Kroger Coupon Policy

I was informed last night that the Kroger Cincinnati/Dayton region (118 stores) will no longer be doubling coupons. At All. This was officially announced this morning and will be taking effect March 1st. That means your paper coupons will only be accepted at FACE value.

There are promises of lower pricing to help offset this new policy change.

At this point, ONLY the Cincinnati region has been affected by this change and I will be updating if and when other regions follow suit.

photo credit

Official Press Release

KROGER INTRODUCES NEW LOWER PRICES TO SHOPPERS
IN THE CINCINNATI AND DAYTON AREAS

The Cincinnati/Dayton Division of Kroger has announced the launch of an exciting new price campaign. On Monday, February 4 Kroger, will lower prices on thousands of items in several commodities including Grocery, Produce, Organics, Natural Foods, and General Merchandise. This venture is a multi-million dollar investment for the company and shoppers will reap the benefits. Since 2008, Kroger has been lowering prices in several categories including packaged meat,produce, health and beauty care and other departments. The savings now will be even better. For example, the price on Kroger 24 pack water will drop 71 cents and the cost of a 3 lb. bag of onions will go down $1.00 and the retail on Soy Milk has been reduced by $1.40.

“We know price continues to be a top, and at times a deciding, factor when it comes to where to grocery shop”, said Sukanya Madlinger, President of Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton Division. “The savings shoppers see on items they buy every week are going to be better. Every aisle, every department in the store will contain newly lowered prices on Kroger Private Label and National Brand products.

In addition to the price reductions on groceries and merchandise, Kroger will continue to offer their Fuel Program, where customers can save up to $1.00 off a gallon at Kroger Fuel Centers, their $4 and $10 Prescription Program, weekly specials and themed events. Kroger has also made a 4 million dollar commitment to the 2013 Community Rewards program which benefits more than 2,000 local non-profit groups and organizations.

“This is an exciting time for us at Kroger, “said Scot Hendricks, the Cincinnati/Dayton Division’s
Vice-President of Merchandising. “We’re very committed to offering our customers the products they want, the friendly fast service they deserve at good…no…very good prices.” The coupon policy at the 110 Cincinnati and Dayton area Kroger stores will change effective March 1, 2013. Kroger will discontinue their double coupon, 50 cents or less, program but will continue to redeem paper manufacturer coupons at face value as well as digital and e-coupons. Kroger indicated the investment in the new pricing program is 3 times the expense of doubling coupons.

“Kroger data for our area indicates coupon shopping is changing,” said Rachael Betzler Customer Communications Manager for the Cincinnati/Dayton Division. “In fact, of the coupons available in the January 27, 2013 newspaper 65% had a value of $1.00 or more. That, along with the increased use of digital coupons emphasizes how customers will continue to realize significant savings shopping Kroger.”

Kroger invites shoppers to come see for themselves how much they will save at Kroger.

I also wanted to pass along the information that I received from my Columbus/Great Lakes Region marketing contact:

“While business needs could dictate changes be made at some point we currently do not have plans to make any changes in the coupon policy for Columbus Division Kroger stores.”

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Here is a copy of the email I received from Kroger Consumer Affairs regarding the Kroger Corporate Coupon Policy, dated May 14, 2010:

Thank you for contacting Kroger. The coupon policy for your Division is as follows:
** The store manager has the right to accept, decline or limit the use of ANY coupon upon view. **
** The store manager has the right to limit the Quantity of coupons or items used/purchased in a single transaction,
by a single customer, or in a single day. **
PAH: (Print At Home)
Internet Coupon Policy ALL Banner Stores!!
We only accept printable coupons if they scan properly at checkout.
We do not accept “FREE product” printable coupons, with no purchase requirement. Buy-one-get-one-free coupons and other values that have a purchase requirement are acceptable but will be MUCH less common than traditional value-off coupons.
We do not accept coupons for more than about 75% of a product’s value without advance notice. Legitimate PAH coupons will not be for a high value relative to the cost of the item. For example, a $2 off coupon will be acceptable for a product that normally sells for $5 or more, but a $2 off printable coupon for a product that sells for $2.25 is unlikely to be legitimate.
Coupons will be rejected if they appear out of proportion or blurry, or are obvious duplicates. Legitimate PAH coupons are never copied, sold or traded. Nearly all coupons are “non-transferable” meaning they should not be photocopied or scanned and distributed to others.
Coupons will be rejected if they appear to have been altered in any way.
PAH coupons can be checked for validity at http://www.printcoupons.com.
Columbus:
Double Coupons:
Columbus doubles coupons up to 99 cents. Gregg Witbeck 11.17.09
This Does Not apply to “Free”, Kroger, Catalina, Retail Food Store coupons, Electronic Coupons on the Kroger Plus Card or items prohibited by law.
Pharmacy Coupons:
Does accept Competitor Pharmacy coupons.
Cannot use LCM or Competitor Coupons in conjunction with the $4 Generic Program.
General Coupon Policy:
Limit one (1) manufacturer coupon per item.
Limit one (1) Store coupon per item.
The store manager has the right to accept, decline, or limit the use of ANY coupon upon view.
The store manager has the right to limit the Quantity of coupons/items, used/purchased in a single transaction, by a single customer, or in a single day.
Amount refunded cannot exceed the price of the item.
We Do accept Competitor Catalina coupons that are also Manufacturer coupons of items that we actually carry.
Do Not accept expired manufacturer coupons.
Customer is responsible for tax on all items even “Free” items.
If you have any further questions please contact your local stores manager. Thank you for taking the time to e-mail us.

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Kroger also has a Corporate Print At Home Coupon Policy:

Kroger Print-at-Home Coupon Acceptance Policy

Effective November 2007, all Kroger divisions accept industry-standard, secure print-at-home coupons. We recently partnered with Coupons Inc., the industry leader in print-at-home coupons, to offer print-at-home coupons on Kroger.com and all of our store banner websites. You may also find coupons on brand websites and legitimate coupon websites like Coupons.com. Help us make your shopping experience a pleasant one by keeping in mind these simple rules for using Print-At-Home coupons.

We can only accept print-at-home coupons if they scan properly at checkout. Legitimate printable coupons are delivered using special software designed to print a properly rendered barcode on the coupon and limit the number of coupons printed.

We will generally not accept “FREE product” (no purchase required) print-at-home coupons. It is currently an industry practice not to produce print-at-home manufacturer’s coupons for free product. Buy-one-get-one-free coupons and other values that have a purchase requirement are acceptable.

We will usually not accept coupons for more than about 75% of a product’s value. For example, a $2 off coupon will be acceptable for a product that normally sells for $5 or more, but a $2 off printable coupon for a product that sells for $2.25 is unlikely to be legitimate. If there are exceptions, we are usually provided advance notice by the manufacturer.

Coupons will be rejected if they appear distorted or blurry, altered in any way, or are obvious duplicates. You should always print the coupon yourself directly from the website or email that is offering it. Only then can you ensure you are printing a legitimate coupon. The coupon will never appear on your computer screen. A legitimate coupon is never sent as a graphic or PDF or sent in a Word document.

Print-at-home coupons should never be copied, sold, or traded. They should not be photocopied or scanned and distributed to others. They have unique serial numbers printed on them and follow an industry-standard format. Coupons are never sold and you should not pay for someone’s “time to clip” or other service fee.

For more information about using print-at-home coupons and to check coupons for validity please visit the Coupon Resource Center online at www.printcoupons.com.

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