Stop & Shop launches ’90s nostalgic grocery website

With many Americans turning to comfort foods during the coronavirus crisis, Stop & Shop has gone live with a 1990s nostalgia website selling popular foods and beverages from the decade.

Stop & Shop said Wednesday that the “throwback” website — called “The ’90s — A Decade of Unforgettable Foods” — offers a curated assortment of hundreds of items across six main categories: breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, desserts and beverages, including some of the decade’s most recognizable products.

Sporting a design inspired by Saved By the Bell, the new site lets customers shop throwbacks like Fruit Gushers and Chips Ahoy!, the Quincy, Mass.-based supermarket chain said. This year also saw the relaunch of the cookie-and-frosting combo snack Dunkaroos (General Mills) and Twix Cookies & Creme bars (Mars) as more brands bring back onetime best-sellers. General Mills, too, relaunched Trix and other classic cereals, such as Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp and Golden Grahams.

The '90s Throwback site offers a curated assortment of hundreds of items across six main categories: breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, desserts and beverages.

According to Stop & Shop, the COVID-19 outbreak and ensuing lifestyle changes — including social distancing and eating more at home — have spurred “sentimental shopping” as U.S. consumers look to buy foods that are “familiar and comforting.”

“Food is a source of comfort for many people, and making sure our stores are stocked with customer favorites — new and old — is a top priority for our brand,” Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop, said in a statement.

Related:Stop & Shop adds Black Angus beef to Taste of Inspirations line

Examples of retro food and drink products on Stop & Shop’s ’90s throwback site include Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal, Eggo waffles and Pop-Tarts pastries for breakfast; Smucker's Uncrustables, Totino's pizza rolls and Lunchables kids meals for lunch; Fruit Gushers, Chex Mix and Fruit Roll-Ups for snacks; and Chef Boyardee beef ravioli, McCain Smiles Crispy Mashed Potato Shapes and Stouffer’s lasagna for dinner.

Beverage offerings include Kool-Aid Jammers, SunnyD and Capri Sun drinks, while Chips Ahoy! cookies, Popsicle Firecracker ice pops and Pillsbury Confetti Funfetti vanilla-flavored frosting are among the nostalgic dessert items on the site.

A ’90s Favorites section features such products as Ore Ida Bagel Bites, Yoplait Go-GURT, Arizona ice tea, Smucker’s Goober peanut butter and grape jelly, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, Hot Pockets snacks and Ellio’s frozen pizza.

In a promotion highlighted at the top of the page, Stop & Shop customers can get free home delivery or store pickup — an up to $6.95 value — if they purchase $19.90 of eligible General Mills products. Some products across the site offer “$1 savings on two” coupons.

Related:Stop & Shop launches online dietitian program

Stop & Shop noted that the special website intersects trends toward nostalgia and personalized e-commerce experiences, in which consumers can go online and easily find online a curated index of the items they want.

“We will continue to do our part to take care of our customers during these changing times, and we hope this trip down memory lane includes a few treats that will make them smile,” Reid added.

Part of Ahold Delhaize USA, Stop & Shop operates more than 400 supermarkets in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.