6 Big Differences Between Meijer and Kroger Every Michigander Should Know

You’re standing in your kitchen with a grocery list, deciding whether tonight’s trip is a Meijer run or a Kroger run.

Michiganders can shop at either, but the two stores don’t treat your money the same way.

Here’s how Meijer and Kroger really compare, so you know before you choose.

1. Hometown and Footprint

Meijer began as a small grocery store in Greenville, Michigan.

Hendrik Meijer opened his food store in 1934.

Today, Meijer calls itself a privately owned, family-operated retailer based in Grand Rapids.

Barney Kroger opened a single grocery store on Pearl Street in downtown Cincinnati in 1883.

Kroger is 51 years older.

If you shop Meijer, you’re shopping a company with Michigan roots, and Kroger’s roots are in Ohio.

Meijer has stores in six states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Kroger runs supermarkets in 35 states and the District of Columbia, a much wider reach than the six states where you’ll find Meijer.

2. Store Size

Meijer’s Plymouth Township supercenter, which opened Sept. 30, 2026, covers 159,000 square feet and is what Meijer calls its 130th store in Michigan.

Wear comfortable shoes.

That store adds apparel, garden centers and floral departments to the grocery aisles.

If you’d rather skip the walk, Meijer also runs a smaller, food-focused format called Meijer Grocery, with a 75,000-square-foot store in Livonia.

That’s less than half the size of the 159,000-square-foot Plymouth Township supercenter.

Kroger lists 120 grocery stores across 83 Michigan cities.

One of them, Shelby Marketplace, is on 23 Mile Road in Shelby Township.

The Shelby Report, citing the Food Industry Association, says Kroger’s Marketplace stores generally occupy 99,000 to 130,000 square feet.

That larger footprint makes room for home goods, apparel and toys alongside a full grocery assortment.

If you want clothes and groceries in one trip, both chains run stores built for it.

Even at 130,000 square feet, a Marketplace is 29,000 square feet smaller than Meijer’s Plymouth Township supercenter.

3. Rewards Points

Meijer’s mPerks program awards 10 points for every dollar you spend on eligible purchases, in a store or online.

Meijer said in June 2025 that Michigan customers saved nearly $200 million through mPerks over the previous year.

Kroger’s Points program, which Kroger renamed from Fuel Points in June 2026, pays 1 Point for every $1 spent on most groceries.

Earned mPerks points are valid for 90 days, and claimed rewards are valid for 45 days.

Kroger Points expire on the last day of the month after you earn them.

Meijer’s mPerks rewards include dollars off, fuel discounts and free items.

Kroger Points go toward fuel discounts or dollars off groceries.

At the pharmacy counter, Kroger awards 25 Points for non-federally funded prescriptions and 75 for each 90-day script.

Meijer gives bonus points on every qualifying prescription filled and vaccine administered at a Meijer Pharmacy.

If you split your shopping between the two, you’ll be tracking two separate point balances.

4. Fuel Discounts

Kroger has 80 gas stations across 63 cities in Michigan.

At the pump, you enter your phone number or insert your rewards card and choose how many Points to redeem.

Then you start pumping, and the discount applies automatically.

Before you pump at a Meijer Express gas station, you claim and confirm your fuel reward in mPerks.

Once you reach the pump, you enter your mPerks ID and PIN before pumping and paying.

Kroger Points also work at participating partner fuel stations, where your oldest Points are used first.

Kroger's published cap is $1 a gallon on up to 35 gallons per purchase, though limits can vary by location.

In June 2025, Meijer said mPerks points can save up to $1 off each gallon.

5. WIC Delivery Orders

Meijer said on July 28, 2026, that it became the first retailer in Michigan to accept Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits for online grocery orders.

Before that, Michigan customers could use WIC benefits only in stores.

If you shop with WIC online, you add your WIC card to your mPerks account.

Meijer offers free home delivery on WIC orders placed through Meijer.com or the Meijer app.

Kroger's delivery FAQ says that, at this time, it can't accept WIC for delivery orders, though it does take Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for them.

6. Free Delivery

Meijer lists free home delivery on beauty orders of $35 or more and pet orders of $49 or more, with exclusions.

You can also get free delivery when you use your Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) SNAP card, or claim it as an mPerks reward.

Kroger offers free delivery on orders of $35 or more to members of Boost, its paid membership.

Boost plans cost $8.99, $12.99, $69 or $99, plus applicable taxes.