My mid-year rants about Safeway’s “Just for U” discount promotion (here and here)continue to draw new comments. Here’s the latest, which came in yesterday.
I can totally relate to everybody’s problems with Safeway.
Guess what happened when I tried to redeem my “free” eggs for signing up? I didn’t have a valid account, so no free eggs or discounts. Their computer in the store wasn’t working at the time so I logged on to my account when I got home and guess what – my account was in their system and all my information was in there and was correct.
When I e-mailed customer service they tried to tell me it was because my phone number wasn’t on my account, yet it was in there. I wrote back and asked them how come I can see my phone number but they can’t. Their reply came back that it is in there and nothing is wrong with my account. They want to know what date I tried to use my card but was told it was not valid. I gave them the date and they come back with “we have no record of a purchase that day”. Yeah, I wonder why – my card was invalid so no discounts and no free eggs so I’m supposed to pay the higher not-a club-member prices. I told the poor cashier I didn’t want any of it and they could keep it and I didn’t buy anything. Well, I guess that not buying their stuff at undiscounted prices made customer service mad and they haven’t answered me back.
Their new Just for U program is just a scam to make people pay more because you think your gonna get a discount and when you don’t most people won’t put it back or tell them you don’t want it – they’ll just pay the higher prices. Great way to make money and also a great way to lose customers.
I should say that our cards have been working since the summer, except…they haven’t been able to link our two accounts, and each one seems to have different offers available. So in order to get the discount, we have to be sure to remember whether the discount price on a specific item is in my account or Meda’s account. If we guess wrong, no discount. I know–we’re supposed to go online and print out the shopping list from each account so that we know which is which. Right. Just like you have to go online and browse through perhaps dozens of screens of mini-ads in order to get coupon savings in addition to “personalized” prices on a smaller array of items.
I appreciate the few discounts that we do receive, but the system just isn’t ready for prime time. And my experience with Safeway’s customer service while trying to troubleshoot was similar to that described in this comment. In the end, we probably find ourselves shopping less at Safeway than previously.
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This isn’t a terribly important comment, but why not.
One day maybe a month or so ago I bought something at Safeway. Along with the usual receipt, the cashier handed me a slip from their secondary printer, the one that usually offers discounts for a product similar to the one you just bought.
This slip had a list of several items, maybe eight or so, that I could get on Just for U. Hey, I thought, now they’re doing something useful with the program. I won’t waste time wading through pages on their website hoping for a discount on something I use. Now they were using their computer to help me!
Except that despite years of purchasing history which they have on me, the offers were for nothing I would ever buy. It was no different than a newspaper ad listing up what’s on sale.
So crumple, toss, mutter.
Anyway, thanks for the eggs, Safeway, which we donated at the collection booth at the KCC Farmers Market when we signed up. So the Just for U program has done some good for someone.
I gave up on that just 2 screw U thang. Long time ago. To me it’s spend a dollar to save a dime.
I am frustrated with Safe Way also cuz they have slowly but completely, eradicated Mexican food, ( one of my faves) from their reefers and freezers.
Meanwhile, on an unrelated note, Italian food has expanded to NINE frozen food doors. Nine! But not a variety of Italian. oh NOOOooo. that would be too customers service oriented. Nah, for some reason they have these nine doors fulla Pizza only! VERY weird!
Personally I delete all of the emails I receive from Safeway – I’m not going to bother with “Just for U” until they automatically load ALL of the savings to my card.
(Still lucky I live close to Tamura’s :-))
Like you, I find the program cumbersome because I cannot remember what I have loaded to my card when I’m racing through the store after work. So, I do not shop any differently, and I have stopped going to the website to load the deals.
But my bigger issue is my local Safeway’s (Manoa) practice of keeping expired food on the shelves. This Safeway does this consistently, to the point where it cannot be deemed an oversight or mistake. Particularly in dairy – expired milk and yogurt is left out for purchase. I happen to be a bit of a nut about checking the dates, but my observations are that most people do not check. They simply grab their product and go. I always mention it and someone will then go pull the product, but obviously that is Safeway’s job to monitor, not mine.
I’m curious whether other readers see this at their local Safeways.
Hawaii Kai safeway is good about that. But i always check dates.
The Safeway here in Kaneohe also leaves out expired date items quite often. Every now and then they’ll put a reduced price sticker on them, but not very often. I almost always check expiration dates, no matter what store I’m in.
I’ve also given up on the Just For U promotion. I never go to the website and I delete the e-mails.
Hmmmmm, I take a much more sporting view of this.
I, too, had some of the noted problems when I was getting started with Just 4 You. But, over time, I have gotten into a rhythm such that I am, in fact, saving some money. I only buy certain things at Safeway, limited in number, so my visits are usually pretty short and focused and I can keep in my head (or in hand, if printed) what it is that I can buy at a “discount.”
Bottom line is, well, the bottom line: Safeway owes me nothing, other than not being overtly dishonest, and I am saving money. They don’t have to offer me savings above and beyond whatever sales, etc. are available to anyone who walks in the store. And maybe there’s some some hurdles to mount, gamesmanship to it, but I have been getting the better end of the deal, humbug or not.
PS – I also shop at Safeway Manoa and have not noticed any expired food issues. Dairy will have discount stickers (25% off, 50% 0ff, etc.) when the product reaches or is near the expiration date. The same with the little bit of meat products I buy. I have even gone to the manager with a pack of burger or steak that is due to expire in a day or so and asked them to reduce the price, and they have done so, several times!!!!
So, folks, I say assert yourself and if you don’t get the results you want, assert yourself by shopping elsewhere. No one is making you shop at Safeway.
Now that I can no longer eat (real) food, I don’t even bother to go into Safeway – or any other store – except Costco to buy household & personal products such as soap, kitty litter, etc. SigOth still shops there for forzen dinners, etc., but he doesn’t do much cooking anymore because it’s too much work.
I didn’t bother to sign up for the Safeway promotion last spring because I didn’t want to pass out my contact information to strangers. I remember being harassed at several stores for taking a pass.
Wonder what life will be like 50 years from now?
Bad Cookies from Safeway
I just signed up with “Just for U” yesterday afternoon in the store on my cell phone — and after I returned home I discovered on my PC they are using FIVE (5) tracking cookies whenever someone accesses the site:
1.) Nielson profiler
2.) Ensighten
3.) Omniture
4.) Evidon
5.) Netratings Site
What are the ‘cookie monsters’ at Safeway doing in their spare time relating to customer
value besides selling personal data to 3rd parties?