Kroger customers no longer require the app to redeem digital coupons.
In a bid to ensure fairness and inclusivity in the digital age, two major grocery chains, Kroger and Stop & Shop, are taking steps to address digital discrimination in their stores.
In a letter to various CEOs, five consumer organizations, including Consumer Reports and the National Consumers League, highlighted the issue of digital discrimination in grocery shopping. This issue has gained attention as more shopping experiences move online, potentially leaving behind older consumers and low-income families without smartphones.
Kroger, the fourth-largest food and consumables retailer in North America according to Progressive Grocer's 2025 list, is taking a proactive approach to this issue. The company is providing printed flyers near store entrances for customers, mirroring its weekly digital deals. These flyers feature a single barcode that applies all promoted discounts at checkout, ensuring that customers without smartphones or internet access can still take advantage of the deals.
Kroger customers with a loyalty card can grab a printed handout to find out about the weekly digital deals. At checkout, they can scan a barcode on the flyer to download all digital coupons at once. This approach not only combats digital discrimination but also broadens access to deals while still collecting purchase data.
However, Kroger's use of loyalty cards and digital data also enables dynamic, AI-driven pricing strategies, potentially leading to individualized price adjustments or "pain point" pricing. This practice, while aimed at providing personalized offers, could disadvantage customers who do not engage with loyalty programs or digital tools.
For Stop & Shop, the search results do not provide specific details about their in-store strategies addressing digital discrimination. However, the company has rolled out an in-store kiosk called Savings Station, allowing customers to activate all weekly circular digital coupons and personalized offers. This move could potentially benefit seniors and low-income families who may not have access to digital platforms.
Regulatory moves, such as San Diego’s ordinance requiring stores to offer in-store alternatives to digital coupons, align with Kroger’s approach. This ordinance, a first-in-the-nation policy, aims to ensure that all shoppers have equal access to deals, regardless of their digital capabilities.
In the broader context, concerns about digital or surveillance pricing that leverages personal data to vary prices individually have been critiqued as unfair. Both Kroger and Stop & Shop's strategies aim to address these concerns by providing in-store alternatives to digital coupons, ensuring that all shoppers have equal access to deals.
Both Kroger and Ahold Delhaize, Stop & Shop's parent company, were named among Progressive Grocer's Retailers of the Century, further highlighting their commitment to innovation and customer service.
Consumer organizations, such as Consumer Reports and the National Consumers League, have raised concerns about digital discrimination in grocery shopping, noting that the move towards online shopping may leave behind older consumers and low-income families without smartphones.
In an effort to combat this issue, Kroger is offering printed flyers near store entrances that contain a single barcode that can be scanned at checkout for all promoted discounts, providing an alternative for customers without smartphones or internet access. This approach is in line with regulatory moves, like San Diego’s ordinance requiring stores to offer in-store alternatives to digital coupons, aimed at ensuring equal access to deals for all shoppers, regardless of their digital capabilities.
