Kroger Check Writing Policy (Vanity)

Self | May 22, 2004 | SLb

[SLB]

I just made a quick trip to one of the local Kroger stores, chicken was on sale this week and we wanted to get a couple of bags of boneless/skinless. When I got to the checkout isle, I use the self checkout whenever possible, I wrote my check for $25.00 over the purchase price.

The clerk ran the check through the machine and then looked at me and said something like; "I am sorry, but there has already been a check for $25.00 over written on this account within the past week and you are limited to $25.00 a week which is the maximum allowed." (Mrs SLB had written a check at another store earlier in the week) She then showed me the register slip with my bank account number and the limits on my account. I am limited to spending $300.00 a week at Kroger.

I asked her why and she said it was a new Kroger wide policy. I did not berate her, she is on the bottom of the food chain, but asked for a cusotmer comment form which she gladly gave me. I will fill it out and send it to Kroger.

We do not do anywhere near all of our shopping at Kroger as we have the commissary at Ft Knox (average savings is in the 30% range), we also have Save-a-Lot, Aldi's, and of course the infamous Wally World. We usually only go to Kroger for sale items, but this tracking of my purchases and limiting me is going to send me even further from them. My only planned trips there now are for gasoline as they give a $0.03 a gallon discount with their card, but I am certain they track that, too bad the name, address and phone number on the card are all made up.

[Skooz]

Unfortunately, Food Lion moved out of town several years ago.

[dixierose]

I lost my debit/credit card a week ago. The new one hasn't been sent to me yet. Therefore, I need to write a check at the grocery store...and I get cash back. I've written a couple of checks to Kroger last week, asking for a total of $40.00 back, and I didn't have a problem. I will admit, I miss my debit card though. One cool thing about using the debit card to get cash back at the grocery store is that I don't have to pay that infernal 1.75 fee that most ATM's charge.

[TaxRelief]

Just get a new Kroger card in your name only.

[gitmo]

Kroger is really struggling these days. That probably has a lot to do with any changes in their check-cashing policies.

[fishbabe]

really....what kind of struggling?????

[gitmo]

The grocery store business is in a death-struggle with Wal-Mart. It looks like the only grocery stores doing well are the high-end stores and the biggest discounters. Wal-Mart is gobbling up the middle tier.

[Squantos]

Kroger takes checks ????

Stay Safe !

[Republican Wildcat]

I wouldn't have been speaking to you, so I could care less about your memory.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Oh well keep writing those checks (but perhaps to someone else).

One of our local shopping stops is an outfit called Winco, and they cater to po' folks such as myself (cheapest in town on darn near everything, it's a big square box full of food and not much else). They don't take debit cards, only checks & cash, they say the transaction fees for debit cards is too high. The only exception to the no debit card rule is for the Oregon Trail Benefit Card (its official name, us regular folks call them food stamp cards).

Another interesting aspect of that place is they have eliminated all of the express lanes - so when you go in you just have to take your chances that there will be a short line somewhere. But their main clientele is those with the food stamp cards. Now this is a cheap place, but they do have the usual selection of those overpriced prepackaged convenience foods, fancy name brand stuff, and high end cuts of meat & seafood. As for our family, we pay our own way, and we can't afford the fancy stuff - we go for the store brands and the hamburger and get fancy stuff like steaks & fresh seafood when it is on super sale (and usually at another store because that stuff is almost never on special there).

With no express lanes we have plenty of opportunity to observe what other folks are buying and how they are paying. Most times if the cart in front is loaded with the sort of things I can't afford, I have to buy it anyway because it will be paid for with a food stamp card that is filled every month with funds that were removed from my pocket at the point of a gun.

I say all that because, yeah, it sort of chaps my butt. To me it is a bigger annoyance than anything they could have in their check or debit card policy (but then as I said upthread, I pay with folding green cash at the supermarket).

[MississippiMan]

I don't take checks at ALL in my businesses anymore. If someone has a checking account that they properly maintain, it's easy enough to get a debit card, which doesn't have all the risk for businesses that checks do.

As to why I don't take checks anymore, it's quite simple: I have too many of them left over from when I did.

MM

[Melas]

Sub $2 charge is a when I charge less than $2 on my card.

[prisoner6]

Schwans is a home delivery food company, famous for yellow trucks and ice cream. They're a tad expesive at times, especially if you're feeding a family. However for singles, a couple or even a small family they are pretty good, especially when you figure in the cost and aggravation of going to the store.

Go here: SCHWAN'S

for their online selections. You may have to register, but it's free.

They started in my area some ten years ago and I've been a good customer ever since. I like the Big Sam steaks, the small hams, the half pound ground steaks as well as summer blend pasta, the soups and of course the ice cream.

You can send your order in over the net and every two weeks the Schwan's man stops by with your order. I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed with anything I bought from Schwans! Plus I don't have to go shopping!

prisoner6

[SLB]

I sure received plenty of comments on this thread when I thought it would die at five or six. My big beef with Kroger is not the check cashing denial at $25.00, but them tracking my purchases and limiting the amount I can purchase. The only reason I wanted to cash a check, and I have to admit it, was to beat the ATM fee. The nearest ATM for my bank is across town and the local ones all charge at least a $2.00 fee. I only needed a few dollars for pocket change, needed some chicken for Sunday dinner (it was great) so thought I would simply write a check.

I understand your plight with the bad checks. When my dad sold his farm implement business in 1969 he carried several thousand dollars worth of bad checks and accounts receiveable with him. It was almost five years and many court visits later when he finally just gave up on some, and they were all local people in a very small community in Wyoming.

[jocon307]

"I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed with anything I bought from Schwans!"

What a nice endorsement. Thanks for the link, the site says their service is available in our area. We order in quite a bit, so we'll probably give this a try.

[MississippiMan]

Yeah, I understand your surprise, and subsequent displeasure, with the tracking issues. I had no idea Kroger went that far, either. I have a habit of not having my card on me, and quite often someone else in line will say, "You can use mine."

MM

[weegee]

The limit on "cash back" checking is $25. The bigger story here is that Kroger won't accept more than $300/month from a customer who writes checks (You can buy $300 in groceries and that's IT! $275 if you get a $25 overpay).

Cash/credit customers don't have this purchase restriction.

I don't patronage Kroger's these days anyway. They have a "discount" card that gives buyers the same prices they used to get (now they just gouge "non-member" customers) and only have "self-checkout" lines (again, no discount for making me do the work that someone was paid for). There is still a cashier who must finalize the purchase.

I prefer to go to a business that doesn't gouge some customers and get them to do the employees' job for no cost savings.

[douglas1]

IN RENO we have a couple of WINCOS and their prices are always cheaper, but their service stinks they are employee owned so they pretty much treat everybody like kaka, and their steaks and beef and seafood products are always pretty much overpriced, I try to avoid that part of the store which means going to two different food stores a week.

[T Minus Four]

the voice saying "Please move your spinach". That spurred a thought and next time in the store I went looking down the fruit and veggie aisles trying to find something to buy just to make it say something funny.

You should have bought pantyhose. Oh wait, I thought the voice said "please REMOVE your _____."

[T Minus Four]

Oooh, I hate that falsely cheerful voice that Smith's (western Krogers)has. "Please place the item you are attempting to steal back in the bag!"