I used to do the majority of my grocery shopping at Walmart Supercenter because you can price match and their prices overall seem to be lower than most other places. All of that changed when I discovered Kroger's!
There are several locations within a reasonable distance of my home, but for the most part, I prefer this one because it is the closest and it tends to be less crowded (unless you go between 4:30 and 6:30) than the other two locations (Mason Rd and Westheimer Parkway). This works for me because I can almost always get a "car" cart for my daughter (she loves these) and I can rarely find them at the other locations. They also have plenty of the "samples" for her to try out which keeps her happy throughout the shopping trip and I have found that the other locations are usually out of samples when I go.
The downfalls of this location are that it is very small. I have been told that it used to be an Albertson's and they "converted it' when Albertson's left the area. Because of this, the layout is different than many of the other Kroger locations. This is not a problem for me because I am used to it, but it does throw me off when I visit other stores! Their selection is not as good as some of the other locations and when there are good sales, I find that they sell out of things quickly, so I usually try to go right when the sale starts or visit a different location if there are things that I really want. Typically, at this location, when they are having sales on produce items, what you see as you walk through the doors is what they have, so if you see something you're looking for, grab it then, so you don't have to go back for it.
One of the things that I love about Kroger's is that they triple coupons (up to .39) and double them (up to .50). Unlike Randall's, they have no limit on the number of coupons that they will take and they will double or triple them if you have multiple coupons for multiple items that are the same (Randall's will not do this). They will also take "internet print" coupons, but they do look at them very closely now and they do have signs posted stating that they "reserve the right to refuse them." I have never had them refuse any of mine, though. When you use the "self check out" all of your coupons will beep, so you will have to take them to the cashier at the end of the registers.
I have found that the prices on Kroger's private label items in many areas (bread, canned soups, pasta, etc.) is comparable to what the prices are for Walmart's private label items. Their milk is also comparable in price and many times, they will have sales where you pay $10/10 half gallons, or 2/$5 on gallons.
If you are planning on doing any shopping at Kroger's, I strongly encourage you to sign up for their shopping discount card. It's free and it allows you to take advantage of all of their sale items. They also track your purchases and for every $100 you spend, you get .10 off your gas purchase the next month (up to 32 gallons). This amount is calculated based on what you spend BEFORE coupons. You always get .03 off on gas there when you use your card. The gas at this location does tend to be a bit more expensive (.03-.05 cents on average) than some of the other locations. On a side note, you can register your card at www.upromise.com and earn money back on purchases that can be applied toward your child's college education.
My favorite part of the "Kroger shopping experience" is that they print out the amount that you've saved at the bottom of your receipt :) (and they break it down by the savings from using your shopping card and the coupon savings)
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