Coinstar 'Shopper' Units Now Installed At Ukrop's Stores; New In-store Kiosk Brings The Internet to the Store; Consumers Save Time and Money.

Business Editors

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 16, 2000

Coinstar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSTR) today announced the installation of its Shopper kiosk at all Ukrop's Stores.

Ukrop's is a 27-store supermarket chain based in Richmond, Virginia. The chain-wide installation means Ukrop's customers now have a true "bricks and clicks" solution when it comes to planning their meals and shopping for groceries.

The Shopper works in conjunction with Ukrop's Valued Customer program to save Ukrop's customers time and money. Ukrop's customers can swipe their UVC card at the kiosk. Once they do that, customers will receive personalized messages and relevant offers. The personalized message might consist of a note letting a particular customer know the brand of juice they normally buy is on sale while the relevant offer might be a $1 off deli coupon for a customer who normally makes purchases from the in-store deli. The Shopper also recommends recipes to people who don't yet know what they are having for dinner.

"Ukrop's is proud to become the first supermarket in the country to offer this new service," said Scott Ukrop, vice president of Marketing for Ukrop's Super Markets. "We think our customers will really enjoy the time and money saving benefits the Shopper provides."

Another benefit of the Shopper is that the kiosks are directly linked to the Ukrop's Web site (www.ukrops.com) and the Web site's new meal and recipe planning section. The site's meal and recipe planning section contains more than 10,000 recipes in addition to personalization features that let each customer create their own on-line cookbook, meal plan, and shopping list. For instance the "My Meal Plan" link on the Ukrop's Web site, lets Ukrop's customers plan entire meals days, and even weeks, in advance. Ukrop's customers can then use the "My Shopping List" feature to add everything they need to a shopping list, which can be printed out at the in-store Shopper kiosk. The Shopper kiosk will even organize your shopping list by in-store department -- such as dairy, meat or produce -- to make the grocery shopping experience even easier.

The combination of the Ukrop's Web site and Shopper kiosk should be especially useful in households that share the meal-planning and grocery shopping duties because two or more people can edit the same shopping list. One person can begin by creating a shopping list at home. A spouse or any other family member can then edit the same list from the office or any other place that has Internet access. The finished shopping list can then be printed out at the store's Shopper kiosk with just a swipe of the UVC card.

The Ukrop's Shopper is a joint effort between Ukrop's and Meals.com, a subsidiary of Coinstar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSTR). The Meals.com network of Web sites and in-store Shopper kiosks represents Coinstar's latest effort to provide value to consumers and the supermarket industry.

"The average consumer makes at least two trips to the grocery store each week, which means planning meals, figuring out what to buy, and scouring the newspaper for sales," said Jens Molbak, Coinstar founder and CEO of Meals.com. "We are pleased to help Ukrop's bring greater convenience and value to their customers. Ukrop's customers can now create a grocery list or plan a week's worth of meals with a few mouse clicks and later retrieve that list and meal plan at Ukrop's, with just a swipe of their frequent shopper card.

About Ukrop's

Ukrop's Super Markets Inc., founded in Richmond in 1937, operates 27 retail food stores, a Central Bakery and Kitchen, and a distribution center in Central Virginia. Ukrop's was one of the pioneers of loyalty marketing when it launched its Valued Customer(R) program in 1987. Last year marked a Delicious Decade for Ukrop's as the company celebrated its10th year of offering its own chilled prepared foods as convenient, ready-made meals for customers. In addition, Ukrop's operates Dress Express, an apparel store, specializing in uniforms. In 1997, Ukrop's established a unique partnership with National Commerce Bank Corporation in which it co-owns 17 First Market Bank branches in Ukrop's locations and six free-standing branches.

About Meals.com

Meals.com uses technology to help consumers bridge the gap between the Internet and the store. Its network of branded and private label Web sites features more than 10,000 recipes, which can be sorted by theme, cuisine, and dietary preference. The network also contains extensive search and scaling features, as well as helpful commentary and useful cooking tips. Meals.com's Shopper kiosks serve as in-store consumer access points. Consumers can use the Shopper to print out meal plans, shopping lists, and to receive money saving offers. Consumers save time and money when planning meals and shopping for groceries while manufacturers and retailers receive the opportunity to communicate one-to-one with consumers through Web site advertising and the sponsorship of recipes, which highlight their products. Meals.com is a subsidiary of Coinstar Inc., a coin counting and e-services company that has relationships with more than 7,200 U.S. supermarkets.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from the results identified or implied in any forward-looking statement discussed herein. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks that are more fully described under the caption "Risk Factors" included in the most recent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Coinstar Inc.