Remember when grocery shopping meant grabbing a cart, checking the weekly sales flyer, and paying a cashier who actually bagged your groceries? These days, a simple trip to the supermarket can involve downloading an app, scanning digital coupons, navigating self-checkout machines, and figuring out which advertised prices require a loyalty account. While some of these conveniences save time and money, others can make shopping unnecessarily complicated, particularly for customers who prefer a straightforward experience. And this isn’t simply a matter of older adults resisting technology.
According to AARP’s 2026 Technology Trends report, 66% of adults ages 50 and older say technology enriches their lives, but approximately 60% believe today’s technology isn’t designed with their age group in mind. That distinction matters at the supermarket, where digital discounts, complicated checkout systems, and mobile applications can create barriers for shoppers who simply want to buy groceries at a fair price. Here are 10 modern grocery store features that some older shoppers would gladly do without.
1. Digital Coupons That Require a Smartphone
Digital coupons can offer significant savings, but they can also create extra work for shoppers who don’t use grocery apps. Instead of simply clipping a coupon from a newspaper, customers may need to download an application, create an account, and activate individual offers before reaching checkout. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes that shopping apps can provide discounts and rewards while also collecting personal information about users.
Consider a shopper purchasing five household essentials, each advertised with a $2 digital coupon. Someone who knows how to activate every offer could save $10, while another customer buying the exact same products might pay full price simply because they didn’t use the store’s app. Over four similar shopping trips, that difference could reach $40. The issue isn’t whether digital coupons are useful, but whether shoppers should need a smartphone and an online account to access competitive grocery prices.
2. Self-Checkout Machines That Constantly Need Assistance
Self-checkout lanes were designed to make shopping faster, but they don’t always deliver that experience. A machine that repeatedly requests employee assistance can turn a five-minute transaction into a frustrating ordeal. Customers buying produce may need to search through touchscreen menus, identify varieties, and weigh items before completing their purchases.
For someone with arthritis, limited mobility, or difficulty reading small screens, scanning and bagging an entire grocery order can be physically demanding. While self-checkout works well for some shoppers, keeping staffed registers available gives everyone the option to choose the checkout experience that works best.
3. Electronic Shelf Labels That Make Prices Harder to Follow
Electronic shelf labels can help supermarkets update prices more efficiently, but they have also raised questions about how quickly prices can change. It’s important to distinguish electronic price displays from personalized pricing, which involves using consumer information to determine what an individual shopper sees or pays. An electronic shelf label doesn’t automatically mean a retailer is charging different customers different prices.
For shoppers, the immediate concern is often simpler: making sure the shelf price, unit price, and any loyalty discount are clearly displayed and match what appears at checkout.
4. Loyalty Programs That Make the Real Price Confusing
A grocery shelf might display one price for loyalty members and another for shoppers who haven’t enrolled. That arrangement can make it harder to estimate your grocery bill, especially when several products have different promotional conditions. The FTC’s consumer guidance on shopping apps encourages shoppers to understand what information retailers collect and how it may be used.
Imagine two shoppers buying the same 10 grocery items, with five products carrying a $1 discount available only to loyalty members. The enrolled shopper saves $5, while the other pays the regular shelf prices. If that happens weekly, the difference could total $260 over a year. Although loyalty programs can provide genuine savings, shoppers should understand which prices require membership and whether they’re comfortable sharing personal information in exchange for discounts. Instead of simply comparing prices, the shopper must determine which savings actually apply, making grocery budgeting more complicated than necessary.
5. QR Codes Replacing Printed Information
QR codes have become a familiar feature of modern retail, sometimes directing customers to promotions, product details, recipes, or rewards programs. While convenient for smartphone users, they aren’t particularly helpful to someone who wants information without opening another website. A shopper comparing ingredients or nutritional information may prefer a readable package label rather than navigating a digital page.
The Department of Justice’s accessibility guidance emphasizes that accessible printed information and customer service can improve shopping experiences for older adults and people with disabilities. Providing QR codes alongside traditional signs and printed information would give shoppers more flexibility without eliminating useful technology.
6. Oversized Stores That Require More Walking
Larger supermarkets can offer impressive selections, but navigating a sprawling store may become exhausting for shoppers with limited mobility. A customer who needs milk, bread, and prescription refills might have to walk from one end of the building to the other several times. The Department of Justice explains that accessible store layouts and assistance retrieving merchandise can be important for customers with disabilities.
Frequent layout changes, promotional displays blocking aisles, and products placed on high shelves can make an already lengthy shopping trip more difficult. Stores that provide seating, accessible carts, and consistent product locations can make shopping easier without sacrificing variety.
7. Grocery Delivery Services With Multiple Extra Fees
Grocery delivery can be valuable for older adults who no longer drive or have difficulty carrying heavy bags. However, the convenience can become expensive when service fees, delivery charges, tips, and potentially higher online item prices are added to the order. In May 2026, the FTC highlighted concerns about hidden or misleading fees associated with online grocery and food delivery services.
These concerns aren’t purely hypothetical. In December 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced a $60 million settlement with Instacart over allegations involving misleading delivery promotions, subscription enrollment, and other consumer practices. The agency alleged that certain mandatory service fees reached as much as 15% of an order’s cost despite promotions advertising free delivery. For someone placing an $80 grocery order, a 15% service fee alone would equal $12, before considering any other applicable charges. Grocery delivery can provide essential convenience, but comparing the complete checkout total with pickup or in-store shopping can help prevent unpleasant financial surprises.
8. Checkout Screens That Ask for Donations and Extra Purchases
Modern checkout screens sometimes ask customers to donate to charities, enroll in memberships, or accept additional offers before completing payment. These requests aren’t necessarily harmful, and many retailers support worthwhile charitable organizations through checkout campaigns. However, someone trying to complete a transaction quickly may feel pressured when several questions appear on the payment terminal.
For example, a shopper managing a strict $60 grocery budget might prefer to make charitable donations separately rather than deciding while a checkout line forms behind them. A clearly visible option to decline additional offers helps preserve customer choice without creating unnecessary pressure.
9. Store Apps That Track Shopping Habits
Some shoppers appreciate personalized coupons and recommendations based on their previous purchases. Others are uncomfortable with retailers collecting detailed information about what they buy, where they shop, and how frequently they visit. These applications may gather location data, payment information, and purchasing histories.
The FTC’s 2025 surveillance pricing study also raised broader concerns about businesses using consumer data to personalize prices and offers. Retirees who value privacy may prefer stores that provide competitive everyday prices without requiring customers to share extensive personal information.
10. Fewer Cashiers Available to Help Customers
Perhaps one of the most noticeable changes in some supermarkets is the reduced availability of traditional checkout assistance. For customers who need help lifting heavy items, reading prices, or managing payment problems, having an employee nearby can make a substantial difference. Businesses may need to provide reasonable assistance to customers with disabilities, including help retrieving merchandise from high shelves.
A cashier who bags groceries and answers questions can also provide valuable human interaction for shoppers who live alone or have limited opportunities to socialize. Technology can improve efficiency, but it shouldn’t eliminate the personal service that makes grocery shopping accessible and comfortable for everyone.
Grocery Shopping Shouldn’t Be This Complicated
Technology can make grocery shopping faster and more affordable, but those benefits shouldn’t come at the expense of accessibility or transparent pricing. Before choosing where to shop, compare more than the advertised discounts: look at whether a store requires an app for its best deals, offers staffed checkout lanes, clearly displays unit prices, and provides assistance when needed. For retirees on fixed incomes, saving $5 or $10 per shopping trip can make a meaningful difference over the course of a year. The best supermarket isn’t necessarily the one with the most technology, but the one that makes it easiest to get the groceries you need at a price you can understand.
Which grocery store change frustrates you most, and what would you like supermarkets to bring back? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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