RVA Deals
Now that everyone has a location open near them, it’s time to share your thoughts on MARTIN’S. So come on in, spill the beans, get the scoop on their policies and practices, and find out this week’s best deals (in the-store-formerly-known-as-Ukrop’s and beyond).
Now that everyone has a location open near them, what are your thoughts on MARTIN’S?
Me, I’m having trouble getting past the shelf tags. I should have expected some loud labels from a grocery chain name whose name is all caps, but walking an aisle feels akin to visual assault. In some places, the products are obscured by gratuitous signage. And forget about finding the actual price with so many numbers scattered about.
But I imagine I’ll get used to them. And hopefully some will go away once all the former Ukrop’s prices have been adjusted.
Here are some of the basics of shopping deals at MARTIN’S…
BONUSCARD:
MARTINS’S loyalty card required to receive sale prices. Ukrop’s Valued Customer Cards no longer work, so visit MartinsFoods.com or customer service in-store to sign up for one.Circular:
Like the shelf tags in store, MARTIN’S weekly circulars, available online, contain some information overload. This week’s edition is 20 pages, not including extra outer half-sheet. (My RVA Deals gig involves more work now!) What I like about the ads, though, is that many items include the amount saved next to the sale price, so I know in advance what regular price is and roughly what kind of a deal I’m getting.Coupons:
MARTIN’S doubles manufacturer’s coupons up to $.50 every day. Only one of each coupon will double. Coupon values over $.50 will be increased to $1. Example: $.55 coupon gets increased by $.45 to become $1 savings.MARTIN’S accepts internet-printed coupons, except coupons for free items.
MARTIN’S offers printable store coupons periodically as well. Currently, the offers are $2 off a $5 Hallmark purchase, and $1 off any Minute Rice product.
Fine Print:
More so than with Ukrop’s, it’s important to read the fine print (if you can find it). MARTIN’S sale prices often require buying a certain number of items, like Pepperidge Farm goldfish on sale for $1 this week… if you buy exactly four. Additional or lesser quantities will cost $2 each. And “Buy One, Get One Free” are true BOGO deals – one is full price, and one is free (Instead of both ringing up half-price, which allows you to buy only one).Pharmacy:
MARTIN’S offers $4 generic 30-day prescriptions of certain drugs, similar to Kroger. The pharmacy will also provide up to a 14-day supply of common generic antibiotics FREE. If you have prescriptions to fill, take advantage of the $25 and $10 gift card coupons included in the recent MARTIN’S mailer for any new or transferred prescription.Fuel:
The fuelperks! program remains. Every $100 in grocery or pharmacy purchases earns you $.10 off per gallon at participating Uppy’s locations. There are also opportunities to earn bonus rewards, such as an extra $.20 per gallon this week when you buy 6 participating items (see list on circular page 18).
Most households in the area probably received a MARTIN’S coupon booklet in the mail last week, containing $3 off $30 purchase and free item coupons for the next month, so remember to take advantage of those!
Meat Top Pick
London Broil $1.99/lb at MARTIN’S, which is even cheaper with “$1 off $5 meat purchase” coupon from MARTIN’S coupon mailer.
Veggie Top Pick
Green Giant and Kroger frozen vegetables $.88 at Kroger
Fruit Top Pick
Go strawberry-picking! There are a number of farms within thirty or forty-five minutes of Richmond. PickYourOwn.org has a list of some in Southeast Virginia. We recently visited Mt. Olympus Farm and scored lots of tasty ripe berries!
Dairy Top Pick
$.79/dozen large eggs at MARTIN’S
Staples Top Pick
Texas Toast croutons or tortilla strips $1.25 at MARTIN’S. Combine with $.55 coupon from 5/16 SmartSource, which increase to $1, to get a bag for $.25.
Snacks & Sweets Top Pick
Turkey Hill ice cream is $1.99 at MARTIN’S, or free with coupon from MARTIN’S home mailer and a $15 purchase.
Beverage Top Pick
Caribou Coffee 12oz bag “Buy One, Get One Free” at MARTIN’S (so two bags for $8.49). Use $1 coupon from 3/28 SmartSource insert, and/or print a $1 coupon from Coupons.com.
Household Top Pick
Nivea Body Wash for women $3.99 at MARTIN’S. Use $4 coupon from 5/2 RedPlum insert to get it for free!
Find more deals by accessing the stores’ weekly ads online:
- Prices valid 5/16-5/22: Kroger, Ukrop’s, Target, Walgreen’s, CVS, MARTIN’S
- Prices valid 5/19-5/25: Tom Leonard’s, Whole Foods, Fresh Market
Monthly ads online:
- Prices good for all of May: Ellwood Thompson’s, Good Foods Grocery
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Alison Brown
Check out more of Alison’s stellar cost-cutting tricks and tips over at Richmond Bargains or follow her on Twitter. Your wallet is sure to thank you.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
Valerie, you’re right, the customer service made a steep decline the instant the Ukrop’s name came off the building, it’s not just you.
CB isn’t talking to no one. I commented but I don’t know where it went. This internet website!
Anyway, to recap for all of you…
I haven’t had any issue with the stock or prices. In fact, they have a great deal where you can get three cartons of Breyer’s natural icecream for $7. That’s great!
But the customer service hasn’t been great in the store near us. One cashier said “damn” which isn’t a huge deal for me, but I imagine others wouldn’t appreciate it. Another was taking groceries out to an elderly woman’s car, started chatted with another employee, stopped paying attention, and ran into the woman. I brought both instances to the attention to the management and they were apologetic. But I couldn’t help thinking “That would NEVER happen at Ukrop’s.”
I agree, I don’t like all those green sale tags lining the shelves. They’re huge. I almost feel that it looks like almost everything is on sale. The plethora of tags doesn’t make any one item stand out.
Even though Martin’s (Giant Food) carries their own brand of natural foods, the natural food sections in stores have been cut waaaay back. This will cause me to go Ellwood Thompson, Good Foods Grocery, Whole Foods and local Farmers Markets. When you call Martin’s “866” number you get iGiant Food…another huge chain.
I didn’t cry when I found out Ukrop’s would be no more but after my Martin’s experience I may have shed a tear.
I get my dog’s seizure meds from there because it has to be compounded and it is close to home. I went to pick it up last week and it had gone up $8. When I questioned it I was told she didn’t know why and when I asked if she could find out she said no. I went to customer service they said they have nothing to do with it and to call my vet. Not cool.
Also those green shirts have got to be the most putrid shade of green. They look like a bunch of Slimers. Who ya gonna call? Not Martin’s.
Oh yeah, I have to agree with GC on that. Does MARTIN’S have bulk bins? I know Ukrop’s had them in their natural food sections (at least in the ones we went to), but I don’t recall seeing them in MARTIN’S.
I will say that Nature’s Promise peanut butter is pretty, pretty tasty.
Wait, wait, Blair, she just said, “no”? That’s not cool.
NO BULK SECTION! And the natural selection is just “chemicals in boxes with the word ‘natural’ on them.” But Ukrop’s natural selection wasn’t that great anyway. I will continue my Ellwood Thompson for 80%, Kroger for the other 5%, and farmer’s market for 15% circuit.
Prices are better than Ukrops, customer service is not. The customer is definitely not a priority, where at Ukrops it clearly was. I went in later in the evening and they were stocking shelves. They had stuff all over obstructing aisles. None of the stockers bothered to move themselves or the piles of stuff out of the way when I tried to get down the aisle. I ended up having to go down another aisle and come up the other side just to get what I needed. Kind of like shopping at WalMart. Color scheme is hideous, they need to get rid of that horrid green. Logo is not much better. It looks more like a hardware store from the outside more than a supermarket. Not too thrilled with their produce selection. About the same as Ukrops on that front, but I would think a huge worldwide chain could do better in terms of variety of fruits and vegetables than a local Richmond chain. I hate having shopping carts outside the store. If you enter through the wrong door, you have to exit the store to go get your cart. What’s up with that? I agree that there is just simply too much information…on the shelves and in their dissertation of a sales circular. Also don’t like their lack of a bulk section. I do like the fact that they are open til midnite and on Sundays, but frankly, so is Krogers. I much more enjoyed going into Ukrops than Krogers. I would not say the same about Martins, so it looks like Krogers will be getting as much, if not more of my business this year.
$1.70 for a large cup of coffee…I think I will be going to McDonalds and getting it for a buck!!! Sorry Martins!!
Shopping in the evening after work with children is stressful enough without having to walk to the other side of the store to get a cart.. and I felt like I was at Wal Mart when I went to check out… 30 lanes with 3 open!! On 2 separate occasions my grocery bags ripped dropping all of my food in my driveway and the cashier had trouble scanning the coupons THEY sent ME!! I am not impressed at all and will be shopping elsewhere! Ukrops would cost a little more but was well worth it!!!
On my first trip to Martin’s after the switch, I took my 7 month old baby in her car seat. Unfortunately infant car seats do not fit on the Martin’s carts. I had to set her down in the main section of the cart…which meant I couldn’t buy my full week’s worth of groceries.
I haven’t been back.
I have not been happy with Martin’s. Yes, I have found some good deals there, but I don’t know if it is worth all of my frustrations. I do not like the way they rearranged the store, they bragged about having a better produce section and at my store they actually made it smaller and transformed part of the former produce section to additional dairy coolers. I have trouble finding items because of the “shelf talkers”. I also find their tags confusing because the price is in the middle and the amount you saved is the last number listed.
It bothers me that they won’t double more than one like coupon per customer per day. What if I want to buy 2 bags of frozen vegetables? It is nice that any coupon that is $0.51-$0.99 automatically “doubles” up to a dollar.
One thing that you didn’t mention that I don’t know many people are aware of is that Martin’s is not offering non-profit organizations a 10% discount that Ukrop’s did. I buy things occasionally for my church and was given a huge run around when I asked what I needed to do to have the church’s information on file to be able to buy items tax-exempted. I was so frustrated when I left that I said forget it – I’ll just go to Kroger. Kroger will give me my tax-exemption and will double multiple like coupons in the same transaction. I did contact the company on their website about this. I received a response that began with they have cut so many prices that they shouldn’t need to offer a 10% discount. Then came the usual lines about how they do contribute to the community and that my organization should look into purchasing gift cards through the cash for causes program they have for fundraising. I wasn’t looking for a fundraising opportunity, I just wanted to try to save some money for a non-profit.
In defense of the employees. They have had lots of change. The employees have been given everything new to learn and even with all of the trainers they had in the stores, it has not been an easy transition. The computer systems are new, the cash registers are new (not really technology-wise they are the registers that Ukrop’s had in the early 90’s), the phone system is new, the policies have changed (try writing a check), and their schedules and shifts have changed (I heard a guy who works in the kitchen say he was scheduled that night until midnight and then had to be back at 4AM to open the next day).
I forgot to ask you where did you see the Nivea Women’s Bodywash on sale for $3.99 in the Martin’s ad? I looked several times, and on-line and didn’t see it.
I am sorry to see that my thoughts are echoed by everyone on here. I was hoping that I was in the minority. The tags & sales circular are WAY overkill! Customer service, a priority at Ukrop’s, is not good at MARTIN’S. However, I don’t blame the employees. They have had ALOT of changes forced on them…..most of them NOT good. One employee told me that availability is no longer considered. This person works 2 jobs to support their family and was told to work 3 midnight shifts in one week…..in addition to their other job! How is anyone supposed to be friendly and helpful with that many late hours in a week?? The response from management was that “this isn’t Ukrop’s anymore!”……we all can tell that!!
Not sure where I will end up shopping now……doubt it will be MARTINS.
Sadly, I agree with just about everything written here. I loved shopping at Ukrop’s, but I was very willing to give MARTIN’S a chance.
The aisles are overwhelming! Too many products jammed on shelves, too many tags, just too much everything. The hanging aisle signs are helpful to find the correct aisle, but actually locating the product within the aisle is a challenge.
During a recent visit, I entered my order on the Deli Express machine, completed all my shopping, and came back to find they hadn’t even started cutting my order yet. The time stamps on my order and on my last deli bag were 30+ minutes apart! How is that helpful? Customer service copied the stamps as proof and, from their comments, I think this is a regular occurrence. They comped the last item, but I had to pay for the other 3 items — what?!?
I am anxiously awaiting the new Kroger at The Corner at Short Pump!
The only thing that keeps me going to Martin’s is the Ukrop’s food.
Employees have been sour every time I’ve been in the store. For the most part they’re not engaging or pleasant, though I can’t say I blame them entirely for having to wear those hideous shirts. The only exception to this has been the cashiers, they have all been great so far, and i hope that keeps up.
I first visited about a week after the one at Westpark opened. There was an employee manning a table near the door, presumably to help people convert their Ukrops card to a Martins card. Rather than actually, you know, greeting people as they walked in the door, he chose to sit there, silent, wearing sunglasses.
I think it’s time to switch to Kroger.
I have some agreements & some disagreements about what everyone is saying. For the most part, everyone seems to have thought that Martin’s was going to be exactly like Ukrop’s in every way possible. What gave you that idea? Have you never seen, been part of or heard of companies taking over others? This is typical. Martin’s brought in their policies & ways & it is what it is. That’s what happens when a company gets bought out.
In regards to how employees interact with customers, I can say the first Sunday I went into a Martin’s there were two employees loudly complaining about having to work on a Sunday in front of customers. These same employees were Ukrop’s employees. Yes, I’m sure they’ve been through a difficult transition but if you were such a good employee at Ukrop’s and truly cared about customers, why wouldn’t you continue to? Instead, you’re showing your true colors & treating customers how you would have all along had it not been Ukrop’s holding a whip to you. How about instead of fussing, that you’re thankful that you even have a job? How about all of the people out there struggling that have no work & families to take care of? If you dislike working on a Sunday so bad that you can loudly vocalize in front of the customers you used to care for so much, then maybe it’s time for you to check yourself out.
As far as the store itself & products, I have no issue with them. They have a great organic & natural products selection. Most of which has good pricing & are included in sales. I particularly love the fresh bundles of herbs that most stores, such as Kroger or Ukrop’s, did not or do not carry. The tags on the shelves are very overwhelming, it does look at first glance as if the entire aisle is on sale. They have a great selection of wine & beer that I find comparable to Kroger. Their bread selection is much better, there are several low calorie whole grain products that I haven’t been able to find anywhere & have found them there. With the exception of those employees fussing on a Sunday I can’t think of any bad customer service experiences.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We regret to inform you that Ukrop’s has left the building. That is all.
The change is neither surprising nor unexpected; I don’t think anyone expected to walk into Martin’s and have it feel exactly like Ukrop’s. That doesn’t mean that customer service and employee pride have to go out the window, though.
I had a horrible time when I was trying to check out at the White Oak Martin’s. The register went down in the middle of charging my card and it took more than 30 minutes for someone to figure out how to get me rung up.
They offered to re-ring me and give me a $20 discount, but I had over $70 in coupons and the Produce Manager seemed unphased by my displeasure with the proposed soultion.
And if you aren’t going to take my groceries to the car, at least have a cart catcher in the parking lot! I will be shopping at the Kroger and am counting the days until my CSA begins.