Meijer: Cracked the ad code

[skincarekathy- (admin)]

OK, Meijer runs 6 different ads in our market (Chicagoland & Northern IN). I took the time this morning when mr skincarekathy left for work (at 5am!) to look at all of the local ads to see what's up.

• The MAJOR Thursday-Wednesday ad covers the large-footprint stores. That is Bolingbrook, Aurora, St. Charles, Elgin, Bloomingdale, Algonquin, Plainfield, McHenry, Rolling Meadows, Oswego, and Evergreen Park.

• The MAJOR Sunday-Saturday ad covers Highland, Merrilville, and Portage IN. Their sale starts the Sunday BEFORE #1 up there.

• Berwyn, Orland Park, Niles, and Melrose Park are "Meijer Marketplace" stores with an abbreviated inventory, with an ad nearly identical to the Major Thursday-Wednesday, and their sales run Thursday-Wednesday. Each store has its own ad, and there are no general merchandise pages in their ad. Produce, dairy and meat prices often are different.

So, the moral of the story is, if you shop Orland, Berwyn, Niles, or Melrose Park, your ad is the same as "our" ad, though some of your prices may be different, and some items in the ad may not be carried at your store at all.

(I was under the assumption that the small format stores ran on Sun-Sat but I was wrong!)

[focadima]

I know I kept telling you that! I shop Orland so I knew when the sales changed. I do find pricing different on some grocery sale items from the large footprint stores.

[reporter20]

Yes, the pricing and sales at the smaller stores has varied on certain items since the small footprint stores opened a few years ago.

Sometimes it works out in smaller store shoppers' favor, but usually not.

Still, I like our Meijer.