A coalition of consumer rights groups has petitioned U.S. supermarkets to end digital-only discounts, calling them discriminatory against seniors and low-income shoppers who lack internet access.
The request came in a letter that the owner of the website Consumer World emailed to the owners of 12 leading grocery chains. Advocacy groups Consumer Action, Consumer Reports, the National Consumers League and PIRG also signed it.
The letter calls on supermarkets to add barcoded coupons, cashier discounts, customer service refunds, printed coupons and coupon kiosks to offer the same price cuts for non-digital shoppers.
“It’s digital discrimination, and the most vulnerable people are being shut out of these online discounts at the worst possible time given record high inflation,” Edgar Dworsky, who founded Consumer World in 1995, said in a statement.