Albertsons Launches $39 Membership So Shoppers Can Finally Say They Belong To A Grocery Store

BOISE, IDAHO—Albertsons Companies this week unveiled Albertsons for U+, a $39-a-year subscription offering unlimited free same-day delivery on orders over $30, giving Americans who already belong to a warehouse club, two streaming services and a gym they visited once the chance to finally say they belong to a grocery store.

“For years, I just went to the grocery store like some kind of drifter,” said Carl Bettencourt, 52, a fictional shopper in Pleasanton, Calif. “Now I’m a member. I have a tier. When I walk past the deli, I feel like the deli knows.”

The program, available across banners including Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME and Shaw’s, also offers a $2 upgrade to ‘Flash’ delivery in as little as 30 minutes and points that never expire—a feature analysts said would give households something permanent in an uncertain world.

• 34% Free same-day delivery over $30
• 18% Points that don’t expire
• 27% Already in four other memberships, felt left out
• 21% Wanted a club that meets near the rotisserie chickens

Why Shoppers Joined a $39 Grocery Membership

Item	Share
Free same-day delivery over $30	34%
Points that don’t expire	18%
Already in four other memberships, felt left out	27%
Wanted a club that meets near the rotisserie chickens	21%

Source: The Daily SKU Membership Desk; fictional survey

The membership economy expands

The launch comes days after a rival introduced a combined membership bundle, deepening what economists call the nation’s ‘belonging-to-things’ sector. “The average household now pays annual fees to roughly a dozen organizations, none of which will help them move a couch,” said Janet Oyelaran, a fictional consumer economist.

At $39, the program costs less than many rivals, a price members praised as ‘low enough to forget about,’ which the industry considers the highest compliment.