We moved to a Kroger area and the way Kroger does coupons and buy-combinations and digital coupons seem complicated and a lot of effort
May I ask for suggestions on how to navigate Kroger and get good prices? Maybe it’s easier to do this step by step? I’d be willing to ease into it.
We used to buy most things at r/Costco so it’s a bit of an adjustment. Thank you so much!
Posted by Ra_a_
21 Comments
Do yourself a favor and find a different grocery store
Any grocery store with a complicated app, just ignore shop elsewhere.
Just sign up for the card and download the app. I will agree with others the App kind of sucks. The coupon section doesn’t even give you recommendations for ones that it knows you have bought in the past. So generally when I am shopping there will be a tag that says digital coupon. Usually have to go in the app in store and find it then.
I agree with others Kroger is far from my favorite. But where I live it’s by far the closest grocery store. So I will go in there from time to time usually for a one or two small items. But if I happen to walk by a deal I can’t pass up; I will take advantage of it.
Look around for a Food City, Aldi, WinCo.
Is there not an Aldi within reasonable distance?
I’d drive 30 minutes to not go to Kroger
Digital coupons are easy. Just browse them and select what you want. They’re automatically loaded to your loyalty card on your profile. Add your phone number to the profile if you don’t want to carry the card.
You don’t have to get all 10 in a 10 for $10 promotion, and you don’t have to get all the same item in their Buy Five Save Another $1 Each promotion. You just have to get five things in the same promotion.
Download the app. Register with your phone number. Click on the savings tab. Add the coupons that you want. Put in your phone number at the register to apply your coupons. They will also send you paper coupons in the mail based on your buying habits. I got a carton of free eggs with one last week. It takes little getting used to but I’ve been Krogering for over a decade. Good luck!
Kroger is Fry’s here. I stopped going there because of all that crap. Plus they put salespeople on the floor to pester you while you shop. Ew.
I prefer winco now.
there’s instant savings and then there’s Kroger coupons you clip and then there’s manufacturers coupons. you will see the instant savings price in the cart if you buy the correct amount (like buy 1 get 1, or buy 2+ or buy up to 5)
other discounts will show up under the subtotal but should be labeled so you know you are getting the proper discount
here, Walmart is consistently cheaper but certain Kroger sales come up that I take advantage of
Lots of the coupons are highlighted in weekly ads, but they also send you personalized coupons. I think it’s very worth it as I’ve gotten free ice cream, eggs, $10 off multiple orders just because etc. The account tx frugal finds on IG and youtube is helpful. They also have great clearance sections in store. I mostly only buy what’s on sale.
I avoid Kroger not worth the effort. I refuse to support a company with a Board of Directors as bad as Kroger has, Nope I vote with my Dollars.
Get in the habit of only buying things when they go on sale. There is typically a rotation or rhythm for when things go on sale. Check your flier weekly.
Make sure you clip the weekly digital coupons as those are the best deals.
Look at the ad for the save $5 on five. I don’t always get those deals because they aren’t part of our usual diet.
Look for markdowns in every section. Produce, meat, dairy, etc.
You may also want to check out the Krazy coupon lady website to get ideas for the best deals of the week, but she gets real complicated.
And for those saying shop elsewhere – some of us don’t have that option. My closest Walmart is over 300 miles away. The nearest Aldi or WinCo 900 miles.
Kroger bought our local King Soopers long ago, and the enshitification began. Locally, it is location dependent on how bad the stores are. If detergent is locked up, if you’re subjected to a Kevlar draped security guard checking your receipt and bags, etc.
But, it’s my walkable store, so here I am. Paired with the Kroger overlay, my store is in the middle of a wind down for a new location, and the closest Safeway closed. The decline is weekly. For four years.
I make a list in the app, and get the coupons. Like others said above, I’ll look on an item with a coupon tag, too.
Basically, I hit produce, beans and grains, the bakery and leave.
There’s a reason Publix ads say “where shopping is a pleasure” and Kroger’s do not. Still, Kroger is a good place to buy staples at reasonable prices. (I also shop for groceries at Aldi & Walmart.) The Kroger digital coupons are definitely worth the little bit of effort they take.
Kroger is a pain. And they know it. They’re trying to set prices according to people’s tolerance for the extra effort.
Look for the yellow and red discount sticker sections. Every dept at kroger has these…some are a little less obvious than others but I shop exclusively from these and only buy whats on sale or marked down.
I don’t even bother with the app as shopping from the clearance sections is a much better deal 2 of the 3 krogers in my town
Their app is actually fairly easy to use once you get used to it. I usually do pick up orders so I have a lot of time to think and plan my savings, but if I’m going to the store I just look through coupons and clip before I go, and I look at the weekly ad too.
The app is the easiest. I’ll look at the sales ad. Most of the lost leaders will be the first page. Then I’ll go through and see any sales or coupons and clip them before I get to the store. If I’m in store and see something I want that says it has a coupon I will just jump onto the app, search that item, and it’ll let you clip the coupon from there.
I don’t use grocery pick up much. So roughly 2 times a year they will send me a nice coupon to try it. Usually like $25 off $75. So I’ll do a stock up then and then I won’t use it again until they send me the next coupon (or if we are sick or something).
Contrary to what the others are saying: don’t do anything beforehand. Go to the store and buy what you want to buy. If the tag is BLUE, you need a digital coupon. Open your app and search for it. If the tag is yellow, you’re done.
If your Kroger has free order pickup then that’s a good way to go. You can take your time and shop exclusively sale options and it tells you if there’s a coupon available for what you’re getting. Our Kroger also offers gas reward bonuses for shopping on Fridays so I try to do my pickups then, but I don’t know if every Kroger does gas.
Note that the paper coupons they mail often get rejected by the self checkout and then you are at the mercy of the employee as to whether they honor them or not. It’s generally not a problem but I did have one employee busting my balls cause the lasagna I bought wasn’t pictured on the coupon (even though it met the written requirements of the coupon).