Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by babs »

CalItalian wrote:Here's a few more observations over the last few days:

Ad disappears from the app and website at 9 PM Tuesday night. This is nothing new but how am I supposed to access an ad between 9 & Midnight on Tuesday?

I've been in a few Ralphs where I can either not get a signal at all or it's 3G and slow as heck on my smartphone. It's maddening trying to get anywhere on the Ralphs app.

After 2 weeks, a shortened version of the Ralphs ad is back in stores. I noticed on Wednesday but I wanted to go to some Ralphs in a wider area to see if it was the same as my home store. It is BUT instead of a duplicate of the 6-page online ad, it's a 4-page ad without all the same sale items. I don't get it. Why have a different slimmed down ad in store?
Safeway did that for a while. The in-store version of the ad removed all of the coupons. I guess it was to prevent folks from double dipping. You know, clipping coupons at home, then coming back later in the week and redeeming a coupon again. Hate the coupon game.

On another note, I wish stores would place a recycling bin next to the ads. Too often you see ads with the coupons ripped out and then they either put them back or toss them in a trash can. What a waste!
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by storewanderer »

I have had this problem with Safeway too; stores with no signal on my phone and no wi-fi in the store. So how am I supposed to use Just for You while shopping? Well, it doesn't matter as much anymore since Albertsons has taken away most of the deep discounts the program previously was offering... or also offer the same deals as coupons you can easily get from the various giant ads/"Big Books" they have at all of the doors and at customer service.

But the topic here is Ralphs and Kroger and the pitfalls of eliminating a print ad. What is interesting is they went back on it after 2 weeks, as if it was planned the whole time to eliminate the ad entirely then do this where they issue a shorter ad in store? I think it takes more than 2 weeks lead time to produce an ad? I am guessing the same "department" within Kroger that came up with this idea is the one that came up with the idea to require a loyalty card for sale pricing at some Fred Meyers in Spokane and eliminate some of the non food in those stores. These guys keep this up and they are the next Safeway of the 00's. Kroger better get control of these things quickly. Many people within Kroger at the store level and middle management levels are very used to ongoing sales increases as they have been enjoying that (and their bonuses) for the past decade+, and they will fight to continue that trend...

Ralphs played this game of little 4 page ads up in NorCal with the Cala/Bell Stores around San Francisco. They had 4 page small paper size ads when the Ralphs ads were 4-8 large pages. They also had higher ad prices, but also had all of the same items on sale as a normal Ralphs (albeit at higher prices) but you wouldn't know it without walking the stores.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by CalItalian »

I had a bad experience at the Ralphs in Torrance 3455 Sepulveda on Friday. Was buying Pinnacle Vodka which, this week, if you buy 3, you get $12 off $12.01 or more groceries. It didn't automatically come off. I told the cashier it's advertised. She goes to grab an ad but I told her it's not in the 4-page ad, it's only in the 6-page online ad. She doesn't have a clue what I am talking about. I try to bring it up on my smartphone but it's 3G and slow as heck in this store so it isn't coming up in a timely fashion. I then told her the shelf tags also reflect this so she, at her insistence, went to the shelf along with me. She removed the tag and brought it to checkstand. It's a much longer story than this but the part of the story here was I couldn't get the ad to come up on my smartphone from the Ralphs app to show the cashier. I don't believe any Ralphs - expect those with in-store seating that has a Starbucks (and those are few and far between) - have wifi. They ALL should, today. Especially if they are going to make me prove an ad offer.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by CalItalian »

storewanderer wrote:I have had this problem with Safeway too; stores with no signal on my phone and no wi-fi in the store. So how am I supposed to use Just for You while shopping? Well, it doesn't matter as much anymore since Albertsons has taken away most of the deep discounts the program previously was offering... or also offer the same deals as coupons you can easily get from the various giant ads/"Big Books" they have at all of the doors and at customer service.

But the topic here is Ralphs and Kroger and the pitfalls of eliminating a print ad. What is interesting is they went back on it after 2 weeks, as if it was planned the whole time to eliminate the ad entirely then do this where they issue a shorter ad in store? I think it takes more than 2 weeks lead time to produce an ad? I am guessing the same "department" within Kroger that came up with this idea is the one that came up with the idea to require a loyalty card for sale pricing at some Fred Meyers in Spokane and eliminate some of the non food in those stores. These guys keep this up and they are the next Safeway of the 00's. Kroger better get control of these things quickly. Many people within Kroger at the store level and middle management levels are very used to ongoing sales increases as they have been enjoying that (and their bonuses) for the past decade+, and they will fight to continue that trend...

Ralphs played this game of little 4 page ads up in NorCal with the Cala/Bell Stores around San Francisco. They had 4 page small paper size ads when the Ralphs ads were 4-8 large pages. They also had higher ad prices, but also had all of the same items on sale as a normal Ralphs (albeit at higher prices) but you wouldn't know it without walking the stores.
Vons and Pavilions use to have iPads in store. I haven't seen one in ages. They got them when the Just4U program started. On a few occasions, when the Just4U offer didn't come off during the order, they asked me to login my account on it to show them.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by storewanderer »

Something is really going wrong at Kroger... and you can feel it in the stores... they have clearly lost their way and they have moved beyond a "how can we increase sales" mindset to a "how can we cut costs" mindset in certain parts of the operation. This does not seem to have infected the entire operation just yet (the stores here are still well staffed, well stocked, and quality is being maintained) but if they don't fire whoever or eliminate whatever has caused this change in mindset, it is going to be a very rocky road.

Today while pumping gas at Smiths (the gas station plays the in-store radio) there was an announcement for a "one day only sale head over to the pet aisle for 50% off select pet treats; see pet aisle for selections." I went into the store to the pet treat aisle and nothing was marked at 50% off and the management I asked about it in the store looked at me like I was trying to pull a fast one on them. I suppose I could have made a few selections and asked for price checks but you know what, why bother?

Most (not all) Safeways in NorCal have working customer wi-fi. All supposedly have it, but not working at all... Raleys seems to have working customer wi-fi in all stores (even Food Source). I think they need it to support eCart as the employees (I mean the baggers assigned to fill the 3-4 orders a day they get) go around with handhelds to pick orders, scan items as they pick, etc. Smiths has no customer wi-fi nor does Save Mart.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by architect »

CalItalian wrote:Vons and Pavilions use to have iPads in store. I haven't seen one in ages. They got them when the Just4U program started. On a few occasions, when the Just4U offer didn't come off during the order, they asked me to login my account on it to show them.
In DFW, the Tom Thumb iPads were mostly removed last year, though a few still remain in isolated stores. At the stores which they were removed at, the iPad mount is still installed, and in some cases, still has cables running to it. Similar to the lighting renovations seen over the last couple of years, this seems to be a spur of the moment decision which was not implemented fully, as the empty mounts look quite tacky.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by storewanderer »

I think the Safeway iPads are still there if they work, but if they break, they are not (at least not consistently) being replaced.

I do not really like to log into anything to show what I am supposed to be paying for something. I did that at Safeway on more than a few visits and frankly I am at the point now where I barely bother with their program anymore due to being afraid of things not working as intended or as advertised. They should have an inquiry function on the POS that allows them to scan your card or enter your phone number and print a list of all active offers on your card. Then for a specific offer there should be an offer number or offer ID tied to it and if you want to see specific UPCs/item descriptions tied then they should have able to print that out of their POS as well. It is not MY fault that the price is wrong (unless I pick the wrong item, but I think I am pretty good at picking the right item)- it is their fault, so they need to fix it. Kroger's app is very clear for every item that has a digital offer there is a list below it that shows item photos and what UPCs are tied to the offer. I can see very clearly while I shop what items work on the offer and what items won't work. I have had a couple times where I felt like an item should work, but does not work. Since the item is not on the list of UPCs under offer I simply do not buy. No use arguing, if they can't get the programming right or clear then they can lose the sale.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by klkla »

I went through last week's junk mail to see if there was a Ralphs ad and there was not. There are three markets near me. A Ralphs Fresh Fare, Whole Foods and Smart & Final Extra. Whole Foods has never sent an ad that I am aware of, not even for their grand opening. S&F did send out an ad.

Strangely I did get a Food4Less (also owned by Kroger) ad even though there isn't one near my home. It was interesting to see that they have cut back there, too, as it was only one page. I don't know how big their ads were before but I'm pretty sure it was bigger than one page.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by storewanderer »

The FoodsCo Ad in NorCal has been one double sided page for quite a few years now... at least the last 4-5 years, but NorCal has always been the unwanted stepchild for Ralphs division so it would not surprise me if they ran a larger ad in SoCal and a smaller one up in NorCal even if their highest volume F4L/FoodsCo was for many years in Sacramento.

Smiths ads have not downsized. Smiths prices are going up fairly rapidly; off brand cat food now 49 cents per can with a large "SAVE NOW LOW PRICE" tag (previously 38cents); also Friskies is EDLP .50 and 9 Lives is EDLP .40 so I don't know about off brand being .49. Also noticed tonight standard Smiths White/Wheat bread which was EDLP 1.00 for years now is now EDLP 1.25 (still a very competitive price...). Also needed a red onion and Smiths wanted 1.99/lb for that (yellow onion still EDLP .68/lb again a very competitive price); Raleys at 1.29/lb. I thought I was at Safeway with a price so high for an onion. I have been shifting a surprising amount shopping to Raleys lately; Smiths has lost those sales from me for a variety of reasons ranging from out of stocks, to quality issues, to inconsistent hours of operation on seafood/bakery/deli, to outright too high of prices (like on the red onion). Never thought I'd see that day... but with Smiths prices rising, Save Mart just flat out useless, Safeway absurdly expensive and too inconsistent (also inconvenient for me)... I expect Smiths will lose even more of my business when a new Sprouts opens across the street from the Smiths I primarily shop.
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Re: Ralphs Discontinuing Traditional Printed Ads

Post by CalItalian »

klkla wrote:I went through last week's junk mail to see if there was a Ralphs ad and there was not. There are three markets near me. A Ralphs Fresh Fare, Whole Foods and Smart & Final Extra. Whole Foods has never sent an ad that I am aware of, not even for their grand opening. S&F did send out an ad.

Strangely I did get a Food4Less (also owned by Kroger) ad even though there isn't one near my home. It was interesting to see that they have cut back there, too, as it was only one page. I don't know how big their ads were before but I'm pretty sure it was bigger than one page.
Food 4 Less has always had a doubled sided one page ad in Southern California. Recently, this year, I have been getting Whole Foods ads every few weeks bundled with the other snail-mailed grocery ads (sans Ralphs, now, of course) that normally come on Tuesday.
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