KROGER has rolled out a policy U-turn in the hopes it will make saving a bit simpler and more convenient for shoppers.
The company is making a change to its coupon policy that many customers are looking forward to after making complaints about previous rules.
Kroger is now bringing back paper coupons as part of its weekly digital deals after it previously phased them out for digital versions.
Now shoppers can have the paper and digital coupons scanned at the register or through self checkout to make the most of in-store deals.
These new paper coupons are available in stores on Wednesdays.
The company made the move after customers complained about having technical difficulties with their digital coupons which made it “hard” to access deals.
Many have brought up a “digital divide” that unfairly shuns seniors and those who are not technology inclined.
“They are obnoxious in the sense that if you can’t figure out how to use the app, then you don’t get that discount,” shopper Robin Casagrande told ABC affiliate WCPO.
“They are making it too hard. I mean, seriously,” Pat O’Brien added.
“I guess just being able to see it and have it in my hand when I’m going to the store and knowing I actually have the deal and that when I go to scan it will actually work,” a third said.
Kroger says it made the change in response to customer demand.
“We are always listening to our customers to create a better shopping experience,” the company told the news outlet.
“To make it simpler for our customers to take advantage of the full value our stores offer, we are providing an easy-to-use flyer that customers can scan to save with digital coupons.”
“Simply grab a flyer and scan it at the self-checkout or ask for help from one of our friendly clerks,” the company added.
However, as other retailers ditch paper coupons and go fully digital while the federal government also ditches paper checks for electronic payments, it is not known how long the new ‘paper policy’ will last.
It comes as Kroger and other retailers are set to make other changes.
Under a new California law, self-checkouts will not be allowed in stores without at least one open manned cashier at checkout.
Senate Bill 442 aims to crackdown on retailers throughout the state.
“Retailers have increasingly implemented automated checkout to drastically cut staffing and reduce labor costs,” lawmakers said in a statement.
“Self-checkout and the reduction in frontline grocery workers have created a range of problems for retailers, workers, and the public.”
Plus, customers using self checkout will need to limit their shopping to 15 items.
Read more about the change here.
The CEO of Nordstrom has warned the department store chain’s future in Portland is in doubt.
Erik Nordstrom raised his concerns with Mayor Keith Wilson, who is working to address the city’s struggling retail climate.
Mayor Wilson spoke on Monday at a community meeting for a proposed homeless shelter in the Pearl District.
He also discussed Portland’s empty downtown shops and the upcoming closure of a Fred Meyer store, according to a report by Oregon Live.
Wilson revealed he had spoken to Nordstrom’s CEO about the future of the Seattle-based company’s three locations in the city.
“I met with Erik Nordstrom the other day, and he says, ‘Keith, I don’t know how long we can continue to operate in Portland,’” Wilson said during the meeting.
“How many of our signature businesses do we have to lose before we say ‘enough, enough, enough’?”
A Nordstrom spokesperson wrote in a statement on Thursday that there are “no planned changes” to the chain’s Portland stores.
“We continue to work with the city to explore how we can best serve our customers and the Portland community,” they added.
Nordstrom has three stores in Portland: a full-line store, a Nordstrom Rack downtown and a second Nordstrom Rack at Cascade Station.
The retailer closed its Clackamas Town Center store in 2020 – one of 16 Nordstrom stores that shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been concerns about the future of downtown Portland’s Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores in the past.
During the first four months of 2023, the downtown Nordstrom Rack was among Portland’s top three businesses to report theft and burglary, according to Oregon Live.
Theft and crime have been the main reason retailers in the area have previously shut stores, according to reports.
Outdoor retailer REI shuttered its Pearl District store last year, citing rising security costs due to break-ins and theft.
The closure followed Target‘s decision to axe three Portland stores in 2023 due to theft.
Macy’s also closed its downtown store in 2017.
Meanwhile, The Sun recently reported that Portland’s Lloyd Center is staging one of the most unlikely comebacks in US mall history.
The 65-year-old mall, which went into foreclosure in 2021, now houses about 90 tenants.
Sixty of them are small businesses, nonprofits and activity spaces that now breathe new life into storefronts once occupied by national chains.
Jason Leivian, owner of Floating World Comics, which moved into the mall nearly three years ago, told Oregon Live: “We’re almost just squatting in this capitalist temple.
“It’s a beautiful space, so we might as well use it.”
While Barnes & Noble and GameStop remain, other familiar names have been replaced by unlikely newcomers.
The former Spencer’s is now a pinball museum, the old Brookstone hosts magic shows, and a former Foot Locker has been converted into an art gallery.
“It really is like a startup incubator for new creative retail, and I think Portland really needs that,” said Matt Morrison, owner of Legion Sabers, a shop selling Star Wars-inspired light sabers near the ice rink.
