Tech Table Wednesday, March 26, 2014
March 26, 2014
Justin: Welcome to MPA’s Tech Table. I’m Justin.
Diana: And I’m Diana.
Justin: And we’re your hosts. We’ll be serving up a heaping spoonful of all things tech.
Diana: We promise it’ll be easy to digest. Well, happy Wednesday, Justin.
Justin: Happy Wednesday, Diana. It is Web Wednesday, as always, here.
Diana: Yes, we talk about the Web.
Justin: That we do.
Diana: Not spider webs.
Justin: No, not spider webs. That would not go over well with you.
Diana: No. Gross.
Justin: No, not a fan of that. Absolutely. So, today we’re going to talk about Hy-Vee. Yes, the grocery store that you all know and love. We’re going to talk, actually, about their website and their app.
Diana: Right.
Justin: Because the Hy-Vee app, meaning application, is a really new and exciting thing. And it’s actually won some awards recently.
Diana: Yes, yes. Now, some people out there may not know what Hy-Vee is, especially if they’re not in our listening area directly.
Justin: It’s a Midwestern company. I think they go down to Kansas City and up to Minnesota-ish now.
Diana: Yeah.
Justin: Yeah, but they’re a grocery store.
Diana: True. They also have pharmacy and floral.
Justin: Right. And they went through a brief period where they tried to do clothing. Remember that?
Diana: Oh, no. I don’t remember that.
Justin: That was not a good idea. Yeah. Your brother worked there during that time.
Diana: He did. He worked in the deli. He’s a Hy-Vee enthusiast.
Justin: Yeah, they did a very brief experiment because I think they were, you know, the Super Wal-Mart sort of idea.
Diana: Okay. Yeah. They were going the other direction.
Justin: What I love that Hy-Vee does now, personally, is the Chinese.
Diana: Oh, goodness.
Justin: They have a Chinese restaurant in some of their locations.
Diana: You know, their salad bar’s good, too. They’ve got a big salad bar.
Justin: Yeah, yeah, the salad bar is always popular with the over-50 crowd. That’s what I’ve noticed.
Diana: And of course, they’ve introduced their new Fuel Saver program.
Justin: Oh, I know. We could go on and on. Apparently, you like Hy-Vee.
Diana: I like Hy-Vee, evidently.
Justin: I like Hy-Vee. I like other places, too.
Diana: We like our local grocer, of course.
Justin: Well, there are local places that I go, definitely, too. So, anyway, their app, their app has just won some awards, including the Technology Association of Iowa’s 2013 Prometheus Award for Mobile App of the Year.
Diana: Yes. So, a few features of this app, and I personally use it, so I know.
Justin: Do you? I didn’t know that.
Diana: I have it on my phone.
Justin: That’s exciting.
Diana: Yeah, well, here’s a couple features that they’ve got. They’ve got a store locator. That’s handy if you’re somewhere you don’t know, you know, where’s my local Hy-Vee?
Justin: Right, right.
Diana: Find it on the map. You can see the weekly specials instead of just looking at the paper flyer you get with the newspaper. A lot of people don’t get that anymore.
Justin: True. Right.
Diana: Get the weekly specials. And these aren’t just on your phone. You can also get them online when you log into your account, too. Recipes, put in some stuff you’re going to make. And refill a prescription; this is what I use it for mostly.
Justin: I was wondering that because they have the Hy-Vee Pharmacy brand, too.
Diana: Yeah. You just put in your prescription number.
Justin: Right.
Diana: Click something like submit or whatever, and then, it’s give you updates as to whether it’s in processing, if it’s ready for pick-up. And then also, the pharmacy will call you, usually an automated.
Justin: That’s handy.
Diana: But it’s really cool and it’ll let you know.
Justin: So far, the features you’ve named, that’s handy.
Diana: And totally free.
Justin: Yeah, absolutely. And then, you can check your Fuel Saver balance.
Diana: I’ve done that.
Justin: These are Fuel Saver credits. You know, you get certain cents off a gallon based on what you buy. That’s Fuel Saver, which I’m always skeptical of these things.
Diana: Right. But it works. I saved a dollar, more than a dollar once, per gallon, and they do accumulate but they do expire, I believe, in 30 days.
Justin: Right.
Diana: You have to use them.
Justin: Sure, so you can check your Fuel Saver balance through this app. And you can find the gas stations, Hy-Vee gas. And then, digital coupons, and you can also do a shopping list.
Diana: Yeah, pretty cool, and it maps the aisles in your store.
Justin: Wow, that’s crazy.
Diana: Yeah, I have not used that one yet, but I’m excited to try it.
Justin: Very good. So, check out that Hy-Vee app. It’s winning awards and it looks like a pretty cool thing. And, you know, if you own a business, then going out and getting an app developed for your business as well. You might win some awards.
Diana: That’s right.
Justin: Until next time.
Diana: Take care.
Justin: Tech Table is brought to you by MPA of Bloomfield, Iowa, and God’s Country Radio. You can visit us online at AskMPA.com.
Diana: If you have questions or comments, please send them to questions@askmpa.com. That’s questions@askmpa.com.
Justin: And thanks for listening.
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