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Business Agenda

Target playing catch-up when it comes to groceries

By Dan Haugen | 03/06/09

The difference between Wal-Mart's 5 percent sales gain and Target's 4 percent loss: groceries.

The Pioneer Press writes today about Target's attempts to close the grocery gap with Wal-Mart.

Groceries are a big part of the reason why Wal-Mart is outperforming Target in recent quarters. In a recession, people stop buying cheap furniture but most still eat.

Target is selling more food, but a typical SuperTarget still stocks less than half of the groceries of a comparable Wal-Mart Supercenter, the paper reports.

Comments (1)

Submitted by Marcia Brekke (not verified) on March 7, 2009 - 5:10pm.

And what of the fate of my favorite store: Byerly's/Lunds? The stark difference between that specialty grocer and the WalMarts of the world became clear when I borrowed a friend's card to shop at Sam's Club a few years ago for a "great savings" on a larger item. Perusing the grocery section, I saw the huge-sized merchandise and the lack of choices--and not as assets! I am fortunate to be able to afford the slightly higher prices of the "boutique" grocer, but it is a worthwhile trade-off for me.