Local Report Finds Few Customers Notice Cleveland Price War
CLEVELAND -- Supermarket competitors Giant Eagle and Tops Friendly Markets launched a price war this week, but many customers failed to notice, according to a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The paper, which described its follow-up report as an unscientific sample of grocery shoppers at neighboring stores on Detroit Ave. in Lakewood, said eight out of 10 shoppers didn't realize the chains had cut prices on thousands of items.
The paper reported over the weekend that retailers are responding to aggressive marketing by Wal-Mart, where a market basket of food costs about 20 percent less than at traditional grocery stores.
The paper quoted several bargain-hunting shoppers, including one couple who learned about the price wars from the paper's original report.
While the paper said most consumers were unaware of area retailers' low-price campaigns, Giant Eagle store manager Tony Miller was quoted as saying customer traffic at his store was up 16 percent Sunday.
The paper, which described its follow-up report as an unscientific sample of grocery shoppers at neighboring stores on Detroit Ave. in Lakewood, said eight out of 10 shoppers didn't realize the chains had cut prices on thousands of items.
The paper reported over the weekend that retailers are responding to aggressive marketing by Wal-Mart, where a market basket of food costs about 20 percent less than at traditional grocery stores.
The paper quoted several bargain-hunting shoppers, including one couple who learned about the price wars from the paper's original report.
While the paper said most consumers were unaware of area retailers' low-price campaigns, Giant Eagle store manager Tony Miller was quoted as saying customer traffic at his store was up 16 percent Sunday.