1. Andrew on June 13, 2006 9:02 AM writes...

That's a worsening of the longstanding practice in grocery stores to play constant music and ads over speakers. Sounds utterly awful.

2. Paula Thornton on June 13, 2006 10:21 PM writes...

While I haven't gotten to visit one recently, another stellar design concept (from the 'heart' of great experiences -- Seattle) is Larry's Markets. Even as a local chain, they have designs for doing things different. The 'depth' of their differentiators are not even capitalized in their own words: http://www.larrysmarkets.com/about/

This was the place that the Produce Guy was there to 'sell' purple potatoes by slicing them open for us as we passed. Every 'department' was it's own store, with a sense of 'ownership' for success that eminated from each department manager.

More than ten years ago they had a singularly-focused role where an individual had responsiblity to 'integrate' health foods with other inventory (rather than in a separate section as most mainstream stores do). They were a true composite of both offerings.

3. Fred on June 15, 2006 1:51 PM writes...

"Supervalu, the entity acquiring Albertsons and Jewel-Osco, relies on Avenu as a regular part of its armory of tools intended to bludgeon shoppers' senses into submission."

How do you know?

Saw Avenu in action at a Jewel-Osco store in the Chicago area last Fall. Yes, it's obnoxious. But I've never heard of it here, just miles from SuperValu headquarters, so I thought I'd have a look for myself.

First, I tried searching for "Avenu" on the SuperValu web site, and found nothing. Not one word. Then I visited a couple of SuperValu properties, one a Cub Foods and one a for-real SuperValu store that has been there like forever, and neither of them has Avenu. The Cub, however, does have the Jewel-Osco Pay By Touch system installed.

That doesn't look like relying on to me. That looks to me like SuperValu is cherry-picking from their newly-acquired Jewel-Osco arsenal of marketing ploys. It certainly doesn't express or imply wholesale adoption of Avenu, as you claim.

So tell us, Bob, how do you know?

BTW, the next time I'm at the mall, I'm going to have a t-shirt made that says "NO, I DO NOT HAVE A REWARDS CARD!" You should think about getting one, too. Maybe we can start a movement ... (8-)

4. Bob Jacobson on June 16, 2006 12:41 PM writes...

Fred, I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Supervalu rips out the Avenu machines when it assumes operating control of Jewel-Osco and Albertson's. Want to place a wager?

If you study Supervalu's m.o., you'll see that its marketing strategy relies heavily on customer-generated information. Yes, I may have jumped the gun, putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with Supervalu = Avenu. Maybe it'll come up 5.

For another take on Avenu from another disgruntled customer (but also someone who has a major grudge against Jewel-Osco, see:

http://serenadeingreen.blogspot.com/2006/01/avenu-is-watching-you-jewel-osco.html

Thanks for holding my feet to the fire. -- Bob

5. Fred on June 16, 2006 6:39 PM writes...

"If you study Supervalu's m.o., you'll see that its marketing strategy relies heavily on customer-generated information. "

That's what Pay By Touch gives them, too. Difference is that Pay By Touch is unobtrusive, so that for those of us who want nothing to do with such things, it's easy to ignore.

But why anybody would give a retail chain their biometric data is beyond me. Next thing we know, the right index fingerprint of all the Pay By Touch users will be for sale on eBay. Still, those so inclined might find it preferable to carrying around a zillion rewards cards.

As for Avenu, based on SuperValu's choice of Pay By Touch and not Avenu for Cub Foods, my prediction is that they will not be expanding its use. Whether or not they will pull it out of exisating markets remains to be seen, but we can hope for the best.

6. rougy on June 18, 2006 8:14 PM writes...

Have to give my two cents.

Albertson's was bought out in my town a while ago, same name, different owners.

Sure as hell, they slashed the checkers and installed these "self-service" deals that hardly ever worked - so a checker had to stand there and help everyone anyway.

Plus their asinine "preferred customer" cards.

I flat stopped going there unless I know they have something I need that I can't find somewhere else.

There are some of these "bottom line" management types who just haven't a clue.

I went from spending ~$50 a week there to spending ~$5 a month.

And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

7. Organic George on July 1, 2006 2:47 PM writes...

It seems everyone has to try using broadcast media with "captured" customers.

They tried it in the US Post Office, taxis, metro rail, and several other "situations."

It fails to increase revenue and drives employees insane. It you think your 5 minutes was bad, try 8 hours of that crap.

Some where someone has a study that says this bludgeoning works. You just know that the baseline on that study was flawed.

8. Grateful on July 7, 2006 12:24 PM writes...

Hey, thanks Bob, I was looking to get in touch with Avenu and you made it easier with your complaint w/links- thanks for helping them gain visibility.

9. steve on July 8, 2006 10:05 AM writes...

Unless you plan on growing your own food, making your own clothes or dying anytime soon, get over it.

It's much worse than what you experienced. Blue eyes from IBM is using technology in stores to track your body, eye etc. etc. movements to send you instant info based on said movements

BlueEyes uses sensing technology to identify a user's actions and to extract key information. This information is then analyzed to determine the user's physical, emotional, or informational state, which in turn can be used to help make the user more productive by performing expected actions or by providing expected information.

10. Paul Day on July 13, 2006 5:12 AM writes...

It took the TVs in Star Market to push me into shopping elsewhere. The whole concept is end-of-civility sad for me.

I put together a street theater event in the Cambridge Star Market where 20 people showed up specifically to stand around watching the TVs. Star Market management infiltrated the email list I used to set up it and rented cops to make sure that we didn't, as one of the cops put it, "disrupt the flow of business" and, for once, properly staffed the registers. Apparently, management believed that wild hordes of rampaging hippies planned to show up and turn their store into a Seattle WTO event. If they'd bothered to actually read the emails they would have seen that I specifically asked folks to avoid that.

I bring it up because...

1) Most of the shoppers hadn't noticed the TVs
2) Most of the shoppers saw nothing odd about stopping and watching them
3) Management wasted money by making assumptions refuted by the facts that sat there on paper

11. disconnect on July 18, 2006 9:59 AM writes...

Avenue, Avenu, or whatever...you have to think disconnect.

Ralphs markets has these speakers just below hip level at the beginning of the rollers/belt at the checkstand....along with the TV facing the line....you simply reach down like uve dropped something and disconnect one of the slide connectors to the speaker.....voila....no more audio.....I havent figured out the TV deal tho....

Albertsons.....doncha just love the automated check outs......uggghhh!

12. Emily on August 3, 2006 11:28 AM writes...

Ick. I just got back from overseas, and it was great to be in a small city in Europe where there really wasn't much advertising at all. All the grocery stores were corner stores, small, managable, and no self-checkouts. Hooray!

13. dg on August 12, 2006 6:35 AM writes...

I have enjoyed shopping in Sebastopol store for the past 14 years. I am reluctanltly switching to another company's market because of the talking televisions placed around the store. This ineffective intrusion into the shopping experience is irritating to the point of forcing me to leave the premises. My wife will not even go to this store anymore.

DG

14. CB on September 10, 2006 7:43 PM writes...

Our local Albertson's here in So Cal was acquired by SuperValu. After Pavilions (upscale Vons) stopped taking Double Coupons, I thought I'd give Albertson's a try. They are about the same in price, however, the Customer Service is outstanding. I see the same employees they had a few months ago (prior to the sale), and they are friendly, and always helpful (not fake helpful, as Vons/Safeway had a thing going where an employee could not walk by a customer without making eye contact asking "are you finding everything okay???")

I agree, the new tv's are annoying (the produce TV is the worst, right above the banana display!) - However, the employees are genuinely nice. I have a 1 year old, who "shops" with me, and they always ask if she would like a banana, bagel chips, etc. while I shop, free of charge. Also, at busy times ALL CHECKSTANDS seem to be open. However, at other times if there are more than 2 people in a line, they will open another register.

I found this site searching for Avenu stuff (what's it all about? - since a kiosk appeared in my store 2 weeks ago) --- I think store's service varies, even if they are in the same region (I'm in So Cal too, but a suburb --- we actually moved FROM the Westside since it was too crowded!!!)

15. gotcha on September 17, 2006 7:48 AM writes...

I really don't hink that a guy who lives in Santa Monica, and has wine with his popcorn wold be a very reliable resource of shopping information.

Grow up and learn to take life as it comes.

16. Bob Jacobson on September 18, 2006 1:24 AM writes...

Sorry, I'm missing the significance of living in Santa Monica, drinking wine, and eating popcorn from the standpoint of design theory and critique.

Does "grow up and learn to take life as it comes" translate into "grow submissive: learn to bend over and take a good square kick in the keester, and love it"?

The people I see in line around me appear to be in physical pain as they try to avoid staring at lame videos and shouted advertising pitches. Grow up and realize that human beings deserve dignity, even in a place of commerce. -- Bob

17. Dave on September 28, 2006 10:40 AM writes...

The Avenu program itself and the advertising of Avenu on TVs are two different things. Would you hate Toyota if there was a Toyota ad on the TV? Avenu is just a program to get personalized savings on items you've purchased in the past, essentially another level of discounts on top of the general member savings.

18. KD Bajaj on October 18, 2006 12:03 PM writes...

As an Albertson's employee of two years, which by the way is great for getting through school, I think I should put in my two cents.

Avenu is garbage, as are the commercials and screens. This is accepted by the customers, the employees, and management.

The problem arises from the upper management of the company, which hasn't changed. Different departments are in charge of decoration, sales, remodeling, updates, etc. One department may say a specific store should be completely remodeled and another one, at the same time, say that same store should be shut down. The two will not communicate until there is a financial issue, so many a time, a store will be halfway updated and then stopped.

Well, this all relates to Avenu in that it is controlled by a new department that will not communicate with the people that handle the CSI (those surveys you get for a free loaf of bread) and therefore have chosen to continue their promotions.

As far as the AVENU cards, there's nothing that says you have to fill out your information -- and something you all should know: use your area code and the phone number (XXX) 123-4567, or (XXX) 222-2222, if you feel your privacy is being invaded.

I wish we could go back to better days, but with this new union contract, its not gonna happen. We get paid less now and have fewer people, so of course there's more on our shoulders. Everyone, have some sympathy and don't cause problems for us. Thanks.

19. Dan on October 20, 2006 9:57 PM writes...

Bob

I am curious, what brand of wine did you drink and what brand of popcorn did you eat to watch whatever TV or movie you selected? Bob, listen what gotcha said, its not being "submissive," it's being empowered: you dictate brand purchase and you make companies spend billions to get you to like them.

Your pretentious responses are not the majority. Readup and learn this is going to be everywhere and yes, Whole Foods will have it as well. This is a serious incremental revenue stream for companies finding ways to make more money to hire more people to service snobs such as yourself. Taxis, subways, airports, gas stations -- it is the fastest growing media thanks to the digital era.

Ironically, you built a website to bitch about technology and to me you seem to be someone who probably shunned the advancement of the Internet when it first started. And I am guessing the ad on this site must be infuriating to you, how DARE someone advertise to me on your web page.

90% of all adults between the ages of 18 and 49 walk through a grocery store at least once a month. That is valuable real estate to the advertising community desperate to get even you, Bob, to buy their wine and popcorn.

20. Bob Jacobson on October 21, 2006 11:28 AM writes...

Dear Dan,

I like Toasted Head chardonnay and eat Orville Redenbacher's popcorn. It's so much fun to pop in a pan and it never disappoints. (It's sold by ConAgra: I have no illusions about Orville handsorting kernels or anything like that.)

I prefer to rely on firsthand observation, not secondhand statistics. I may not be among your alleged majority, Dan, but when I look at at the people checking out at the local Albertsons -- definitely not a snobby bunch, more like the working poor -- everyone is exerting himself or herself to ignore the Avenu displays, twisting and turning this way and that, engaging in louder conversation to cover the pitches, etc. That's what I see.

You have an odd idea of "empowerment," Dan. It boils down to being able to provide marketing data to companies selling you stuff, hoping they'll sell you something you like. So that you can contribute to their revenue streams. Occupying, as you put it, the real estate of others desperate at advertise to you.

I seriously doubt Whole Foods or other savvy grocery chains will replicate Albertsons' experience. I wager that Avenu cost more to produce and implement than the revenues it brings in, putting aside the negative impression it creates among customers. (Albertson was sold, as I mentioned, because its profitability has been abysmal. Did Avenu play a part?)

Total Experience is about experience design, Dan, not technology. Technology can be used well or poorly. When it's used well, I say so. In this case, it's being used poorly.

BTW, I was in at the inception of the Internet and have been online my entire adult life. I've even been a successful ecommerce consultant. The ads on Corante.com are something that we, the bloggers here, agreed to when we signed up. In my opinion, they complement the blogs because they're relevant. Further, you can choose to read them or not.

And that to me is a really GOOD experience.

21. Dan on October 22, 2006 7:37 PM writes...

Bob

Thanks for making my point with the opening line in your response. Well done Orville and Toasted Head your dollars paid off.

And keep watching for installations to start at Whole Foods, Gelsons, and Wild Oats. Its coming soon.

Again your perceptions of in store experience are completely different than the majority, and when I say majority I mean a clear majority of over 80%.

Bob, you write a blog blasting an experience claiming it as fact based on your limited perception, then submitting it to the world as such. Having been at the inception of the internet did you not know you could look up facts to see if your claims are truthful and then provide those sources to back it up? Or did you do that and realize there was nothing to back it up.

Albertson's isn't closing stores because they do bad business, its because Wal-Mart decided to get into the grocery game which is not good for any competitor. And guess who happens to have the largest in-store digital network in the world?

22. Bob Jacobson on October 22, 2006 9:49 PM writes...

Dear Dan,

I'm going to trip you out, and then I'm going to let this go, because I'm afraid it's getting as tedious as being blasted at from six inches by one of those 90 Db speakers on an Avenu display.

I didn't buy Toasted Head or Orville Redenbacher popcorn because of advertising dollars. I bought them because, from word of mouth reports, they were good products. I keep buying them because the reports are right.

As a former creative director, I'm all too familiar with the canard, "Thank goodness that half of our advertising dollars were well spent. We just don't know which half." It's true. No one knows very much despite all the data being accumulated. The theories about applying this data are problematic at best.

I don't depend on the Internet for facts, you're right. I'm not as trusting as you. I prefer empirical evidence and confirmation. I wrote what I experienced and saw around me. If you care to differ, so be it. Go see for yourself.

Lastly, Wal-Mart's not doing all that grandly of late, either. Digital's not always the answer, Dan. Sometimes seeing things through the customer's eyes is more important. The End. -- Bob

23. Eric Joiner on March 17, 2007 12:18 PM writes...

I hate self-checkouts. I can never get them to work correctly. Wal*Mart uses them and if I can't get to a line with an actual semi-humanoid running the register, I'll leave.

It's turning into Hotel California. "You can check-out any time you like..but you can never leave!"

24. Dave on June 6, 2007 1:11 PM writes...

I must be the only one who likes the TVs at Jewel-Osco. When they were first installed, I spent nearly a half hour flipping through cable TV at home trying to find the channel that the Produce Section was tuned into. I guess it's a little silly, but I've grown very attached...

25. Jaime on June 19, 2007 1:22 PM writes...

I'm sorry, Bob, I don't agree with you. I shop at Albertsons all the time, I also shop at Stater Bros. and Costco. Of the three, I find it much easier to find things at Albertons and honestly, the tv advertisements everywhere don't bother me at all. I'm too busy SHOPPING for my necessary items to pay attention to pointless ads. It can only bother you for as much attention as you give it.

Also, it really isn't anything new, since credit card companies and major retail companies have been doing this for some time now (Walmart, Costco, Sears, JC Penney, just to name a few), hotels, and even your bank does it too... Everyone does profile tracking, it's simply marketing strategy, the simple laws of supply and demand.

26. Steve Mann on November 7, 2007 9:52 AM writes...

Brutal customer experience. It still astounds me that companies don't get why they need CE teams.