As I write this morning, it continues to snow. We don’t mind too much,
except that Mike’s toes don’t like it when it’s cold. And it’s not easy to meet
the Fitbit challenge of 250 steps per hour when I can’t step outside. But on a
positive note, Mike says he can’t wait to get his Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk out
and drive it in snow mode. No, we won’t go far.
Mike and I have discussed that we don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to navigate the in-person retail world. It used to be a simple matter of putting items in the cart, checking out with a store employee, and handing over the money, but the process is becoming more complicated. Self-check stands are more evident than ever before, and if you’re buying just a few items, the store rather insistently encourages you to use them. It's a system that is not without problems.
Walmart has something called “Scan and Go,” which I don’t understand – and don’t particularly want to. And by the way, the last time we shopped there, the associate explained that they are moving to plastic sacks made of recycled material for which the customer must pay five cents per bag.
“We brought our own bags,” said Mike.
“Perfect!” said the associate with a smile.
“This is the way they’re forcing us to bring our own bags,” commented Mike.
Albertsons still has signs encouraging the shopper to bring his own recyclable
bags, but early in the pandemic, we carried our bags into the store only to be
told that the employees could not touch our bags.
“I don’t want your plastic sacks,” said Mike, “so I will bag our groceries.”
“Fine,” said the cashier. But I was put off because everything I touch in the store has been touched by their employees, and I don’t trust that their hands are cleaner than mine.
Albertsons and Walmart both have pick-up services, where the customer orders and pays online and then simply picks up his order at the store. I have a friend who loves this service. She just drives to the designated pick-up area and an employee loads her car with her groceries.
Albertsons has been my “go-to” grocery store since we moved to Clarkston years ago. I have been with them through a number of different shopping systems, promotions, and corporate change-overs. When they instigated their “Just for U” program, I stepped up to it, registering my phone number and selecting digital coupons that give me deeper discounts on things I buy. But I have observed that many shoppers don’t participate in that system, which is understandable given the location of the store and the underprivileged base that it serves.
But now they’ve taken their digital “Just for U” program to a new level that further screens out the needy. They propose to move to a “membership” format wherein the customer will pay for his “Just for U” benefits. There will still be some discounts at the free level, but if you want deeper discounts, you will have to pay for them. I am NOT impressed, and I said so, pointing out that Walmart is just a block away, and if they’re going to charge me to be a customer, I can afford to drive to Winco!
The best part about this Albertsons store is that it’s right next door to JoAnn’s Fabrics, but trust me, I shop JoAnn’s without going to Albertsons. KW
6 comments:
Yikes! Charges for bags? Membership fees to get better discounts? I am so thankful to have a Winco just a few miles away!! I have several friends who do all their ordering online since the advent of the virus. One says they always tip big when the person brings out their bags. I don't know that the other one does, but she swears by Walmart's online ordering saying that if they don't have exactly what she orders they often sub in bigger sizes or another, better brand, for the same price.
Our local grocery store has a "drive and load" service. When we are done with the checkout, the take our cart out to the loading area and place the items in the car. So far, I like it.
Chuck -- Rosauer's used to do that here when they built the store on Thain, but they soon gave it up. I don't shop there much so I can't say what they're doing now.
Chris -- I, too, have heard that Walmart is very fair with substitutions and refunds. The custom here, as far as I know, is not to tip the store employee for carrying your groceries to your car, but my mother-in-law was surprised about that.
I was ordering groceries pre-pandemic and it was a $5 charge to pick them up, which they got rid of once the pandemic hit. There is no option to tip online and they never get close enough to the car or make it seem like I'm supposed to tip when I pick up. Similar to other comments, they'll generously substitute, when necessary. I really like this method of grocery acquisition!
Hi Hallie!
Where do you order your groceries? -- Fred Meyer?
Do you open your car, or do they?
Yes, I order from Fred Meyer and I push a button to open the hatch and then they most usually close it.
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