In early July, shoppers at Shaw’s, Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco and Star were greeted at the door and asked to hand in their store loyalty cards. These chains, recently acquired by Cerberus Capital Management LP, all shut down their loyalty programs, focusing instead on everyday low prices and storewide sales.
The move left some industry analysts scratching their heads, questioning why the brands would kill off decades old programs with millions of members. They pointed to the vast quantities of....