Q: LittleMissKnowitAll, I tried to use the Minute Maid BOGO coupon at the store yesterday and was told Kroger no longer takes printable coupons for free products any more. Help!  --Sara

A: Sara, as long as the coupon requires a purchase to obtain the free product, their policy states that they DO accept those.  So the cashier was wrong to refuse your BOGO coupon.  You aren't the first to ask this question recently, so I think a recap of Kroger's policy might help lots of people who have had issues but haven't been able to ask.Over the past several months Kroger has been putting more of their coupon policies in writing on their website. Some of this includes changes from previous policies, some does not.  With a large Mega sale coming in the next week or two, I thought I'd post these policies now so that everyone is aware of them. I'm also adding them to our Kroger Store Policy page.Items to note:

• Kroger does NOT allow the stacking of digital and paper coupons on the same item. The digital coupon is a manufacturer coupon, and should be treated as such.
• Kroger does not accept printable coupons for free products with no purchase required. They do accept printable coupons for free products where a purchase is required, like a BOGO or a When You Buy coupon. 

Printable Coupons:

Kroger Print-at-Home Coupon Acceptance Policy

Effective November 2007, all Kroger divisions accept industry-standard, secure print-at-home coupons. We recently partnered with Coupons Inc., the industry leader in print-at-home coupons, to offer print-at-home coupons on Kroger.com and all of our store banner websites. You may also find coupons on brand websites and legitimate coupon websites like Coupons.com. Help us make your shopping experience a pleasant one by keeping in mind these simple rules for using Print-At-Home coupons.

We can only accept print-at-home coupons if they scan properly at checkout. Legitimate printable coupons are delivered using special software designed to print a properly rendered barcode on the coupon and limit the number of coupons printed.

We will generally not accept "FREE product" (no purchase required) print-at-home coupons. It is currently an industry practice not to produce print-at-home manufacturer's coupons for free product. Buy-one-get-one-free coupons and other values that have a purchase requirement are acceptable.

We will usually not accept coupons for more than about 75% of a product's value. For example, a $2 off coupon will be acceptable for a product that normally sells for $5 or more, but a $2 off printable coupon for a product that sells for $2.25 is unlikely to be legitimate. If there are exceptions, we are usually provided advance notice by the manufacturer.

Coupons will be rejected if they appear distorted or blurry, altered in any way, or are obvious duplicates. You should always print the coupon yourself directly from the website or email that is offering it. Only then can you ensure you are printing a legitimate coupon. The coupon will never appear on your computer screen. A legitimate coupon is never sent as a graphic or PDF or sent in a Word document.

Print-at-home coupons should never be copied, sold, or traded. They should not be photocopied or scanned and distributed to others. They have unique serial numbers printed on them and follow an industry-standard format. Coupons are never sold and you should not pay for someone's "time to clip" or other service fee.

For more information about using print-at-home coupons and to check coupons for validity please visit the Coupon Resource Center online at www.printcoupons.com 

Digital Coupons:

Can I use paper coupons as well as digital coupons on the same item?Limit of one coupon per item. Digital coupons and paper coupons may not be combined on the purchase of a single item..