Q: Kroger just announced that they're ending double coupons! I saw it on Facebook from a friend, and it is all over their Facebook page.  Why? I'm just learning to use coupons and this couldn't come at a worse time!  Help, LMKIA!   --Susan A:  Susan, let me clarify what is going on. Kroger is NOT ending double coupons in the Cincinnati region. I've received dozens of panicked emails and comments in the past 24 hours about this. Let me be clear again for everyone: Kroger is NOT ending double coupons nationwide, nor in the Cincinnati region. What happened is this: yesterday Kroger announced that in the Houston, TX region they will be ending doubling and tripling coupons beginning April 14th.  They are going to be instead introducing another savings program that they feel will be a better fit for their customers in Houston. Almost instantly the online world of frugalistas went nuts. There's been a lot of rumors and unconfirmed information swirling around the internet about this, so I went straight to my contacts at the Kroger corporate office about this. I spoke directly with the head of advertising and promotions for Kroger about this, and I asked them if there was any chance of this happening in Cincinnati. Their reply was:  NO. They have no intention of ending double coupons in this area.  They've had no discussions about it.  This is localized to the Houston, TX market ONLY. Why did they end double coupons in Houston? Here's my take on why they did: 

1. It wasn't a huge draw for their customer base. Houston is not a huge coupon-using town. According to a statement from Kroger, less than 7% of their customers in Houston use paper or double coupons on a regular basis. Houston is not even in the top 20 cities for coupon use.
2. None of their most active competitors double or triple coupons. Randall's does, but they've been closing stores lately and aren't a serious competitor. Their largest competitor in the market would be Walmart, which does not double or triple coupons.
3. They have other savings programs and incentives that they feel are better suited to their Houston customer base that they will be introducing. Rumors are floating as to what it may be, but knowing how rumors work, I wouldn't hold that they're definitely what is happening.

 Why am I so confident that Kroger won't be ending double coupons in our region any time soon? First, because they told me so. I have a good working relationship with several people at the corporate office and I believe them when they say they haven't even discussed it. Second, because Cincinnati is a couponing town. We are third in the country for coupon use. Third, there are many active and strong competitors in the Cincinnati market that double coupons daily. All of those add up to mean that double coupons are here to stay for the forseeable future.