There are two Lucky supermarkets in Vacaville. Lucky once again is back in the Bay Area. The first Lucky store opened in Berkeley in 1935. Lucky was founded on the principles of low prices and great service.

In 1999, Albertsons took over the parent company of Lucky and eliminated the Lucky name and rebranded all Lucky stores as Albertsons. Many claim that this move was ultimately what doomed Albertsons in Northern California. Many people resented the loss of the near and dear Lucky name and stopped shopping at Albertsons stores. Albertsons brought high prices and lost customers due to their less than stellar customer service. Albertsons encountered severe problems due to the same type of mismanagement that led to the arrogant dismissal of the Lucky brand.

Albertsons, after realizing that their business was failing, closed many of their Northern California supermarkets. This alienated their remaining customers even further. Eventually after eight years, Albertsons sold their Northern California stores since they were no longer bringing in customers like Lucky used to.

A smaller grocery chain based in Modesto, called Save Mart, bought the remaining stores and revived the Lucky name. Lucky still had an enormous following and after eight years, 72 Bay Area stores were renamed Lucky. Many of these stores were originally Lucky stores. Executives at Save Mart vowed to restore Lucky back to its roots of quality, service, and value.

Their store brand milk, called Sunnyside Farms Milk, does not use the artificial Bovine Growth Hormone. They also offer Sunnyside organic cage free eggs.

Employees at Lucky get union wages and benefits. The most recent 2007 contract includes the largest across-the-board wage increase in the history of Northern California grocery industry contracts. Employees will receive raises of $1.80 to $3 per hour during the four-year pact. It also improves medical benefits and reduces or eliminates deductibles. Save Mart is very generous to its employees compared to other stores.

Comments

2010-01-22 14:13:56   HOW DO YOU GET A JOB? —66.127.213.136

2011-08-23 07:59:09   Sounds wonderful! Bring back Lucky's ! My husband & I worked for them years back before Albertson's took over. Since then we've seen stores spiral down and close. I'd love to see "Lucky" back in the game. and not to mention the fairness they give their employees! :)

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