Stories

Thu, 12 Mar 2026

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 A small US grocer is calling out the lower prices at big chains

It is 'impossible for us to compete', says the boss of a New York grocery store.

* Alap Vora, owner of Concord Market in Brooklyn, says he pays around $5 to his distributor to stock Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, but larger chains can sell it for the same price, making it impossible for small businesses to compete.
* Independent grocery stores like Vora's face pressure from distributors who offer preferential pricing to big chains, leaving smaller retailers with higher costs and thinner margins.
* The issue affects over 21,000 independent grocery stores in the US, which account for one-third of grocery sales.
* Vora testified before the US Senate about the issue two years ago, describing "fluctuating, opaque pricing structures" from distributors that put small business owners at a disadvantage.
* Despite his efforts to raise awareness, little has changed since his testimony, and Vora is still struggling with cost pressures, having had to shut down one of his stores in Manhattan recently.
* Experts point to the Robinson-Patman Act as a potential solution, which prohibits sellers from offering preferential prices to certain buyers and not others. However, some argue that enforcing this law would raise prices for consumers rather than benefiting small businesses.
* Others suggest that easing the tax and regulatory burden on small retailers or promoting pricing transparency could help level the playing field.