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The next time you are
about to shop for groceries or prescriptions and you consider Kroger’ing,
you may want to reconsider.
Here are a few reasons why
you may want to fly the coop to Giant Eagle or another store in your
area that’s not part of the nation’s largest traditional grocery chain (known
by many names other than Kroger outside the Midwest;
see “aliases” below).
Policies, prices, and
advertised specials vary widely from region to region … even city to city …
and store to store. And most of the people who work for Kroger are
hard-working, friendly people who are a pleasure to do business with. However, some of their bosses (especially
those who don’t work in the store make poor choices that reflect badly on the
company). Below are some examples:
In Columbus, Ohio
…
- Kroger bans customer from all of its stores
for using too many coupons!
It’s true.
Read all about it
in the Nov. 30 edition of The
Cincinnati Post
and The Kentucky Post.
What you won’t find in their
stories:
On Nov. 15, he received one of their
mass mailings – a box of chocolates that said on the outside, “Look
inside for a gift selected especially for you! Thanks for being
one of our best customers!” Strange how one of the last things
they mailed him was a certified letter saying that because he used too
many coupons that he was “no longer welcome at any Kroger” and would be
arrested for Criminal Trespass if he ever entered one of their stores or
parking lots. Not nearly as sweet as the Dove chocolate.
Ironically, there was a COUPON inside to save $1 on a bag of more Dove
chocolates. But he can’t go to Kroger to redeem it … because he
already used too many coupons. Read “the
rest of the story ...”
· DON’T GET HOSED BY KROGER’S
FUEL DISCOUNT PLAN LACKING PERKS LIKE “FREE FUEL” POSSIBILITY … and a
90-DAY+ ROLL-OVER & NO 50-cent LIMIT ON DISCOUNT!
FuelPerks of Giant Eagle
(currently 20 cents per $50 spent) add up to greater savings much faster and
can go far beyond 50 cents off per gallon (Kroger’s top discount
usually). In fact, the Giant Eagle points never expire (unlike monthly
roll-away at Kroger). They increase until you choose to use them at the
pump (rather than just your 3-cent discount) or until the end of the THIRD
month after you earned them (when some might expire). Kroger makes you
use your discount even when you’re just grabbing a few gallons in a hurry if
you swipe your PlusCard. Therefore, you can’t use it to save just 3
cents when you want to hold on to your discounted fill up when you will buy
more.
To compare, at Giant Eagle:
After you’ve spent say $750 (over a month or two or three), you’d have $3 off
per gallon. If that was the price of the gas, then your fill-up is
FREE!
At Kroger, your points start over
each month and you use your discounts the next month (or lose them).
Let’s say you buy 12 gallons on average 4 times at 50 cents off (earned
by buying $750 or more the previous month). That means you paid
about $144 for the discounted gas and saved only about $24. If
your purchases the previous month were below $750 (but over $550),
you’d just get 30 cents off – so your savings that month would be just
$14.40.
By contrast, your FREE fill up at Giant Eagle’s
Get-n-Go could be $36 to $90 in savings (at
$3/gallon for 12 to 30 gallons with $3 in GasPerks savings).
With Kroger specials, there’s almost always a lot of fine print that makes
the big print pitch not look so great. For the Shop & Save on
Kroger Fuel program, it says on their web site:
“$1 spent equals 1 point earned
150-349 points..........10¢ off per gallon
350-549 points..........20¢ off per gallon
550-749 points..........30¢ off per gallon
750 or more points..........50¢ off per gallon
Earn fuel points at participating Kroger locations this month and
redeem your rewards beginning the 4th of next month.
Points earned will be 1 point for every $1 spent, (RX - out of
pocket spending only see RX for details) excluding Fuel, Alcohol, Cigarettes,
Kroger Gift Cards, Services and Items prohibited by law . Fuel awards are
inclusive of our everyday 3¢ discount. Commercial vehicles and farm equipment
are excluded. A fill-up refers to one vehicle with a 30 gallon limit. Kroger
reserves the right to discontinue the fuel program at any time. One award per
fill-up per household. Household is all members that have a Plus Card
registered to that address.”
Also,
FOUR discounted fill-ups is
something available in Columbus.
Many other markets only get ONE
discounted fill-up per month.
·
PRESCRIPTION FOR FALSE
ADVERTISING –
“One a Day” rule and other hidden ways to not quite “meet the competitor’s”
offers or hassle customers trying to redeem on the promise should keep you
away from Kroger Rx:
Signs and ads say, “We Gladly Accept All Competitors’ Coupons” at the
Pharmacy. However, they’ll seldom seem glad to see you present one …
and most pharmacists (at least in Great Lakes Division – Ohio, Michigan,
Kentucky, and West Virginia) will likely tell you can only use ONE … and be
vague about what they mean by that – ONE per shopper, per patient, per day,
per month, per year, per lifetime. And they have been known to try to
give you something other than a gift card (as the competitor would have given
you). The advantage with a gift card is you can use a little bit at a
time, combine it with other gift cards earned different days, and use it when
you want – for at least a year without it expiring. Not so at
Kroger. They prefer to give you a “voucher” in increments of $5 or $10
or $20 that EXPIRES in just 30 days. Furthermore, you’ll run into
trouble at the checkout usually if you try to use more than two of these at a
time. Also, you have to spend at least the full value of the voucher –
hoping you’ll go over a lot. Even on their new system recently unveiled
to add it to your Rx Rewards on your PlusCard, at the U-Scan Checkout I was told
I would have to use the whole thing at once – again, not like a gift card
from their competitor would have been. And, I suspect they are going to
expire Rx Rewards at some interval they don’t make clear anywhere. In a
past promotion, I only found out it would expire in 90 days because I asked
how long it was good.
Their “Rx Rewards,” competitor “match” and other programs seem designed like
most “Mail-in REBATE” programs you see this holiday shopping season – the
more hassle and hidden expirations that creep up and steal your perceived
savings, the better for them.
Just go to Giant Eagle or Target or Walgreen’s or CVS. They’ll give you
a real gift card with no hoops to jump through and hidden unpleasant
surprises. And isn’t one of those the kind of place you’d rather spend
your time and money on most other things anyway?
· FINE-PRINT on FREE FUEL (that quickly
evaporated) and turkey of a deal with “5 FREE” 12-packs of soft drinks for
Thanksgiving
During a “Free Fuel – 4
Days Only” promotion, Kroger offered $5, $10, or $15 in FREE gas if a single
purchase was made that totaled $60, $100, or $160. But, unlike “Shop
and Save on Fuel” guidelines, pharmacy purchases did not count. And the
fast evaporation factor: Purchase had to be made between Oct. 4 and
Oct. 7. Award had to be used by Oct. 14. Or your free gas earned
evaporated before you ever had a chance to pour it.
This week (as of Nov. 16, 2007), they have a weekly special promoting you can
get five 12-packs of soda for FREE. If you read closely enough all the
fine print, you find you have to buy a turkey to qualify for a mail-in rebate
that has to be sent in by a certain date and other specifications that made
my squinting eyes roll.
More details to follow:
n
Unresponsive
(or slow to respond) managers regarding complaints about poor customer
service.
n
How
many different hoops and hassles can Kroger come up with for customers who
respond to Kroger coupon to bring them new/transferred prescription (whether
its their own coupon or a competitor’s – that they allegedly “gladly accept.”)
n
How
many different ways can a customer be mistreated and inconvenienced simply
asking a Kroger pharmacy manager to honor their policy to accept competitors’
coupons?
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More things you
need to know
Right Now!
_________
Human Rights Campaign:
Kroger scores 75%
Kroger achieved a score
of 75 on the Human Rights Campaign 2008 Corporate Equality Index which rates
large corporations on policies that affect their gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender employees, consumers and investors. The HRC Corporate Equality
Index rated companies on a scale of 0 to 100 percent.
Human Rights Campaign, 09/10/2007
Source URL: www.hrc.org/issues/ceihome.asp
_________
Multinational
Monitor names Kroger one of 10 Worst
Companies
Kroger has the dubious distinction
of being named one of the Multinational Monitor's 10 Worst Companies of
2006. According to the Multinational Monitor, a magazine that tracks the
actions of multinational corporations, Ralphs Grocery, a division of
Kroger's is guilty of one of the biggest union-busting activities in
history. Ralphs plead guilty to criminal charges in connection with a 2003
strike, in which it locked out workers and illegally hired union workers to
replace the strikers. The charges included falsifying employment records
and tax documents. Ralphs was fined $20 million and ordered to pay $50
million in compensation, health benefits and pension funds for its workers.
Additionally, the company was put on three-years probation.
Multinational Monitor,
11/01/2006
_________
Co-op America
says:
“For some, Kroger-owned
food and retail centers seem like convenient and reasonably-priced places
to shop. For others, however, Kroger is a company with questionable regard for workers
ranging from store employees in California
to fruit farmers in Central America. As a
major grocery chain operator, Kroger bears some responsibility for depressed agricultural prices and abysmal earnings of farmers in the
developing world. Kroger has made no discernable commitment to selling Fair
Trade products, even though they are easier than ever to acquire. Kroger
has also been criticized for failing to address the issue of ethical gold
sourcing. Strikes and discrimination lawsuits have hit
the company in response to worker treatment. Last but not least, Kroger
uses unlabeled GMOs in its store
brand products, claiming that they pose no threat to human health. Kroger's
current practices turn a blind eye to long-term sustainability.”
Bottom line:
Adopt a local Kroger
supermarket and build momentum for Fair Trade goods. In the meantime,
locate Fair Trade coffee, food and more through Go Green.
n Source: ““Responsible Shopper” profile of
Kroger
n Author: Co-op America: Economic action for a
just planet … Global Research and Action to Stop Corporate Abuse
n Profile Updated 09/25/2007
_________
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING … EVERYWHER!
CAN WRONG PLACE FOR
CAM?
Employees
at Kroger distribution center in Louisville,
Ky., sue over hidden
surveillance cameras in restroom (Nov. 13, 2007).
Read more in The Courier-Journal.
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What
others are saying about Kroger:
SHARE your
own thoughts about
why Kroger Sucks –
send e-mail to input@KrogerSucks.org
Or add your thoughts directly to
a Blog
that will be here soon.
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Misc. FYI …
Kroger Brands:
- F.M.V.
- Kroger Brand
- Private Selection
- Turkey Hill
Kroger Affiliates:
- America's Beverage Co. - Irving, TX
- Baker's Supermarkets, Inc. - Omaha, NE
- Bell Market Inc. - San Francisco, CA
- Dillon Companies, Inc. - Hutchinson, KS
- Dillons (Other) - Topeka, KS
- FM Retail Services Inc. - Chehalis, WA
- Fred Meyer of Alaska - Anchorage, AK
- Fred Meyer Stores - Portland, OR
- Fred Meyer, Inc. (Subsidiary) - Portland, OR
- Jay C. Foodstores - Seymour, IN
- Junior Food Stores - Crestview, FL
- Kenlake Foods (Division) - Murray, KY
- Kessel Enterprises LLC - Grand Blanc, MI
- Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co. - Cincinnati, OH
- Kwik Shop Inc. (Subsidiary) - Hutchinson, KS
- Loaf 'N Jug/Mini Mart, Inc. - Pueblo, CO
- Pace Dairy Foods - Rochester, MN
- Quality Food Centers, Inc. - Bellevue, WA
- Quik Stop Markets Inc. - Fremont, CA
- Ralphs Grocery Company (Subsidiary) - Compton, CA
- Santee Dairies - City of Industry, CA
- Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Inc. - Salt Lake City, UT
- Smiths Food & Drugs - Kalispell, MT
- Tara Foods (Division) - Albany, GA
- The Kroger Co. (Parent) - Cincinnati, OH
- Turkey Hill Dairy, Inc. - Conestoga, PA
- Wells Aircraft Inc. - Hutchinson, KS
Kroger in the
News:
Antitrust suit against Kroger (dba
“Ralphs”) by California Attorney General:
After Kroger(Ralphs), Safeway(Vons) and
Albertson’s formed a mutual aid agreement during the 2003-2004 United Food
and Commercial Workers(UFCW) strike and lockout, the California Attorney
General brought an antitrust suit against the three chains. The Attorney
General alleged that the mutual aid agreement, which sought to mitigate the
effects of the strike through profit sharing, “violated antitrust laws and
hurt consumers by discouraging competitive pricing.” Despite the pending
charges, in 2007 the three chains again threatened to form a mutual aid
agreement when it appeared that labor negotiations would break down.
-- Ventura County
Star, 04/05/2007
Paper or plastic?
In 2006 Kroger paid its CEO David Dillon
$7.47 million dollars after a 16 percent profit rise from 2005
-- Associated Press,
05/01/2007
Enron’ish?
Kroger is listed in a Government
Accounting Office database of more than 900 publicly traded companies that
have restated their financial results because of accounting irregularities
since the beginning of 1997. Kroger was listed for a 2001 restatement for
unspecified issues.
-- Government Accounting
Office, 06/23/2005
Source URL: www.gao.gov
BAGGED: Bagger (mentally retarded) told
by Kroger managers to resign or be arrested
In April 2001, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against
Kroger for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The
company is accused of harassing a mentally retarded worker into quitting his
job as a grocery bagger at a Kroger store in League City, Texas.
An investigation by the EEOC claims that managers called the bagger into an
office and told him that a customer complained that he had grabbed her child
and "done something awful" to her. EEOC attorneys say the employee
was not allowed to call his mother and was given the choice of resigning or
being arrested. The EEOC said the bagger had moved the child out of the way
so he could bag groceries and no harm was done to the child. The child's
guardian said she did not notice anything unusual.
-- Cincinnati Business
Courier, 04/16/2004
Source URL: cincinnati.bcentral.com/cincinnati/stories/2001/04/16/daily67.html
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