Albertsons.com
Written: Jul 20 '02 (Updated Jul 20 '02)
| On-Time Delivery: |
 |
|
| Return Policy: |
 |
|
| Driver Courtesy: |
|
|
| Price: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| Quality: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
Ok, see now we can order everything online, what a world we live in right now where we can do this. Okay, that was part sarcastic and part reality. But seriously, Albertsons.com is just like going to the grocery store for the person who really doesn't have a lot of time to spend shopping. This was you can shop at home or at work before you leave for the day and either pick up your groceries at the store (already packed and ready for you to take to your car) or have them brought to you at home.
The Layout
Now the first page is very simple. They only have four things that you can even do here.
Corporate Page - Allows you the go to their corporate pages to get more information about Albertson's, Store Locations and for their Quick Fixin' Ideas (fast ways to make dinner for your family and sometimes these are great ideas).
About Albertson's - If you want more information about what they do and the stores you can get a brief idea here.
Sign-In - If you already have a user name and ID, then you will want to start here.
New Shoppers - If you don't have an ID or don't know if they will deliver in your area (some of them don't yet and they actually just started a month or so ago in my area) then you will want to put in your zip code and this will get you started. It looks like the only areas that they currently service are:
Los Angeles / Orange County
Portland
San Diego / Riverside County
San Francisco / Bay Area
Seattle
Vancouver
Hopefully they will add more areas soon but right now I think they are still testing the concept in these areas to see how well it does for them.
The layout once you enter is very different and more complex but don't worry it's still easy to use, in fact in some ways this site is easier than going to your grocery store and shopping.
Registering For The Site
You will need to register before you can start adding to your shopping cart, this is very important because they won't let you get started until you have done this. They do ask for a lot of information but as you will see it is necessary before you start.
User Name
Password
Confirm Password
Full Name
Gender
Age
Email Address
Confirm Email Address
Item Substitutions (just in case they need to make a substitution for you)
Referred By
Password Hint Question
Password Hint Answer
Billing Information
Shipping Information (if it is different from billing information)
Once you have done this you are ready to get started and start shopping for you items. Remember your user name and password just in case you ever need to re-enter that information so you have access to your account. Plus you may want to place a quick order before you leave work as well.
Shopping
There are actually 4 different ways that you can shop using Albertsons.com which will make it easy for you to find everything that your looking for. Don't worry everything that you would normally find in your local store will be listed on the site so you won't have to worry about not finding something and then having to go through the store as well.
Since you already entered your address information they know what area your in and will have things that are available in your area for you. They will also show you this weeks current specials in your area, these are sometimes some great buys so take the time to look at these.
Shop By Aisle
This is just like shopping at your local store and you can browse what is available on each aisle, if you find the item that you want just simply click on the "Add to Cart" button next to the item picture.
Shop A to Z
This is good if you have an idea of what you are searching for and don't want to go through the aisles, the example they give is "baby food" so it will bring up a list of "Baby Food's" for you to select from.
Shop by Search
I know sounds strange but it's really not. This allows you to search for a specific item. So this is for people who know exactly what you want.
Shop by List
Once you have selected an item you are allowed to add this to your list, since you have to be logged in to use the site your list will be saved for the next time you shop. This is a great feature if you find yourself always buying the same things (we all do buy the same things every week don't we?). So this feature will be nice for everyone because it makes it simple to shop for the basics.
Your Shopping Cart
Your shopping cart is listed along the left side of the page and at the bottom there is a running sub-total and the total number of items that you have in your basket. This makes it terrific so that you can keep track of what you have bought and about how much you are spending. Of course tax and your charges for using the site will be added in later so keep that in mind as you are shopping. If you want to remove something you just have to click on the name of the item and you can remove it or add more of the same item.
Also under your shopping cart you will find some other features that you can view about your account:
Registration Page
Here you can change any of your information.
Refer A Friend Credits
Now here is the great part about shopping online, you can refer your friends and as long as they spend over $60.00 (which is easy to do with groceries then you will get $20.00 off your next order which is over $60.00 (this price and that of your friends does not include tax or the service charge so keep that in mind).
My Orders
You know you have had those times when you remembered you liked something you had before but couldn't remember what it was, I have had those a lot. So you can go back and look through your past orders as well. I think this is a very nice feature and way to keep track of what you have bought there as well.
My Customer Cards
This is where you can place your discount cards. Remember Albertson's use to have a customer card that gave you additional discounts. They still have some that are out there so I would add those here, it can't hurt to have them added.
Gift Certificate Status
Here you can check on a gift certificate and make sure it is valid and not used yet or see how much is left on it.
Charges
There are two ways that you can get your groceries when you are done, they can bring them to you for a fee of $9.95 or you can pick them up in the store nearest you which has a fee of $5.95. Either of these options will have the total added on at the end of your transaction.
Check Out
First thing they will ask you to do is decide how you want things delivered to you. Now here is where you have decisions to make.
Home Delivery
There are rules for home delivery that can seem a little rough but here they are anyway.
A $9.95 delivery service fee applies to all orders.
Order must be completed by midnight.
You must be home during delivery to receive your products.
Product is delivered in a climate controlled environment (so not hot food)
No tips can be given to delivery persons.
Customer's signature is required.
In Store Pick Up
Yes there are also rules for this that you must follow.
A $5.95 pick-up service fee is added to your order.
Same day in-store pick-up is available for pick-up at 5 p.m. (so if your doing this for something to pick up on the way home from work make sure to remember that item before 10 a.m.)
All orders will be carried to your car.
Customer signature is required.
Picking a Time
They allow you to pick anytime for the next week, so you can place your order well in advance also so you won't forget later. This makes it very handy. If you are going to be picking your items up then they will let you now that the store will be open as well. If you are having it delivered it will let you know if the truck is full or empty.
Paying for your order
Now it comes time to pay. You can also add your coupons in at this time (yes you can still use coupons even online in your orders so don't think that you will be losing any money here). You can make your payment with, Visa, MasterCard, AmericanExpress or Discover. You can also use a gift cerrtificate here as well. They will also have you look over your billing information just to make sure that they have everything correct.
You're Done
That's all there is to shopping online and if you choose the home delivery option now you never have to leave your house to go shopping again but you will lose the sample experience and not get to explore the grocery store which can be fun as well.
Conclusion
My orders have always been waiting for me at the store when they are suppose to be, and everything was always correct. The people at this store basically already knew my family before Albertsons.com started so many of them already knew what we always had in our cart, advantages of living in a smaller area I guess where everyone seems to know you. But this has been a great feature because you don't find yourself forgetting that important item and having to run out again and get it. Here you just click the back button and add it that way. Which does save time.
Now this won't stop those last minute trips to the store that we all have because you ado have to order a little in advance to get your orders but this is very helpful to have as an option if you are really too busy to spend and hour in a grocery store or more a week.
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Products Delivered: Food
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
kiko_cat
|
|
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 207
Trusted by: 199 members
About Me:
Well life has been insane but trying to write more again.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.