Grocery chain gone anti-gun...

[MLee]

This is the response I received from Kroger. I live in KY so there's no issue here. As you can see I just sent a formal note questioning their policy without threats, etc. and got a reasonable reply.

" Dear Mr. Lee:

Thank you for contacting The Kroger Co. In regards to your concern, This change in policy is for the CINCINNATI division only. I have attached the policy below. I have also sent on your concerns for review. Thank you again and if I can be of further assistance please let me know.

The Cincinnati policy is as states:
According to Loss Prevention, a concealed weapon cannot be carried into a store with a Class D Liquor license and a sign must be posted to that effect.


At stores that do not have a Class D Liquor license, concealed weapons may be carried. Signs are not posted in stores that do not have liquor licenses. If someone spots someone carrying a weapon into the store that is visible, however, that person can be asked to leave the premises.



Sincerely,



Tanika Lewis
Consumer Affairs

Reference: 8979199



CUSTOMER COMMENTS:
It has come to my attention that legal, concealed carry is no longer allowed at Kroger. To implement a policy that forbids something allowed by law does not make sense to me. I believe you should reconsider this."

 

[gearhead]

I wasn't aware that any of their stores had a Class D (retail sale for consumption on premises) liquor license.

 

[bigfatdave]

I wasn't aware that any of their stores had a Class D (retail sale for consumption on premises) liquor license.

Many stores that merely sell bottled booze mistakenly post those, I won't make assumptions about a secret sneaky ban, I just assume the sign gets handed to a minimum-wage drone and ends up near the front door.

Of course, we Ohioans need to annoy our legislators again regarding the house and senate bills in the pipe to rationalize the idiotic restaurant and vehicle carry regulations, the bills were in committee last I checked, they need to be supported and passed rather than fading to obscurity in someone's desk drawer.

 

[rustysragsinc]

That's why I shop at Publix!

 

[pockets]

a concealed weapon cannot be carried into a store with a Class D Liquor license and a sign must be posted to that effect.

Note: That is a Kroger's policy, not current Ohio law.
Class D6 ORC 4303.182
Sale of intoxicating liquor on Sunday between the hours 10:00am or 11:00am and midnight.
There are a ton of different "Class D" permits in Ohio. An Ohio "Class D6" permit is what grocery stores, Speedway, etc need in order to sell packaged alcohol on Sundays. This is why there was a special rider about the Class D6 question in our fairly new Castle Doctrine laws. Previously, you could not carry into ANY store, gas station, etc which had a Class D6 permit. That is no longer true. Now if we can just get the restaurant carry straightened out.
Many Kroger's stores, around central Ohio at least, have full "State Stores" inside them. Many also have jewelry stores and banks. All of them have pharmacies. Talk about making things convenient for criminals.

 

[hot357lead]

"I do recall one particular store from my time in Vermont, too - groceries, guns, ammo, alcohol, tobacco products, etc. It was just another store, to other people, but I'd just moved from around Boston, to there! "

+1 man born and raised Vermonter and damn proud of it ... i walk in to the local stores of all kinds open carrying everyday ant the worst i have ever heard is "wow thats a nice gun" or when all the idiots/ sheeple come up to see the (deleted -- <Sam>) leaves "oh my god is that a gun!!!" usually followed by a long lecture by the local cop on how open carry is legal here they look so shocked (that never gets old) i cant believe anyone could be so ignorant as to be scared (deleted -- <Sam>) of a pistol, i just Truly wish more states had it as good as we do... god knows what would happen if i oc'd in new york

i dont mean to be too blunt here but until the first shocked look i got from the tourist during deer season when i was 17 (mind you we can carry under 21) i never thought a fellow american could be well so damn stupid, but then again im just a backwoods country "bitter bible thumping gunclinger"


Edit: sorry about the language problem guys rest assured i wont let it happen again

 

[KBT1911]

Never had a problem with Kroger here in Texas. Could be it's not a Kroger policy and just the policy of an A-Hole anti-gun manager. A call to his corporate office could set things straight for you.

 

[GRAYRID3R]

This whole Kroger thing seems very random and policies must be unknown to store mgmt. (as most other policies do as well), I was in a Kroger in the greater Atlanta as I am frequently. I am a contractor/service /vendor for Kroger. They are my biggest and best customer and ALL the people I have dealt with are great people. (and I didn't write that because they may be reading as they have no clue who I am on this forum anyway). Several of them belong to local gun clubs and have made gun "dates" with me. ANYWAY, I overheard a conversation between 2 mgmt. people and a man who was 1/2 ccw/1/2 oc. It looked like he had a 1911 butt grip sticking out of his shorts pocket. First of all, I saw no holster, which is still illegal in GA. and second , the guy was making no attempt to conceal the weapon. Also IMO anybody who carries a full size 1911 in a small front pocket of his shorts is kind of asking for trouble. However this was also the kind of person who feels fashionable with his shorts hanging around his knees in the first place. Well the ccw/oc guy was saying "there's nothing you can do about it" referring to a statement I honestly didn't hear coming from from one of the mgrs. in response the other mgr. said in a way too loud voice"oh yes there is, I can have you banned from every Kroger in the state!" They both escorted the "customer" who BTW had NO grocery cart or items to purchase out of the store. This whole scene made me a little nervous as one of the tools I take into the stores I work in is a Walther PPS .40, and it never occurred to me not to, as I work all over the state of Georgia, and many neighbor hoods are "THE HOOD". Also as has been pointed out previously, Kroger is indeed a sponsor of GeorgiaCarry.org "What we have here is a lack of communication" between Kroger Corporate,Kroger Divisions, Kroger Stores, and Kroger MGMt.

 

[MrGreenMachine]

This sounds like whoever the District Manager is in the Cinci region just sets their own policy for whatever they want or intentionally interpret the law to fit their beleifs. ie the class D license signage. I open carry here in our East TN kroger stores and have never had a problem. It sounds like Corporate needs to set a nationwide policy that basically says "unless specifically prohibited by state law."

 

[308win]

Reply I Received from Kroger Re: CCW

The Kroger Co. Conceal Carry Policy‏
From: Blanton, Diane ([email protected])
Sent: Mon 5/24/10 7:00 PM
To:
1 attachment
image001.gif (1.1 KB)



Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with our Conceal Carry policy. Please know that our company follows state laws regarding this issue and policies may vary depending on the laws of the state in which you reside. For customers shopping in our Columbus Division stores, the policy is as follows:



· Employees are not allowed to carry weapons while on duty, with the exception of armed security and Police officers.

· We do not post ‘no weapons’ signs.



I hope this information is helpful to you and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify the policy for you. Should you have any additional comments or questions, please let me know.

Seems Kroger doesn't post in Ohio (or at least the Columbus Division) and that is consistent with my experience in the Columbus area.

 

[gopguy]

The store where this latest storm started was not posted. Sadly Kroger won't answer Mr. Hudson's calls now or do the right thing. So apparently we need to keep giving them blazes.

Call Center
(Open Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. EST)

1-866-221-4141

Mail
The Kroger Co.
Customer Relations
1014 Vine Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-1100

Corporate Switchboard
(513) 762-4000


Corporate Affairs/Media Relations
Corporate Affairs Department
The Kroger Co.
1014 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1100


Executive Offices
(please direct correspondence to the attention of a department or individual)

David B. Dillon CEO
1014 Vine Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-1100
(513) 762-4000
http://www.kroger.com

 

[gearhead]

If it's now the policy of Corporate to "follow all applicable state and local laws" then that contradicts an earlier correspondence that indicated that a certain region had prohibited personal firearms in the store even when legally permitted. They need to:

1) Get their story straight. Either they allow lawful carry in accordance with local ordinances or

2) Get the word out to rogue managers who are making their own policy that runs counter to local law.

 

[azyogi]

I wrote [e-mail] and asked them about thier policy and received this response:

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with our Conceal Carry policy. Please know that our company follows state laws regarding this issue and policies may vary depending on the laws of the state in which you reside. I have shared your comments with the Regional Office for their review. Again, thank you for contacting us.



Regards,



The Kroger Co.

Consumer Affairs

In my missive I mentioned that I do not shop at anti gun stores, I think the message might be sinking in, or filtering up whitchever.

 

[rjrivero]

I got this reply today.

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with our Conceal Carry policy. Please know that our company follows state laws regarding this issue and policies may vary depending on the laws of the state in which you reside. For customers shopping in our Columbus Division stores, the policy is as follows:



· Employees are not allowed to carry weapons while on duty, with the exception of armed security and Police officers.

· We do not post ‘no weapons’ signs.



I hope this information is helpful to you and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify the policy for you. Should you have any additional comments or questions, please let me know.

I sent a follow up question:

Ms. Blanton,

Thank you for the time of your reply. I am not sure if you are aware, but Ohio is an OPEN CARRY state as well. It is NOT against the law for a citizen to carry a handgun properly holstered and uncovered.

Is there a policy on OPEN carry in your stores?

Thank you in advance.

I'll keep you up to date on any further correspondence.