10 Kroger Finds Ohioans Secretly Hoard
Kroger’s start traces to a single store on Pearl Street in downtown Cincinnati in 1883.
Ohio has been its home base ever since.
That long history has given many Ohio shoppers years to learn Kroger’s savings system.
These are the Kroger finds Ohioans secretly hoard.
1. Fuel Points That Stack at the Pump
Kroger’s Fuel Points program turns every dollar spent on groceries into points that come off the price at the pump.
Shoppers earn 1 point per dollar, and every 100 points knocks 10 cents off each gallon at participating Kroger Family Fuel Centers and partner stations.
Kroger’s fuel FAQ says those partner stations may include Shell, bp, Amoco and Turkey Hill, depending on the area.
2. Boost Membership That Pays for Itself
A Kroger Boost membership costs $99 a year, and the math favors households with big weekly grocery bills.
Members earn double Fuel Points on groceries and get free delivery on orders of $35 or more.
The $99 plan also includes a year of Disney+, Hulu or ESPN+, all with ads.
At $150 a week in groceries, the doubled rate adds about 600 points a month, enough for 60 cents off per gallon on one fill-up.
3. Free Friday Item in the App
Every Friday, Kroger’s app offers a free item to shoppers who save it as a digital deal.
Once it’s saved, the coupon stays good for up to two weeks, so no Friday trip is required.
Tasting Table lists past freebies that ranged from frozen pizza and snack chips to seltzer water and body wash.
4. Private Selection When Regular Brands Won’t Do
Private Selection is Kroger’s upscale store brand, built to compete with name brands on taste instead of just price.
The line has grown to more than 3,600 items since its 2000 launch, according to Kroger.
Kroger calls it a $2.9 billion brand, with favorites like croissant loaf bread and amaretto cherry cordial ice cream.
5. Simple Truth for the Free-From Shelf
Simple Truth is Kroger’s organic and free-from line, with Free From products made without 101 artificial ingredients.
Launched in 2013, it grew into what Kroger calls America’s No. 1 organic and free-from brand.
Kroger said in 2023 that more than 30 million households shop the brand each year.
The brand carried more than 1,500 items when Kroger marked its 10th year.
Stacking Beats Any Single Deal
Kroger’s savings finds work best together.
A Boost member who clips a digital coupon on a sale item still earns double Fuel Points on that purchase.
That stacking is how regulars turn a routine grocery run into extra savings.
6. Buy 5 Save $5 Mega Event
Kroger’s Buy 5 Save $5 mega events take $1 off each of five participating items, and the five can come from different categories.
The items don’t have to match, so a sharp shopper pairs five unrelated sale items and saves on all of them at once.
ConsumerAffairs puts the payoff at 30 to 50 percent off the original price once coupons go on top of mega event prices.
7. Marked-Down Meat Near Its Sell-By Date
Kroger puts yellow discount tags on meat that is getting close to its sell-by date.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says food kept constantly at 0°F will always be safe, so a tagged pack of chicken can go straight into the freezer.
Only the quality slips with long freezer storage, the agency adds.
Quiz
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When do Kroger Fuel Points expire?
8. Bonus Fuel Points on Gift Cards
Kroger periodically runs a promotion that quadruples Fuel Points earned on select third-party gift cards.
Shoppers who plan ahead buy the Target or DoorDash gift cards they would use anyway during those windows.
The bonus skips gift cards from Kroger's family of companies.
A single $100 gift card purchase during one of those windows earns 400 points, enough for 40 cents off per gallon on the next fill-up.
9. Digital Coupons Stacked on Top of Sales
Kroger's app lets shoppers clip digital coupons and stack them directly on top of the weekly sale price.
One catch ConsumerAffairs flags is that a digital coupon and a paper coupon can't both go on the same item.
A shopper loading ten coupons before a big trip can turn an already-discounted cart into an even smaller total at checkout.
Most offers load only once per household, Kroger's coupon FAQ says.
10. Yellow-Tagged Bakery Bread
Kroger's yellow discount tags also turn up on bakery bread and pastries as they near their sell-by dates.
The Takeout points out that the tag marks an item close to its sell-by date, not a damaged one.
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