“Money” saving tip
News you can use. Had dinner with a long time friend last night. His wife is really into this couponing thing. He passed along this tip. Kroger has their card and you earn points on this card for discounts on gas at Shell stations. Some items get double points, namely a gift card to Target. So, when they do their grocery shopping, they buy a gift card to cover their next purchase at Target. Being a family, it’s easy to spend a few hundred bucks there. Trust me. Then, he stops at Shell for gas. Says he’s paid $2 a gallon for gas.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Or buy a gift card from Kroger to Lowe’s or Home Depot when doing home improvements.The local Kroger for me has their own gas pumps. I paid $1.93 per gallon the other day.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
In our neck of the woods, if you go to a Kroger station, you can get up to a dollar off a gallon of gas (with 1000 points in a month), but at Shell, the most you can get is 0.10 off a gallon.
Good tip on the Target card though.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
At Shell, I’ve frequently gotten $0.50 off a gallon.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
So they screw their home market? Hmmm.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Here is the ad for Cincy – http://www.kroger.com/in_store/fuel/Pages/b.aspx
And here is Nashville – http://www.kroger.com/in_store/fuel/Pages/e.aspx
The jerks.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Why do targets always smell like stale popcorn?
December 30th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
The Giant Eagle grocery store chain up here has a similar program, but you can only buy gas at their “Get Go” Stations. But since most of the Gasoline prices around me run the same (can you say “Price Fixing from the Distributor?”), it ain’t that bad.
December 30th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
@John Smith – because most of them *serve* stale popcorn right up front.
December 30th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
Up here in the North East its Stop N’ Shop. They have special where if you buy certain combinations of items on sale you’ll get 10c-50c plus points for your total order. Adds up quick.
December 30th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Winn-Dixie has the same deal with Shell, in Louisiana, at least.
December 30th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Central NY Price Choppers are doing the same thing with some (and only some) Sunoco’s. $0.10 off a gallon of gas for every $50 you spend.
December 30th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Bi-Lo has the same deal down here in the Carolinas
December 30th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
It may not be price fixing – at least, not by the distributors or sellers.
Here in Tennessee, the good ole boys at the State Capitol send out a letter every year and kindly inform gas station owners of what they’re allowed to charge customers, of what their prices must be. It seems the State makes up their future budget based on tax receipts, so they tell gas stations “You must sell at this price – no matter how cheaply you can buy – because we will require you to pay taxes based on a pre-determined price rate.
It’s true; I held one of those official letters in my hand.
What you want to bet that other states do the same?
Those “capitalistic freedom-loving” bastards . . .
December 31st, 2011 at 2:05 am
That’s nothing. Giant does the same. Probably half a dozen times Ive paid a whopping 3 cents for gas (that’s an entre tank).
Heck few months ago the had a deal. Buy 3 Hallmark cards and get $5 of your next order. Well, my wife found the 99 center and made about $120.
She’s super good when she wants to be.
December 31st, 2011 at 11:31 am
Alex — each region of Kroger is nearly a distinct company, plus they have different state regulations and likely suppliers to deal with.
December 31st, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Check out Jack Spirko’s blog and search for frugal tips. A number of sites were posted that aid in zero cost deals.
Heck I got $2 of gas for buying a ton of whipping cream. Also, if you have a truck, SUV, van etc that fizzles has the deals work out better because of 30 gallons calc.
30 gallons x $3.50 = $105
So if you can buy the merch for less, than you’re profitable. Once bought $70 of candy bars and filled up my gas tank for free.
(can also look at it as buying a tank of gas and getting like 80 candy bars free)
December 31st, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Love the Kroger gas program. We do most of shopping at Kroger anyway, and enjoy the discounted gas at their station in front of the store. The wife commutes, and her Honda runs fine on the Kroger branded gas. I still use nothing but Chevron in the ‘vette, though!
December 31st, 2011 at 9:31 pm
If you can pay off your credit card at the end of every month, putting all you charges on the Kroger card can be a pretty good deal for both food and gas. You’ll get extra coupons and checks up to $30 back for food shopping.
If you have to carry a balance I’m not sure it is as attractive.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:19 am
I just stopped at a Travel America station at the truck-stop area at Troutdale (Exit 17) on I-84 east of Portland last night. This T/A used to serve up Arco gas, so I didn’t usually stop there, but now they serve up Shell, which is better gas and without the Chavez connection, so I stopped. I have the Fred Meyer Card, that’s a Kroger store.
T/A wouldn’t give me the discount. When I asked for it, all I got was a “we don’t do that here” from the attendant (yes, Oregon still has gas station attendants, along with NJ). The price was $3.39 for mid-grade, not bad in this area, which lacks refineries so our gas must be imported a long way from N. WA.
I was also recently refused the Kroger discount out at Shorty’s Corner Shell east of Sandy, OR on US Hwy 26, when I bought 30 gallons of no-alcohol Premium and put it in jugs for my boat (paid $3.99/gallon, but marina gas is at least $4.49, so it pays to truck it 65 miles and put it into the boat’s 150-gallon tank).
My conclusion is that Shell stations can opt out of the Kroger deal any time they want, and Kroger ought to quit advertizing the discount as if all Kroger stations will give it to you.