How some grocery stores are bridging the digital divide when it comes to online coupons

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- As those extra pandemic-era SNAP benefits come to an end and inflation continues to impact prices at the grocery store, more and more consumers are looking for ways to save.

Online coupons have tripled in recent years. Some stores are offering as many as 130 digital-only offers each week, which is great for folks who can download apps and use the internet.

But what about folks who can't?

"Everybody should have access. And I love my coupons," said Shilvan Wade of North Philadelphia.

The savings can be substantial. A pint of tomatoes are $3.49 each at Giant, but with a coupon, you can get two containers for $4.

The problem for shoppers like Wade is the coupon is digital. It has to be downloaded or used in the app.

"I don't know how to use it like that," she said.

Grocery stores love when customers click on digital coupons because it helps them learn more about you. From your preferences to your profile information -- in the world of big data that information is valuable.

"The problem is though, the people they're really excluding from these offers are seniors who are most likely to want the discounts," said Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers' Checkbook.

"It's rough for seniors to try to put the numbers in and it's really inconvenient. I like the way it was before. Everybody would get the discount whether you have a smartphone or not," said Deborah Dixon of Philadelphia's Germantown section.

Consumer advocates are also concerned about low-income families without easy access to the internet.

But there is good news -- many ShopRite locations have in-store coupon kiosks where shoppers can load digital coupons directly to their ShopRite club cards.

Plus all the big chains in the Delaware Valley told Consumers' Checkbook that digital savings are available to anyone who asks for them at checkout or at the Customer Service desk.

"They will knock off these discounts for you, but you have to know to do that," said Brasler.

Meantime, Consumers' Checkbook says another problem with modern-day couponing is that in-store signs aren't always clear.

"We saw a lot of, you know, sale indications was $2.99. Well, that was for the digital-only coupon. It was $5.99 if you didn't bother scanning the thing or knew in advance to go check for coupons," he said.

So as you're shopping, take note of the sales price, and if you don't get the discounted price at check-out again, make sure to ask for it.

Karen O'Shea, ShopRite spokesperson, released this statement on getting access to store coupons :

Brands are increasing the number of coupons that are only available digitally/electronically. While ShopRite brings these digital savings to customers with coupons on shoprite.com and the ShopRite app, we also realize that some customers may not have access to the internet and mobile devices. As a result, many of our stores have in-store coupon kiosks where shoppers can load digital coupons directly to their ShopRite Price Plus Club card. We started offering such in-store options back in 2015 when we first began rolling out our digital coupon Big Brand Bash promotions. ShopRite also publishes a weekly print circular highlighting store promotions and, in many cases, offering a limited number of paper coupons for customers.

Action News reached out to Giant, Acme, Wegmans, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, but we did not hear back.