In a case that makes a compelling argument for the use of anti-meat-shoplifting dogs, a man in Mary Esther, Florida was caught when grocery store personnel noticed that he was “looking suspicious.” He looked suspicious because of the 48 ounces of bacon he had stuffed in his pants.
Customer Complaint Leads To Sincere Apology, Actual Change At HyVee
By September 11, 2009
Matt complained to his local Hyvee grocery/gas station about the excessive holds they place on gas customers’ debit cards. The company apologized, offered him a gift card, and changed their signage to prevent further customer frustration.
Math Proves It: Grocery Store Express Lane Not So Express
By September 10, 2009
Here’s a different sort of grocery store math than you’re probably used to. A high school math teacher in Santa Cruz, California drew up a lesson plan for teaching students to answer the question: “which checkout line is the fastest?” Clearly, this is education after our own hearts. You may have your own anecdata on this subject, and even try to make predictions as you choose your line and thus your destiny, but that is no match for science.
Consumer Reports Finds Generic Foods Taste As Good As Brand Names
By September 1, 2009
Labels are eye-catching and all, but they don’t taste so good. Consumer Reports undressed some food items and found out that deep inside, generics are just as tasty — and in some cases even yummier — than their labeled counterparts.
Whole Foods CEO Spurs Boycott With Health Care Views
By August 15, 2009
Memo to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey: when much of your customer base consists of reusable-bag-using, wheatgrass-munching “progressive” types, it’s probably not such a good idea to publish an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing current health care reform proposals. At least if you don’t want said customers organizing boycotts of your stores.
Reader Isn't A Bad Person, Just Doesn't Want To Round Up His Grocery Purchase
By August 13, 2009
Dustin isn’t a jerk, really. He just feels like one every time he shops at his local Vons, because they’re always pushing him to donate his change to charity. He wants to know whether your local Vons, Safeway, or other grocery stores do this to you, too.
Save Money On Groceries By Buying The Ugly Ones
By August 7, 2009
Salvage grocers are stores that stock all the dented, crushed, slightly past their “best by” date products that consumers have been trained to avoid. Because of this, they’re the Dollar General or Big Lots of supermarkets, with prices up to half off regular store prices, says the Associated Press.
Grocery Store Cancels Facebook Coupon Deal, Enrages Customers
By August 3, 2009
Marsh, a grocery chain in Indiana and Ohio, made a special coupon available to their fans on Facebook. The coupon was good for $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Great deal, right? Until the promotion got out of hand, and the store stopped accepting the coupon on Friday, with no warning to customers. Based on past similar experiences, you can guess how well this turns out.
Dear Kroger, Please Make Self Check-Out Suck Less
By July 6, 2009
Self check-out is great if, say, you’ve got one of those supermarkets where the teenaged clerks hate you for choosing their lane and spend more time talking to each other than scanning your items. It’s not so great if you force all of your customers to use the system because you’ve decided to close down every other human-powered lane but one.
Kroger Won't Accept Coupons From …Kroger?
By June 24, 2009
John printed out some coupons from grocery store Kroger’s Web site. That’s not where he went wrong, though. John had the audacity to try to exchange them for discounts. On Kroger brand products. At Kroger. Experienced coupon users can guess what happens next.
Florida Albertsons Coughs Up Green For False Advertising
By June 15, 2009
One effective way to draw customers into your grocery store then piss them off is to put out an ad with good deals, then refuse to honor them.
Big Brother Is Watching You Grocery Shop
By May 8, 2009
Star fruit distributed by Melissa’s Produce between April 21 and May 5 is being recalled due to chemical residues. Mmmm. I’m having a hard time finding coverage of the recall itself, but one grocery store’s handling of the situation got my attention.
Jewel-Osco Grocery Stores Implement Price Cuts …I Think
By May 6, 2009
Jewel-Osco, a Chicago-area grocery chain, implemented some much-publicized price cuts a few weeks ago. Let’s see how they’re doing with that.
Trader Joe's Salmon Comes With Delectable Organic Free-Range Worm
By April 24, 2009
Reader David was eating his dinner of Trader Joe’s Chimichurri salmon when he found an unexpected garnish: a rather dead and fully cooked worm. It was brown and roughly an inch long. He e-mailed the company, then brought the fish (and worm) back to the store for a refund. While the store supervisor’s handling of the situation was stellar, the reaction from Trader Joe’s corporate has been…nonexistent.
A More Helpful Big Brother: Grocery Store Loyalty Programs Used To Notify Customers Of Salmonella Recall
By February 9, 2009
According to Consumer Reports, some grocery stores are using their loyalty card registrations to get in touch with customers who bought recalled peanut butter products.
Kroger Apologizes For Calling You A Thief, Banning You From Store For Buying And Eating Their Donuts
By February 3, 2009
Every Saturday morning, Beth’s father walks to…
Supermarket Chain Adds 10% At Register, But Only In Some Stores
By October 10, 2008
The Nash Finch stores Avanza, Food Bonanza and Wholesale Food Outlets add the 10 percent charge to food at the register and specialize in serving Hispanics, according to store workers.
