Ray's Closing
#1
By Greg Stiles
Mail Tribune
C&K Market Inc., parent company of Ray's Food Place stores, reported in a bankruptcy court filing that its debt exceeded $100 million.

The Brookings-based company filed Tuesday for Chapter 11 court protection and announced it would close or sell about a third of its 60 stores in Oregon and California, while cutting 20 percent of its 2,500-person workforce.

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I hope no one here is adversely affected by this. What a hard time to close, just before all the holidays. My thoughts are with those facing this. Sad
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#2
Sometimes, when you don't have something good to say you shouldn't say anything. Zipped So I won't.


Unless this post counts as something. Never mind. Laughing
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#3
(11-21-2013, 02:57 PM)TennisMom Wrote: By Greg Stiles
Mail Tribune
C&K Market Inc., parent company of Ray's Food Place stores, reported in a bankruptcy court filing that its debt exceeded $100 million.

The Brookings-based company filed Tuesday for Chapter 11 court protection and announced it would close or sell about a third of its 60 stores in Oregon and California, while cutting 20 percent of its 2,500-person workforce.

*****

I hope no one here is adversely affected by this. What a hard time to close, just before all the holidays. My thoughts are with those facing this. Sad

The stores that are affected will either be closed or sold. If they are sold then maybe some won't close but some people will surely Close their jobs.
As far as "just before all the holidays" I didn't see any dates as to when exactly this will happen.
But if the corporation wants to get rid of these particular stores then they must not be too profitable.The one in White city (shop Smart) has been closed and reopened before.
We can probably thank the Eagle Point Walmart for it's demise.
And the store in Phoenix? We can probably thank the new Walmart at southgate for it's demise.

Thanks Walmart and all of the people who shop there.Sad
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#4
None of the Ray's (staying open or closing) affects me. I don't like shopping at Ray's. They have no selection and their prices are ridiculous. I would rather shop at Albertsons (another grocer with crazy prices)... and that's not likely to happen!
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#5
I know I've been doing my part to encourage their bankruptcy for years now. Friends don't let friends shop at Ray's.
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#6
Its a tough competitive market for an independent chain right now. The Walmart Super Stores are always busy, Fred Meyer does well especially with the gasoline pumps and the reward program. Albertson's has also had a gasoline program and now Safeway is adding pumps. Here in Grants Pass, we have Walmart, Fred Meyer, two Safeways ,two Albertson's, and two Rays. That's a lot of big stores for this town. We will also be losing the Ray's in Murphy!
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#7
(11-21-2013, 03:55 PM)Scrapper Wrote: None of the Ray's (staying open or closing) affects me. I don't like shopping at Ray's. They have no selection and their prices are ridiculous. I would rather shop at Albertsons (another grocer with crazy prices)... and that's not likely to happen!

I have to agree, Rays prices are prohibitive for what you are buying. I only buy there when faced with little or no choice. Alberstons has high prices also. And Safeway. And even Freddies. Freddies and Albertsons used to get touted for being bargain stores. Not in my mind. (Freddies has good sales though.)
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#8
(11-21-2013, 04:04 PM)minuteman Wrote: Its a tough competitive market for an independent chain right now. The Walmart Super Stores are always busy, Fred Meyer does well especially with the gasoline pumps and the reward program. Albertson's has also had a gasoline program and now Safeway is adding pumps. Here in Grants Pass, we have Walmart, Fred Meyer, two Safeways ,two Albertson's, and two Rays. That's a lot of big stores for this town. We will also be losing the Ray's in Murphy!

The Safeway here has had pumps for years. And their price is usually only one or two cents difference from Costco.
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#9
(11-21-2013, 03:51 PM)tvguy Wrote:
(11-21-2013, 02:57 PM)TennisMom Wrote: By Greg Stiles
Mail Tribune
C&K Market Inc., parent company of Ray's Food Place stores, reported in a bankruptcy court filing that its debt exceeded $100 million.

The Brookings-based company filed Tuesday for Chapter 11 court protection and announced it would close or sell about a third of its 60 stores in Oregon and California, while cutting 20 percent of its 2,500-person workforce.

*****

I hope no one here is adversely affected by this. What a hard time to close, just before all the holidays. My thoughts are with those facing this. Sad

The stores that are affected will either be closed or sold. If they are sold then maybe some won't close but some people will surely Close their jobs.
As far as "just before all the holidays" I didn't see any dates as to when exactly this will happen.
But if the corporation wants to get rid of these particular stores then they must not be too profitable.The one in White city (shop Smart) has been closed and reopened before.
We can probably thank the Eagle Point Walmart for it's demise.
And the store in Phoenix? We can probably thank the new Walmart at southgate for it's demise.

Thanks Walmart and all of the people who shop there.Sad

If they opened a Ray's in Sunny Valley, they'd do well.
But then the covered bridge store would go under.
We'd be saying, ' Thanks Ray's and all of the people who shop there.Sad '
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#10
There was a few items we'd pick up at Rays, but have to agree with others, as a place to shop exclusively no way could you afford to pay their Beverly Hills pricing.

I wonder what will happen to the Post Office inside the Rays on Williams Hwy? As far as I know the only access to it is via the main store entrance?
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#11
The Rays didn't all have the same pricing, according to a woman that priced things for them a few years back. They divided their stores into 3 tiers, and the ones in smaller towns got pricing like Minute Markets or 7-11's might have throughout their stores - even though the stores were larger than those types of stores, they were in captive markets, so they could get away with it.

Once I found that out, I came to feel they were mainly taking advantage of poor people in small towns, the ones without access to transportation to be able to shop in the larger towns (OK, I'll say it, the food stamp customers). That seems like exploitation to me, of poor people and the government both. At that point, I started offering transportation to the store in larger towns for poor people I knew, and introduced them to Costco too, which now takes Snap cards also.
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#12
(11-22-2013, 07:55 AM)GPnative Wrote: There was a few items we'd pick up at Rays, but have to agree with others, as a place to shop exclusively no way could you afford to pay their Beverly Hills pricing.

I wonder what will happen to the Post Office inside the Rays on Williams Hwy? As far as I know the only access to it is via the main store entrance?

Don't know but it was operated by Ray's employees not postal workers.
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#13
I doubt filing bankruptcy relieves you of federal contracts, just like it doesn't get you out of taxes either. I bet access to the post office continues as before, at least until they can bid it out to a new concessionaire.
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#14
I agree with all the above especially Ponders take, and from what I understand they kept most of their employees part-time with little hope of advancement.
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#15
I am surprised the Murphy location is closing, I would think in beer sales alone they would be profitable. Big Grin
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#16
(11-22-2013, 09:01 AM)PonderThis Wrote: The Rays didn't all have the same pricing, according to a woman that priced things for them a few years back. They divided their stores into 3 tiers, and the ones in smaller towns got pricing like Minute Markets or 7-11's might have throughout their stores - even though the stores were larger than those types of stores, they were in captive markets, so they could get away with it.

Once I found that out, I came to feel they were mainly taking advantage of poor people in small towns, the ones without access to transportation to be able to shop in the larger towns (OK, I'll say it, the food stamp customers). That seems like exploitation to me, of poor people and the government both. At that point, I started offering transportation to the store in larger towns for poor people I knew, and introduced them to Costco too, which now takes Snap cards also.

There is another entire possibility you might consider. Each store needs to show a profit. Whether or not they can depends on many things. The amount of product sold,the cost to keep the store up and running, maintenance on equipment, electricity or fuel bills,Shoplifting, taxes....

I'm not trying to argue but it makes perfect sense that you would have to charge more to keep a store open in a small town and or selling to low income people.
Also I have been giving a friend a ride to the Shopsmart in White city because I go by there anyway and because if I don't he buys his food at stores like the Minute Markets or 7-11's you mentioned.
There's no way the prices at Shopsmart are as high.
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#17
When a block of cheese that's $8 at Costco is $16 at Rays (yes, I saw this exact thing) I no longer much care whether they're making a profit or not. Apparently, others agree with me, or they wouldn't be $100 million in the hole now despite such outrageous markups.
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#18
Here's my review of Shop Smart in Cave Junction

The worst prices I have ever seen.

Meat: The worst meat I have EVER tasted
London Broil: No matter how long I cooked it, still tasted rough. I've been cooking London Broil all my life, this was the worst London Broil I've ever had. Tasted like the fed the cow cardboard. My neighbor had the same experience (special a few weeks ago)

Pork Shoulder: Tasted like they took expired gravey and added some "floaters" and painted it to look like a pork roast. The fat literally turned into slime, I have never seen this before

Ham: Maybe 35-45% meat, rest is the weird fat that turns "slime" when you cook it.

I bought all these on "special" prices, which were about 50-75% higher then what I would pay in Portland.

The prices in Grants Pass are also about 30-50% higher then they are in Portland, even at Wal-Mart and Fred Myers. Southern Oregon is getting screwed on grocery prices. I think the reason is because so many people are on food stamps, and they treat it like "funny money". Therefore, they don't look at the prices and therefore the store has no incentive to keep prices low. So they end up screwing people like me who don't "qualify" (or want) food stamps because we have to pay higher prices.

I actually do grocery shopping in Portland when I visit the prices are so high here. It reminds me of prices I saw in Alaska. Somebody could make a killing opening up a discount grocery store down here, like a Trader Joes. There is a dollar store in Kerby that has better prices on canned food than Shop Smart.

Thank god for Taylor's.
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#19
(11-22-2013, 12:03 PM)PonderThis Wrote: When a block of cheese that's $8 at Costco is $16 at Rays (yes, I saw this exact thing) I no longer much care whether they're making a profit or not.

My friends buys a lot if not most of his food at the Lil Pantry because he has access to that store. My point is the same regardless of your single cheese example that you use to malign the entire store.
I've bought a few things at the Shosmart and I've NEVER seen an item that cost double what Costo charges

Quote:Apparently, others agree with me, or they wouldn't be $100 million in the hole now despite such outrageous markups.

You seem to ALWAYS have a simple answer to a complex problem. Now you are claiming that they store would have made a profit if they only sold their items for less moneyLaughingLaughing And that alone is the entire reason for them failing??

I gave several examples of why a particular store might HAVE to charge more and you ignored them.
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#20
The reasons don't matter to me. I just go into Roseburg or Medford to shop instead. Case closed.

The cheese example is only one that particularly sticks to mind. My local Rays is the closest grocery to me, and it's still a 50 mile round trip. I was quite familiar with their prices until I decided to outright boycott them, even for impulse and junk purchases.
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