Fred Meyer has discontinued print inserts into newspapers.

“Change is the only constant in life.”

— Greek philosopher Heraclitus

Fred Meyer sales inserts ceased publication last week. Fred Meyer’s parent company, Kroger, notified newspapers nationwide that they would cease print insert distribution as of May 23.

The letter announcing the change stated, “Kroger has been conducting research for over two years to better understand the changing media consumption habits of our customers, the contribution to sales provided by the printed weekly circular and negative impact to our distribution costs driven by increasing labor and fuel costs.”

Walgreens and Rite Aid have also chosen to discontinue weekly print inserts in recent years. American Profile and Parade magazine went out of print publishing at the end of 2022. Other retailers have reduced the frequency of their inserts as readers increasingly turn to digital communication and print distribution costs continue to rise.

Some print subscribers will be disappointed to miss those shopping inserts. A 2022 Pew research study states that 39% of those age 65 or older do not have a smartphone and only 75% of those 65 and older report being internet users. A print subscription to the Chinook Observer includes full digital access to our website, although only around half have registered to use the service.

However, the Observer’s digital-only subscriptions continue to grow as readers find more content and convenience online than in print. As a news organization, we have fully embraced the shift to digital-first publishing, and often post stories online before they are seen in print. Many advertisers have shifted with us to take advantage of a larger, 24-7 audience.

In fact, we will be adding a digital shopping service to our website soon that will include a large number of chain store advertising inserts, including Fred Meyer, so that our readers can still take advantage of the deals and coupons.

It still stings to lose print inserts knowing that we will have disappointed print subscribers due to a decision we did not choose.

If you want a printed copy of the Fred Meyer weekly ad, Kroger has directed us to have subscribers call 1‐800‐KROGERS (1‐800‐576‐4377).

If you would like to take advantage of digital access to your subscription so that you can read stories and advertising online, call our customer service team at 800-781-3214.

As always, thank you for your support of the Observer and original, local journalism.