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How Can a Grocery Store Show They Care?

January 9, 2009 by Jennifer Donovan

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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I’ve had the opportunity to attend a couple of meetings with the folks at Stop & Shop grocery stores, operating as Giant in some areas (I posted several entries after attending a meeting last summer).

Andrea Astrachan, the Consumer Advisor, led our meetings. She’s a busy mom, just like us, but she wants the same thing that we want too — value for her dollar, and quick and healthy foods for her family.

I wanted to pass on one bit of information that thrills me. She shared with us the best buys for each season.

  • January: Avocados, Chicken, Condiments, Ground Beef, Kielbasa, Salsa
  • February: Cake Mixes, Fish, Frozen Vegetables, Shrimp
  • March/April: Beef Rib Roasts, Cabbage, Corned Beef, Lamb, Raisins, Prunes and Apricots


Want more? Leave a comment and perhaps I’ll post some more money-saving tips and specific buys in the spring.

Stocking up on good sales is one way to save money. Another way that Stop & Shop has come to the rescue in these trying economic times is by offering Real Deals. These are items that are commonly purchased and that people like to stock up on, and instead of just offering the sale for a week, they are offered for a much longer cycle. I love this idea.

If time is more of a concern to you than money, they have expanded their Meal Solutions, with more prepared foods or meal-starters available in their store to help you get a healthy meal on the table in as little time as possible.

They are also trying to help guide consumers to make the best choices. They have teamed up experts from Harvard Medical School and others to design Healthy Ideas. There are more than 3000 products marked with this symbol throughout the store that meet the criteria of total fat, saturated fat, cholesteral and sodium levels, as well as having a significant percentage of one of the Recommended Daily Allowance in one or more areas.

And finally — if your family is battling illness this season (as we have been at our house this week!), Stop & Shop wants to help you out with free prescription medications. That’s right you can receive up to of 14 days of free antibiotics with a new prescription through March 14. and they have lowered many generic prices to $9.99 for a 90 day supply.

So — now I’m asking you:

  1. What HAVE supermarkets done to convince you that they care about your needs as a consumer?
  2. What is something that they CAN do in the future that would help you out or make you a more loyal customer?

Speaking of food, click on over to 5 Minutes for Giveaways for a chance to win a fancy Crock-Pot eLume. I love mine!

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About Jennifer Donovan

Jennifer Donovan has been a part of the 5 Minutes for Mom team since 2007. She writes product reviews, covers events, and manages the 5 Minutes for Books weekly column and website. She lives in Houston and blogs at Snapshot about life with her family.

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13 Comments

  1. Jennifer, 5 Minutes for Mom says

    January 11, 2009 at 9:41 am

    What great comments! Thanks and keep them coming. I would love to keep sharing general money-saving tips and tricks as I get them!

    Reply
  2. Amy says

    January 10, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    # What HAVE supermarkets done to convince you that they care about your needs as a consumer?

    Nothing like Stop n’ shop it seems…I like it when the loyalty cards for certan stores can have coupons added directly to the card.
    # What is something that they CAN do in the future that would help you out or make you a more loyal customer?

    More stores could offer that coupon/loyalty card more often – Walmart could start using coupons…and healthy foods, unprocessed, could go on sale more often.

    Reply
  3. Teresa says

    January 10, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    I like my local Krogers. They offer discounted gas when you use the Korger card. Also, some sites let me download coupons directly onto my Kroger card. And they have double coupon days. I also get coupons directly from Krogers in the mail.

    Reply
  4. Melissa says

    January 10, 2009 at 10:50 am

    I just returned from patronizing my local Giant. They were running a sale on pork chops but did not have any out in the meat section. The butcher cut and wrapped some on the spot for me. Helpful service like this is why I frequent Giant. I also appreciate that they are now doubling coupons.

    Reply
  5. Stephanie'sMommyBrain says

    January 10, 2009 at 1:30 am

    I’d love to hear more about seasonal deals!!!

    I only go to S & S for meat loss leaders and if there is a specific item I want but can’t buy at Price Rite. I would love to be a loyal S & S customer (their quality is slightly better and the store is closer to my house) but I can’t afford to shop there. I’m not exaggerating to say that my grocery bill is HALF at Price Rite compared to what it would be at S & S.

    Their customer card annoys me to know end. At the bottom of the receipt it says “Saved with card this purchase” (or something like that). Excuse me? I didn’t save anything. They raised the price for non-card customers so that it LOOKS like customers w/ a card are saving money. It annoys me that they think I’m that gullible.

    Sorry, Jennifer. Didn’t mean to rant. I’ll get off my soapbox now. = ) I’ll end by saying when I can buy the same items for close to the same amount of money at S & S as I get at Price Rite then I’ll be happy to switch my loyalties.

    Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    January 9, 2009 at 10:00 pm

    I’d love to buy avocados right now, but they’re still $1 to $1.50/each in my area. When the prices drop, I will purchase them regularly. Until then, I’ll only buy them for “special occasions.”

    We shop at Fry’s Marketplace (Kroger) or Safeway because those are the closest grocery stores to our home.

    I’d like to see grocery stores offer the following “amenities”:
    * Excellent customer service – smiling employees that clearly enjoy what they are doing and that will go “the extra mile” to help
    * Free snacks and/or balloons for kids shopping with their parents
    * Free birthday cake (or cupcake) on your birthday
    * Clean restrooms with adjacent nursing lounges
    * Local, organic produce
    * More organic products
    * Rewards for being a loyal customer (coupons for free/discounted items)

    Reply
  7. Heidi says

    January 9, 2009 at 9:25 pm

    I don’t think we have Stop and Shop in the Philly area.

    What I think is very important for showing you care is to have baggers available. Also, if there are no baggers and I bag my own groceries (which I do so that the people behind me don’t have to wait too long) it would be nice to AT LEAST get a thank you from the cashier but some store coupons would be great too!

    I appreciate the posts on frugality!

    Reply
  8. Lisa C says

    January 9, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    I shop at Giant and have noticed they have their own line of organic foods called Nature’s Promise. This is great because it’s at reasonable prices…I can eat healthier affordably!

    Reply
  9. Anna says

    January 9, 2009 at 5:30 pm

    I like to shop at Kroger. They show they care by having a great selection of fresh vegetables at a reasonable price. They also double coupons, send coupons in the mail, and give coupons at the register. I also enjoy their 10 cents per gallon discount on their gas. They just opened a new store in our area with very WIDE aisles. It is clean and well organized. The gentlemen who bag the groceries do not crush the bread or the vegetables!

    Reply
  10. Deb - Mom of 3 Girls says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    We don’t have Stop and Shop here in the midwest. But I do wish that our grocery stores here would double coupons or provide additional coupons beyond what the manufacturers offer in the Sunday paper. And having enough checkout lanes open is always a good thing too. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Michelle says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    I think that grocery stores that have helpful staff, don’t freak out when you bring your own bag and have healthy food available are great. But most importantly having inexpensive food is key. I avoid Stop and Shop because it is much more expensive than my local favorite Market Basket.

    Reply
  12. Aunt LoLo says

    January 9, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    I’m a recent transplant to the East Coast, and thus…was only recently introduced to Stop & Shop.

    Supermarkets HAVE shown they care by giving extended sales, such as the one you described above. I’ve also noticed that Stop & Shop has an impressive array of foreign foods, including fresh sushi and numerous brazilian condiments and other foodstuffs.

    If I had one suggestion for grocers wishing to make a more loyal customer of me – train your staff in simple courtesies and customer service! I have been shocked at the lack of respect here for the customer. Most store clerks are at best unhelpful and, at worst, downright gruff, abrupt and rude. Unfortunately, the latter example is the more common of the two scenarios. I am in your store to buy food, not to bother you. If me asking questions takes away from your shelf-stocking time…I’m sorry. However, the more effectively you can answer my question, the quicker I will get out of your hair!

    (That said – I LOVE the new “beep as you go” service at stop and shop that allows customers to scan their items as they put it into their cart, expediting the check out process. I don’t use it, but I love how fast it moves the line! :-D)

    Reply
  13. Courtney from Mommie Blogs says

    January 9, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Whole Foods sends out a weekly newsletter via email with healthy cooking tip, weekly specials (where there is no need for a plastic card) and savings tips. Recipes usually included lesser expensive alternatives since we are all trying to spend less but feed our families well. And the staff at our local store is so helpful and pleasant.

    What is something that they CAN do in the future that would help you out or make you a more loyal customer?

    I think its very important for all food store to keep their store clean!!!!

    Reply

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