Kroger
Initiation
In order to take advantage of any sale going on at Kroger, you must obtain a Kroger card:
You may do this when you first walk in the store at the customer service desk, which is typically located at the front of the building.
Preparation
As before any shopping trip, I look to Jenny to tell me what sales are going on and what coupons I can match with them. Occasionally, sale prices that Jenny lists differ slightly from those at my store due to different pricing in different regions; however, I use Jenny's prices as a guide for any items not listed in the weekly sales flyer on the Kroger website.
In addition to the typical paper coupons that I cut from the newspaper or print from the internet, there are digital coupons that can put on a Kroger card. There are various websites where these coupons can be loaded (cellfire.com, shortcuts.com, kroger.com, upromise.com, to name a few). When you use your Kroger card and purchase the appropriate item(s), these coupons are automatically deducted from your purchase. Note that you cannot use a digital manufacturer coupon with a paper manufacturer coupon; furthermore, the digital coupon loaded onto your card will ALWAYS be used (you cannot choose to use a better paper one), and they will NOT be doubled. Paper coupons will be doubled (up to a certain value) at Kroger; check your store's policy to see what this value is for you. And as always, you can use one manufacturer and one store coupon on a single item.
B1G1 free sales at Kroger (or any other grocery store) can be misleading; these items are simply reduced in price by half. You do not need to purchase two items to see the savings...but you can if you want to. Often there are no limit to the number of items you purchase at Kroger; however, you should always pay attention to the fine print to be sure, especially with products like milk and soft drinks.
Kroger will sometimes have Catalina deals (Jenny also keeps track of these). These are sales where, if you purchase the appropriate item(s), Kroger money will print out at the register. My favorite Kroger deal, however, is what they call a "Mega Event." Typically these events run for two weeks and are centered around a sporting event (March Madness, Indy 500) or a new movie (Cars 2). To take advantage of these deals, you will usually have to buy 5-10 items on a list; then you will automatically receive $3-$5 off your total purchase when you check out. Again there are usually no limits, so for example, if you would receive $5 off the purchase of 10 items, as long as you had y*10 items, you would get y*$5 off at checkout (i.e. $15 for 30 items).
Implementation
When I get to the store, I do my shopping, gathering items from my list, just like normal. One "different" thing that many folks find helpful if a mega event is going on is to bring in reusable bags. Then fill each with the required number of items for the mega event; this helps you to make sure you have the correct number of items. When I've finished my shopping, I'll double check the number and types of items I've picked up, as well as the coupons I had planned to use. Finally, I proceed to the checkout line.
I will place my items on the belt and have the cashier scan my Kroger card. As he/she scans my items, I try to watch the prices on the screen to make sure everything rings up correctly. After he/she is finished, I give any paper coupons I have and any catalinas from previous deals; then I pay the balance.
Kroger receipts give you a nice breakdown of your savings from both sales and coupons. They also track the number of gas points you earn per purchase:
You can use these points to get a discount on gas at the Kroger gas station or participating Shell stations in your area. Any catalinas you have earned through your purchase will print out seperately from your receipt, like at Wags. These typically have a two-week from the date of purchase expiration date.
How many of you enjoy shopping at your local Kroger?
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