WASHINGTON — Question:
Is the grocery chain, Kroger, now charging a 'BLM Fee,' as claimed in viral social media posts?
Answer:
No. The viral post was actually a photo-shopped image of a real receipt. In reality, the line item read 'Change Shortage.'
Source:
Kroger Grocery Store spokesperson
July 17 Facebook post
Process:
The Verify Team exists to fact-check suspicious posts on social media. One viral claim, relating to Kroger was sent to the team for review.
"I have been informed that Kroger has started adding a BLM Charge to their customers,” the post read.
The post also included a photo of an itemized receipt. The receipt showed that a person bought milk for $2.39, and was charged 59-cents for a 'BLM CHARGE.'
To find out if this photo was legit, the Verify Team reached out to Kroger. A spokesperson flatly denied the existence of a 'BLM Fee.'
“The post that’s circulating with a BLM receipt code is a dupe,” the spokesperson said.
This spokesperson said that the viral post was actually a photo-shopped version of a separate Facebook post from July 17.
The Verify team compared the two receipts, and found that they were the exact same, except the July 17 version had the words 'Change Shortage,' where the viral post had 'BLM Charge.'
Much of the confusion began with a new policy, started by Kroger, in order to deal with a 'significant coin shortage,' across the country. If a customer uses cash to make purchases, the store acknowledges they may be less able to give change back.
That's why they've created a new protocol.
Customers can decide to 'round up their order' to the nearest dollar amount, with the additional money being donated to the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger charity. This will show up on the receipt as 'Round-Up.'
A customer can also load up the remaining money on to a loyalty card. This will show up on the receipt as 'Change Shortage.'
In an effort to cut down on confusion, Kroger decided on Friday to make the 'receipt language more explicit for customers.' The new receipt codes are as follows:
Card Load: COIN CHNG CRD LOAD
Round Up - ZHZW FND ROUND UP