It’s closer than Wal-Mart, and now it may be cheaper, too.
Hillsdale’s Kroger recently broke ground for the construction of a new gas station, where customers can purchase discounted fuel when they accumulate points from buying products at the grocery store.
For every 100 points, customers save ten cents per gallon of fuel for one fill-up at Kroger or any participating Shell Stations. Points can be redeemed immediately or within the following month after they are earned. For example, points earned in October can be redeemed in November but not in December.
“The community is really excited about this. We’ve been trying for several years and finally just got the project approved,” said Tom Schrank, store manager at Kroger in Hillsdale. “Ninety-eight percent of our customers collect fuel points when they shop but can’t use them without having to drive to Jackson. When this [project] is finished, they can redeem them here.”
Kroger staff said they hope the construction will be completed by Oct. 1.
The Kroger fuel program is a simple points system. Three types of purchases earn fuel points at Kroger: groceries, gift cards, and non-federally funded prescriptions.
To use these points, cardholders scan their Kroger Plus Card under the card scanner at the fuel pump, just like they would at a self-checkout scanner. If the card has more than 100 points, the customer can choose to apply a discount to that particular transaction, lowering the cost of fuel. There is no limit to how many fuel points a cardholder can earn.
“I don’t think it even really matters how much money it saves you. I think what matters is how much you’ll save compared to what you’re paying somewhere else,” Hillsdale College senior Megan Landon said. “I already shop at Kroger, so if the gas is going to be cheaper there then I would be pretty likely to go to the new gas station.”
Customers can check their fuel points balance by looking at the bottom of their Kroger receipt, using the Kroger mobile application, logging into their account at kroger.com, or asking a sales representative at any Kroger store.
The gas station will be located at the Kroger on West Carleton Road. Ken McClure, communications manager for The Kroger Company’s Michigan Division, was unavailable for comment.
