WinCo Foods Will Be Great for Bozeman and Here’s Why [OPINION]
The plan for WinCo Foods to open a new location in Bozeman has been a hot topic lately.
Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local-4 Union attempted to appeal the City of Bozeman's approval of the new store saying that it's "another big box store" that Bozeman doesn't need.
On Monday night, city leaders rejected the appeal and stood by their decision to move forward with the Bozeman Winco Foods store despite complaints from the retail union. The store will be located on N. 19th Avenue near Target and Staples.
WinCo Foods is based in Boise, Idaho. It was founded in 1967, and the company is mostly owned by current and former employees through an employee stock ownership plan.
Not only will Winco bring nearly 175 quality jobs to Bozeman, but it's also a great place to work. WinCo has more than 400 employees with more than $1 million in their ESOP accounts and hundreds of retirees similarly well set.
I grew up in Boise and my family always went shopping at WinCo. The bulk bin section is unparalleled. As of right now, there are no grocery stores in Bozeman that come close to the selection you'll find at WinCo Foods. I feel like this is one of the reasons retail unions are fighting against WinCo. Once WinCo opens in Bozeman, it will force other retailers to step up their game and offer better prices and selection to customers.
WinCo competes directly with Walmart and other discount grocers, keeping its costs low. It doesn’t accept credit cards and customers bag their own groceries.
If you don't have to pay high prices for groceries, why do it? WinCo will definitely create competition for other grocery chains in the Bozeman area, but the result will most likely be lower prices. I am a huge advocate of WinCo coming to Bozeman, and once they open, chances are it will be your go-to for grocery shopping.
In closing, WinCo Foods coming to Bozeman will mean nearly 175 high quality jobs, discounted groceries, and a lot of happy shoppers. Despite what you may have heard, in my opinion, WinCo will be a great addition to Bozeman.