What Does Your Grocery Store do for You?

I'll be the first to tell you that Kroger isn't a perfect grocery store. Other stores have better meat selection, and there are times when I can't find an item there that I can somewhere else. When it comes to shopper rewards, though, Kroger seems to have the local competition beat.

For some reason, our mail didn't get delivered until 9:30 last night. I was happy that it did eventually come, though, because waiting inside was a great surprise from Kroger - my quarterly rewards certificate!

Kroger rewards shoppers in a number of ways (you need a store card to access these rewards). I've mentioned that prescription transfers can earn you $25 in free groceries (when promo is running, which it currently is not). You also earn fuel points for each dollar spent. These can be redeemed for cents off gallons of gas at Shell or Kroger fuel stations. One hundred points = $0.10 off each gallon. A third reward is the one that was in my mailbox, a quarterly rewards certificate.

Each dollar spent in store earns you rewards points. Each prescription filled earns 50 points, and bringing your own green bags earns 10 points per shopping trip. On a quarterly basis, you will be mailed a reward certificate with a value based on the number of points you have accumulated. A 500 point minimum is needed to earn a $5 certificate. After your first 500 points, each additional 100 points adds a dollar to your reward.

The $13 reward certificate I received can be used on any in store purchases, AND it was accompanied by two pages of coupons, including some for store brand items, like deli and produce purchases. In the scheme of things, this reward isn't huge, but it is a nice bonus that other stores don't offer.

What does YOUR grocery store do for you?