Figured I should start a catch-all thread for these, since there's always something new to complain about.
Today's candidate: Kroger, which is adding a "fresh cart" to its sub-brands. Hopefully not the first signs of a phase-out for the individual brands.
(https://i.imgur.com/u4qZUwf.png)
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/krogers-rebrand-continues-unifying-symbol-fresh-cart/
Honestly, that rebrand seems pretty nice compared to most rebrands these days. Simple and establishes an identity which it lacked, but not over simplified. I like it.
I still can't get used to Intel's new logo even though it's probably been at least a year since the change.
The new General Motors logo doesn't do it for me. The 1964 design was really classic and didn't need a big change:
https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/General_Motors
Quote from: Bruce on September 13, 2021, 04:06:50 PM
Today's candidate: Kroger, which is adding a "fresh cart" to its sub-brands. Hopefully not the first signs of a phase-out for the individual brands.
[Image snipped]
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/krogers-rebrand-continues-unifying-symbol-fresh-cart/
I don't know. I'm not really sold on it. The cart isn't really coordinated well with most of these logos. One of the best things I learned in school was: design is about
relationships.
Frankly, I've long thought they should just add a line saying "By Kroger" to each of the signs for the individual brands, and call it good. That's what a lot of the hotel conglomerates do.
Quote from: SkyPesos on September 13, 2021, 10:30:01 PM
I still can't get used to Intel's new logo even though it's probably been at least a year since the change.
I hadn't even noticed that one until I looked it up. Lame! What's the deal with companies changing their logos in such a way that they get rid of the parts that used to give their brand a unique identity? That's what happened with Holiday Inn and Best Western. It's like if McDonald's got rid of the golden arches or if Pizza Hut got rid of the red rooftop shape.
Quote from: Ned Weasel on September 14, 2021, 06:36:23 AM
Quote from: Bruce on September 13, 2021, 04:06:50 PM
Today's candidate: Kroger, which is adding a "fresh cart" to its sub-brands. Hopefully not the first signs of a phase-out for the individual brands.
[Image snipped]
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/krogers-rebrand-continues-unifying-symbol-fresh-cart/
I don't know. I'm not really sold on it. The cart isn't really coordinated well with most of these logos. One of the best things I learned in school was: design is about relationships.
Frankly, I've long thought they should just add a line saying "By Kroger" to each of the signs for the individual brands, and call it good. That's what a lot of the hotel conglomerates do.
I actually really like the cart logo by itself. But for it to mean anything to a consumer takes time. This way people start associating it with their grocery store, so that later on they can introduce uniform typography for all the brands (say, make it all look like the Pick 'n Save logo) and there will be some continuity.
Kroger - Agree with the "by Kroger" idea. Kroger's method of being "Kroger" in diverse and distant places; but then need to be some other brand just across a state line. Never has made sense.
GM - GM has to change things up every few years. The general (no pun intended) GM marketing line, for my entire life, has been "well, yes, the cars we made 10 years ago were crap, but now, boy..." . Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Burger King - Noticed this one? Reverting to the less abstract more simple logo from the 80s recently.
Quote from: Bruce on September 13, 2021, 04:06:50 PM
Figured I should start a catch-all thread for these, since there's always something new to complain about.
Today's candidate: Kroger, which is adding a "fresh cart" to its sub-brands. Hopefully not the first signs of a phase-out for the individual brands.
(https://i.imgur.com/u4qZUwf.png)
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/krogers-rebrand-continues-unifying-symbol-fresh-cart/
Curious as to why Harris Teeter is missing from the rebranding. Perhaps it is because Harris Teeter is an upscale chain (but quite frankly, most of the former Kroger locations in Central North Carolina were upscale as well). In the Durham, North Carolina area, many of the Harris Teeter stores are actually former Kroger locations.
(Not politics).
The rest of Kroger is highly unionized. H-T is managed completely separately because it was a union-free business before Kroger bought it. If Kroger integrated it into the rest of the corporation, it would constitute a single bargaining unit with everything else and the employees would be forced into a union. By keeping it totally outside the general Kroger operation, it constitutes a separate electorate under the NLRB, and its employees can remain union-free.
Quote from: Bruce on September 13, 2021, 04:06:50 PM
Figured I should start a catch-all thread for these, since there's always something new to complain about.
Today's candidate: Kroger, which is adding a "fresh cart" to its sub-brands. Hopefully not the first signs of a phase-out for the individual brands.
(https://i.imgur.com/u4qZUwf.png)
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/krogers-rebrand-continues-unifying-symbol-fresh-cart/
Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger, so the cart logo should be added.
I don't mind the fresh cart logo on its own, and I actually think it looks good with the generic Kroger logo.
It looks awful with most of the other brands though. Most of those logos are a radically different design from Kroger's main logo, which the fresh cart was obviously designed to match.
And the Ruler logo already had a shopping cart in it.
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 08:59:55 AM
Burger King - Noticed this one? Reverting to the less abstract more simple logo from the 80s recently.
I noticed, and Pizza Hut recently did the same thing.
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 09:50:07 AM
(Not politics).
The rest of Kroger is highly unionized. H-T is managed completely separately because it was a union-free business before Kroger bought it. If Kroger integrated it into the rest of the corporation, it would constitute a single bargaining unit with everything else and the employees would be forced into a union. By keeping it totally outside the general Kroger operation, it constitutes a separate electorate under the NLRB, and its employees can remain union-free.
This is the first I've heard of Kroger being pro-union, although it's possible the company has improved its union stance in the roughly 20 years since I worked there. When I got a job at Kroger (Dillon's), one of the first things they did was show us anti-union propaganda videos.
Quote from: Ned Weasel on September 15, 2021, 06:45:45 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 08:59:55 AM
Burger King - Noticed this one? Reverting to the less abstract more simple logo from the 80s recently.
I noticed, and Pizza Hut recently did the same thing.
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 09:50:07 AM
(Not politics).
The rest of Kroger is highly unionized. H-T is managed completely separately because it was a union-free business before Kroger bought it. If Kroger integrated it into the rest of the corporation, it would constitute a single bargaining unit with everything else and the employees would be forced into a union. By keeping it totally outside the general Kroger operation, it constitutes a separate electorate under the NLRB, and its employees can remain union-free.
This is the first I've heard of Kroger being pro-union, although it's possible the company has improved its union stance in the roughly 20 years since I worked there. When I got a job at Kroger (Dillon's), one of the first things they did was show us anti-union propaganda videos.
Not sure that practice is legal in all states.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 13, 2021, 11:33:55 PM
The new General Motors logo doesn't do it for me. The 1964 design was really classic and didn't need a big change:
https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/General_Motors
Well, at least it's still two letters in a box. When Chrysler took the Pentastar logo away during its first rebrand (as DaimlerChrysler), it really pissed me off. Since then it has undergone several more changes, including FCA and Stellantis. Just like the 1964 GM logo, the 1963 Chrysler design was also classic and never needed any change.
https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Chrysler
Let's see how long Ford hangs on to its Blue Oval logo...
Quote from: Rothman on September 15, 2021, 06:49:47 AM
Quote from: Ned Weasel on September 15, 2021, 06:45:45 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 08:59:55 AM
Burger King - Noticed this one? Reverting to the less abstract more simple logo from the 80s recently.
I noticed, and Pizza Hut recently did the same thing.
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 09:50:07 AM
(Not politics).
The rest of Kroger is highly unionized. H-T is managed completely separately because it was a union-free business before Kroger bought it. If Kroger integrated it into the rest of the corporation, it would constitute a single bargaining unit with everything else and the employees would be forced into a union. By keeping it totally outside the general Kroger operation, it constitutes a separate electorate under the NLRB, and its employees can remain union-free.
This is the first I've heard of Kroger being pro-union, although it's possible the company has improved its union stance in the roughly 20 years since I worked there. When I got a job at Kroger (Dillon's), one of the first things they did was show us anti-union propaganda videos.
Not sure that practice is legal in all states.
It apparently is in Virginia, at least. I was shown several anti-union videos when I started working for CVS, and it was emphasized that any involvement with an attempt to unionize would cost me my job. Of course, they paid me $9 an hour to be a pharmacy tech and refused to give me a raise they promised me, so they can go to hell anyway.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on September 15, 2021, 09:54:36 PM
Quote from: Rothman on September 15, 2021, 06:49:47 AM
Quote from: Ned Weasel on September 15, 2021, 06:45:45 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 08:59:55 AM
Burger King - Noticed this one? Reverting to the less abstract more simple logo from the 80s recently.
I noticed, and Pizza Hut recently did the same thing.
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 09:50:07 AM
(Not politics).
The rest of Kroger is highly unionized. H-T is managed completely separately because it was a union-free business before Kroger bought it. If Kroger integrated it into the rest of the corporation, it would constitute a single bargaining unit with everything else and the employees would be forced into a union. By keeping it totally outside the general Kroger operation, it constitutes a separate electorate under the NLRB, and its employees can remain union-free.
This is the first I've heard of Kroger being pro-union, although it's possible the company has improved its union stance in the roughly 20 years since I worked there. When I got a job at Kroger (Dillon's), one of the first things they did was show us anti-union propaganda videos.
Not sure that practice is legal in all states.
It apparently is in Virginia, at least. I was shown several anti-union videos when I started working for CVS, and it was emphasized that any involvement with an attempt to unionize would cost me my job.
That's pretty explicitly against the federal National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S. Code § 158 (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/158)).
Quote from: Ned Weasel on September 15, 2021, 06:45:45 AM
.
Quote from: SP Cook on September 14, 2021, 09:50:07 AM
(Not politics).
The rest of Kroger is highly unionized. H-T is managed completely separately because it was a union-free business before Kroger bought it. If Kroger integrated it into the rest of the corporation, it would constitute a single bargaining unit with everything else and the employees would be forced into a union. By keeping it totally outside the general Kroger operation, it constitutes a separate electorate under the NLRB, and its employees can remain union-free.
This is the first I've heard of Kroger being pro-union, although it's possible the company has improved its union stance in the roughly 20 years since I worked there. When I got a job at Kroger (Dillon's), one of the first things they did was show us anti-union propaganda videos.
I don't think he said Kroger was pro-union; only that it's unionized.
I worked for a couple of years in a town with a small Kroger. They bought out and took over a locally-owned grocery store. It was said to be an experiment as to whether or not they would re-enter some of the smaller markets they'd exited in prior years. (The experiment apparently failed, because although that Kroger has continued to operate and it does a big business, they didn't open a lot of smaller stores in towns they'd left in the past.) It became a popular place for high school students to work part-time as baggers or stockers. They were shocked, however, to find how much money got deducted from their paychecks for union dues. Even the part-timers had to join the union, or at least pay the dues. Kentucky has since passed right-to-work legislation, so I don't know if this practice still continues there or not. As that Kroger is 30 miles away, I still shop there some, and there are still a decent number of teens to be found working there evenings and weekends.
Unless they're running a sale, I've always found Kroger's regular prices on food and other items to be very high. Much more expensive than a Walmart Supercenter, and in some cases, more expensive than independently-owned groceries.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 16, 2021, 12:21:31 PM
They were shocked, however, to find how much money got deducted from their paychecks for union dues. Even the part-timers had to join the union, or at least pay the dues.
When I worked at Stop & Shop, union dues were $10 per week, and wages were $11/hr when I started and are $13.50 now. (This is due to a phase-in plan regarding the minimum wage statewide, not the store itself.) The union also required managers to give part-timers at least 15 hours per week unless they were available very few days of the week.
I feel like slightly under an hour's worth per week isn't that much. Was it more at Kroger?
Quote from: hbelkins on September 16, 2021, 12:21:31 PM
Unless they're running a sale, I've always found Kroger's regular prices on food and other items to be very high. Much more expensive than a Walmart Supercenter, and in some cases, more expensive than independently-owned groceries.
I shop for groceries in various areas of the country every week; and it's quite rare that anyone comes close Walmart's prices.
Though I've found that the affiliated Kroger stores compete well enough if you give them a club card "phone number", only a dollar or two more expensive than Walmart, and usually a more varied selection. Even Wegman's, usually associated with high prices, can be just a stitch higher, but nothing crazy (unless it's in a really ritzy area).
I do get a few lucky weeks where a lot of my usual staples at Publix are BOGOs, and they beat all of them. Most weeks, there's a price premium by shopping there.
Quote from: formulanone on September 16, 2021, 12:34:34 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 16, 2021, 12:21:31 PM
Unless they're running a sale, I've always found Kroger's regular prices on food and other items to be very high. Much more expensive than a Walmart Supercenter, and in some cases, more expensive than independently-owned groceries.
I shop for groceries in various areas of the country every week; and it's quite rare that anyone comes close Walmart's prices.
Though I've found that the affiliated Kroger stores compete well enough if you give them a club card "phone number", only a dollar or two more expensive than Walmart, and usually a more varied selection. Even Wegman's, usually associated with high prices, can be just a stitch higher, but nothing crazy (unless it's in a really ritzy area).
I do get a few lucky weeks where a lot of my usual staples at Publix are BOGOs, and they beat all of them. Most weeks, there's a price premium by shopping there.
Mariano's is more expensive than other grocery stores, but it's supposed to occupy a rung between Jewel and Whole Foods.
Food4Less is, well, exactly what it says on the tin.
Quote from: 1 on September 16, 2021, 12:29:00 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 16, 2021, 12:21:31 PM
They were shocked, however, to find how much money got deducted from their paychecks for union dues. Even the part-timers had to join the union, or at least pay the dues.
When I worked at Stop & Shop, union dues were $10 per week, and wages were $11/hr when I started and are $13.50 now. ... I feel like slightly under an hour's worth per week isn't that much.
$10/week? When I worked at a casino, I would have gladly paid twice that to have a check on the absurdist power fantasies management came up with.
Quote from: formulanone on September 16, 2021, 12:34:34 PM
I shop for groceries in various areas of the country every week; and it's quite rare that anyone comes close Walmart's prices.
The local chain Crest in the Oklahoma City market is competitive against Walmart and does beat them on a number of things, and with nicer stores to boot. My overall bill is lower at Crest than it is at Walmart. Signage in the store says they do it by having zero advertising and signing deals directly with suppliers instead of distributors whenever they can. The only downside to this is that Crest is a lower priority to the suppliers than the bigger players, so they tend to be out of things, or have only no-name or generic brand options, more often than more expensive stores.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 16, 2021, 01:02:17 AM
That's pretty explicitly against the federal National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S. Code § 158 (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/158)).
Apparently CVS is not concerned with federal law.
Fry's (Kroger) usually beats Walmart's price when they have their sales on soft drinks.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on October 01, 2021, 02:14:32 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 16, 2021, 01:02:17 AM
That's pretty explicitly against the federal National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S. Code § 158 (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/158)).
Apparently CVS is not concerned with federal law.
Well, they're not
now. In my experience, businesses can get away with labor law violations because a) people don't actually know the labor laws well enough to know they're being violated in the first place b) they fear retribution from management for bringing their violation of the law to light c) they fear confrontation and don't want to rock the boat at the place that they get their income from d) they don't really pay enough to afford a lawyer. So it continues without anyone putting a stop to it...until someone either gets cheesed off enough that they just want to take management down a peg whatever the cost, or someone gets in there who has nothing to lose (say, someone who has their expenses covered through some other means and just takes the job as a means to get out of the house and do something they enjoy).