He was born in October 17, 1906, in Yukon, Oklahoma, one of four sons of Earl and Rhoda Albertson. Three years later Earl, a farmer and horticulturist, moved his family to Caldwell, Idaho.
While in college, Joe worked as a janitor, but the money wasn’t enough. He left college after two years and took a job as a clerk at a local Safeway grocery store.
Joe’s career moved quickly at Safeway, before his 12 years career with Safeway ended, Joe was managing more than a dozen stores and learning every phase of the retail business.
After working for the Safeway chain he decided to start his own grocery store at 16th and State Street in Boise. In 1939, he formed a partnership with L. S Skaggs, a fellow Safeway employee, and Tom Cuthbert an accountant.
Joe used his life’s savings of $5,000 plus a $7,500 loan from his aunt, to make up his share of $12,500. His aunt elected to have stock instead of monetary repayment.
On July 21, 1939, the trio opened their first Albertson’s Food Center in Boise, Idaho. Shoppers were greeted by a fresh bakery, and automatic doughnut machine, one of the first magazine racks in the country and double dipped ice cream cones called “Big Joe” that cost a nickel. His focus was simple convenient shopping hours and parking, quality foods with a money-back guarantee and low prices.
The store netted a $10,000 profit in the first year, and Joe quickly opened two more stores in 1940, in Nampa and Caldwell.
During the years of World War II, Albertson promoted War bonds. Sales remained consistent and by 1945, Albertson’s Corporation was formed.
Since then, the company expanded a series do strategic mergers and acquisitions, Albertson’s first partnered with Skaggs Companies Inc. to create the first food-drug store combination in 1969.
Early story of Albertson’s Inc
