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…]
So far this year, at least nine grocery chains have come under new ownership. Could your store be the tenth? Kroger’s announcement last week that it’s buying Harris Teeter represents the biggest, and latest, deal in the grocery merger and acquisition game (read: “Sold! Kroger Buys Harris Teeter”). About six weeks earlier, Bi-Lo scooped up Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid’s (read:[Read More…]
The other shoe has dropped, for the rest of the grocery chains recently acquired by the parent company of Albertsons. As their corporate cousins embrace “card free savings” and phase out digital coupons, Acme, Shaw’s and Star Market are following suit. Acme has ditched its SuperCard loyalty program, and Shaw’s and Star Market are expected to eliminate their Rewards Card[Read More…]
Mention the name “Cerberus”, and some supermarket shoppers shudder. The private equity firm saddened thousands of shoppers and employees when it shut down or sold two-thirds of the roughly 600 Albertsons locations it acquired in 2006. And customers of several chains acquired by Cerberus earlier this year are wondering whether their stores will suffer the same fate. But could we[Read More…]
You may not have noticed that there were big changes overnight at the Albertsons, Acme, Jewel, Shaw’s and Star Market grocery chains. But you’ll notice the bigger changes that are still to come. Changes like new coupon policies and a potential phasing out of store loyalty programs – if your store even survives that long. New owners officially took over[Read More…]
First, there was relief – several troubled supermarket chains would get deep-pocketed new owners. Then came uncertainty – who are these new owners, and what do they really want with these stores? Then came the realization – they’ve likely rescued the stores from an owner that was running them into the ground, just for the value of the ground they’re[Read More…]
(1/11 update – read: “Bigger, Better, or Goners? What’s in Store For Your Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s and Star Market”) The troubled supermarket operator Supervalu has now confirmed what’s long been rumored – it’s selling off several of its chains. Chicago-based Jewel-Osco, Philadelphia-based Acme, Boston-based Shaw’s and Star Market, and Albertsons stores in California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington[Read More…]
On this day before Thanksgiving, we offer you what you usually don’t get until the day after Thanksgiving: leftovers! Here are some Thanksgiving tidbits to enjoy before the big day: Target’s Turkey is Tops “We aren’t in the business of high-low pricing or gimmicks,” a Walmart executive sniffed, in reaction to competitors’ deals on Thanksgiving staples. Too bad, because Target[Read More…]
There’s a range of reaction to the news this week that Supervalu is closing dozens of Albertsons, Save-a-Lot, ACME and Jewel-Osco supermarkets (read: “Supervalu Sheds More Stores”). “I’m really upset about it,” said one customer of a soon-to-be-shuttered store. “Just a sign of the times,” sighed another. Only four ACME stores are on the list. But news of the impending[Read More…]
