Remember when you could just swipe a loyalty card at the grocery store to get all of the advertised sale prices, without having to “activate” any deals online first?
Welcome back to the future, at one grocery chain that’s promoting a new way of accessing deals that’s not so new after all – and it may not be entirely by choice.
Northern California-based Raley’s, along with its subsidiaries Bel Air and Nob Hill, is promoting “new Member Pricing, which “lets you save instantly when you enter your Something Extra number at checkout — no need to clip!”
Previously, Raley’s weekly ads featured sale prices for loyalty members, but shoppers had to go through the extra step of “clipping” the deal on the retailer’s website or app before they’d get the lower price at the checkout.
Now, the “member prices” advertised in the weekly circular are available to anyone who swipes a loyalty card or enters their phone number at checkout. Personalized deals or digital coupons still need to be clipped and require you to have an online account.
It’s part of the retailer’s “effort to evolve in response to changing customer expectations and shopping behaviors,” Raley’s explained.
It could also be an effort to get ahead of possible legislation that would force Raley’s to do what it’s now doing.
California is the epicenter, so to speak, of efforts to legislate solutions to the “digital divide” – the concern that those without digital devices or competency are missing out on grocery discounts that require online access. San Diego last fall became the first jurisdiction in the country to require grocers to offer in-store alternatives to digital-only deals that needed to be clipped or activated online. Los Angeles is currently considering a similar idea. And San Francisco lawmakers have been urged to do the same. That’s in addition to the many state legislatures that have been debating statewide legislation.
With its 117 stores mostly located in Northern California, Raley’s is not impacted by any of the current or proposed legislation – so far. Raley’s declined to comment on whether its move toward no-digital-device-required weekly deals was in response to what’s been happening in other California cities.
But it is, perhaps, telling that Raley’s-owned Bashas’, which is based in Arizona, is not participating in “new Member Pricing.” Unlike their California counterparts, no Arizona lawmaker has proposed a law regulating digital-only discounts. So Bashas’ weekly ads still feature “Digital Member Deals” that must be activated online or in the app, just like Raley’s used to.
Raley’s is not alone in preemptively backing away from advertising digital-only weekly sale prices, before lawmakers force them to. When its home state of Massachusetts first considered legislation to require in-store alternatives to digital-only grocery deals, Stop & Shop introduced coupon kiosks where those without digital access can activate weekly deals in-store. While San Diego debated its measure, Kroger – which owns several Ralphs stores in the city – introduced digital deal “scan sheets,” a printed version of each week’s digital deals that can be scanned at the checkout for those without a digital device.
Neither of them publicly admitted that it was the threat of legislation that forced their hands. And Raley’s isn’t admitting anything either. “Our focus is on simplifying the shopping experience while continuing to deliver meaningful value,” Raley’s president Paul Gianetto said in a statement. “These enhancements reflect our commitment to delivering a customer-first experience that aligns with the quality they expect from Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill.”
So it’s all in the name of customer service, Raley’s says. And if it helps them show lawmakers there’s no need for legislation because they’re already making their digital deals more accessible all by themselves – even better.
Image source: Raley’s
