Albertsons LLC Phases Out Discount Card in Rockies

BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons LLC here has discontinued use of its Preferred Savings Card at the 46 stores in its Rocky Mountain region, Christine Wilcox, a spokeswoman for the chain, told SN. “Since acquiring the stores last June, we have evaluated all of our previous marketing efforts and concluded that discontinuing the Preferred Savings Card would help differentiate our stores from the competition,” Wilcox said. “Shoppers like getting card savings without having to use the card.” Both Safeway and Kroger‘s King Soopers, Albertsons‘ competitors in the region, use loyalty cards to give discounts to customers. Albertsons, which began phasing out the cards late last month, is promoting the change with “No Card, No Hassle” signs at stores. -- Jon Springer