Let's go...

I’ve groused here before about the lack of decent shopping options in our small town. Oh, how the thought of being able to shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s on a regular basis makes my heart go pitter-patter. But, such is my lot in life and my best option is Kroger.

Most of you probably have a Kroger Plus card on your key chain or in your wallet. Danny & I both had ours from when we moved here nearly nine years ago. I know, I know - they wear out, but we were really attached to those cards. When they finally bit the dust, I just picked up new cards and never bothered filling out and returning the form.

You see, I have a bit of an attitude problem with Kroger and their little card – it irks me that they charge full price for their products and the only way you benefit from the sale price is if you use their card. And with our Kroger, there is no incentive to use the card. There is no gas station to redeem discounts and I don’t use the coupons on the receipt. Kroger tries to make this all warm and fuzzy, but let’s be real here. They want to know who is buying what, when and where…it’s about demographics.

If I forget my card and am lucky enough to get in the line of an older, experienced cashier they will often have a card and scan it for me. New cashiers will not scan a card and ask me to enter my phone number on their handy dandy keypad. They don’t know that I’m conducting a one-woman Plus Card boycott and as a result, none of my data is in their computer. I’ve had to pay full price for my groceries on several occasions.

Sometimes another shopper will offer their card – and I’m always willing to offer mine, because, hey, what do I have to lose. But, I always think it’s funny that some people won’t offer theirs, it’s as if they think they‘ll end up paying for my groceries too!

But, anyhoo, I tell you all of this to say that last Saturday I went to the grocery to buy a BUNCH of stuff – a WHOLE cart load and when I got to the check-out line, I realized that I didn’t have my card.

When the cashier asked for my Kroger Plus card I replied that I didn’t have it - and then very smugly entered a FRIEND’S phone number on the keypad!

DUH. Why had this never occurred to me before?