The gargantuan proposed $24.6-billion merger of supermarket behemoths Kroger and Albertsons is being touted by the merger partners as a boon to consumers.
"We will take the learnings from each company to bring greater value and a better experience to more customers, more associates and more communities," Kroger Chief Executive Rodney McMullen told analysts and investors in a conference call Friday after the deal was announced.
McMullen didn't explicitly say that would mean lower prices, but it would be a rare shopper who didn't think that "greater value and a better experience" meant anything other than paying less at the checkout counter.
