epitome of an anti-competitive corporate action.

Albertsons is now filing suit against Kroger.

I have noticed my deliveries are coming very early as of late (pre-scheduled time-slot). Anyone else experiencing this?

This isn't necessarily a complaint (I love this service and use it weekly). I am just curious if it is maybe efficiency changes on deliveries due to drivers learning regular spots etc. In the past, my deliveries have usually been in the back 30 minutes of the 1 hour window.

I have noticed my deliveries are coming very early as of late (pre-scheduled time-slot). Anyone else experiencing this?

This isn't necessarily a complaint (I love this service and use it weekly). I am just curious if it is maybe efficiency changes on deliveries due to drivers learning regular spots etc. In the past, my deliveries have usually been in the back 30 minutes of the 1 hour window.

Ours are weekly too and have all been within the hour-long window (with a couple of exceptions), but last week they said they'd be there 19 minutes earlier than the window, and actually showed up 1 minute before it. First time they've ever been early in the year+ we've been using them.

Mine are typically right at the start of the window, I'll get a text saying were next stop and they're there very shortly after.