Texarkana Gazette

Coupon dispute

Consumer groups to grocers: Ditch digital-only deals

- DEE-ANN DURBIN AP BUSINESS WRITER

A coalition of consumer groups is asking grocery chains to rethink their digital-only coupons, saying the deals discrimina­te against people who don’t have smartphone­s or reliable internet access.

Digital-only deals — advertised online or on store shelves — can offer significan­t savings, but they generally require customers to electronic­ally clip a coupon in a grocer’s app or on its website.

For example, a Kroger in Cincinnati, Ohio, is advertisin­g frozen turkey for 60 cents per pound this week; with a digital coupon, the price drops to 49 cents per pound. And a Stop & Shop in Somerville, Massachuse­tts, is offering a half pork loin for $2.99 per pound; with a digital coupon, that drops to $1.79 per pound.

“There’s nothing wrong with digital coupons as long as they’re equitable and everyone can take advantage of the advertised price in one way or another,” said Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachuse­tts who runs the website Consumer World.

Dworsky and others — including Consumer Reports, Consumer Action, the Public Interest Research Group and the National Consumers League — sent letters this week to Kroger, Albertsons, Stop & Shop and Smart & Final urging them to make sure deals are available in both digital and non-digital formats.

Kroger and Smart & Final didn’t respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. Stop & Shop said it will review the letter.

Albertsons said it offers digital deals as a way to reward customers in its loyalty program, who can download the deals into their apps. But the company said many of its stores also let customers present the weekly circular to cashiers so the discounts can be applied at the register.

Dworsky said that can be problemati­c, since customers and cashiers don’t always know that’s an option.

Albertsons also pointed out that it owns Vons, a California-based chain that Dworsky praised for offering “clip or click” coupons in its circulars, which allow customers to cut out coupons or download them to their apps. Pennsylvan­ia-based Giant Co. also offers “clip or click” coupons, Dworsky said.

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