Bonsack story continued..
"I'm anxious for the new one [Bonsack Kroger] to open," she said.
But Brenda Vess, who lives in Bonsack, admitted that she doesn't always expect to find the lowest prices on food at Kroger.
She frequents Kroger's Daleville store because of its variety of name-brand items.
"I can't say Kroger is that cheap," said Vess, a mother of two, while pumping gas at the new Kroger fuel center in Bonsack. "I've been waiting on this [new store], so it can be closer" to her home.
Kroger's stores locally don't look like a discount retailer.
Gourmet cakes line the dessert counters, and olive bars are new additions to some stores.
A wine expert is available at some outlets to chat with customers about selections.
Some local Krogers have been stepping up efforts to carry grocery bags to shopper's vehicles for them, a practice for which competitor Ukrop's is known.
At the Bonsack location, fancy tan and maroon markers hang above the grocery aisles, which are split in the middle to make it easier for shoppers to maneuver the store, grocers say.
Kroger is "definitely not a discount player," Springer said. "But they're not going to be at the top of the market, in terms of upscale. What they want to grab is the broadest variety of shoppers."
Food selection grows, prices build
More players in the Roanoke Valley have broadened the local food selection.
The Fresh Market, a specialty grocer whose outlets are designed to resemble European markets, opened in 2005 at Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke. This high-end grocer stocks its stores with meat, produce, breads, desserts and some dry goods, though its selection isn't as extensive as what large grocery stores sell.
Almost two years later, Richmond-based Ukrop's debuted in Roanoke as a full food store with additional perks, including an in-store dining cafe, a Starbucks kiosk and an underground parking garage.
Earlier this year, Save-A-Lot, a discount grocery chain that claims its prices are 40 percent lower than conventional stores, landed in Roanoke.
"Competition is everywhere," Kroger's Goddin said. "We compete against those retailers in other markets where we do business. Yes, you see some impact, but it's the customers' choice as to where they want to shop."
The competition for consumers' grocery dollars is building nationwide, however, as people foot prices for gasoline, energy and real estate costs.
Food costs are up, as well, as a result of the higher-priced fuel used to transport goods and the demand for corn for ethanol production as an energy source.
In the midst of these increases, Goddin said Kroger is trying to "maintain expenses."
"It's no secret that inflation and the cost of products have increased," Goddin added. "Everybody is feeling people cutting back a little bit ... We have been very stable. People tend to want to cut back on going out to eat and buy more groceries and eat at home."