Albertsons launches online meal planning, auto-replenish tools

Albertsons Cos. has rolled out two new digital tools to help online food shoppers in meal planning and refilling regularly purchased items.

Called Meal Plan and Schedule & Save, the features enable members of the supermarket giant’s Just for U loyalty program to integrate menu planning with shopping list creation and auto-replenish essential products on their lists at a discount, Albertsons said Tuesday.

Albertsons' Meal Plan feature leverages the Mealime meal planning and recipe app.

Meal Plans seamlessly integrates meal planning app Mealime with Albertsons Cos. retail banners’ online grocery shopping services. With the tool, customers can create a personalized meal plan and receive step-by-step instructions on cooking recipes, the Boise, Idaho-based retailer said.

Loyalty plan members have access to thousands of shoppable recipes developed by professional chefs and dietitians curated according to taste and dietary preferences. And when customers build a new weekly meal plan, a grocery list of all the ingredients they’ll need is created automatically. As a result, they can complete their weekly food shopping in less than 10 minutes — with the option for pickup or delivery — and cook recipes in about 30 minutes. The app also can be used for in-store shopping.

Meanwhile, Schedule & Save can help ensure customers’ grocery and household essentials are always in stock at home, Albertsons said. The tool allows shoppers to automatically replenish their more frequently purchased items across categories. Products scheduled for purchase also will be offered at a significant savings off the average shelf price and be available for pickup or delivery, the grocer noted.

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At this time, the Schedule & Save tool is available to selected Safeway customers in northern California, according to Albertsons Cos.

Schedule & Save, developed with auto-replenishment and predictive shopping platform Replenium, is currently available to selected Safeway customers in northern California. Albertsons said that in 2022 it plans to extend the program nationwide and include a continuous expanding list of items for members to add for auto-replenishment.

“Our customers continue to look for new ways to save time and money when planning meals and shopping at their neighborhood Albertsons Cos. banner store,” Chris Rupp, executive vice president and chief customer and digital officer at Albertsons Cos., said in a statement. “These two new features are important ways we’re helping customers reduce the effort associated with grocery shopping so they can spend the time enjoying meals with family and friends.”

The nation’s second-largest supermarket retailer, Albertsons Cos. operates 2,278 food and drug stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 retail banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci's Food Lovers Market. The company’s retail operations also include 1,725 pharmacies and 401 fuel stations.

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