San Diego bans grocery stores from offering digital-only coupons
The ordinance, which still has to return to council for a second reading, is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is aimed at keeping seniors and low-income families from unfairly paying higher prices for groceries.
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera led the effort to pass the ordinance after his father, who's in his 70s, complained about having difficulty accessing digital coupons and said they didn't always work.
'Simplest policy we've ever written,' Elo-Rivera told CBS 8. 'If you offer a discount digitally, there must be a way to physically access that discount in the store.'
I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10)
Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it
Elo-Rivera and his colleagues on the council hope the ordinance will help ease some of the inequities that result from the digital divide, where some people don't have access to mobile technology or the internet because of lack of financial means or technological know-how.
This divide tends to disproportionately affect seniors and those with low incomes. For instance, in the U.S., 90% of all adults own or use a smartphone, but only 76% of those 65 and over own one. And only 79% of those with an annual income of less than $30,000 do, according to Pew Research Center.
Yet another barrier: In San Diego, more than 50,000 San Diego households don't have internet access, according to Elo-Rivera's office. And among those that do, there is still frustration with using grocery apps.
'What I found frustrating is not being able to use it, and then the cashier at the counter couldn't use it, and couldn't show me how to do it,' Fred Davis, a Serving Seniors volunteer, told CBS 8. 'Not only did I not get the discount, but nobody could help me.'
Some argue that the difficulty may be by design. Digital discounts are 'a clever ploy by big supermarket chains to get people into the store knowing full well that many of them will wind up paying more than the advertised price,' according to Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and founder of Consumer World.
Read more: The US stock market's 'fear gauge' has exploded — but this 1 'shockproof' asset is up 14% and helping American retirees stay calm. Here's how to own it ASAP
Unfortunately, the people most affected by this — seniors on fixed incomes and low-income families — are those who could most use them.
These groups spend a larger percentage of their income on food and are highly dependent on sales and discounts to get by. As more of these discounts become digital-only, it makes budgeting and reducing food costs almost impossible.
Still, digital coupons are popular and their use is expected to continue growing.
And there has been some pushback against the proposal. 'The current proposal would actually reduce access to discounts for San Diegans, not expand it,' members of the California Grocers Association said in a statement to CBS 8, in response to the San Diego ordinance.
'The proposal would make special offerings like loyalty programs — which fairly reward a store's best customers — unworkable.' The group implored the San Diego council to consider the ramifications of their proposal.
Still, San Diego is not the only jurisdiction looking to create laws that would improve the transparency of grocery pricing. In recent months, lawmakers in New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island and Connecticut have been looking at legislation that would require grocery stores offering digital coupons to offer alternatives such as paper coupons.
In the end, legislation may not be required. Some retailers now have in-store kiosks that allow all customers to access coupons and promotions. So if you're one of those who's frustrated with digital-only coupons, you may want to vote with your dollars and shop at a store that's tackling coupon inequities.
Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how
Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead
Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you?
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump tells Zelensky Ukraine will not regain Crimea, be NATO member
Aug. 18 (UPI) -- On the eve of a highly anticipated White House meeting on ending Russia's war in Ukraine with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven other European leaders, President Donald Trump on Sunday night declared that Kyiv would not be regaining Moscow-annexed Crimea, nor would it be allowed to join NATO. Trump is to meet with the leaders Monday after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. In the brief though combative statement to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Zelensky "can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight." "Remember how it started," the American leader said. "No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE." Russia began the war on Feb. 24, 2022, when it invaded Ukraine. However, the conflict stretches further back in history. In February 2014, Russia illegally annexed Crimea, and though swift, there were several deaths, including that of Ukrainian military warrant officer Serhii Kokurin, who was shot by a Russian sniper. Putin has repeatedly opposed the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, and has blamed it for his invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration has been warm to these conditions in peace negotiations since it returned to office in January, stating that returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders was an "realistic objective" and that any negotiated peace would not permit Ukraine to join the voluntary defensive military bloc. NATO countries, however, have reaffirmed Ukraine's future as a member nation and support Kyiv's "irreversible path" to full integration. Zelensky did not respond directly to Trump's message, but in a statement published later Sunday night said he had arrived in Washington for the meeting with Trump. "I am grateful to @POTUS for the invitation. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting," he said, adding that it must be like previous arrangements, including when Kyiv was "forced to give up CRrimea and part of our East." "Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa or Kharkiv after 2022," he continued. "I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in American and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance. "Russia must end this war." Zelensky has said that Ukraine will not relinquish sovereignty of Crimea to Russia. He has also shown an unwillingness to give up on NATO ascension, but has said he is willing to accept security guarantees as Ukraine awaits to become a full member of the defensive alliance. Amid discussions on security guarantees, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to Vienna-Base International Organizations, took to X on Sunday night to stress that Moscow i seeking the same. "It has equal right to expect that Moscow will also get efficient security guarantees," he said in the statement. "Apparently, [Western governments] haven't yet started to think about it. It is a mistake, which needs to be corrected." Trump on Monday is to meet with Zelensky as well as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
an hour ago
South Korean and US militaries begin summertime drills
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats by nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to 'any provocation' against its territory. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March, will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated command post operations and field training. The drills, which the allies describe as defensive, could trigger a response from North Korea, which has long portrayed the allies' exercises as invasion rehearsals and has often used them as a pretext for military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program. In a statement last week, North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol said the drills show the allies' stance of 'military confrontation' with the North and declared that its forces would be ready to counteract 'any provocation going beyond the boundary line.' Ulchi Freedom Shield comes at a pivotal moment for South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who is preparing for an Aug. 25 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. Trump has raised concerns in Seoul that he may shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the American troop presence in South Korea and possibly reducing it as Washington shifts its focus more toward China. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high as North Korea has brushed aside Lee's calls to resume diplomacy with its war-divided rival, with relations having soured in recent years as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerated his weapons program and deepened alignment with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 'What's needed now is the courage to steadily take steps toward easing tensions, grounded in a firmly maintained state of ironclad security readiness,' Lee said during a Cabinet meeting on Monday. South Korea also on Monday began a four-day civil defense drill involving thousands of public workers, often scheduled alongside the allies' summertime military exercises. Seoul's previous conservative government responded to North Korean threats by expanding military exercises with the United States and seeking stronger U.S. assurances for nuclear deterrence, drawing an angry reaction from Kim, who last year renounced long-term reconciliation goals and rewrote the North's constitution to label the South a permanent enemy. In his latest message to Pyongyang on Friday, Lee, who took office in June, said he would seek to restore a 2018-inter-Korean military agreement designed to reduce border tensions and called for North Korea to respond to the South's efforts to rebuild trust and revive talks. The 2018 military agreement, reached during a brief period of diplomacy between the Koreas, created buffer zones on land and sea and no-fly zones above the border to prevent clashes. But South Korea suspended the deal in 2024, citing tensions over North Korea's launches of trash-laden balloons toward the South, and moved to resume frontline military activities and propaganda campaigns. The step came after North Korea had already declared it would no longer abide by the agreement. When asked whether the Lee government's steps to restore the agreement would affect the allies' drills, the South's Defense Ministry said Monday that there are no immediate plans to suspend live-fire training near the Koreas' disputed western maritime border. While the allies have postponed half of Ulchi Freedom Shield's originally planned 44 field training programs to September, U.S. military officials denied South Korean media speculation that the scaled-back drills were meant to make room for diplomacy with the North, citing heat concerns and flood damage to some training fields. Dating back to his first term, Trump has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 American troops stationed on its soil. Public comments by senior Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have suggested a push to restructure the alliance, which some experts say could potentially affect the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea. Under this approach, South Korea would take a greater role in countering North Korean threats while U.S. forces focus more on China, possibly leaving Seoul to face reduced benefits but increased costs and risks, experts say. In a recent meeting with reporters, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, stressed the need to 'modernize' the alliance to address the evolving security environment, including North Korea's nuclear ambitions, its deepening alignment with Russia, and what he called Chinese threats to a 'free and open Indo-Pacific.'
an hour ago
Zelenskyy brings Europe's top leaders with him to meet Trump on ending Russia's war
WASHINGTON -- Ukraine's future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings with him an extraordinary cadre of European leaders to show U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia. The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they look to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. By arriving as a group, they hope to avoid any debacles like Zelenskyy's February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for American military aid. The meeting also is a test of America's relationship with its closest allies after the European Union and United Kingdom accepted Trump's tariff hikes partly because they wanted his support on Ukraine. Monday's showing is a sign both of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Alaska meeting as many of Europe's leaders are descending on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine's interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force. 'It's important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and therefore for all of Europe,' Zelenskyy said on X. The night before the meeting, however, Trump seemed to put the onus on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions and suggested that Ukraine could not regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion. "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," he wrote Sunday night on social media. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!' Zelenskyy appeared to respond with his own post late Sunday, saying, 'We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.' He went on to say that 'peace must be lasting,' not as it was after Russia seized Crimea and part of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, and 'Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack.' The sitdown in Alaska yielded the possible contours for stopping the war in Ukraine, though it was unclear whether the terms discussed would ultimately be acceptable to Zelenskyy or Putin. Planning to join Zelenskyy in America's capital are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees that Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump's team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack. Trump briefed Zelenskyy and European allies shortly after the Putin meeting, and details from the discussions emerged in a scattershot way that seemed to rankle the U.S. president, who had chosen not to outline any terms when appearing afterward with Putin. 'BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,' Trump posted Sunday on social media. The president also bemoaned media coverage of his summit with Putin and said on Truth Social: "I had a great meeting in Alaska." Following the Alaska summit, Trump declared that a ceasefire was not necessary for peace talks to proceed, a sudden shift to a position favored by Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that a ceasefire was still possible but that 'the best way to end this conflict is through a full peace deal." European officials confirmed that Trump told them Putin is still seeking control of the entire Donbas region, even though Ukraine controls a meaningful share of it. And Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the U.S. and its allies could offer Ukraine a NATO-like commitment to defend the country if it came under attack as the possible security guarantee. "How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners who are coming in from overseas,' Rubio told NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Rubio said on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures' that such a commitment 'would be a very big move" by Trump. He expects the delegations will 'spend six, seven hours talking about these things, maybe more, and try to get to a point where we have something more concrete.' Monday's meeting will likely be very tough for Zelenskyy, an official close to the ongoing talks said. That official spoke on condition of anonymity to speak openly about thinking within Ukraine and between allies. Zelenskyy needs to prevent a scenario in which he gets blamed for blocking peace talks by rejecting Putin's maximalist demand on the Donbas, the official said. It is a demand Zelenskyy has said many times he will never accept because it is unconstitutional and could create a launching pad for future Russian attacks. If confronted with pressure to accept Putin's demands, Zelenskyy would likely have to revert to a skill he has demonstrated time and again: diplomatic tact. Ukrainian leadership is seeking a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin to discuss sensitive matters, including territorial issues. After enduring a public tirade by Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February, Zelenskyy worked to repair relations with the U.S. Constant diplomatic communication and a 15-minute meeting at the Vatican in April on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral helped turn the tide. Trump appeared at the time to be swayed by Zelenskyy's conditions for peace. But Trump says he cares primarily about ending the war, an ambition that led him after his meeting with Putin to discard the need for a ceasefire. European allies also have worked with Trump, reaching a deal in July for NATO allies to buy weapons from the U.S. for Ukraine. Ahead of Monday's meeting, France's Macron stressed the importance of building up Ukraine's military and the need to show Putin that Europe interprets his moves as a threat to other nations. 'If we are weak with Russia today, we'll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too,' Macron said.
