Grocery shoppers in Florida have been buzzing about a new wrinkle in Walmart’s ad match policy that could possibly, eventually, go nationwide. For the first time, Walmart is not just matching competitors’ advertised sale prices that are lower than its own – it’s beating them. And by a lot. The new wrinkle, introduced in Walmart stores across Florida last week,[Read More…]
(10/7 update: “U.S. Military Grocery Stores Are Back in Business”) There are certainly perks to shopping at a government-run grocery store – you can get big discounts as compared to for-profit chains. The down side? When the government shuts down, so do its grocery stores. You can’t get big discounts if your store’s doors are padlocked. That’s the dilemma facing[Read More…]
Plenty of grocery stores don’t have loyalty cards. But when Albertsons very publicly eliminated them in its newly-acquired grocery chains earlier this year, it was enough to generate headlines speculating that loyalty programs as a whole were officially on the way out. That being the case, is it time to declare the impending death of self-checkout lanes? Because now, the[Read More…]
You may like your local grocery store just fine, but it takes a real commitment to show the world – or at least your Facebook friends – that you “like” it. Occasional customer satisfaction surveys have declared certain supermarkets to be the most or least liked of all, but a look at how many grocery shoppers have hit the thumbs-up[Read More…]
Sure, you clip coupons and shop the sales. But no matter how savvy a saver you are, even the best of us are guilty of overspending on some of our groceries in a big way, in one key respect. How many times have you poured out the remaining contents of a container of milk that had passed its expiration date?[Read More…]
If you think it can be a challenge to check all the supermarket sale ads and cross-reference your coupons while planning for a shopping trip, it turns out there are a few other factors you have to keep in mind for an optimal shopping experience. Everything from the way you look, to the way you sleep, to the way you[Read More…]
(March 6, 2014 update: Safeway announces $9 billion sale to Cerberus). When you’re just trying to save some money and feed your family, the goings-on in the boardrooms and backrooms of those who run your local grocery store are probably of little concern. So if you skimmed over the story about Safeway in the financial pages of your local paper[Read More…]
What started out sounding like pretty good news for fans of the Fresh & Easy grocery chain changed dramatically over the course of the day yesterday and into today. Word that the troubled chain finally found a new owner seemed good at first, then it started to turn bad. Ultimately, it ended up in complete confusion, anger and feelings of[Read More…]
(Be sure to read this update: “Shoppers, Staff Upset as Owners Pay to Make Fresh & Easy Go Away”) For once, it seems, a grocery takeover has been met not with shock and anger, but with a sense of inevitability and even a little relief – at least for those whose stores are remaining open. A long-rumored deal involving the[Read More…]
Once upon a time, a half gallon of ice cream was actually 2 quarts, and not today’s 1.5 quarts. Cereal boxes held more cereal, toilet paper had more sheets per roll and you generally got a lot more for your money at the grocery store. So if you have a young one in diapers, or plan to have one soon,[Read More…]
