In the age of fast-swipe rewards cards, Albertsons is taking a nostalgic approach to loyalty.
“As a child, my mom used to get stamps every time she went shopping and she would use those stamps to buy crystal,” said Lila Rodriguez, communications manager for Albertsons. “Back in the day, that’s how stores rewarded loyal customers.”
With a nod to the old rewards programs, the Southern California grocery chain has teamed up with Thomas Professional Cookware to launch a stamp-for-cookware trading program.
Between Aug. 25 and Jan. 11, customers who shop with their Preferred Savings Card will receive a reward sticker for every $10 spent on eligible purchases.
The stickers are supposed to be collected and placed into a saver card, which can then be redeemed in the store for eight different Thomas Professional Cookware pieces for just a penny each.
In 1953, Albertsons’ parent company, SuperValu Inc., was the first large supermarket chain in the nation to introduce the use of trading stamps from the Gold Bond Trading Stamp Co.