Hy-Vee: Where There's a Helpful Credit Card Skimmer in Every Point of Sale Terminal

[GrappleCy]

This is the best thing HyVee has ever done as far as I'm concerned. When it's 7am and I just need to grab paper towels and Kleenex for the office and there's only 1 check out line open with 3 people in it it's a no brainer.

I wonder if it's a generational thing because whether it is the grocery store, Target, Wal-mart, or anywhere else I absolutely love self check out and will go out of my way to use it. Not having to make pointless small talk and not having them do a terrible job bagging up my stuff? Sign me up.

 

[MeanDean]

I wonder if it's a generational thing because whether it is the grocery store, Target, Wal-mart, or anywhere else I absolutely love self check out and will go out of my way to use it. Not having to make pointless small talk and not having them do a terrible job bagging up my stuff? Sign me up.

For me it's mostly the crappy job they do bagging. I don't need one can of soup in it's own bag. And you DON'T put dairy or meat in with any kind of soap or detergent. Basic Bagging 101.

(Confession - I worked at Hy-Vee in the 1970's)

 

[Urbandale2013]

I spent 32 years with Hy-Vee here are some comments:

Customer service-problem today is many people they hire do not want to interact with customers maybe to much non verbal cell phone use

Store size- when I started we were less than 15,000 s/f but people wanted more so we grew, IMO we are too big now but some people want one stop shopping

Market Grille again IMO was a mistake as it is hard to get the help needed but trends showed people today eat out more

Can redemption- Hy-Vee hated and still does having to get into the service I know because I had to put redemption ares in all the DM area stores and it was a B****

Drive up we found as we got into larger markets many people did not like not being able to see their bagged order and labor for a large store for drive-up has become an issue

Self check, we tried it years ago and people did not like it now go to Lowes, Home Depot, Target, etc and it is everywhere

Salads-early on they were all store made but there was no consistency from store and say potato salad would vary and then someone would write corporate and complain that what they bought at store A was not the same as store B so we bought a salad company to make all the salads the same

Lastly the company is always looking at what people want and what the trends are and the trying to give them that. Like clothing, bath soaps etc. For everyone who says they hate this you can find someone who loves it.

Everyone has a choice to make where they want to shop and I can tell you that at this time this company is still doing OK

I wonder if something that they could do is separate HyVee brand stuff from particular HyVee stuff. That way you’d still get the special stuff that some could do while not making people mad. I think a lot of complaints are that they’ve gotten to corporate and lost their identity.

 

[Torks Pub]

We try to buy most of our produce at Costco but WalMart is actually really solid. They turn their inventory really quick so for your main things nothing sits on the shelf too long. We gave up on HyVee produce years a few years ago... it's bad.

Pretty sad when Fareway has better quailty produce than HyVee. I purchase many lemons limes and oranges due to my drinking problem, and the citrus at HyVee looks like it's #2 grade and been through a war.

My biggest complaint with HyVee is they are constantly eliminating national brands that I like and substituting those products in with their HyVee branded crap. Their can goods are vastly inferior.

Look, I care about what I put into my body, only name brand liquor and high quality food. I don't need to "earn" four cents a gallon on green beans that have more fluid than product.

I shop elsewhere whenever possible.

 

[VeloClone]

I was a big fan of getting slices of pizza from hy-vee. I don't want to order a whole pizza. It has been a couple of years since I've had pizza from my local hy-vee because of that.

We used to like to get a breakfast pizza from them after church but then some one made the brilliant decision at our local Hy-Vee that no one would want to buy breakfast items on a Sunday morning. WTF?

 

[tman24]

For me it's mostly the crappy job they do bagging. I don't need one can of soup in it's own bag. And you DON'T put dairy or meat in with any kind of soap or detergent. Basic Bagging 101.

(Confession - I worked at Hy-Vee in the 1970's)

Agree I bagged at HyVee in 2000s. Stores are the worse. I dont need to put an item with a handle in a bag. Or but canned goods with my bread.

Also I can bag faster than most, why sit there and talk to someone when i can do it better and faster.

 

[abd4cy]

About 10 years ago out here in Phoenix Frys (our grocery store) opened their Signature store. When it opened they had a full service jewelry store, electronics store (think target Electronics section), Full Service sushi restaurant, Bar (wine and beer only), Car Details, and valet parking. It has since changed, now it has jewelry store, clothes store, Ramen Restaurant, and bar. It blows me away because I can't imagine people buying more than groceries there.

 

[GrappleCy]

Agree I bagged at HyVee in 2000s. Stores are the worse. I dont need to put an item with a handle in a bag. Or but canned goods with my bread.

Also I can bag faster than most, why sit there and talk to someone when i can do it better and faster.

See, I'm the other way around. If I have a whole cartfull of stuff then I want something with a handle in a bag anyway because I can't carry it and a dozen bags at the same time just because it has a handle on it. And they never do. I can be buying a dozen 12 packs and they just leave them all out even if I have reusable bags that they'd fit in. But then again I basically unload like this.

 

[nocsious3]

I live down here in the KC area and within 2.0 miles I literally have 5 grocery stores. Hy-Vee is by far the worst. All the others are newer and remodeled. Prices are generally higher at my local Hy-Vee with the exception of Hen House market. The store is dirty too. I have no idea how it continues to survive given the competition.

I've also often had my credit card compromised over the last 2 years, and my frequent stops at Hy-Vee gas likely explain this. Now that I think about it, I'm not going to shop there anymore.

 

[Trice]

This seems like they got credit card numbers, not personal data. Freezing your credit stops people from opening up new lines of credit in your name. It doesn't do anything about somebody using your card number to make purchases. For that you'd have to cancel your card and get a new one.

Correct. The talk of credit freezing was more to my original point that I don't trust any of these companies to safeguard personal data - after Equifax alone, the odds of your SSN floating out there are probably what, 60% or more? - and that's one step you can take to protect yourself.

 

[NWICY]

I don't mind the market grille cheap appetizers and craft beer during happy hour.

 

[CloneGuy8]

I still know a few people at Hy-Vee, they do constant price comparisons and here is what they tell me. This is comparing like grocery products: Most expensive from top to bottom.

Target even with 5% discount
Price Chopper-Pricing is all over the map
Hy-Vee
Fareway
Wal-Mart
Aldi-They can't compare to Aldi because they carry very few of the same brands. They did mention that Aldi is the best place to go if you just want to get the most bang for your buck and not worried about selection or quality.

He did mention that if you truly want to save money, it's all about coupons and sales regardless of store.

My mom shopped at Aldi growing up, and I always had the impression its just low-grade stuff. Something must have changed, because the stuff they do have is great. Even the fruit is usually really good, and less expensive than other places.

 

[DeereClone]

We pretty much exclusively grocery shop at fareway. Hy Vee is terribly expensive and Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart.

Back to the breach - it makes me seriously consider using cash at any place possible.

 

[KnappShack]

We pretty much exclusively grocery shop at fareway. Hy Vee is terribly expensive and Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart.

Back to the breach - it makes me seriously consider using cash at any place possible.

I was recently in a week long fraud training. The instructor had three examples where he personally had his identity or credit card information stolen

So....if the expert can't keep his identity and digital footprint safe.....

 

[Lexclone]

What a dumb decision by them. When I was a courtesy clerk in high school, I use to have to power wash these machines, so disgusting. I can't believe they have people dragging those cans through the store.

I was there in the days before machines, counting each wretched, nasty bottle and festering Busch Light can. Worst job in the store. Summers were the worst for it too.

 

[Lexclone]

Urbandale is better than some others. Waukee is horrendous. Urbandales biggest problem was the store manager that recently left. He was really good at getting better numbers but he was an awful manager. You saw a ton of turnover in the management roles. That turnover has led to turnover in the lower roles too. You are right that the customer service has gone downhill. I think part of the problem was when they went to official uniforms. As small of a change that was it removed the little bit of flexibility that employees had. I think before they had employees who felt they were part of the company who now feel like corporate drones.

The problem is what are your options. I won’t shop at Fareway because of their insistence on bringing the cart out. There are a couple of other things too. Price Chopper is worse than HyVee. Aldi is cheap and basic but doesn’t have the options I want. Target is probably ok but nothing great. I won’t shop at Wal Mart for various reasons.

Back in the olden days the uniform was a white shirt and tie, dark pants and black shoes. I never minded it, because at least one could have a little personality with the tie.

 

[DeereClone]

I was recently in a week long fraud training. The instructor had three examples where he personally had his identity or credit card information stolen

So....if the expert can't keep his identity and digital footprint safe.....

Scary stuff - more an issue of when it happens to you, not if.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

Good reminder that you should use your credit card instead of debit card to make all purchases.

 

[Tailg8er]

Target > everything else, especially if you have little ones.

I've honestly considered doing an actual price comparison between stores, because the stuff spewed on CF doesn't make sense to me.

Target is by far the most expensive for groceries, and I don't think it's close. I'm talking meat, frozen goods, pantry items, pop/alcohol.

Damn near everybody here always blasts Hy-Vee for being most expensive, but it's just not true (particularly if you take advantage of sales & coupons - and I'm NOT talking fuel saver).

Fareway is not better at most items price-wise. Their meat is better, but also usually more expensive. Their Doritos are definitely more expensive (as Hy-vee's are almost always on sale), not to mention Fareway only carries like 2 flavors in family size. Which brings me to my next point - selection. Fareway sucks for selection. You can get maybe 3 brands of yogurt, and of those 3 brands maybe 3 flavors each? Hy-vee has like 10 flavors of 10 different brands.

And Hy-vee Wine & Spirits is almost good enough to shop there exclusively for everything. Everyday beer prices are nothing great, but something is always on sale. And there is no grocery store that touches their beer or spirits selection.

One of these months I'm going to buy the same items at each store (to a degree, since Fareway doesn't carry much of what I want). Hy-vee overall isn't as much higher as most make them out to be, and their selection makes the difference more than worth it.

*not at all nor have I ever been associated with Hy-vee.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Crazy that people still go to the grocery store. Make a commitment to only go to Costco for 6 months and get a product rotation sorted out. You will eventually figure out how to make it work. I go every week and I have my product rotation down to the point that I pretty much know the amount of bill before I walk in to the store assuming nothing new pops up or changes product-wise.

The grocery store ******** drive me nuts.

Plus you get a “fuel saver” just for being a member.

edit: I understand if you don’t live near a Costco