---

Sponsored message:

---

---

Sponsored message:

---

A couple of decades ago, perhaps, it wouldn’t have been a very big deal if your grocery store’s website went down for a while. These days, one week without access to your store’s website or app is proving to be a very long time – causing frustration among many shoppers, and costing them money as well.

Millions of shoppers on the East Coast have now gone a week and counting without being able to clip digital coupons, log into their loyalty account or place an online order from their store, after a “cybersecurity incident” at some of the European stores and all of the American stores owned by Ahold Delhaize. Those include Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant and Martin’s.

For shoppers who just want to view an online sales circular, take advantage of weekly advertised deals, or place delivery orders, there are workarounds. For those who want to browse digital coupon galleries looking for savings – they’re out of luck.

After identifying an unspecified cybersecurity issue in its network, Ahold Delhaize said early last week that it took “precautionary measures, including taking some systems offline to help protect them.” That includes some internal systems used by employees, along with the websites and apps for each grocery chain, and all the services and information they provide. For the past week, each website has featured a stark notice apologizing for the disruption and saying they are “working to restore service as quickly as possible.”

How quickly that might be, is anyone’s guess – and exactly what the problem is that caused the disruption, is something Ahold Delhaize isn’t saying much about either. “As the investigation is ongoing, we are not sharing further details that could compromise security measures or interfere with our response efforts,” the company said, although it offered a reassurance that it has “no evidence at this moment that customer, associate and partner data was taken in this cybersecurity incident.”

Online shoppers are being advised to place orders via DoorDash, Instacart or Uber Eats. Those who just want to see the weekly sales circular are advised to use Flipp.

When it comes to redeeming digital savings, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the recently-installed Savings Stations at several of Ahold Delhaize’s chains are coming in handy. The in-store kiosks at Stop & Shop, Giant Food and Food Lion allow shoppers to scan their loyalty card or enter their phone number to “access a variety of offers,” a Food Lion spokesperson told Coupons in the News, “including all special coupons featured in the weekly circular, along with additional offers, including select national offers and personalized coupons based on the customer.” These coupons, a Giant Food spokesperson added, “represent some of the best deals available for the given ad week on popular products across the store.”

As an apology, and to “help express our sincere gratitude for patience,” Stop & Shop and Giant Food are also using their Savings Stations to offer a one-time 10% discount. From now through Thursday, shoppers can activate the deal when they visit their store’s kiosk.

There are no Savings Stations at Giant and Martin’s stores, so as of this past Friday when the latest weekly ad started, stores “will automatically activate every digital coupon in our new weekly circular” when you check out with your loyalty card or phone number, a spokesperson told Coupons in the News. Those stores are also offering the same one-time 10% discount, and all shoppers have to do is ask for it at the checkout.

Food Lion has not announced a 10% discount. Neither has Hannaford, which also doesn’t have Savings Stations, but its weekly sale prices don’t require you to activate digital deals first, so they’re still accessible to everyone.

What aren’t accessible – to anyone – are the hundreds of other digital coupons that the stores typically offer. The Savings Stations do not allow you to browse and clip all of the digital coupons that would otherwise be available. They only let you load a dozen or so of the featured weekly deals. So with the stores’ websites and apps down, the complete digital coupon galleries they host are also down. That means brands that might want to encourage you to buy their products have no way to reach you and offer you savings.

Digital coupons were supposed to be easier, more secure and more convenient than paper coupons. But when there are fewer paper coupons available, and you can’t use digital coupons you clip elsewhere at another store, Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant and Martin’s customers are being forced to pay full price for anything that’s not on sale – or do their shopping somewhere else.

And that’s a problem that is likely worrying the stores and their owners. Loyalty deals, digital coupons and online ordering have become increasingly important ways for many shoppers to engage with their local grocery store. While customers of these particular stores will find that the in-store shopping experience is largely unaffected, those who rely on digital tools to do their shopping and saving are having to do without.

And there are few alternatives when access to digital coupons is cut off for an extended period. Aside from looking for paper coupon alternatives, which is easier said than done nowadays, now could be a good time to take advantage of cash-back deals from apps like Ibotta and Checkout 51 that say they “cannot be combined with coupons for the same product.” And such incidents help make the case for universal digital coupons, which are not yet widely available, but are designed to be used anywhere you shop, even if your store’s website is down.

As some European shoppers can tell you, though, it could be worse. Ahold Delhaize’s Netherlands-based grocery chain Albert Heijn had similar problems with its website and app, but also had trouble managing deliveries, keeping its shelves stocked, and updating digital shelf tags that displayed incorrect prices. It says those problems are mostly resolved now, though its website and app are still offline, impacting shoppers’ ability to access digital discounts, just like they are here.

“We’re committed to delivering value to our customers and know how much these savings matter,” a Hannaford spokesperson told Coupons in the News. “We encourage our customers to check back for available savings opportunities as our services are restored.”

Whenever that might be.

Image source: Stop & Shop

---

Sponsored message:

---

---

Sponsored message:

---

Convenience stores aren’t like they used to be. Once a place to grab a quick overpriced drink or packaged snack while on the road, they’ve become legitimate shopping destinations, competing with grocery stores, dollar stores and fast food restaurants with a growing product selection and plenty of coupons, deals and promotions as well.

Just not enough of them, shoppers say.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s newly-released Convenience Store Study 2026 has found that consumer satisfaction with the convenience store industry has dipped slightly from last year. On a scale of 0-100, the industry got an ACSI score of 75, down 1%.

As you might expect, convenience stores’ highest-rated attribute was their convenience, with store location and hours scoring 83 out of 100. But shoppers are less impressed this year with the quality of their stores’ mobile apps, with the score for app reliability falling one point and the score for the overall quality of the app down four points, the largest decline of any attribute.

And at the bottom of the list of attributes that satisfy convenience store shoppers, with a score of just 71, is “frequency of sales and promotions,” which is even further behind “courtesy and helpfulness of staff” and “cleanliness of bathrooms.”

Convenience stores’ declining ratings come despite the fact that “the industry’s value proposition has never been broader,” ACSI noted. Prepared food products now make up more than a quarter of all inside sales, with 15% of them involving shoppers who chose the convenience store over a quick-service restaurant.

But while shoppers appreciate convenience, they still want deals.

“Promotions remain the lowest-rated benchmark by a wide margin,” ACSI pointed out. “With consumers consolidating trips and weighing each one more carefully, offers must be visible, relevant, and easy to redeem.”

The industry has been working to change that, and improve the perception that convenience stores are overpriced and deals are hard to find. This year alone, the gas station/convenience store chain bp launched a partnership with Inmar Intelligence to offer digital coupons for food and household items, and 7-Eleven and Speedway stores launched a series of collaborations with Ibotta, TPG Rewards and Swiftly to offer and accept digital deals.

Promotions don’t always go smoothly, though. Last month, an analysis by the Guardian newspaper found that “America’s biggest convenience store chains quietly overcharge consumers.” The report examined state government price-accuracy inspection records and concluded that “7-Eleven and Circle K stores often fail to honor advertised prices,” failing inspections upward of 80% of the time in certain parts of the country. Shoppers who complained to local authorites “described in-store promotions for nonexistent sales and employees who shrugged off overcharges,” the Guardian reported.

And the stores’ apps could be improved as well, shoppers believe. “Retailers have been expanding digital capabilities across ordering, payment, loyalty, and personalization, growing the number of functions customers expect to work smoothly,” ACSI found. While “the transaction itself works,” shopper dissatisfaction with “navigating menus, managing accounts, and redeeming offers” suggests “declining app quality.”

So, increasingly, the deals are there. Convenience stores just need to make it easier to find and redeem them. “Convenience stores are asking customers to do more inside the store and more on the app than ever before,” Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, said in a statement. “But every new capability is a new expectation. When the app is clunky, the bathroom is neglected, or the store feels disorganized, that shapes how customers judge the entire visit. The industry has figured out what to sell. Now the experience of buying it has to catch up.”

After all, saving money and redeeming offers should be easy. Convenient, even. And ideally, the best place to do so would be at a store with “convenience” right there in its name.

Image source: Phillip Pessar

---

Sponsored message:

---

---

Sponsored message:

---

The next time you go shopping at Albertsons, Safeway, Shaw’s, Jewel-Osco or one of the many other grocery chains owned by Albertsons, you may see lower prices, you may experience cleaner stores – or you may find that new owners are running the place.

The country’s second-largest traditional grocery chain is vowing to make major changes to improve its performance and popularity. Lower prices, more relevant promotions and better store conditions are the goals in the short term. In the longer term, selling off entire regional grocery chains – perhaps making the rest of the company more attractive to a potential buyer in the process – could be in the cards.

After once again reporting disappointing financial results, Albertsons told investors yesterday that it has launched a comprehensive review of its “customer strategy, cost structure, operating model, portfolio of banners,” and more.

“Everything should be on the table,” the company’s new Executive Chairman of the Board Meg Whitman said. “We must turn things around.”

And if it has to do so as a smaller company, so be it. “We must also take a close look at our portfolio of banners, markets, assets and businesses as well as any potential strategic actions we can take,” Whitman added. “We’re taking a disciplined look at our portfolio,” CEO Susan Morris echoed. “We’ll invest where we have a clear path to win. We’ll exit areas that are underperforming.”

Tops on the list of priorities, though, is retaining and attracting more customers by addressing their concerns over Albertsons’ prices. “We clearly are not satisfied with our price position, full stop,” Morris admitted. “Our stores must provide the products our customers want, at prices they want.”

At some of Albertsons’ stores, “prices are ridiculously high compared to rivals,” retail analyst Neil Saunders of GlobalData Retail observed on LinkedIn. “This might be fine if other dimensions – store experience, service, private label and so forth were above par, but they’re not. More consumers are noticing this.”

So Albertsons’ first step is reducing the costs of running the company in order to invest in its stores and in lowering prices. “We’re also refining our promotional strategy as we move forward,” Morris said, and “making sure that the promotions are well targeted.” As for prices, “our goal is not to be the cheapest guy in town,” because “price and value are not always the same thing,” she continued. “It’s also about the convenience of location. It’s about our ability to leverage our very, very strong loyalty program and create personalized offers that may mean something very different to me as a consumer than it might to you.”

But the biggest potential change could be if Albertsons decides to walk away from certain regions or some of its grocery chains altogether.

“We wouldn’t be surprised if (Albertsons) attempts to sell banners/certain regions or real estate,” the Wall Street Journal quoted retail analyst Kelly Bania of BMO Capital Markets as saying.

“They will need to divest banners, stores, and exit certain markets,” business strategist and retail analyst Brittain Ladd put it more bluntly. In a LinkedIn post, he envisioned a scenario where a buyer like Ahold Delhaize could acquire Albertsons chains like ACME, Shaw’s and Jewel-Osco. That could also preemptively resolve antitrust concerns that doomed the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger a couple of years ago, clearing the way for the two to try again.

That’s even though the two grocery retailers remain embroiled in a legal battle over their failed merger, with Albertsons seeking a multi-billion-dollar payout for Kroger’s allegedly lacking efforts to help get the deal approved. Ladd, for one, is urging Albertsons to drop the suit and focus on the future. “Think BIG. Be aggressive,” he advised.

And Albertsons executives appear to agree that aggressiveness is what’s called for. “Simply put, we’re not satisfied with the results and the current trajectory of our business,” Morris said. “Dramatic improvement is needed now,” Whitman added.

With prices the way they are, grocery shopping can be an unpleasant experience lately. And with so many unhappy shoppers, being a major player in the grocery industry isn’t easy, either. Albertsons has long focused on being a major player by owning and operating a sprawling collection of grocery stores. Now it’s focused on pleasing its customers. And going forward, it will have to determine whether it’s able to continue doing both.

Image source: Albertsons

---

Sponsored message:

---

---

Sponsored message:

---

For the second time in less than two years, a “cybersecurity incident” at the same major grocery retailer has left millions of shoppers unable to clip digital coupons, view digital sales circulars, or place online grocery orders.

Since Sunday, Ahold Delhaize, the Netherlands-based owner of Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Giant and Giant Food, has temporarily shut down the stores’ websites, apps and other internal systems due to “a security issue within its network.”

“Our teams are taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue. This includes taking some systems offline to help protect them,” the company said in a statement Monday. “Protecting our infrastructure in the best interest of our customers, associates and partners is a top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused customers and partners.”

All of the company’s stores remain open for business. But it’s anything but business as usual. Employees are reporting that they’re unable to access internal systems that show their schedules, payments and other information. And customers are unable to do anything on the stores’ websites or apps, all of which display a stark message saying they are “currently unavailable.”

Numerous shoppers have complained that their online orders were canceled and their payments have not yet been refunded. New orders cannot be placed, except with third party delivery services like Instacart or DoorDash. Online sales circulars are available via third parties as well, but not directly from any of the stores.

And digital coupons previously clipped and loaded to shopper loyalty accounts appear to be working at the checkout, but there’s no way to browse or clip new offers online. Shoppers are having mixed success at stores with in-store coupon kiosks, where employees advise that offers can be clipped and loaded when a physical loyalty card is swiped, but not when a phone number is entered.

As bad as it is, it could be worse – at Ahold Delhaize’s European stores that are also affected, electronic price labels that have replaced paper shelf tags cannot be updated, so they may be displaying incorrect prices based on last week’s sales.

The company has not elaborated on what prompted the shutdown, whether customer information has been compromised, or when its systems will be back up.

Back in November 2024, it took weeks for the company’s systems to return to normal, after a similar cybersecurity incident. Back then, Ahold Delhaize also took “some systems offline to help protect them,” which also prevented shoppers from being able to access the stores’ websites and apps, clip digital coupons, view online circulars or place delivery orders. The company eventually determined that a cyberattack had exposed the personal information of more than two million people.

To shoppers and employees, it’s déjà vu all over again. “Ahold Delhaize security breach.. in other breaking news, fork found in kitchen,” one employee commented on Reddit. “I really just hope this is short lived and doesn’t cause the weeks of chaos we saw in ‘24,” another said. “Guess we didn’t learn anything the first time,” another added.

Shoppers, too, are upset. “I have a lot of great coupons I’d like to use,” one wrote on Facebook. “Maybe you could extend the coupons so they don’t expire before I can use them?” Others have just had it. “You cannot serve us if we cannot get to view the sales before driving to a location or access to our coupons,” one shopper wrote. “Sorry, but Publix is getting my business this week. You should be giving customers some extra coupons for this inconvenience.” Another shopper added, “Hacked again! You didn’t do anything to make it up to your customers the last time. This is too much. I’m not going to shop there anymore.”

Ahold Delhaize says together, its stores make up the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast and the fourth largest in the nation, serving 26 million customers a week. That number may be far fewer if this outage lasts much longer. Digital coupons, digital circulars, digital shelf tags and digital shopping were supposed to make grocery shopping easier. Unfortunately, as Ahold Delhaize and its millions of shoppers have now learned at least twice – sometimes they don’t.

Image source: Food Lion

---

Sponsored message:

---

---

Sponsored message:

---

Deciding where to get your groceries used to be easy – whichever store was closest, had the best selection and decent prices, usually won your business.

But retailers who think we still shop that way, are in for a rude awakening.

The consulting firm AlixPartners has declared the “end of the primary store,” as the “one-stop-shop generation” is aging out. Taking their place are younger shoppers who have no clear favorites, and spread their shopping around.

Those insights come courtesy of the report “Young Parents and Gen Alpha: The coming generational disruption.”

“Not so long ago, consumers perceived it a huge hassle to split their grocery shopping between multiple stores,” the report quotes AlixPartners partner John Clear. “Today, if you asked a shopper to name her go-to grocery store, she’d be just as likely to respond with a clarifying question – ‘For what?’ – as to name a single retailer.”

AlixPartners surveyed shoppers under age 45 with kids under age 18, and found they “shop differently than everyone else.” And unlike previous generations whose routines and priorities evolved as they get older, AlixPartners doesn’t expect this generation’s habits to change.

Whether it’s a traditional grocery store, a big-box store, club store or dollar store, only 13% of young parents said they shop a single format. And even then, they’re likely to shop at different stores within that format. 74% said they regularly shop at least three store formats.

“For every-penny-counts shoppers, the stock-up trip is going to Walmart,” AlixPartners Partner & Managing Director Matt Hamory said. “Clubs will capture such trips from consumers who can buy in bulk.” Other young shoppers are opting for convenience by stopping at the local dollar store or by shopping online. And traditional grocery stores – which used to have a captive audience – increasingly no longer do.

Part of the reason is that younger shoppers are rejecting much of what traditional grocery stores have to offer. A third of younger shoppers said they prefer consistently low prices over the high-low pricing model of many grocery stores, where regular prices are higher than the competition but sale prices are much lower. They like specialty store brands at places like Trader Joe’s, as compared to the shelves full of national brands featured at grocery stores that are available everywhere else. The convenience of shopping at a neighborhood grocery store is nothing compared to the convenience of ordering online.

And lackluster grocery loyalty programs are not living up to their names.

“While companies in other industries offer real perks that drive repeat engagement,” the report reads, “too often in grocery, the loyalty card is just a hoop through which consumers must jump to access competitive prices. Grocers can and should do better.”

Having to join a loyalty program just to get advertised prices or to clip digital coupons isn’t rewarding anyone’s loyalty so much as it’s penalizing nonmembers. AlixPartners says better perks could help grocery stores stand out.

“They could give program members a special 20% or 30% price sticker once a month to apply to any eligible item of their choosing,” AlixPartners Partner & Managing Director Marco Di Marino said. “They could have member-only checkout lines, or a fast-track system for issues raised by participants in the program.”

One area of opportunity for grocery stores is ready-made meals. Nearly half of younger shoppers said they purchase prepared foods every week. And “it’s much easier for regional and independent grocers to differentiate themselves on prepared foods than it is for Walmart, Costco or ALDI,” the report notes. “Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, grocers need to focus their energy on the areas where they have the best shot to win,” by emphasizing the items their potential customers actually want.

So from complicated promotions, to uncompetitive everyday prices, to unappealing product selection, to lackluster loyalty programs, grocers can’t rely on the same old playbook that shoppers were willing to tolerate in the past. “We are at an inflection point where the next generation is so different that historical data is becoming ineffective as a predictor of what’s coming next,” the report warns. “Between adoption of e-commerce in grocery and the rapid advancement of AI, every ‘new’ primary shopper going forward will be quite unlike the industry’s legacy customer.”

And right now, the report concludes, “most grocers are not prepared for it.”

So if you’re not getting what you need from your local grocery store, there are plenty of others willing to provide what you’re looking for. And if retailers take AlixPartners’ advice, the neighborhood grocery store might have a future as an appealing place to shop again.

Image source: Southern Foodways Alliance