Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by storewanderer »

rwsandiego wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 3:48 pm
submariner wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 9:40 am
rwsandiego wrote:
This might sound like a stupid question, but one would still need a phone number to receive "Just for You" specials at Albertsons, right? If so, this sounds a lot like a club card.

Obviousman signing out.
I mean, with punching your phone number into the terminal, does anyone much use the physical card anymore?


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Exactly my point. I haven't used a physical card since the early 2000's. Bashas' is the only store here in Phoenix where phone number entry is not the default. They accept a phone number, but you have to ask them to do so.
CVS seems to not default to phone number either... employee has to go through a few screens for phone number entry and you still have to tell the employee your number (I feel like sometime in the very distant past I entered my number into the pinpad there... but I seem to be confused). Also CVS self checkouts, I believe, have no way to do a phone number entry.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by rwsandiego »

storewanderer wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 9:45 pm
rwsandiego wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 3:48 pm
submariner wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 9:40 am

I mean, with punching your phone number into the terminal, does anyone much use the physical card anymore?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Exactly my point. I haven't used a physical card since the early 2000's. Bashas' is the only store here in Phoenix where phone number entry is not the default. They accept a phone number, but you have to ask them to do so.
CVS seems to not default to phone number either... employee has to go through a few screens for phone number entry and you still have to tell the employee your number (I feel like sometime in the very distant past I entered my number into the pinpad there... but I seem to be confused). Also CVS self checkouts, I believe, have no way to do a phone number entry.
Here in Phoenix they always ask for a phone number.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 9:45 pm
rwsandiego wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 3:48 pm
submariner wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 9:40 am I mean, with punching your phone number into the terminal, does anyone much use the physical card anymore?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Exactly my point. I haven't used a physical card since the early 2000's. Bashas' is the only store here in Phoenix where phone number entry is not the default. They accept a phone number, but you have to ask them to do so.
CVS seems to not default to phone number either... employee has to go through a few screens for phone number entry and you still have to tell the employee your number (I feel like sometime in the very distant past I entered my number into the pinpad there... but I seem to be confused). Also CVS self checkouts, I believe, have no way to do a phone number entry.
Most of the places locally still have cards, but I think just about all offer the number option as well (though it might be harder to use, like mentioned at CVS). The couple that don't are Hannaford (who never had a card, just set up an app/phone # system for a small % back on store brands and some digital coupons) and Tractor Supply (which just uses phone # for tracking and you get coupons every so often based on how much/often you shop, usually a % off, a couple times a free item).

Those two, however (similar to the original question about Just for U) are slightly different, in that they basically are only for special things (the digital coupons, small rewards and such), unlike most of the older store cards (here it's ShopRite, Price Chopper, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) where the card is needed to get the advertised sales prices from their fliers.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by architect »

This isn't specifically related to Albertsons/Safeway integration, but rather a general update from the Denver area. Over the last few days, I visited two different Safeway locations in the region, with vastly different experiences.

In Estes Park, I visited the Safeway in town on multiple occasions. This store is definitely older and smaller-skewing. However, it is extremely high-volume for its size, and was recently renovated with a full Florida Decor remodel (including all new LED lighting replacing the original Safeway fixtures plus the original Albertsons "lighting disaster" additions from the last couple of years). Overall, the renovation was extremely impressive, and really gave life to a previously tired store (based on Yelp photos). Selection and pricing were both competitive (with the pricing often being lower than the Texas Tom Thumb/Randalls locations, which makes no logical sense due to the latter's much stronger competition). Due to the store's high volume combined with its small size, product turnover was also strong with almost no old perishables to be found. The staff was also generally very friendly and helpful. The largest weaknesses were the front end (long lines even with almost all checkouts open) along with out of stocks in the bakery (again, likely due to being an undersized store which cannot keep up with the volume it is pulling). Overall, I would give the store a 3.5/5, simply due to its volume/size ratio being out of whack.

On the other hand, I also visited the Safeway on Buckley Road in Aurora, and had a far different experience. Although the store is large and feels current (due to its recent conversion from Albertsons to Safeway, including a renovation to Colorful Lifestyle), business definitely seemed to be slower. My visit was not long, but I could definitely notice out of stock product in both produce and bakery, along with quite a few maintenance issues (most notably one of the entrance doors by the pharmacy not working, forcing shoppers to enter through the other side of the store). Overall, I could see this store going either way, as it was one of the few stores serving the area, but also seemed to be a bit too high-end for the surrounding neighborhood. Regardless, if this store is already showing signs of problems, it does not bode well for many of the legacy Safeway stores in the market which have not been renovated in years.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by Alpha8472 »

The non-functional door by the pharmacy could be a good thing. In case of robbery, the distance to the working exit is greater. This gives the police more time to respond to an alarm.

The pharmacy should be far away from any entrance to discourage a quick getaway. The robber would also pass by many cameras and get photographed from all angles.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by pseudo3d »

arizonaguy wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 5:32 pm The clerk behind the customer service desk at my local Safeway here in Phoenix said that the company is getting rid of the physical cards. She mentioned this to the person in front of me (who she gave a physical card to).

I could never get my physical card to work with my phone number so I created a new profile online with a different phone number of mine (my business line) that I use for Just 4 You. I've never had a physical card on that account.
I don't typically shop at Albertsons/Safeway anymore (partly because no stores nearby), and at Kroger, my de facto default supermarket these days, I always just punch in my old phone number. The physical store cards at Randalls are VERY dated, they still have the Simon David logo on them, which hasn't been a thing since 2010.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by storewanderer »

architect wrote: July 31st, 2018, 8:40 pm This isn't specifically related to Albertsons/Safeway integration, but rather a general update from the Denver area. Over the last few days, I visited two different Safeway locations in the region, with vastly different experiences.

In Estes Park, I visited the Safeway in town on multiple occasions. This store is definitely older and smaller-skewing. However, it is extremely high-volume for its size, and was recently renovated with a full Florida Decor remodel (including all new LED lighting replacing the original Safeway fixtures plus the original Albertsons "lighting disaster" additions from the last couple of years). Overall, the renovation was extremely impressive, and really gave life to a previously tired store (based on Yelp photos). Selection and pricing were both competitive (with the pricing often being lower than the Texas Tom Thumb/Randalls locations, which makes no logical sense due to the latter's much stronger competition). Due to the store's high volume combined with its small size, product turnover was also strong with almost no old perishables to be found. The staff was also generally very friendly and helpful. The largest weaknesses were the front end (long lines even with almost all checkouts open) along with out of stocks in the bakery (again, likely due to being an undersized store which cannot keep up with the volume it is pulling). Overall, I would give the store a 3.5/5, simply due to its volume/size ratio being out of whack.

On the other hand, I also visited the Safeway on Buckley Road in Aurora, and had a far different experience. Although the store is large and feels current (due to its recent conversion from Albertsons to Safeway, including a renovation to Colorful Lifestyle), business definitely seemed to be slower. My visit was not long, but I could definitely notice out of stock product in both produce and bakery, along with quite a few maintenance issues (most notably one of the entrance doors by the pharmacy not working, forcing shoppers to enter through the other side of the store). Overall, I could see this store going either way, as it was one of the few stores serving the area, but also seemed to be a bit too high-end for the surrounding neighborhood. Regardless, if this store is already showing signs of problems, it does not bode well for many of the legacy Safeway stores in the market which have not been renovated in years.
There used to be a (non lifestyle) Safeway near the Aurora Albertsons that closed in 2015. A real dump. The Albertsons was a nice physical store for the area, as I recall, it was still in the early 00's interior before getting the Safeway banner conversion.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by arizonaguy »

Within the last few weeks Albertsons and Safeway in Arizona have replaced Dietz and Watson with Kretschmar as their "premium" deli line.

I liked Dietz and Watson and have no real experience with Kretschmar.

Almost everyone else in Arizona: Bashas', Fry's, and Sprouts uses Boar's Head.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by storewanderer »

arizonaguy wrote: September 6th, 2018, 4:48 pm Within the last few weeks Albertsons and Safeway in Arizona have replaced Dietz and Watson with Kretschmar as their "premium" deli line.

I liked Dietz and Watson and have no real experience with Kretschmar.

Almost everyone else in Arizona: Bashas', Fry's, and Sprouts uses Boar's Head.
If you go to a non-Boar's Head Fry's, you will also see Kretschmar. I am sure such a thing exists in central Phoenix somewhere.

I have had both products and believe Dietz and Watson is superior to Kretschmar and also has a much wider variety of lunchmeat flavors/types than Kretschmar has. That is very disappointing to hear Dietz and Watson is leaving Albertsons Southwest Division. I wonder if it is leaving any other divisions.

Safeway NorCal has Boar's Head and has been adding it rapidly into its stores. With retail prices $2/lb above competitors that sell Boar's Head, I am not sure how well they are doing with it on base lunchmeat sales. $12.99/lb for ham or turkey is simply outrageous. But, Safeway NorCal has quite a few stores that do pretty high deli custom sandwich volumes so that also creates some use for the Boar's Head meats.
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Re: Integration of Albertsons and Safeway

Post by SamSpade »

Albertsons will apparently be dropping MoneyGram and switching to Western Union company-wide:
Western Union Expands Network Across Albertsons Companies Stores Nationwide
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