The Friday Checkout is a weekly column providing more insight on the news, rounding up the announcements you may have missed and sharing what’s to come.
In America, the Super Bowl is practically a holiday in and of itself, ranking as the fourth largest gathering occasion in the country, according to a recent report by Advantage Solutions. Here are ways grocers are helping ensure hosts don’t fumble ahead of their Super Bowl gatherings.
A majority (79%) of surveyed shoppers said they plan to purchase family and party-size portions for game day, according to Advantage Solutions. Walmart’s game day bundle makes the cut with soda, frozen chicken wings, hot sauce, chips, salsa and more with enough to feed up to eight guests for less than $10 per person.
Though mass retailers like Walmart have intercepted most of consumers’ shopping when it comes to the Super Bowl, grocers still have an opportunity to score.
Seventy percent of shoppers’ game plans ahead of Sunday include purchasing private label goods. Kroger is running this play with savings ahead of the game including discounts on seven of its store brand frozen appetizers as well as its bone-in chicken wings.
More than half of shoppers (52%) are planning to cook and purchase premade items for their Super Bowl gatherings. For premade food, Kroger is also tapping its Home Chef and Bakery Fresh brands to serve up prepared food offerings for an easy handoff to the customers.
Discounters are also supplying game-winning drives with prepared food options. Aldi has teamed up with former NFL quarterback Drew Brees and his wife for its “Get a Quarterback” campaign, which offers 25% off game-day spreads like pizza and hot wings.
In case you missed it
Grocers give their members a healthy boost
Albertsons announced Wednesday it is offering its FreshPass annual subscription to SNAP participants for 50% off, bringing the yearly cost down to $49, according to an emailed press release.
Kroger, meanwhile, has added the option for a free 30-minute virtual nutrition coaching session with a Kroger Health registered dietitian to its loyalty program, according to a Monday announcement. The addition comes as Kroger looks to elevate its OptUp nutrition program, which includes product scores by Bitewell and insights into the nutritional value of a customer’s purchases.
Newly proposed legislation would stop HFC refrigerants phasedown
Legislation introduced last month by Rep. Neal Dunn, a Florida Republican, aims to stop the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule phasing out the production and importation of HFCs by 85% by 2036. The legislation, which has four Republican cosponsors, has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In a letter at the end of January to House Speaker Mike Johnson, the National Grocers Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association and the National Association of Convenience Stores said they support the legislation, noting that “grocery businesses are grappling with significant hurdles, including the costly transition to updated refrigeration technologies and alternative refrigerants.”
A London Aldi store tests pre-payment charge
One of the discounter’s stores in London’s Greenwich borough has trialed a pre-payment charge of 10 pounds ($12.45) when shoppers enter the checkout-free location, the Daily Record reported. The charge, according to the paper, is then taken off their final bill, however, people who buy few or no items may not see the refund for several days.
Customers were not aware of how much the charge would be when entering, BirminghamLive reported. “This one store has always required shoppers to download an app to enter the store and takes a small pre-payment (similar to Uber) to ensure the bank account a customer account is linked to has available funds,” an Aldi spokesperson told the news outlet.
Impulse find
Don’t buy that, it’s American!
A recent skit on “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” — the Canadian version of “Saturday Night Live” — poked fun at product selection at the grocery store amid the U.S.-Canada tariffs.
“Buy French’s. It’s Canadian. We’re in a trade war, you traitor!” one shopper says after spotting Heinz ketchup in another shopper’s cart. The shopper then replaces the American products, including maple syrup, toilet paper and cheesy crackers, with Canadian ones.
The cashier tallies up the cart filled with Canadian products to a shockingly high amount of more than 312 Canadian dollars. “Loblaws, either way, we win,” the skit ends. It’s a reminder that while consumers might face questions in the grocery aisles about which products to buy, grocers still profit from their spending.
Clarification: This story has been updated to indicate that consumers direct most of their Super Bowl shopping to mass retailers.
