Archive for grocer

A Little Footnote or Two: Updates

June 17, 2009 at 1:47 am · Filed under grocer, health, life, news, shopping ·Tagged , , , ,

carrots-vitamina-lgIt seems no one wants to be ignored on the antioxidant bandwagon. Look at this latest product that should add to the confusion: Kraft Foods has decided to up the ante in the sugar-free Jello department. Health writers are all over this, and I appreciate the detail and the absurdity of the concept. Are we all that gullible? Now, carrots…

On the Ciao Bella front, I found the product at Target. Sorry for the omission, but the Mango Sorbet should not be omitted.

On the grocery smart scanner input, not all is as it seems. Yes, it is definitely fun to get a free item when the price comes up incorrect on the scanner. It is just  a little confusing when the scanner offers you savings on products that do not match your profile. Let me say do not even approximate a match. Some of the offers today were so not for me that I hope whomever is typing in my card number is having fun. So kinks still need to be worked out, but as for fun, I’m still loving the scan and bag approach.

One final note on the grocers. It seems that tracking is so powerful that your absence from the aisles is actually a positive. I just received a survey questionnaire and 4 separate $5 off coupons from Harris Teeter. They miss me. That’s sweet. They wonder why I haven’t been there in a while. No problem. For the coupon savings, they have me at least 4 more visits. I love being loved; especially with a $20 savings.

Life goes on.

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What’s Good for the Goose

June 16, 2009 at 5:53 am · Filed under Advertisers, Environment, grocer, health, life ·Tagged , , ,

..may not really work for everyone. Trends are like that–they come; they go. No matter how many superfoods, aka, miracle ingredients or products that get special label marketing can survive the reality test. There is no cure-all for life’s realities: Aging and all its precursor cousins. Sure some fruits and vegetables are particularly healthy in and of themselves, but we cannot live on them alone. No matter what. It’s becoming a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff. Ok enough of that.

Realistically, confusion centers around the importance of antioxidants. It seems if you write high in antioxidants on the label, that almost guarantees high sales! How do these claims get tested? Who monitors reality? My favorite antioxidant claims are on products that are well known antioxidant fighters–fruits already high in antioxidants now jump out of the bins and off the shelves if they have the antioxidant banner.sunsweetantioxidant

What are these antioxidants and can we really get enough or the right amount from food? The foods that are naturally high in antioxidants are the easiest to take. If you’re going to concentrate on antioxidants and its benefits, summer is a wonderful season for you with its own natural bounty of antioxidants: BERRIES. Eat up, enjoy, skip the hype; it’s a natural occurrence. On the vegetable side, gardens are just beginning to produce the ultimate summer joy: TOMATOES. Sure there are numerous other foods high in antioxidants, and many antioxidant health claims may actually bear fruit.

Then there’s the whole beta carotene discussion. The old universe said eat your carrots. Limited explanation followed other than the statement: They’re good for you.  Now they are not just carrots but a food high in the all-important, necessary beta carotene, an important antioxidant. Don’t forget when you visit the farm markets, there are other easy choices: beets, cabbage, and kale, for example.

Then there is the new wonder product, the acai berry.  It seems to be touted everywhere. Unclear what it really does for you. It’s possible that no one knows the real answer, but when a product gets so heavily promoted so quickly, it moves into my suspect category.

Foods that promise can only promise more than they can deliver. Great skin, perfect eyesight, immune boosters, anti-aging, diet loss are just some of the claims that are part of the promise universe. We are looking for too many cure-alls.

What works is the same thing that has always worked: Smart eating. Not overeating.

That I am sure of.

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No Shock; Just Comfort

June 15, 2009 at 6:41 am · Filed under Economy, FDA, food, grocer, life, news ·Tagged , ,

Even though there are some signs that indicate we may slowly be emerging from under the dark economic cloud that has reshaped so much of our country, the reality is that consumers have changed their buying habits. We are different, and the hope is we will have learned something that has stickiness.

There is nothing surprising to hear that comfort foods are still the rage. Why not? Well, maybe a little salmonella scare here and there, but peanut butter and  jelly top many lists. There’s protein and multiple beneficial ingredients, and the price is right. It does not mean we deviate from our brand purchasing, but that in some instances we are more careful. Some studies indicate that in cautious times we are less likely to experiment with a new brand, even a much less costly alternative, and stay with an old friend. M&M’s plain chocolate candy was one strong, popular purchasing indicator from this survey of almost 25,000 consumers.

Candy, of course, is about the reward. Why take a chance on something you’re not certain will provide the boost you need? Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars all scored high. Wonder what this says for all the new Dark Chocolates which every company seems to be touting?

Across the aisles in the packaged meat case, bologna is a major winner. Some attribute its recent and continual spike in sales to a return to the foods of our childhood. They worked then and seem to be playing a similar comfort role. Definitely will need to talk healthy foods. Don’t even want to know how to make bologna!product_logo_reeses

If Mom served what we considered old-fashioned foods such as peanut butter and jelly or bologna sandwiches, we hear the message. It worked then; it works now.

Grocers clearly recognize the new patterns. We see it everywhere. The Wegman family just discussed how shoppers have changed than they were a year ago. The company’s direct price-cutting actions, which greatly impacted their already slim profit margins, earned them new customers and a different approach to marketing their stores. It seems to be working.

Will we return to the shoppers of yesteryear, as in last year?

I hope not. I hope we are smarter now.

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Bag It Up–My Bag, Please

June 13, 2009 at 4:23 pm · Filed under Environment, grocer, shopping ·Tagged ,

5b61_1All those times you are a bag short or even minus the recyclable bags which are overheating in the trunk of the car, you’ve been able to put your merchandise in a store paper bag as more places have phased out plastic. Some stores, like Ikea, charge for bags. Some shops even give you a small savings for each bag you bring. 

Change is in the air. A number of states or municipalities have tried to implement bag taxes, and they have gone nowhere.  The District of Columbia wants the belt notch that says first in the nation to implement bag tax. They say all those plastic bags are finding their way into the Anacostia River, and a true cleanup will never occur because of the sheer volume of plastic bags and the ultimate litter debris. 

Many citizens consider the implementation of a bag tax as a lazy solution to an overall River mess. They feel that less fortunate shoppers will be further penalized as their groceries or drugs or whatevers will now cost 5 cents a bag more. A lack of understanding does not create a true cause-effect relationship. Remember these are tough times, and consumers are already paying a heavy burden in helping cities move forward. Implementing this tax will not clean the Anacostia. 

The American Chemistry Council has started a major campaign to help cities and states understand the real environmental issues. They believe progress has been made in people’s awareness of bringing their own bags and recycling plastics. There are no shortage of places to drop off plastic bags. So many new, interesting products are being made from these efforts.

Skip the tax route. Be smart about this. The District does not have to be the FIRST for this type of program. There are better ways to win positive recognition than from this egregious program that solves little. 

It’ll take more than my nickel to solve this particular problem.

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The Shelves Are Alive

June 12, 2009 at 4:48 am · Filed under Economy, Environment, grocer, news ·Tagged , ,

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Yes, it’s true. Grocery stores, convenience marts, and even big box retailers have devoted sizable shelf space to 100-calorie boxes of whatevers. If you can make it fattening, the companies seem to say, we can also make it available in a lower calorie count.

Whether it’s chips, cookies, crackers, or candy, the 100-calorie boxes beckon. You name it, and it is probably available in mini-packs. BTW, they’re perfect for lunch boxes, desk drawer indulgences, and road trips. No one, not even Little Debbie Snacks, wants to be left out of the marketing game.

Not all is sweet news. Maybe we are using more paper and increasing our environmental threshold. Or, just maybe, we are overeating. Can you just have one? Personally, I think the gimmick gave you permission to overindulge. It’s just 100-calories, you convincingly said to yourself, as you grabbed a couple bags of Oreos. Sad news there, they didn’t have the filling that made you covet the product in the first place! Then along came Oreo Minicakesters–got ya! They solved that complaint!

Multiple bags. Hmm. Opposite of the original weight-loss approach; rather a weight-gain strategy that seemed to gain hold! 

Not just overeating, but maybe you’re not just adding to your waist but to your budget, too. They are hardly the economical way to shop in this cash-conscious environment. Phil Lempert, who calls himself the Supermarket Guru, has been questioning their longevity. He is quick to point out that Ziploc makes a snack bag size, a perfect container for your own variation of mini-snacks.

If you like nuts, a few of those, please. Add a few raisins, and a piece or two of your favorite dried fruit and you have a personalized trail mix. A million possible examples.

Smart marketing. For those who remain clueless, there’s even a cookbook!

Seriously.

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Victory for This War

June 9, 2009 at 8:40 am · Filed under coffee, food, grocer, life, wine ·Tagged , , , ,

clubPackThe concept has come full circle, and a Mighty Circle it is! Remember when grocers scoffed at big box retailers/markets and said who needs a case of this or 15 rolls of toilet paper? Well, take a look around you, the case mentality has come to the grocer’s aisles and seems to have found a permanent home.

Grocers are saying “two can play this game.” Their logic is quite simple: Eliminate the big box discounters by playing their game of offering case value. Whatever it gets called, and commonly it seems to be “club pack/pak”, the consumer benefits handsomely from this type of turnaround. For those who want to limit their shopping trips (yes, gas is climbing way up there, again), they can postpone trips to the big discounters and use the same mentality to stock up at the grocers. At least that’s what grocers believe!

Most of the national brands have entered the coupon fray-field by doubling and tripling cents off, something not available at big boxers. The big guys like Costco understand the value of coupons and send out whole books of discounts, good for an approximate 4-week period. Some, like Sam’s Club, publish welcome ads in the newspapers (assuming people still buy newspapers) in the hopes of welcoming new members. 

Grocers, on the other hand, combine all the concepts to demonstrate the modern definition of one-stop shopping. The competition is good for all of us. Look at Wegmans, as you recall my favorite grocer. They now aggressively market savings with club packs, a sizable list of wines under $10, and price-cutting that does the math for you. (As in, if a two-pound bag of onions costs $1.69, that’s .85 a pound. Then the calorie info: 60 calories a cup and a large onion is 3 cups). Maybe they’ll find someone to accompany you down the aisles, and then you won’t have to think at all! 

They have large comparison shopping boards at the entrance and throughout the store that list 4-5 products and show how Wegmans beats the competition. Their newest strategy is the $6 meal–one entree and two sides–as in bbq chicken breast with roasted red potatoes and harvest vegetables, or…many options.

Some of the local farmers are starting to bring their product to market, and Wegmans has inked a number of deals. Locavores unite: It’s a shopping possibility.

All of this to convince us that we can live at one store; one that has morphed into a combo: Great retailer, smart discounter, great service and product, and a big boxer.

This is a match we win.

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