Albertsons it's now YOUR WEBSITE at Albertsons.com! Needs a few improvements
Written: Jul 19, 2003
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I spend way too much time in grocery stores! My best friend plans 2 weeks of menus and then shops for them with a grand total of two trips to the grocery store per month. I, on the other hand, have trouble making it only two times a week and that doesn't include the milk and bread stops! stops!
Things have started to get better for me though with our wonderful Schwan's delivery man and now Albertsons.com
FINDING WHAT YOU NEED
When you first log onto Albersons.com you have two ways to enter into their site ~
1. Under Registered Customers which requires a User Name and Password chosen when you registered.
2. Under New Shoppers/Visitors which has you put in your delivery Zip Code to find out if delivery is available in your area.
I am not very fond of the layout. The shopping cart area takes up too much of the space. What makes it worse is that it is colored this LIME green and is very distracting against the white background of the rest of the screen. For some reason I also dislike it being on the left side and I think it would be less distracting were it on the right side. I will add that when I asked my daughter if she found it distracting and she said that she thought it was cool! Go figure.
Once you are in the site your best bet is to use the bar on the top which has 3 options ~
1. The Shop By Aisle has 31 main categories ranging from Baby items to Vegetarian Fresh Foods all with many subcategories. The results from the drop down bars. Once you click on a choice it will fill the page but until then it is a pain looking through the choices.
2. When you use the Shop A to Z you can bring up (follow me here)any letter of the alphabet and find the product that way. Again, the drop down results are very small.
3. Using the Search option will bring up items by both category and brand. For some odd reason when you bring up the search option they have this 8 item check list ~
•Directions
•Indications
•Ingredients
•Interactions
•Product Details
•Product Name
•Size Description
•Warnings
The odd thing about it is I can figure out why they have them! I put in peanuts and I get the SAME results regardless of which ones I have clicked! Seems to me, this might be something they consider dropping and/or getting it to actually influence the search results.
SHOPPING
When you put in your zip code or have pre-registered, your home page will contain the featured items for your area. You MUST log in or register BEFORE you can put any items in your cart With registration being somewhat long, this can be a pain if you are just wanting to browse and aren't sure if you want to use the service or not.
One of the GOOD things about registering is that this allows you to choose how you want each page displayed with some of the choices being number of items per page and if you want photos shown or not. I do like that option as I normally prefer a larger number of products shown than most website have.
When you find something you are interested in, you can click on either the product's name or picture, to get a larger view. If you are showing the page without images, clicking the item's name will get you a picture of it.
NOTE: It is important to have a Albertsons Preferred Card when using this site. If you don't have one, you can get one online or at your local store. Be sure to put your card number in before you shop so the discounted prices will show up.
To purchase something, you need to click the ADD TO CART button and put in the number you want to purchase. You can also add it to your list where all of your favorites are stored for fast reference in the future.
Once you are ready to checkout you simply hit the checkout button located in the left side shopping cart set up. You will first need to select if you want your groceries delivered or your are going to come in and pick them up. This will now bring up your sub total ~ the price of your groceries, your service charge and any applicable sales tax. This total can change IF extra card savings is found or you are purchasing something by the pound.
BRING IT ON HOME
You have two choices in getting your groceries ~
1. Having it Delivered to your door.
This is a great option IF you live in one of the delivery areas ~
•Los Angeles / Orange County
•Portland
•San Diego / Riverside County
•San Francisco / Bay Area
•Seattle
•Vancouver
These areas actually extend out (at least the Seattle one does)to include some of the nearby areas. My Mom-in-law lives outside of Seattle and I have had them deliver to her house on multiple occasions. So, be sure to try your zip even if you live somewhat outside of the area, you may be able to get it delivered.
There is a delivery fee of $9.95 and your delivery time can be made up to one week in advance. There has to be someone home to accept the groceries and the drivers are not allowed to take tips.
2. If you live out of the delivery areas, you can use the In-store Pickup option.
This is what I need to do as they do not deliver out to my area. Now here is the somewhat odd part ~ the actually charge you the same $9.95 fee to pick them up as they do to deliver them! They have a LIMITED TIME offer going where the pick up service fee is $4.95 so if you are going to try it, now might be a good time!
You will have chosen a pick up time and put in the name of the person who is picking up your order. When you arrive to pick up your groceries, they will all be packed and ready to go and the clerk will bring them out and load them in your car.
You can order 7 days a week for next day pick up but same day pick up must be ordered before 10:00am and picked up after 5:00pm.
THIS AND THAT
** Hot food delivery is NOT available
** A customer's signature and proof of legal age are required for any order containing alcohol or tobacco.
** Check out http://www.epinions.com/content_93847522948 for a review of Schwans, a wonderful alternative to shopping!
~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ 2BUZY'S FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS SITE ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
While there are a few things I personally don't like about the Albertsons.com website, I would still recommend it.
Being able to order what I need from home and then picking them up on my way home the next day has saved me many valuable hours every month. I do think that the $4.95 pick up fee is A LOT more reasonable than the $9.95 so I have been using it more often lately.
The $9.95 delivery fee on the other hand, is a good deal. It is well worth it for my Mother-in-law just in the fact it saves her a trip and she doesn't have to carry any of the groceries herself. When she came down with a horrible cold and was stuck at home we sent her groceries (and cold medicine) right to her door. I think this is a wonderful service for anyone, elderly or not, that has trouble getting out and/or shopping.
I do think it is important to visit your local Albertsons BEFORE ordering online so you can familiarize yourself with their products and quality. I shop for ALL of our lunch meat at Albertsons as they slice each order right when ordered and I prefer that MUCH more than buying it from a big pile of pre-sliced meat in the case! You can also indicated how you want it sliced from paper thin to extra thick, making sure you get what your family likes.
Albertsons.com will never replace ALL of my grocery shopping but they sure are a good site to use when time is tight!
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Products Delivered: Food
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About the Author
Location: In front of the computer!
Reviews written: 381
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About Me: "I'm for a stronger death penalty." - President George Bush
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