I love Kroger everybody knows it ;0) And I especially love "my Kroger". The employees are fabulous, the shelves are well stocked and each department is amazing!
One of the things I have enjoyed most about Kroger is that I could use both a coupon on my Kroger card (ecoupon) and stack it with a paper coupon whether I printed it from the internet or cut it out of an insert etc.
Stacking coupons in this way resulted many times in me receiving overage, cents off of others items I was buying, sometimes as high as $3.00 I would receive off of my bill for "taking the item free". So yes that is a bit crazy and over the last few months we have seen stores here in the Mid-South crack down on this Let me give you some facts about ecoupons that you may or may not know.
First ecoupons are Manufactor coupons not Kroger store coupons. Kroger gets reimbursed for these coupons from the companies that issue them. That is why they limit how many of them can be loaded onto a card. This is also why there is no rhyme or reason to when more become available they simply offer them once they are approved.
Ecoupons cannot be doubled.
Ecoupons are triggered to come off your card after your card has been scanned and the item for that ecoupon has been scanned.
Kroger now has the technology for a store to be able to change it's register system to not allow a paper coupon for a product in which a ecoupon has already been taken off. Not all stores in the Mid South have "switched their register system over". But many stores are asking employees to watch the receipt and not allow it.
I talked with Kroger Corp. yesterday they confirmed they DO NOT WANT BOTH COUPONS USED ON PRODUCTS.
I explained the frustration of ecoupons now coming off and not doubling when a customer will then have a higher paper coupon in their hand that will double and offer more savings.
MY ADVICE:
BE CAREFUL WHICH COUPONS YOU LOAD TO YOUR CARD. I personally will not load anything under $.65. Keep loading coupons to your card as there are some high value ones even as high as $5.00 which is awesome and you never know which HIGH products may get put on Manager's Special!
Go and check your card and take off some of the lower coupons or coupons that you have higher paper coupons too.
See if your store will allow you have all your items scanned first and then give them the paper coupons you want taken off first and then offer them your Kroger card to scan with the ecoupons then coming off. Not all Kroger stores will probably want to do this but you can give it a try.
You could also (and this is a little ridiculous but I am trying to be creative) get another Kroger card and do more than one transaction. If you get a second Kroger card do not register it. Only use it as a blank card to get your the sale prices and use paper coupons for it with no ecoupons loaded on it. If you go on-line and register this card with home address all your ecoupons from your other card will appear.
Summary: Corporate Kroger does not want us to use both coupon types together, this is their official policy and I personally do not go against policies or advocate for people to try and "trick the system". I can understand why they don't want us to use both. I am of course frustrated that their system does not have a clear way for customers to choose which coupon they want to use.
My opinion, do not take out your ecoupon frustration on the hard working Kroger employees who too are grocery shoppers and many are avid couponers they too are frustrated by this shift and are limited on what they can do. You can always e-mail or call Kroger and share with them your frustration.
And you have the My Memphis Mommy site to vent your ecoupon frustrations ;0)
Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences, please know you can e-mail me with questions, comments, ideas anytime!!