Anne Skul, a longtime Glen Ellyn resident before moving to Scottsdale, believes regular Jewel shoppers "will never notice the difference" once Albertson's Inc. takes over American Stores Co., parent of the Jewel-Osco chain.

"Albertson's has a real presence in Phoenix," Skul said, referring to Albertson's 40 stores in Arizona, with 20 in and around Phoenix.

"Unless Albertson's has another agenda in mind for Jewel, shoppers will never miss a beat. It's like they're from the same family," Skul added, noting, "Albertson's are supermarkets. Not super-supermarkets, not megamarkets, not as elaborate as the big Jewels or Dominicks here."