Safeway Archives - Jen is on a Journey

Safeway Rewards Gas Points at Chevron

May 10, 2013 by The Mom Jen 32 Comments

Are you earning points off of your gas purchases by using your Safeway Rewards card? If your not, I suggest you start today!

I have been a long time Safeway customer and have used their Rewards program since it started. I love seeing a minimum of 20% savings off my grocery bill each time I go to the store. To tell the truth, I play a game with myself to try and hit 25-30% savings each time. With a family of 6 that can add up! My biggest savings so far was when I purchased tri-tip for a fundraiser and saved over $1000 at 47% savings – Thanks Safeway!!!!

Recently I was asked to try out using my Safeway Rewards points at Chevron when purchasing my gas. We do have a Safeway Gas station where I live, but to be honest, the lines and slow pumps drive me nuts! But the savings outweigh that so I fill up there regularly, so much that I don’t really get the $1.00 off per gallon every time I have to fill my car. I have to confess, if the line is too long, and my time too short, I already head over to the Chevron station across the street. So I was happy to hear that I can now use my Safeway Rewards Points for up to $0.20 off a gallon at Chevron. GREAT!

All I had to do was put my phone number in at the pump, just like I do at Safeway, and I was good to go. My Safeway Rewards Points brought the price down and I had a faster in and out time than I would have had otherwise. But what I think is great about this program is that when we are out of town and there is no Safeway Gas station to be found, I can always find a Chevron and use my Safeway Gas Rewards there! Definitely handy when we are out camping or travel to swim meets and need to refuel before coming home.

The other thing I love about Chevron is their Chevron Cars! We have collected them from when my son was 2 (we used them as potty training incentives- no accidents over time earned a car). Moe Muscle has now joined our family of Chevron Cars that every child that comes into our house plays with! These cars have stood the test of time (10 years) and I keep them out because everyone still loves them!

About Julie: I’m a 41 year old (and yes that seems old) SAHM, independent demonstrator with Uppercase Living, a self-taught artist/crafter (whichever term you want to put with what I create), and former social worker. My life revolves around myself, husband, son (12), daughter (9), and twin daughters (7). That makes 6 to keep up with! We have an active family who loves the outdoors, scouting, swimming, and volunteering. You can find me at http://juliecorrigan.uppercaseliving.net for uplifting and inspiring words for your life.I was provided a gift card to try out using my Safeway Rewards Points at Chevron, but my opinions and experiences are all my own.

Holiday Baking with Safeway: Cakies Recipe

December 10, 2012 by The Mom Jen 38 Comments

Okay, it’s time, it’s time to bake! This holiday season, Safeway is your one stop destination for all of your baking needs. With a large assortment of mixes, sprinkles, decorating sets, and much more available in-store, and the Safeway Chef Assistant app and Pinterest page to help online, Safeway is here to inspire you to bake up sweet memories with your family and friends!

We are super excited that Safeway sent us a gift basket to inspire and get our baking started for the holiday. With red velvet cupcake mix, decorating sets, sprinkles, decorating bags and tips, no bleed baking cups, fondant shapes, sparkle gel decorators, frosting starters, and much more we were overwhelmed in the best possible way.

I started VERY simple with something I’m going to call CAKIES, cookies make with cake mix…get the name now? I saw the simple and easy recipe on Pinterest and went with it. You can really mix and match a number of ingredients like the type of cake mix (white, yellow, chocolate, red velvet) the add ins…(chocolate chips, mint chips, white chocolate, raisins, m&m candies, etc..)

CAKIES

1 box cake mix (we used Pillsbury classic yellow)
2 eggs (beaten)
3/4 stick of butter (melted)
2 cups of your favorite add-in (we used chocolate chips)

Mix all ingredients together and spread in a greased 13X9 baking dish and bake for 24 minutes at 350 degrees.

Easy Peasy! Plus they are super moist and delicious, a great beginning to our baking week!

Chef Assistant App (#SafewayChefAssistant)
Safeway’s Chef Assistant app offers super cute holiday recipes and tips, a baking timer, and a fun “Virtual Cupcake Decorator” that allows you and your children to decorate a virtual cupcake and email or share it on Facebook and Twitter. My youngest keeps busy making cupcakes in the grocery store multi-tasking in the cart while she ticks off the items on my Just for You app!

Safeway on Pinterest
Visit Safeway on Pinterest for holiday inspiration and recipes for holiday meals, sides, baking, and dessert and drink pairings.

Safeway on Facebook and Twitter
Fan Safeway on Facebook and follow on Twitter to stay current on deals and promotions, and be among the first to know about the upcoming Safeway Pin to Win sweeps on Pinterest!

Products were sent to us via representing pr company. All opinions are ours.

Safeway just for U Program and New Shopping App Saves You More!

July 20, 2012 by The Mom Jen 4 Comments

Just for U is Safeway’s revolutionary targeted marketing program that provides relevant, personalized offers, coupons, weekly specials and tools for each individual shopper. What does that all mean to you? SAVINGS of 10-20% at Safeway when you use their just for U program.I spent a great day in San Francisco with 17 other bloggers learning the ins and outs of the just for U program from those most knowledgeable about it, representatives from the Northern CA executive team of Safeway. We had access to those that helped develop the website and the new Safeway App (iPhone and Android users) that run the just for U savings program, as well as those individuals that oversee the Northern CA Safeway stores.

I have used the Safeway just for U program for over a year, and I have to say I LOVE the new app for my phone. I still use the website when I am at home and building my shopping list, but the convenience of having the app in the store with my list stored in the Safeway App saves me time and I don’t have to print my list (which helps cut down my paper clutter!). Not to mention that it just makes me giddy, when shopping for a family of 6, and I’m at the check stand and I save over $100 on my grocery bill or I hit more than a 20% savings every time I shop! So here is what I learned to help you maximize your savings with Safeway’s just for U program:

If you don’t have a just for U account, you can go to www.safeway.com to sign up for one, download the Safeway App on your smart phone, or go into any Safeway store and they will be happy to get you set up and start saving today. All you will need is your Safeway club card number OR the phone number associated with that club card.

Safeway uses your 6 month purchase history to build the offers you see in your personalized just for U account. When you are signed into your just for U account, you will get your offers in three different ways: Coupon Center, Personalized Deals, and Your Club Specials. Let’s look at the difference between the categories.

Coupon Center offers you “digital coupons with no clipping required.” In this section you will find manufacturers coupons and Safeway super coupons grouped together. Safeway brings all the national deals to you in one place so you don’t have to spend time searching other sites for these deals. In order to take advantage of these deals, you need to click on the “ADD to my CARD” button to get this offer loaded onto your Safeway Club Card for use at your local Safeway. Once a deal is added, you can choose to then add the item to your list by clicking the button again.

Personalized Deals are “savings you won’t find anywhere else.” These are offers that are based where you live, what you buy and are often times unlimited in quantity. The items you purchase most are first in your list and other items that may be of interest to you based on your purchase history are also in this category. There is usually at least one FREE item offered in this category as well. There are usually 5-7 new offers in this category each week, so it pays to check it often. Check the offer dates to make sure you don’t miss out, and as with the Coupon Center, you must click the “ADD to my Card” button to load this to your Safeway Club Card.

Your Club Specials shows you “the things you buy that are currently on sale.” There is no need to add these to your card. These deals are the ones you are used to seeing at the store with a yellow tag, and they are automatically offered by using your club card at the checkout stand. You can add these to your list to help your organize your shopping. The your club specials are not currently part of the Safeway App but are planned to be released in an App update in the near future. You can still add them to your list from the website and they will appear on your list in the Safeway App.

The Coupon Center and Personalized Deals sections will work on all varieties of an item. So if Nature Valley Granola Bars are one of your offers in either of these sections of just for U, you can use this deal on any type of Nature Valley Granola Bars. This does NOT hold true with the Your Club Specials. These can have select varieties. Make sure to check the details of your coupons to get the most for you dollar.

If you have a paper coupon and a digital coupon for the same amount, you cannot double up these. If you have coupons for different amounts, the system will automatically take the greater savings coupon and you will either be handed back the paper coupon or the digital coupon will remain on your card (whichever is lesser) for use on your next shopping trip. Also, if an item has a price listed (called price point) you can use another cents off coupon along with that price point deal for more savings. There can be limits on amounts, so be sure to check the details (a handy button is provided with each coupon/offer in the just for U system and the details answer many questions such as if an offer is specific to your store). So for instance, on my shopping trip I purchased Motts Fruit Snacks that were regularly $3.59 each. They were on Club Special for $1.99 each (price point) but I also had added a J4U coupon in the coupon center for $.50 off when I buy two, making one of the boxes $1.49 and one $1.99.

Safeway provided us with a $50 gift card and set us loose on a store in San Francisco. I saved 29% on this shopping trip. I didn’t buy the best deals on everything because this store had different items than my local store, so I stocked up on a few of those. But I did pick up the large jar of Safeway peanut butter we use all the time for a savings of $4.79! In fact, everyone in our blogger group saved 29% or more, and a few saving more than 50%!

Other things I learned the Safeway App can do:

Using the store locator, you can one touch call your Safeway pharmacy
You can expand and collapse categories
That there are plans to organize the list based on your store layout (which will speed up your shopping!)
That the list can be synchronized if you are using the same club card account number with another app user (so if you send your teenager to one side of the store and you start at the other, as you check items off the list and then synchronize, you will know what each other has picked up)
That you should have your own club card account for your family since the personalized deals are based on your shopping habits (so if you haven’t purchased diapers in 15 years but they are always on your list it may be because someone else is buying diapers with the same club card number)
If you have any problems or want to update your purchase/store history, call the call center listed on the back of your club card
If you ever need anything in the store, don’t hesitate to ask the store manager….they really are there to help you and keep you a loyal Safeway shopper.

I was provided with Safeway gift cards, groceries, and savings knowledge in exchange for this review. These really are my own thoughts and opinions.

Stress-Free Holidays from Safeway

November 17, 2011 by The Mom Jen 337 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I need my holidays to be easy! I’m running amok all day for the kids, I have my work to do, and we are traveling a lot over the next few months, I don’t need anymore stress. Thankfully, Safeway to the rescue!Whether you’re planning at home or shopping in store, Safeway has created inspirational ideas, recipes, saving tips and tools to make the holidays easier for you.

Safeway Online
On my couch in front of the fire, I can use my laptop and visit Safeway.com/Holiday to review recipes, entertaining ideas, wine pairings and other helpful tips. I saw cute ideas to decorate your holiday table using ribbons, creative pumpkin desserts that aren’t pie, and tips on prepping for the big holiday feast that will save you time and stress!

iPhone Users
Personally, I have never made my own turkey. Thanks to grandma and grandpa, the hard work was done for me. But, I can put intimidation aside and download the FREE Safeway Chef Assistant app featuring the Safeway exclusive 2-Hour Turkey Recipe. The app guides you through step-by-step instructions on how to prep a simply delicious turkey in 2 hours or less. You can also use the app while shopping for your ingredients and cooking tools or as a timer to remind you of important time and temp checks. Thanksgiving is covered already, I have no excuses for Christmas!

We were sent similar prizing. All opinions are my own, we shop regularly at Safeway!

Safeway Just for U Program Launches in Northern California: It’s Like Your Own Personal Shopping Assistant!

October 28, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, I headed over to Safeway Headquarters in Pleasanton, CA with other great bloggers for a VIP event promoting Safeway’s Just for U program! Currently the program has launched in Hawaii, Illinois, and this week in Northern California. If you don’t already have a Safeway card, sign up and log into Safeway.com. Now you’re set.

If you are a Safeway Club Card holder, your ability to save more time and more money has just improved! With 3 new ways to save, Safeway has given you somewhat of a personal shopping assistant to get you the best prices on the items you know and love and typically buy anyway. As a longtime Safeway shopper, I’m impressed.

1. Coupon Center Coupon use has increased 37% in the past 2 years, people are going online, clipping from their weekly newspapers and are trying to seek value and be as frugal as possible. The Coupon Center at Safeway.com has all the coupons you can find in one place. A one-stop-shop to find deals for all your favorite brands without having to hunt for, clip, and often forget coupons. My mental health has improved by this option! By mental health, I mean just last week I took a manufacturer’s coupon to the store with me for a FREE item. I held onto the coupon throughout the store, went to the checkout counter, paid for my groceries and walked out of the store with the coupon STILL in my hand. I literally forgot to use it and I was holding it! Just for U prevents that from happening to me again. Just find a coupon, click “add” and it automatically adds the coupon to your Club Card.

2. Personalized Deals 70% of Bay Area residents can’t find coupons that fit their needs. My personal shopping assistant, Just for U, has created algorithms to watch my spending habits and past purchases, and link me to items I already buy and those similar. Again, with a click of the mouse, I add those special deals straight to my Club Card and I’m getting what I want a the lowest and best price! Each person will have their own specialized set of deals, good for 90 days, and they are good to use over and over, you really can’t go wrong. Also, based on your nearest store (either Target or Walmart) a comparison is shown right on the deal to show you are getting the best deal in town!

3. Club Specials Here you’ll see the same great deals in store as always on the items you normally buy, categorized by aisle, so you can add those to your card without missing a beat. I ALWAYS shop aisle by aisle on big shopping trips to help me remember everything.

Once you are through with your online experience, there’s an option to print out the shopping list you’ve made with the coupons and items added and you are ready to hit the store. To save paper, you can also email your list to yourself to use, a mobile app has yet to be made, but I hear it’s in the works!

Safeway let us loose in a local store to see the program first-hand. Right now the ability to see your Just for U savings specifically on your receipt is unavailable, but after the trip I did receive all the discounts my list promised to the tune of a 25% savings.

Pay attention to all the details in the Coupon Center. One item I jumped at adding to my shopping list was a coupon for $1 off People magazine. I NEVER see those coupons and when I purchased the magazine at the store, I realized it was for a specific Country Special edition, not the weekly copy. No problem, I wanted it anyway, just read the fine print! I was impressed with Just for U and look forward to the growth beyond Q1 and also to the increase of savings for my pocketbook. Thank you Safeway for always trying to improve for your customers.

Safeway hosted this blogger event. We were treated to 2 meals, a goodie bag of supplies and 2 $50 gift cards to use at Safeway. My opinions are 100% my honest tried-and-true experience.