Connecticut’s largest grocery chain, Stop & Shop, will roll out in-store kiosks by the end of the week to make digital coupons more easily accessible to all customers.
The kiosks, which the Massachusetts-based chain refers to as Savings Stations, allows customers to activate all weekly circular digital coupons and personalized offers without having access to a smartphone, internet service, or a computer. Company officials say the kiosks ensure that all customers can easily access the same savings that are available through Stop & Shop’s digital offers.
To access their digital coupons, Stop & Shop customers can either scan their GO Rewards loyalty card or enter their phone number. Customers will receive a printout of the digital coupons that have been loaded onto their loyalty card for reference while shopping. The savings will be automatically applied at the checkout when shoppers scan their loyalty card or enter their phone number.
Roger Wheeler, Stop & Shop’s president, said the kiosks are designed to “improve the shopping experience for our customers.”
“We heard from customers who felt they were missing out on valuable digital coupon savings,” Wheeler said. “The Savings Station is our response to that feedback. It ensures that our customers can easily access all of our great deals, especially during the holiday season when savings are top of mind.”
Edgar Dworsky, the founder of ConsumerWorld.org, an advocacy group for shoppers, said Stop & Shop’s kiosks make “digital coupons more accessible to everyone, including the many seniors and low-income folks who lack internet or smartphone access.”
Stop & Shop’s roll out of its Savings Stations comes as Connecticut lawmakers are considering legislation that would require grocery stores that use electronic coupons to make it easier for consumers to access them. The launch of the kiosks comes three months after Stop & Shop closed five under-performing stores in Connecticut and 32 similar locations across five states.
Stop & Shop has 83 stores in Connecticut and more than 350 locations across five states.
Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association, said Stop & Shop is joining other retailers who are making it easier for all shoppers to access digital coupons.
“Other retailers have some sort of program to claim savings that don’t require an individual to have a cell phone,” Pesce said.
Original article found at the New Haven Register.
