Grocery Store Loyalty!

 Coupons, Grocery Store Ideas, Professional Grocers Talk  No Responses »
Jul 062012
 

I recently cleaned out my wallet and I found about ten receipts from my local grocery store. At first I just brushed it off because they were just trash at the moment. But then I realized that I have ten receipts from the SAME grocery store! Not ten receipts from different stores, but ten from the same one! I mean how weird is that?! Is it just me or do all people go to the same grocery store every week or do they like shopping at different ones?

Grocery Aisle

So I decided to do a little researching. There are three big grocery store chains in my area that I visited. At each supermarket, I approached five different people, introduced myself, told them what I was doing and then asked them one question: “when you need to restock on groceries, is this your main grocery store?” And after they answered with a yes or a no, I would follow-up with a why.

To my surprise twelve out of fifteen people answered that they do go to the same grocery store every week! Meaning that four out of five people are loyal to their grocery store and one out of five people like to bounce around from grocery store to grocery store. But the most interesting part of this research was the last question I asked customers: why (or why not) go to the same grocery store? One person told me that the reason that they go to the same grocery store every week is because they enjoy shopping there! They told me that the customer service is the friendliest they have ever encountered, that every worker greets them with a smile and asks how their day has been. The customer went on to say that it is just so convenient because they found that the grocery store stocked all the items they needed!

As far as those the customers that do NOT shop at the same grocery store every week did not have anything specific to say about each store. They simply stated that every store has different prices at different times, so they just shop where the bargains are.

Grocery Shopping

This research showed me that the grocery store the customers go to has a lot more to do with the customers’ experience than with the prices. Customers value more about being greeted by the workers then the price tag of groceries. Customer service plays a huge role for why people go back to the same store. Also, people like how convenience of finding all their grocery items in the same store.

It is no wonder I had ten receipts from the same grocery store in my wallet… I too enjoyed feeling welcomed and sticking with a grocery store that always stocked the items I wanted and made me feel welcomed.

How is your customer service? Do you have a system in place to periodically evaluate and improve the changing customers’ demands? Do all stores have a policy in place to greet every customer? How often do you re-stock? Especially the most popular products?

How to save money on your next grocery bill!

 Coupons, Eating Healthy  No Responses »
Oct 242011
 

Groceries are a necessity, they are a daily part of everyone’s life. But, and I think I speak for everyone, we could do without the high grocery bill! Groceries are at an all time high, This last February the world saw the highest food increase in 36 years! The Agricultural Economic department of Purdue University has also stated that grocery prices this year are not going to decrease, but increase! And since the holidays are just around the corner, I thought I’d write about different techniques that can help you save money on your grocery bill!

  1. Plan your meals!
    1. Before you head off to the grocery store sit down for a minute and decide what meals you’re going to make this week.
  2. Make a list!
    1. After planning your meals for the week, write down every ingredient that you’re going to need. That way you don’t forget something and have to go back to the grocery store which increases the chances of you purchasing even more stuff.
  3. Eat before you shop!
    1. The main reason that we impulse buy is because we’re hungry when we go grocery shopping. And believe me, that cake or bag of potato chips, which you don’t need, looks a lot better on an empty stomach.
  4. Join your grocery stores reward club!
    1. Most grocery stores offer their products for a cheaper price if you’re part of their rewards club. Some of these grocery stores sometimes offer free items once you’ve gotten enough reward points.
  5. Go when there are sales!
    1. An important part to saving money at the grocery store is to know when your local store has sales. These sales can sometimes save you half of what you would normally spend. So know when these days are and take advantage of them.
  6. Clip those coupons!
    1. Coupons are your friend! Don’t be ashamed of using coupons at the checkout aisle just because you cause a little bit of traffic. Those extra minutes can save you hundreds of dollars annually.
  7. Buy Generic!
    1. Most grocery stores have begun to create their own products to mimic name brands. They taste the exact same and they’re cheaper.
  8. Watch the Scanner!
    1. This is extremely important! Not all scanners are set correctly so the store may say an item is on sale but the scanner might not know that. So on average Americans can lose up to one billion dollars on items that scanned the wrong price! So make sure you look at the scanner while your items are being rung up!

I hope these techniques help you, and happy food day everyone!!

Now its your turn readers, what techniques do you use to save money on your grocery bill? Leave your comments below! :)

 

Tablets Taking Over Grocery Stores?

 Grocery Gadgets of the Future  No Responses »
Aug 242011
 

I know I’ve talked a lot about new grocery technology that helps customers get in and out of the store as soon as possible. But it amazes me how our new day to day technology has been incorporated into grocery stores.

This Chinese grocery store, Shanghai Lotus Supermarket, has agreed with SK Telecom to launch a pilot program with tablets put on their grocery carts. This experiment is nothing that we haven’t seen before, it was designed for grocers to go into the store to buy their groceries, be automatically offered coupons and their total amount will be shown on their tablet. However, there were some features that I thought was pretty interesting.

For instance, the tablets are networked through the stores wi-fi, and all people have to do is download the “Smart Cart” phone application and sync it with the tablet so the list of groceries, that were written down at home, will appear on the screen.

Another feature of this tablet is that it shows the customer a map of the store while they are walking around. So not only do they know where they are at all times but it also shows the grocer the items that were on their list.

So overall I believe that this new product created by SK Telecom is not new and not incredibly unique. But I do like the fact that grocery stores around the world are beginning to welcome the 21 century into their stores because adding new technology will not only help the customer to do their grocery shopping quicker but it will also make a happier grocer. Which is what we all want.

New technology helps customers save money

 Grocery Gadgets of the Future  No Responses »
Jul 062011
 

How many times have you gone to the grocery store on a fixed budget? I know I personally have! All through-out College when I would go to the grocery store I would always tell myself not to spend a lot on grocery’s because rent, and school fees were due soon. So I would go to my local grocery store with a fixed amount in my head and every time I picked something up I would quickly calculate the total amount of my shopping cart in my head so I wouldn’t go over my fixed amount. Now if any of you have done this you should know that this is a really annoying process because you are constantly debating if you need a certain item or remembering how much each item costs. But our stressing and our mindless calculations are over!
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