Thank you Mary. At MHOTC we always welcome and encourage our readers to tell us what is on their mind and/or offer a fresh perspective, even when don’t agree agree with us. Especially appreciated is when it is done in such a nice manner. – Laura

It’s your site and your soapbox, but there have been so many in agreement with you that I have to weigh in and say that KS employees and managers at MY KS store bend over backwards to satisfy a customer. IN fact they often honor a coupon with what seems to be just a general generic override, if it gives them trouble. I am not saying there is not an occasional honest mistake, but considering the volume of business they do, my receipts (which I do check and keep track of) always reflect the savings I expected.

Perhaps you should take up your issues with management at each particular store. All I know is that the two stores where I shop are extremely well run, and the employees are friendly and helpful.

And at my store, if I shop early the self checkout clerk is glad to call someone to check me out in a line if I request it. I do that if I have a lot of groceries, especially produce.

I am not affiliated with KS in any way, just a happy customer. I shop other stores for sales, for organic products, and some meat (I don’t like Moist and Tender pork for it’s brined taste, for instance) and I was nervous when KS became Kroger affiliate, but it is still the best store here.

So I say, talk to managers at your particular store with your concerns. Fill out those sales ticket feedback surveys and if there are enough negatives it might have an impact. (never won anything yet but here’s hoping). Use the website to ask why you aren’t getting mailed coupons. Be the squeaky wheel.

I use their points for gas discounts AND cell phone service and save a fortune that way.

And just one word about customer behavior. I don’t tolerate rudeness from a clerk but is do understand that people have good and bad days. i know I do. I am ALWAYS polite to someone who is serving me. If they are poorly trained, or poorly managed, it is management who should deal with an issue. If self check out clerks are not paying attention it is because their managers are not paying attention. If they don’t know policy on coupons, it is their managers who have not made that clear.

Like I said, I used to shop at locally owned stores here in Fort Collins, but they are gone. Even then, I found many great prices and always friendly service at KS. For a big chain, it runs a pretty good store. Safeway here used to NEVER have more than 2 lanes open except right after work (they are better now), so I shopped them less often.

So I am not trying to disrespect your rant. I just want to give another perspective.

Sherry, Good to hear that you have good people in your store. This isn’t a universal condemnation, but obviously my experience is shared by many. There are some checkers I avoid and others who I know are terrific at their jobs and will sometimes wait in a longer line if it means I can interact with one of the more experienced or friendly checkers. – Laura

Nicole,

We do give several workshops on couponing and are happy to speak to groups at community centers, churches, libraries, etc. If you want us to appear, please find a host / location and see if they will book us for a talk in your area. – Laura

Some things to consider:

1. Clerks are people too. They’re probably bored out of their minds just standing there and doing nothing all day. It’s human to socialize when many customers refuse to.
2. Many grocery stores are converting to digital and self-checkout. Some companies like Walmart have already started making moves to pure self-checkout (think about costs). Get used to it, because complaining won’t do you any good.
3. Consider a famous phrase: Good, Fast, Cheap: You Can Only Pick Two! If you have problem with fast and cheap, then King Soopers is not your best bet and you should go to Sprouts or something.

I feel like this post and your previous post are one-sided, and you don’t think about the company nor it’s people. Start looking at the whole picture.

If there is a problem, be persistent and objective but polite. I am disappointed by the discontinuation of “double coupons” but almost all coupons are for name brands anyway, not store brands which generally cost less to begin with. And I love the Free Friday Downloads at King Soopers (it does say Friday (Pacific Time) after all; the hardest part is finding them in the store if there is no regular Free Friday Download display or it is refrigerated or frozen or not highlighted or tagged in the regular store shelves)!

P.S. The King Soopers gas points surveys appear to use Central Time (limit one survey per seven days). Other KS offers might use yet another time zone.

Yesterday, Sunday, my wife and I went to Kings and bought 12 Minute Maid Frozen Orange Juice. There was a $.30 discount on the price and if you bought 6 cans, you got an additional $3.00 off or $.50 per can.

The $.30 discount was picked up but the other discount was not pick up automatically. I went and photographed the price tag on the display and we got it cleared up at customer service.

I don’t go with my wife shopping a lot, but she says this happens a fair amount of time where the prices in the computer are not up to date with the price out in the store.