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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2020 25 THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! By Steve Benoff As it turns out, this paragraph should have been written last month. But COVID-19 came upon us so swiftly that April's column was already submitted and the deadline passed before the outbreak had registered. So, this month I should be writing about apps related to coronavirus. But using myself as an example, my app habits haven't really changed. I use the New York Times app just as before. Same with my Stocks app. In fact, I've realized that I use my phone less now that I'm home most of the time. It's easier to read on my computer than my phone. But I'd like to hear from you. If you're using an app on your phone to help pass the time, please let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. This month's apps are Hobby Lobby and Kohl's. This will be my last venture into the world of local apps. It's apparent to me that restaurant and grocery store apps are far more the same than different. So, if you want to know about Jack in the Box, Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, El Pollo Loco, and most of the other chains in the Pass area, see my reviews of Sonic and Pieology from last month. I was wondering about how such an old-fashion-seeming company (at least in my eyes) as Hobby Lobby would fare in the modern app world. So how does this company that is closed on Sundays and eschews scanners at checkout stack up in the app world? Quite well as it turns out. If you're into coupons, you're going to love Hobby Lobby. Actually, I should rephrase that because the only real coupon is the prominent one heading the home page. It's one for 40 percent off any one item which it seems can be used on a daily basis. The rest of the savings are in the form of a limitless number of sale items. You can see the Weekly Ad with discounts ranging from 30 to 50 percent. Below Coupon and Weekly Ad are promotions such as 50 percent off Home Décor. Below that are seasonal promotions such as 40 percent off Summer Toys and Easter items. The main part of the app is divided into 12 categories ranging from Art Supplies to Yarn & Needle Art. By the way, have you ever been to Hobby Lobby? I have, and the thing that impressed me the most was the enormous number of items in the store. I'm impressed by the huge quantity of SKUs (the unique Stock Keeping Unit assigned to each individual item in the store's inventory) at the Hobby Lobby store and within its app. Take Art Supplies for example. The first page displayed in that category shows 40 items. That is one page out of 82. Good luck scrolling through 82 pages of art supplies looking for a particular item. Better to use a search bar. You won't find it on the main page however; you'll have to select a category to find one. So how does one rate such a massive app I ask rhetorically. There are a couple of things I don't like about it. The 40 percent off coupon always expires in next day or two as if it's truly special. But the coupon always appears no matter what the date. Similarly, free shipping on orders of $50 ends the next day; another deceptive practice in my view. Nevertheless, I give the app an A- if, for nothing else, having the chutzpah to include so many items but not making it less onerous finding something. Well, Jiminy Cricket. The Kohl's app also has countless items available for order. Actually, countless is not the correct adjective because Kohl's lists the number of items found within each of its eight categories. Home has 11,733 products. But Kitchen & Dining has only 340. The two categories of Women and Men have over 3200 between them, but Kids beats them by over a thousand. The three remaining categories are Workout Clothes (1180), Jewelry (4555), and Shoes (909). Kohl's makes it easier to navigate the site than Hobby Lobby. If I choose Shoes, I'm given four sub-categories – Women's, Men's, Girl's, and Boy's. If I select Men's, I'm given more choices – Athletic, Casual, Oxfords, and Sandals. This format extends throughout the app. But what do we all know about Kohl's? Coupons! We get them in the mail, enclosed in newspapers, found in magazines. You can stop cutting those coupons if you use the Kohl's app; it's filled with coupons. You'll also have the opportunity sign up for a rewards program you can keep track of on the app. I give the Kohl's app a strong A for its design and comprehensiveness. Well, that's it for local apps – at least for a while. Do you use an app you'd like to share with others? Let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. Kohl's & Hobby Lobby Apps Reviewed

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