Comments on: Why I Am Kicking My Nearest King Soopers To The Curb

By: sonya

sonya — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:32:35 +0000

I use coupons to, and had the simular experience at the king soo pers on chambers and illiff,the cashier wouldn’t let me use a coupon because she said I had used my king soopers card so I couldn’t use a manufacturer coupon as well.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:47:12 +0000

The only thing correct the cashiers had told you was we cant use coupons on manager specials seeing as they are already marked half the price, sometimes more. That varies depending on store though, I know that it is in a policy I’ve read and signed many times, but some store managers set a higher example of customer service and will tell the associates to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer, like mine. Looks like you’re just shopping at the wrong kings ;) I hope you give us another chance. It really is an amazing company.

By: Barbie

Barbie — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:49:34 +0000

I’ve had similar experiences with King Soopers. I now do everything I can to avoid K.S. and Kroger (I am in Dallas about 1/3 of the year). I even complained to corporate about it, the ‘response’ infuriated me. Safeway all the way!

By: JulieCC

JulieCC — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:23:48 +0000

I still get K.S. preferred customer coupons in the mail about monthly – lots of free stuff and great coupons on stuff I actually purchase.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:09:40 +0000

In reply to Kelli. Kelli - It is nice of you to respond. Hopefully you will read all of the comments posted by MHOTC readers. While many are lucky enough to have a great in-store experience, unfortunately, mine is not an isolated incident. --Laura

By: Kelli

Kelli — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:04:38 +0000

Hi Laura- – I was obviously disappointed when I read your posting, King Soopers goal is never to disappoint our shoppers. We are committed to providing all our guests with a shopping experience that makes them want to return, clearly we fell short in this instance. We know you have a choice of your shop and we will continue to work hard to earn your business. Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully share your experience, it underscores a training opportunity for King Soopers. We have always valued �� and the information you share with your readers, please know we always have an ‘open door’ policy.

By: Mary J

Mary J — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:37:55 +0000

I shop at the local King Soopers in Broomfield and I have never had a problem with coupons there. I believe if the checker knows you, like you mentioned at Safeway, the process goes so much smoother. I would bet that is part of the problem since you go there mainly when you are using coupons and they do not know you well…should not be the case but people still do things we don’t agree with. If this store does not meet your needs then shop elsewhere…there are always other stores that want your business.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 14:22:48 +0000

when I have a problem with the cashier and my coupons I take them right up to customer service and they will give me my money back. Yes it is a pain and more time spent but well worth it. Even when items have wrong price or sale are still posted they will give me free items. Thanks for your post. I will start checking clearance.

By: jacque pearson

jacque pearson — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:46:23 +0000

I believe it is all about the individual King Sooper store and staff. The KS at 104th and Federal has never given me any grief except when I have made the mistake. I love the staff there. It is important that we, as couponers, understand that other customers don’t appreciate us taking so much time. I try to let smaller orders check out before me or tell someone behind me that I do have coupons. Some people are happy to move and others want to watch and see how well I did.
There are so many “rules” to couponing and they vary at each place. I think our value will be increased if we use the same cashiers as often as possible. Sorry you had such a bad experience!

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:01:20 +0000

I’m a produce manager at a king soopers. Literally just rolled out our newest program asking all employees to no longer be coupon police. This should be effective everywhere if not now, in the very near future. Also, you need to vent to management in store, we can fix problems. Obviously very few employees have a different agenda, and a lot of employees are making minimum wage, so talent can be hard to come by, but stick with kings, we are the leaders in the industry for a reason…

By: Babs

Babs — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 04:55:19 +0000

Tony is at the “unSafeway” at 20th street near downtown now.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:57:39 +0000

I’m not sure I can offer any additional insight or advice than what’s already been shared by our wonderful readers. As I’ve shared with Laura, my experience has been similar at King Soopers everytime I use coupons. There always seems to be confusion and frustration, even when I try to politely explain why my coupons are valid. In my opinion, King Soopers has some of the worst customer service, no matter the location. I’ve tried bringing a copy of its coupon policy before, but it always lands on deaf ears. It seems the ego of the clerks and/or managers always trumps common sense or just basic good customer service. I have cancelled entire transactions over “coupon misunderstandings” at King Soopers more times than I can count.

By: Marcia

Marcia — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 22:12:22 +0000

Wow, what an unfortunate series of events. There are three KS in Highlands Ranch and each one has its own vibe. My favorite is the one that opened first at HR Pkwy and Univ. I have shopped there since it opened in the mid-90’s and it has been consistently excellent for me. There has been a solid core of wonderful staff there and the pharmacy team greet me by name. Wondering why you didn’t ask for senior manager or speak with management about the intent of your purchases from the outset. There has always been a strong commitment to community at our local stores, welcoming all the fundraising efforts of all our schools and clubs. I have completed the surveys that are mentioned on the receipt regularly and have experienced positive results. I also complete them for fuel points on a weekly basis. I have a real passion about great customer service. Store employees need kudos or criticism either way, to keep improving.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 20:17:45 +0000

Lynn –
I’m not sure about the Preferred customer and printed mailers. We’ve asked King several times about how one “gets on the list” and they say it “depends” on spending habits, frequency at a certain store, etc. So there is no clear formula. I have noticed the occasional freebie online as opposed to those in the mail in the last month or two. I don’t know if that is the direction they are moving or not.

To Colorado Coupon Club – Taking a copy of the policy is always fine. But often when the clerk digs in, it doesn’t matter what policy is or, as in my case, what the coupon says. You can make a stink, but who wants the hassle. And often the retort is “they changed the policy a week, or a month or whenever, ago. We just had a meeting about it, but they haven’t updated the info online.” As I’ve said, often the stores don’t even keep a copy of the policy.

Bottom line is grocery stores that accept coupons should be willing to treat every customer with respect and take that extra step to assure a quality experience. And, as another reader mentioned, stores are reimbursed with a bonus (4 to 6 cents per coupon) when they turn in these coupons, so they aren’t “out” any money. Four to six cents doesn’t sound like much but consider the millions of redeemed coupons. However, until clerks are told by corporate that responsible couponers are not the enemy and that sometimes computer cash registers make mistakes (garbage in, garbage out), nothing will change.

— Laura (��)

By: Diadre

Diadre — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 20:17:25 +0000

Not to mention how dirty and old most of the Kings stores are. The store near me is a test store with young inexperienced workers – so at least I know that going in…not to expect too much (I never have at Kings, in general). I prefer Safeway – they are clean, well stocked, have a better produce department than Kings – hands down, and always a positive check out experience…yes the lines are longer but I am willing to wait for the reasons of being appreciated and buying better produce! Take note King Soopers – you are not the only grocer out there!! Oh…and they didn’t distribute the Broncos yard signs to my local store.

By: Colorado Coupon Club

Colorado Coupon Club — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:56:37 +0000

Laura,

Sorry you had this experience at King Soopers. As an couponer myself (I even teach couponing class) you did the right thing! It’s unfortunate these folks don’t even know their own store coupon policy and choose to treat you as if you’re trying to “pull one over on the store”. May I suggest having a copy of their coupon policy with you next time, to help avoid any further conflicts. Find a copy of King Soopers coupon policy here http://www.coloradocouponclub.com/king-soopers-coupon-policy/ Knowledge is power! :)

By: Lynn

Lynn — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:45:40 +0000

First, I once had a checker reject my coupons (all current, all correct items) and when I told her to take all those items OFF, she refused to give the coupons back to me! I made a stink (don’t like to, but this situation demanded it!) and the manager made her give the coupons back (though with an attitude – trying to make me feel like a cheater).
As to the digital coupons (loaded on cards) I ALWAYS print out the page listing all of the ones I’ve loaded and take that page with me, as I have often had a digital coupon NOT work and, having no proof of it being on my card, the checker would just shrug and do nothing. NOW, I always have the proof printed out and go to the service desk. A pain, but at least I get the discount!
Laura – I used to get mailers from Kings with my “preferred customer” coupons. Now, they are only offered on their website. I would really like to get them in the mail, as then I can double them (the manufacturer’s coupons, not the “store” coupons). Is there a way to get Kings to go back to mailing them?! Or is this just another way for the store to reduce doubling?
BTW, I LOVE the PEOPLE (great service and always helpful with coupons and such) at the 9th & Corona Kings (my neighborhood store), but hate the store since the remodel a few years ago – to make room for an olive bar and other “premium” services, they remove a third of the center shelf items! Things I could get there for 30 years are no longer there. Not specialty items – ordinary staples. So, unless I’m in a real hurry, I go to the Glendale or south Colorado stores.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:05:10 +0000

I totally agree with you on this Laura. It is frustrating when these supposed ‘policies’ are either not followed or different from store-to-store. I saw the Colgate coupons you mentioned and purchased 3 Triple Action brushes and 3 toothpastes in the same transaction. Thankfully didn’t have any issues at the KS on Smokey Hill & Himalaya.

I also agree with you regarding using coupons on clearance items. It’s a bummer because KS used to accept them.

By: Amanda D

Amanda D — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:03:07 +0000

I’ve found the same kinds of problems at King Soopers in Boulder County – the employees don’t seem to care. Unfortunately, the Safeway closest to me seems to have very few employees and high prices on the items I need, so it costs me much less to go to King Soopers. Every week, I get a receipt with the survey, and every week, I take it and explain whatever bad problems occurred on that shopping trip (coupons not working, baggers putting everything I bought from a large trip in one bag, and on and on), and the response I get from corporate is that my comments are being shared with the store manager. But everything seems to get worse. And one time at the store in Lafayette, one of the checkers lied and told me that coupons printed off the internet were no longer being accepted at the store.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:02:52 +0000

I shop several different King Sooper’s in Arvada, and I have learned which cashiers have issues with coupons, I simply avoid those cashiers. Out of the four stores I shop at, I’ve only had an issue once and the manager took care of that quickly.

By: JulieCC

JulieCC — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 18:33:39 +0000

I agree with Belinda. I will not shop at the Parker Safeway but do shop at the King Soopers at Lincoln and Jordan – it’s such a lovely place to shop – for many reasons!!!!

I also agree with Rachel about the Parker SuperTarget – best.store.ever. I love our Parker Sprouts, too!

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 18:26:55 +0000

To those who have asked about digital coupons: It is true you can NOT combine a digital coupon with a print coupon. Loading digital to your loyalty card is easy. But be warned – a digital coupon is not doubled. So if you have a paper coupon for 50 cents, use it as it will be doubled to $1. Only load the specific digital coupons for which there is no paper equivalent and/or if the digital coupon is valued at $1 or more. This is true for both King Soopers and Safeway.

To those who have asked about double coupons: Most King Soopers and Safeway stores double all coupons (every day, all day), valued at less than $1 unless the coupon itself expressly states “DO NOT DOUBLE”.

Bryan is really the MHOTC coupon expert so likely he will jump in later today or tonight with additional advice. Feel free to post any other questions and we’ll try to get them answered.