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12 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2019 THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! Apps For Around Town - Part Four By Steve Benoff I'm going to focus on two (make that four) supermarket apps. This is not the first time I've reviewed a grocery store app. Walmart was the first app I covered in this review of local store apps. But I'm going to cover two apps more primarily associated with grocery sales. As we approach everything in life, so we react to apps from our own particular point of view. When I go into a big store, I want help finding things. Furthermore, I'm not a coupon user; I prefer stores with lower prices without having to use coupons. With these preferences in mind, I can tell you straight away I prefer Walmart's app to that of Albertsons. I downloaded the Albertsons app and registered. Almost immediately I received an email which I found annoying especially since it didn't contain an unsubscribe link. I chose my preferred store – Banning, of course. As I started exploring the app, I looked in vain for an item search function. There wasn't even a list of grocery categories with a map. If you can't find something in an Albertsons, stroll the aisles or ask someone but don't bother consulting the app. So, what is the value of the Albertsons app? Coupons! If you're into coupons, this is the app for you. Finally, you'll find a search function; a search of coupons, that is. One thing you should be prepared for with any app requiring a login is email. Seemingly the moment I set up my Albertsons app account (by that I mean created my login and password) I received a congratulatory email with no unsubscribe link. A few days later I received another email filled with money-saving opportunities. Fortunately, that email had a unsubscribe link which I clicked on immediately. As I said, my opinion of an app might be quite different from yours. For me this app deserves a C- grade. If I were into coupons, I'm sure I would have given it a higher grade but nothing higher than a B- because it compares badly to the full-service app a store like Albertsons ought to have. Stop me if you've heard this before. Since Stater Bros. doesn't even have an app, I decided to try ALDI. What do you know – coupons. So, here's the story. When I see weekly ads with specials, I think coupons. I know! Coupons are not the same as specials. But that's the way I think so when I say coupons, I mean any kind of price discount device. Like Albertsons, the ALDI app is geared to saving you money on particular items. And it also has ALDI Finds. Curiously, these are grocery items and also non-grocery things like trash cans and umbrellas. Other categories include New at ALDI, QR Code Reader, and an important one called Grocery Delivery. This, however, turns out to be a link to the ALDI website rather an app feature. Because of the delivery feature, even though it's not in the app, I give ALDI a C. No in-store item locator, no in-app payment option. I am clearly out of touch with the state of grocery store apps. I downloaded and looked at apps for Food4Less (coupons) and Smart & Final (coupons and delivery). I give both a C. I even ventured to Redlands to check out Sprouts (coupons) and Vons (two apps – one for coupons, one for delivery). I give up! What my adventure into grocery store apps proves to me is how exceptional the Walmart app is. As for these four (er, six) others, I'll be deleting them from my phone. Do you use an app you'd like to share with others? Let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net.

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