FACT CHECK: Is Kroger Charging Customers A Fee To Support Black Lives Matter?
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a receipt from the supermarket chain Kroger charging a fee to support Black Lives Matter.
Verdict: False
The image appears to have been digitally altered. A Kroger spokesperson confirmed that the receipt is fake.
Fact Check:
The image appears to show a receipt from Kroger showing a purchase of 2% milk for $2.39. Below that charge is a “BLM charge” of 59 cents circled in red, seemingly referring to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“All my Indiana friends. Look what Kroger is doing,” reads the Facebook post’s text. (RELATED: Do Donations Made Through A Link On The Black Lives MatterWebsite Go Directly To Democratic Candidates?)
However, the receipt appears to be photoshopped. If Kroger was doing so, major media outlets would have reported it, yet none have, except for fact-checkers debunking the claim. A Kroger spokesperson told The Associated Press that the image was a “dupe.”
“It’s incorrect. Absolutely photoshopped. It’s actually a dupe of another receipt that was circulating online earlier this week,” Kristal Howard, The Kroger Company’s head of corporate communications and media relations, told The Associated Press.
The receipt originally showed a 59 cent charge for a “change shortage,” not a “BLM charge,” according to PolitiFact. The federal reserve is currently facing a coin shortage due to the coronavirus pandemic, so Kroger is asking customers to pay with a debit or credit card, have their remaining change loaded onto their store loyalty card or donate their change to charity, per Kroger’s statement to Coin World.
Kroger has issued a statement on Twitter supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, stating that is the company’s “responsibility to better support our Black associates, customers and allies.”
As a company, it’s our responsibility to better support our Black associates, customers and allies. We know there is more work to do and will keep you updated on our progress, this is only the beginning. Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/DxScre83q4
— Kroger (@kroger) June 12, 2020
“As a company, it’s our responsibility to better support our Black associates, customers and allies,” reads the tweet. “We know there is more work to do and will keep you updated on our progress, this is only the beginning. Black Lives Matter.”