Hey business professionals, how about presenting this slogan to your customers? Last evening I stopped at an area Kroger for gas (I never do it and now remember why). I bee bop to the gas pump, stick in my trusty credit card and up comes this nice hello from Kroger ...

"INVALID LOYALTY"

I fiddle with the buttons and try it again a few more times - same thing. Yeah I know the machine is looking for Kroger card but really ... telling the customer their loyalty is invalid? This same thing happened to me back in the summer at another area Kroger. I pulled my credit card, got in my vehicle and left for an HEB.

What kind of thinking went through some executive's mind to tell paying customers that their loyalty is invalid? How foolish is that? I wanted to add a pic of the banner sign that used to hang in an HEB stating that they SHOW and GIVE you the discount price without some extra card.

Last night I was not out to get a better deal on the fuel, just to GET fuel at the stated price and get going. Good job Kroger, you win a FAIL from me ... again.

I really hope this is a troll or derivative thread, else all hope is lost.

Are you serious? Are you really this petty? It was telling you Invalid Loyalty card. If you learned how to read, the first thing it asks you is to please scan your Kroger LOYALTY card. You even knew this is what is was asking, yet you decided to be a doooosh about it and then came on here to post about how awesome you were because you "stuck it" to Kroger. Seriously.

what TheBoss said. seriously.

Even I find that lame. And that's pretty sad.

I refuse to buy gas at HEB because they cap me at $75. Sorry it takes more than that to fill up my truck.

Daaaammmmmnnnn!

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Even I find that lame. And that's pretty sad.

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yup, thats bad.

Rhoswen,

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I refuse to buy gas at HEB because they cap me at $75. Sorry it takes more than that to fill up my truck.

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I don't know if it'd make a difference to you, but you can let them know ahead of time and fill up past the limit. I forget if you have to leave a driver's license or what the deal is. It's not as convenient, I'll agree.

I think this is a new low for complaint threads on MyBCS.com.

And that is saying a lot.

Never let a chance to complain pass you by.

Agree with the OP. You chose wisely.

"bee bop" to the gas pump? Seriously?

If only you had brought Rocksteady. He woulda taken those f-ers out.

You are either a moran or someone who thinks posting how you can't work a Kroger pump shows how cool you are.

I got gas at a Kroger this morning. The screen asks if you are a member. Had you taken the 2 seconds to press no, you could have saved 15 minutes.

[This message has been edited by Tanya 93 (edited 1/6/2010 6:54a).]

He's talking about how dumb it is for the pump to show an error like "Invalid Loyalty".

The Kroger card is a loyalty card. The card he swiped was invalid. How is this a stretch?

If it said invalid card, you'd have people freaking out that their credit card may be bad.

If it said loyalty card, people would think they had to sign up for a loyalty card just to get gas.

The machine prompts you for the Kroger Loyalty Card first, then it prompts you for payment. It's a microtargeting tool designed to analyze your preferences based on visit frequency and buying habits. They also do this because some groceries (e.g. Safeway, etc.) offer a fuel discount based on your previous shopping purchases. I think it would be fantastic if HEB and Kroger adopted this model as well, because I like discounted gas. Regardless, many regular gas station pumps (e.g. Chevron) operate this way as well, so it is not limited to those filling stations associated with grocery stores.

Read the machine and do as it asks, and all will be right in the world.

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They also do this because some groceries (e.g. Safeway, etc.) offer a fuel discount based on your previous shopping purchases. I think it would be fantastic if HEB and Kroger adopted this model as well, because I like discounted gas.

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Kroger does do this. you get 10 cents off for every $100 in groceries purchased.

I will drive by a Kroger for any store that does not require some special card for special prices.

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If it said loyalty card, STUPID people would think they had to sign up for a loyalty card just to get gas.

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FIFY

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I will drive by a Kroger for any store that does not require some special card for special prices.

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Ummm...okay? Kroger's regular price, without the loyalty is still cheaper than almost anywhere in town. So, yeah, they do give you great prices without a special card. But if you do have a special card, you get it even better. Almost every grocery store gas station does this. Kroger, Walmart, Sams, etc. And let's not forget that almost every regular gas station does this as well. If you have a Chevron card, you get cheaper prices and/or rebates. Same with Exxon and Shell.

This is a widely practiced business model, so why should Kroger be crucified for this? Almost every major company offers some sort of loyalty pricing/reduced interest rate from cars to electronics.

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I will drive by a Kroger for any store that does not require some special card for special prices.

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you're missing out on some pretty good coupons in the mail

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"I will drive by a Kroger for any store that does not require some special card for special prices."

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We receive discount coupons and checks good for dollars off our grocery bills from Krogers. Recently used a $25 certificate that really dropped our total down.

But, you go on and keep thinking you're so much high-and-mightier than us peons while throwing your cash away at places with higher prices, just because you can't take the time to pull out a card for the cashier, even though you most likely pay with a credit card anyway.

To Rho: Give the attendant notice, and they will not stop you at 75 dollars. Just say you will be using more..

Just my two cents:

The other day, I got that same message at a Kroger gas pump, and it didn't make me happy. I had to wait a bit, for the machine to reset, and then I figured out why I got it. When you use the gas pump at Krogers for the first time, that can be an irritating thing.

Second, do any of you know why they have that loyalty card? So that they can track your every purchase, and build a profile on your shopping habits. Just a little bit of big brother creeping into your life. And you don't mind this one, because they give you discounts for it. To me it is creepy for some technician somewhere to know how often I buy item x, and can predict when I will buy it again.

It is a small step in that direction. The next thing you know we will have national ID's. These ID's will have a rfd chip For our convenience.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-bradley-jansen/health-care-reform-as-a-b_b_400725.html

If it was the gov. running this card, it would be a little brother if you will. But since it is a cooperation, this is OK.

dangit

Big Brother forced me to get baby food, baby formula, diaper, wipes, vitamins, granola bars, soda, juice, toilet paper, paper towel, and cheese coupons by legislating I get a Kroger card.

Stupid Big Brother

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But since it is a cooperation, this is OK.

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A cooperation? Do cooperations, like corporations, also have symbols on the NYSE?

Btw, I can my card with the bar code reader, I don't swipe it in the slot where the credit/debit card goes.

Maybe you'll have better luck that way?

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To me it is creepy for some technician somewhere to know how often I buy item x, and can predict when I will buy it again

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I'm sure you'd be surprised at all the information that data gathering companies have on you.