Throughout the pandemic, independent grocery stores have provided essential items and goods for residents in small towns throughout Nebraska.
Now more than ever, those stores need those same residents to return the favor. Independent grocery stores have always faced an uphill battle in seeking to compete with national chains on prices, and the pandemic only exacerbated that.
That has led store owners, Associated Wholesale Grocers, and the National Grocers Association to call for Congress to update and enforce antitrust laws in response to what they see as rampant anti-competitive tactics by dominant food retailers.
“A food retail marketplace controlled by a handful of firms flies in the face of America’s free market principles. It discourages entrepreneurship, it limits investment in underserved communities and it harms consumers,” said Greg Ferrara, president and CEO of the National Grocers Association.
Nevertheless, some grocery stores in the region thrived during the pandemic by emphasizing customer service. Like many stores, Bill’s Food Mart in Howells offered curbside grocery orders and delivery.
“Being the only store of its kind in town, we understand the importance of being able to provide locals with their everyday needs,” co-owner Billie Wisnieski said. “We really value people shopping local, and I also think that locals value our presence.”
At many stores, demand doubled as such essential supplies as toilet paper and disinfectants became part of a national shortage. Orders from supply companies were slowed or even cut after social distancing guidelines at manufacturing plants led to a lack of production.
Unfortunately for suppliers and independent grocers, “the relevant antitrust laws haven’t been enforced in a generation,” said Christopher Jones, National Grocery Association senior vice president of government relations and counsel. “They have no choice but to charge independents higher prices and to limit their product offerings.”
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