Supermarket Slashes Prices on Thousands of Items

Albertsons grocery stores to roll back thousands of prices to help fight the down economy

Personal bias right up front: For years Iโ€™ve driven past a downtown Ralphs grocery store en route to an Albertsons I prefer -- mainly for cleanliness and customer-service reasons. I stopped shopping at Ralphs due in large part to: 1.) The deli counter that time forgot, and, 2.) Being ignored at the checkout while the checker and bagger conversed about a.) Their next break, and b.) What time they get off.

My East Village Albertsons is newer than the Marina District Ralphs. And maybe the shine will someday wear off. But Albertsons corporate offices announced a special promotion Wednesday thatโ€™ll keep me pushing their carts.

Itโ€™s called the Big Relief Price Cut. The chain -- 59 strong in greater San Diego -- will roll back the prices on thousands (I heard a checker say 5,000) of items, up to 20 percent each. Products will include everything from โ€œpeanut butter and pasta to deodorant and detergent,โ€ said Albertsons spokeswoman Lilia Rodriguez.

She said the price cuts -- which take effect in all of Southern California -- are rooted in the current bad economy. An Albertsons press release notes that a 2008 survey by the American Payroll Association found 71 percent of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Ron Donoho, formerly executive editor of "San Diego Magazine," is a regular contributor to NBCSandiego.com who covers local news, sports, culture and happy hours.

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