The information on Kroger in the 3/4/24 podcast is COMPLETELY wrong. I shop at Kroger all the time. You get a loyalty card which is scanned at checkout. All “clipped” coupons are credited on your receipt. The website is NOT complex! You simply scroll through the catagories and “clip” the coupons. Maybe they do it as you say at some of their other stores, but NOT Kroger stores in Elkhart, Ind.!
I shop at Martin’s Supermarkets also. Now their website IS a nighmare, so much so that I never bother with their coupons. Meijers is ok but you do have to sign in with your phone number and PIN to get your coupons credited and your Mperks rewards.
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I never use the Kroger clip-a-coupon to your-card feature. I found many times that it did not credit me for the coupons. Now I just get coupons mailed to me on the items I buy most. Meijer has a really laboris method for their coupons - having to put in too much stuff like Mperks that I never can remember. Wish they had a loyalty card program - but it probably would be like Krogers subpar system.
I am in complete agreement with your comments on the Kroger loyalty program. Unfortunately I no longer have access to a Kroger since they closed all of their NC locations, but they were my favorite grocery store when they were an option. As you state, the loyalty program is far from complex. You are able to clip as many coupons (usually among hundreds) using either the app or the website. All you need to do is scan your card or enter your phone number at checkout and the discounts are applied. In my experience the issue of a coupon not being applied was a rare occurence. On the few occasions when that did happen, a trip to the Customer Service (yes, it usually did actually exist at my Kroger) resulted in either a cash payout of the amount to me. I also enjoyed the fuel saving program that Kroger offers. I often saved up to $1 a gallon on gas by using this program.
Food Lion is not my go-to grocer for everyday items and they also have an app that is easy to use and results in significant savings. Food Lion’s Shop and Earn program offers another VERY easy way to save significantly on items in categories that everybody purchases.
All in all, store loyalty apps offer savings that are significantly greater than any that result from shopping in these warehouse clubs that some many “Clarkies” seem to adore. The parking is a more pleasant experience as well, to say the least.
The Kroger program is easy. Clipping can be done on the app or your laptop (which I prefer because more fits on the screen, everything is bigger and it’s easier to scroll through all the coupons faster). I’ve never cared to thoroughly check this but if you try clipping coupons while in or right before going into the store I’d fear they might not have enough time to be properly applied to your purchases so I try to do all clipping before even heading out to the store…might be where some folks have trouble getting coupons to work. As a former retailer I’ve witnessed the confusion for customers who don’t check the fine print of a coupon that’s specific to certain sizes, lines or even UPCs…I don’t agree with it as a customer but that’s been an issue forever and won’t change.
Hat’s off to Kroger for at least making it easy to sync your coupons to your purchase by just having to type in your account number, the phone number associated with the account or just scanning your physical card…or the virtual card on your app.
Meijer’s program used to be pretty simple until last year. Their “improved” Mperks program is a bit more of a pain but not impossible. They do offer the nice shop & scan feature (phone app where you scan as you put things in your cart) which gets you through the register faster. Unfortunately since I don’t shop Meijer much these days I must be falling below some type of minimum that requires my cart be audited every time I’m at the register which pretty much eats up the time I saved using shop & scan so I’ve gone back to old-school self checkouts there.
I’ve never had any issue with that. I often clip digital coupons in-store minutes before checking out.