I went grocery shopping to a store I don’t usually visit.
It was ACME. Before shopping, I asked customer service if I needed to join a loyalty program to get all available discounts. I was told all the sale items were posted for everyone, but extra digital coupons could be “clipped” by downloading the ACME app.
So I downloaded the app and browsed the offerings, finding a bunch of coupons for items I was planning to buy. I “clipped” them and went shopping.
After I paid, the receipt said I’d saved $40, and $25 was from the app’s digital coupons.
For example, a quart of ice cream cost $5.99. The sale price was $4.99 if you bought two. But with an extra digital coupon worth another buck of savings per quart, I paid $8 instead of the $11.98 regular price.
I was happy for all the savings.
But as I put my packages in the minivan, I thought about shoppers who don’t use the app, whether it’s because they don’t know about it, they’re not tech-savvy or because they don’t have internet access.
Indeed, 16.3% of New Jerseyans had no internet access, according to a 2022 report by the American Immigration Council. And 19.1% of racial and ethnic minorities in the state did not have high-speed internet at home.
I’m willing to guess that people without internet access are not the highest earners among us, so those who would benefit the most from digital coupons are the ones least able to access them.
Non-digital customers are the focus of a bill that’s stalled in Trenton. It was introduced nearly two years ago, requiring retailers to make digital coupons available to non-digital customers. It passed out of committees in both the state Senate and Assembly last session, but never came up for a full vote. It’s been reintroduced and now the process starts all over again, and no committee hearings have been scheduled.
And oh, has there been industry opposition. More on that in a moment.
WHAT THE CHAINS OFFER
Each grocery chain has its own loyalty program to offer discounts while allowing the company to monitor customer shopping habits. That leads to more marketing, and coupons, based on a buyer’s patterns. Most of us are willing to give up that privacy to get the discounts.
The Bamboozled column reached out to major supermarkets in the state to see how they treat non-digital customers compared to their tech-willing counterparts.
While we waited for answers, we went to a different ACME to give the app another try.
The digital coupon savings was $10.
For example, a 20-pack of toilet paper — something I admittedly overstock since the days of the pandemic — was on sale for $14.99, and I saved another buck with a digital coupon. The app also saved me an extra $1 off dryer sheets and a store-made pizza, $1.50 off butter and $2 off soda.
On my way out, I asked a huddle of workers and managers what would happen if I didn’t have the app. Would the customer service desk honor the digital discounts? No, they said, with few undefined exceptions.
That was shared with ACME.
“We have in-store procedures, including a customer service desk, to help these customers redeem program offers,” the spokesperson said.
But what of our experience? Were the employees wrong? The spokesperson said yes, they were wrong.
“We have reached out to store teams to remind them of the procedures to accommodate loyalty customers in store that may not have digital access,” the spokesperson said.
Wegmans, with nine stores in the state, said its digital coupons are only available through its app.
Then there was Trader Joe’s, with 19 stores in the state. It said it doesn’t have a loyalty or coupon program at all.
“NO coupons. NO membership cards. NO discounts. NO glitzy promotions or couponing wars at our stores,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We offer the best everyday values, every day.”
Aldi, with more than 60 New Jersey locations, does not have a loyalty or coupon-clipping program “because we offer the lowest prices on groceries every single day,” said Bob Grammer, a company vice president.
Stop & Shop’s loyalty program is the closest thing to parity we could find among chains that have loyalty programs.
Still in a testing phase in some Massachusetts stores, customers can go to a kiosk — called “Savings Stations” — inside the store and get the same discounts found on its app. The kiosks are coming to at least some of its 47 New Jersey’s stores beginning in January 2025, the company said.
The company’s goal “is to make digital coupons more accessible to all customers, and the installment of the Savings Stations across the state is part of a larger effort to install these kiosks brand wide,” a spokesperson said, noting shoppers can also print out the deals at the kiosks to use as a shopping guide.
ShopRite said it knows some consumers can’t access online-only coupons, so “most” of its 141 stores in the state have kiosks where shoppers who are members of its loyalty program can load the digital deals onto their accounts.
We’ve also personally seen ShopRite customer service representatives add digital coupons for non-digital customers when asked.
Whole Foods (owned by Amazon), Walmart, BJ’s and Target did not respond to the inquiries.
THE ‘PUSHBACK’
Now to that opposition.
A spokeswoman for Sen. Paul Moriarty, who first introduced the bill when he was in the Assembly, said they’ve received “pushback” from the New Jersey Food Council, the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), the New Jersey Chambers of Commerce and NJGCA, which represents gas stations, convenience stores and automotive repair shops,
“They claim it’s not possible to be done,” Ana Dorvil said.
We reached out to the groups, and those who responded seem to agree that a mandate would be a business burden and could lead to fewer coupons for all.
“A one-size-fits-all approach is difficult to implement across the board,” said Michael Egenton of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. He noted that businesses have different models, but did acknowledge digital coupons can “be a challenge for a small percentage of shoppers to navigate.”
“While the proposed legislation is certainly well intentioned, it will lead to less savings for all shoppers,” he said.
Egenton, and NJBIA’s Althea Ford, both said companies have workarounds for customers who may need help with digital coupons — despite what this shopper has seen with her own eyes.
“At the end of the day, coupons are not a universal right,” Ford said. “It’s a marketing strategy that retailers should have flexibility to deploy as they see fit.”
“Ultimately the issue is that the state is looking to legislate a free-market activity,” said Ford, who testified at a committee hearing on the bill last session.
Eric Blomgren of NJGCA warned that the bill would result in fewer discounts for everyone because it might be easier to exclude New Jersey than it would be to comply.
“Perhaps certain programs would have more limited offerings in New Jersey or certain digital coupons could wind up with fine print saying ‘not available in New Jersey,’” he said.
Are you buying it?
The kiosk model seems to bring equity and fairness for all shoppers, whatever their digital access, capabilities or interest.
What do you think? Let your lawmakers know if you’d like to see the bill move forward. You can find their contact information here.
Just remember, to make sure you get all the discounts you can, be an active consumer. Ask questions. If necessary, be a pest.
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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller
