New To Las Vegas

Is it possible to do the right thing in a wrong way?  Yes, if you’re Kroger, the giant supermarket chain.

From time to time, publicly traded Kroger, which has 2,700 stores under a variety of names in 35 states, mainly in the South, West and Midwest, rolls out a “Senior Discount” day. It’s 5% off for shoppers 55 years and older. The chain mentions the break in its print ads and often posts a sign near store entrances. Yesterday, September 3, was such a day.

But there’s a big catch, as I learned last night when I, a senior citizen, dashed into a Kroger-owned store (Smith’s Food and Drugs) near the New To Las Vegas world headquarters. You have to request the bennie at check-out or it’s no luck.

Don’t take my word for this. Nearby is a picture of the printed memo that Kroger workers were given for the big day. The bold-faced wording couldn’t be clearer: “Do not offer customers the Senior Discount unless they ask.” I have taken the liberty of highlighting the offending language in yellow.

The only reason I even know about the directive is because after I asked for the discount, the cashier had to scan the barcode next to the written admonition. As a long-time journalist, I’ve developed the skill of reading written words upside-down in case the person I’m interviewing has some interesting documents on the desk. And I’m gotten to be pretty quick with my cell phone camera.

It’s not hard for me to imagine elderly customers drawn to the store by the promised discount who then experience a senior moment and forget to ask for the break at checkout. It’s a terrible look for Kroger, and, perhaps, even a form of senior abuse. AARP, are you pay attention? I invite Kroger’s Cincinnati-based management to respond in the comments section below.

I cheered when a federal judge last year on antitrust grounds blocked Kroger’s bid to take over rival Albertsons. Now there’s another good reason: I don’t want this don’t-ask-don’t-tell discount stuff to spread.