This will come as no surprise to those who do the drug stores, but it seems Walgreens has a problem keeping sale items in stock. Go figure! A new report by the union-backed advocacy group Walgreen Strategy Watch alleges that the drug store chain’s out-of-stock problems are just as severe as frustrated shoppers have long complained. The report, titled “Off[Read More…]
We love little pieces of paper when they have a discount printed on them. But when it comes time to pay the post-coupon balance, we’d rather forego the paper and pull out the plastic. That’s according to a new study on how most of us pay at the grocery store. In its annual Grocery Retailing Payments Study, the National Grocers[Read More…]
By now you’ve certainly seen the “Walmart Challenge” commercials that have been running on TV for more than a year now. “Real Moms” stock up at a local grocery store, then are whisked off to Walmart to buy the very same items – invariably for much less. “Bring your last grocery receipt into Walmart and compare the prices,” the ads[Read More…]
(Be sure to read this update: “Sold! What Will Become of Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid’s?”). If you’re a fan of the Sweetbay supermarket chain in Florida – what’s left of it, that is – better do your shopping there while you still can. Its owners are offering a less-than-rosy outlook for the troubled grocery chain. Sweetbay’s Belgian owners, Delhaize, shut[Read More…]
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Jewel-Osco. What was meant to be a friendly customer service gesture, backfired in a big way for the Chicago-based grocery chain. Now, Jewel is backing off – or, to be more accurate, it’s clarifying what it was trying to accomplish all along. The controversial “cart-to-car” service is no longer compulsory. Jewel quietly[Read More…]
Most retailers will claim that they’re listening to customers and responding to our needs – right before introducing changes that customers clearly hate. JCPenney now has been reduced to begging customers to come back, after more than a year of not listening to them at all. And for a variety of reasons, grocery chains Kroger, Jewel-Osco and Farm Fresh are[Read More…]
Not all that long ago, the idea of interacting and chatting with your favorite grocery store online seemed improbable, if not pointless. With the advent of Facebook, though, it’s become the norm. And any store that’s not a part of the social network is seen as something of an online outcast. Now, one longtime Facebook holdout has jumped on the[Read More…]
Nearly five weeks after selling off several supermarket chains, a slimmed-down Supervalu is ready to reveal plans for its remaining stores. Those changes include lower prices, more fresh selection, and a system that allows each chain to make more of its own decisions about what its customers want. And one chain has decided that what its customers want, is to[Read More…]
(Be sure to read this update: “Controversial ‘Cart to Car’ Service Clarified: No Means No, After All”) “Welcome to Jewel-Osco, where prices are low and friendliness is mandatory. Really, let us carry those bags out to the car for you. No, we insist. Seriously. Hand over the bags. Do it, now. Security!!” Getting into an arm-wrestling match over your shopping[Read More…]
There are those who see grocery shopping as a chore, who head to the nearest supermarket, grab what they need and get out. Others watch the sales and clip coupons in order to get the best deals. Still others go to greater lengths. Have you ever prepared multiple shopping lists, organized multiple sets of coupons and shopped at multiple stores[Read More…]
