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Kroger accepts SNAP benefits for grocery pickup

Supermarket giant highlights safe payment options amid COVID-19 pandemic

Russell Redman

April 17, 2020

3 Min Read
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SNAP beneficiaries now can shop online for groceries at Kroger.com or via the Kroger mobile app and collect their order curbside at a nearby Kroger store.Kroger

The Kroger Co. has begun accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for its online grocery pickup service.

Kroger said late Thursday that SNAP beneficiaries now can shop online for groceries at Kroger.com or via the Kroger mobile app and collect their order curbside at a nearby Kroger store. Pickup service is available at more than 2,000 Kroger Co. stores nationwide.

By the end of April, Kroger expects to be able to support EBT card payments at all stores. That capability is already live in Ohio, the company said.

Kroger noted that pickup offers a “low-contact, convenient service” to customers concerned about shopping in stores due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Cincinnati-based retailer said it has waived the minimum purchase requirement and fee (typically $4.95) for all pickup orders to encourage use of the service.

“Kroger is rolling out a payment capability across our nearly 2,800 grocery stores to allow more customers to access fresh, affordable food and essentials through our pickup service,” Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting all families as we work together with our associates and communities and government agencies and health organizations to flatten the curve during this unprecedented pandemic.”

Related:Kroger teams with UFCW in call for grocery worker ‘first responder’ status

To use Kroger Pickup, SNAP recipients select their preferred store location on Kroger.com or the Kroger app, shop for their groceries, choose a pickup date and time, and pick SNAP/EBT as the payment method. A store associate then picks and packs the order. Once notified that their groceries are ready, customers go to the store, look for the pickup signs in the parking lot, and pull into the designated spot and call the number on the sign. An associate then brings out the order and loads it into the customer’s car.

Those using an EBT card for payment present it at the time of pickup. Currently, EBT card customers can complete their transaction via a mobile point-of-sale system and pay for ineligible EBT purchases or any remaining balance with their debit or credit card, Kroger said.

“Kroger is excited to now have this SNAP/EBT payment option available for pickup customers as we rapidly activate the feature in all our markets,” commented Yael Cosset, chief technology and digital officer. “Through our e-commerce services, we remain committed to providing our customers with ways to save more time and maintain physical distancing.”

With pickup service experiencing higher order volume during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kroger said it has hired more e-commerce workers, added more order pickup slots and stepped up customer communication. The company, too, last month began testing a pickup-only store in the Cincinnati area.

Related:Kroger pilots pickup-only store in Cincinnati area

Kroger added that it offers other quick and safe means of payment. The company said it’s rolling out an improved Scan, Bag, Go mobile app nationwide, which lets customers scan and bag their groceries as they shop and then complete the transaction using their smartphone, bypassing the traditional checkout lanes. Also available in several markets is Kroger Pay, a tool in the Kroger app that enables contactless payment at checkout. And starting April 24, Kroger will temporarily waive the check-cashing fee for government-issued checks for customers and associates, in support of the federal CARES Act coronavirus pandemic relief legislation.

For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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