Washingtonians are still puzzling over the 124 stores Kroger and Albertsons will sell under a merger. Experts say it reflects a complicated three-way bargain with regulators. Both companies will be offloading nearly 600 stores across the U.S. as part of its proposed $25 billion merger. The largest US supermarket deal ever would sell off 579 stores, but critics warn of repeating a decade-old divestiture that left shoppers paying the price. The Kroger-Albertsons deal would remake the Seattle area grocery map.