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This is what bugs boomers about todays supermarkets

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Grocery chains risk losing loyal older customers as they replace personal service with apps and automation.

• Boomers are more likely to favor traditional supermarkets, familiar brands and staffed checkout lanes.

• Human assistance, accessible stores and discounts available without a smartphone could ease the frustration.

For baby boomers, grocery shopping isnt as much fun as it used to be, and it has little to do with rising food prices.

The weekly grocery run increasingly requires customers to scan their own purchases, troubleshoot checkout machines and activate discounts on a phone. For many older Americans, that doesnt feel like progress.

A recent analysis from The Takeout examined 10 supermarket trends that often irritate baby boomers. Taken together, the findings point to a larger problem for retailers: The technology intended to make stores faster and cheaper may be creating new obstacles for some of their most loyal customers.

Self-checkout is a prime example. While younger adults are generally more receptive to scanning and bagging their own groceries, shoppers 55 and older overwhelmingly favor staffed registers. One survey included in the analysis found that 75% of consumers in that age group prefer a cashier. Among adults ages 18 to 34, 46% would opt for self-checkout.

The machines can be difficult to navigate when produce must be weighed or an error stops the transaction. But technical problems are only part of the objection. Some customers see self-checkout as unpaid labor, while others value the conversation and assistance that cashiers provide.

Sale prices may require a smartphone

Supermarket promotions have also moved onto digital platforms. Instead of clipping a paper coupon, shoppers may now need to download an app, create an account and activate an offer before reaching the register.

That process can leave people without smartphones paying a higher price. It may also disadvantage customers who own a device but are not comfortable installing apps or managing digital loyalty programs.

Because smartphone use is lower among older age groups, digital-only deals can have an outsized effect on seniors. Some have criticized the pricing model as unfair because two customers buying the same product may be charged differently based on their access to technology.

Service still shapes where boomers shop

Price and speed are not the only factors consumers consider when choosing a grocery store.

Research from The Feedback Group found that traditional supermarkets were the first choice of 32% of baby boomers. Walmart followed at 28%, while Aldi and dollar stores were preferred by 11% and 5%, respectively.

Gen Z consumers were more inclined to choose Walmart, Aldi or dollar stores. The generational split indicates that younger shoppers may be more willing to trade traditional service for lower prices or quicker trips. Boomers, meanwhile, appear more attentive to employee helpfulness, store conditions and merchandise quality.

Overall, boomers remain pleased with their regular supermarkets. They awarded them an average score of 4.43 out of five, with cleanliness and friendly employees receiving strong marks.

Those ratings help explain why staff reductions can be so noticeable to older customers. Fewer workers can mean longer waits, less help finding merchandise and no one available to bag groceries. Services that once defined a full-service supermarket including assistance carrying bags to the car have become less common.

Small inconveniences can become physical barriers

Retail practices that merely annoy some customers can create genuine accessibility problems for others.

Changing aisle layouts may encourage shoppers to see products they would otherwise miss, but it can force people with mobility limitations to spend more time walking through the store. A customer who cannot easily find a familiar item may simply decide not to buy it.

A defective shopping cart can pose a similar concern. Some older adults lean on carts for balance, so wheels that stick, wobble or pull to one side can make the trip more difficult and less safe.

Boomers also tend to be less interested in experimenting with store brands or convenience foods. About 26% rarely or never consider changing brands, according to data cited by The Takeout. Only 29% of consumers 65 and older look for products that reduce cooking time, compared with 45% of people ages 15 to 24.

For supermarkets, the takeaway is not that technology must disappear. It is that customers need alternatives. A store can offer self-checkout while keeping cashiers available, provide app-based deals alongside automatic discounts and refresh its inventory without constantly relocating staples.

Modernization may save money, but retailers could pay another price if it makes longtime customers feel that the store no longer works for them.

The message may appear to come from someone you know

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• A WhatsApp scam asks users to vote for a friend or relative in a fake online contest.

• The link can trick victims into connecting a criminals device to their WhatsApp account.

• Users should review linked devices, activate two-step verification and confirm unexpected requests through another channel.

A seemingly harmless request to vote for a friend in an online contest is being used to take over WhatsApp accounts, cybersecurity researchers warn.

The scam begins with a message asking the recipient to support someone participating in a ballet performance, pet contest, school competition or similar event. The sender may appear to be a friend or relative whose WhatsApp account has already been compromised.

The message often suggests that voting will end soon, creating pressure to act quickly.

According to Malwarebytes, the link does not lead to a legitimate contest. Instead, it takes the user into a process designed to connect a device controlled by the scammer to the victims WhatsApp account.

How the scam works

After clicking the voting link, victims may see a page that appears to be associated with WhatsApp. In some versions, the page uses WhatsApps legitimate wa.me domain before redirecting the user.

The victim may then be instructed to verify an account, scan a QR code or open WhatsApps Linked devices section and enter a code provided by the website.

Those actions do not cast a vote. They authorize the attackers computer or browser as a linked WhatsApp device.

Once connected, that device can allow the criminal to read conversations and send messages under the victims name. The scammer may then ask the victims contacts for money or personal information or send them the same fake voting request.

The attack can be difficult to spot because it does not necessarily involve stealing a password or immediately locking the victim out. The attackers computer may simply appear as another authorized device and remain connected until it is removed.

A separate version of the scheme may ask users to enter their phone number and a six-digit code sent by text message. That code is actually a WhatsApp registration code and should never be entered on an unfamiliar website.

Switzerlands National Cyber Security Centre has also reported the scam, warning that criminals exploit trust by sending the request from accounts belonging to people the victim knows.

Red flags

Consumers should be suspicious of any unexpected message asking them to vote in a contest, especially when the request includes a deadline or directs them to connect or verify their WhatsApp account.

Other warning signs include instructions to:

• Scan a QR code from an unfamiliar website.

• Open WhatsApps Linked devices menu.

• Enter a pairing or verification code.

• Provide a six-digit code received by text.

• Act immediately without confirming the request.

Even when the message comes from a known contact, users should call, text or contact that person through another service to make sure the request is genuine.

What victims should do

Anyone who followed the instructions should open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Linked devices. Any browser, computer or other device that is not recognized should be selected and logged out immediately.

Victims should also warn their contacts not to trust recent messages or click links sent from the compromised account.

If the scammer registered the WhatsApp account on another phone, the legitimate user can try signing back in with their phone number and a new six-digit verification code. Entering that code should log the attacker out. However, recovery may take longer if the criminal activated a two-step verification PIN.

WhatsApp users can make their accounts harder to steal by turning on two-step verification under Settings > Account > Two-step verification. Malwarebytes also recommends checking the Linked devices list regularly and never linking a device unless the user initiated the process.

The Cyclospora outbreak may have extended to six more states

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Chipotle removed jalapeos from affected restaurants and replaced them with peppers from different growers.

• Minnesota officials have identified 110 Salmonella cases; 75 of 84 people interviewed reported eating at Chipotle.

• Investigators have not confirmed the peppers as the source, and the suspected lot reached multiple restaurant operators and states.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has removed jalapeos from some restaurants after the peppers emerged as a possible link to a Salmonella outbreak under investigation in Minnesota and other states.

The company said that its ingredient-tracing system identified jalapeos from a common lot as a potential shared ingredient. Chipotle removed the peppers from every restaurant that received the lot and replaced them with jalapeos supplied by different growers.

The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority, the company said in an August 4 statement.

Minnesota health officials have identified 110 cases connected through genetic sequencing. Of 84 patients interviewed, 75 said they had eaten at Chipotle between June 14 and July 14. Other patients reported visiting a variety of Mexican-style restaurants, suggesting the suspected ingredient may have circulated beyond Chipotle.

No supplier has been publicly identified, and authorities have not conclusively established that jalapeos caused the illnesses. Chipotle described their removal as a precaution rather than a formal consumer recall.

Cyclospora outbreak may be growing

The move coincides with another expanding food issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly expanded the current Cyclospora outbreak to 15 states. According to the Washington Post, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina have been added to the list of states where consumers have been sickened by the parasite.

The overwhelming majority of cases have been reported in Michigan, where more than 11,000 people have been sickened. Two people in Michigan have died from the foodborne illness.

Health officials are still trying to determine why so many cases have occurred in one state. Nationwide, more than 18,000 have gotten ill from eating contaminated food.

Nearly 15,000 consumers entered debt management plans so far this year

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Money Management International enrolled nearly 15,000 consumers in debt management plans during the first half of 2026, its highest midyear total since tracking began in 2017.

• A credit counselor can review a household budget, recommend repayment strategies and possibly arrange lower interest rates or waived fees.

• Counselors cannot erase legitimate debts, guarantee creditor concessions or remove accurate negative information from a credit report.

A record number of financially strained Americans are seeking professional help with their debts as years of higher prices and costly credit card borrowing take a growing toll.

Nearly 15,000 consumers entered debt management plans through Money Management International during the first six months of 2026. That was the nonprofit counseling organizations highest year-to-date total since it began tracking enrollments in 2017, according to data reported by USA Today.

The average participant entered a plan owing approximately $40,000.

MMI also provided financial counseling to more than 40,000 households during the first half of the year. The number of counseling sessions has risen for five consecutive years and is 143% higher than in 2021.

The figures do not represent every credit counselor in the United States. However, they provide a snapshot of mounting financial pressure as consumers struggle with elevated living costs, high credit card interest rates and record household debt.

U.S. household debt reached a record $18.8 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Consumer prices, meanwhile, have increased approximately 27% since early 2021.

Younger adults are among those seeking help. Generation Z consumers, ages 18 to 29, were MMIs fastest-growing client group, increasing 35% over the last year.

Millennials accounted for 56% of the organizations clients and had an average unsecured debt balance of $43,533. Generation X clients had the largest average balance, at $53,350.

What a credit counselor can do

A reputable counselor typically begins by reviewing the consumers income, living expenses, debts and financial goals. The counselor may then help create a budget, identify which debts should receive priority and recommend steps the consumer can take independently.

If the household has enough income to repay its unsecured debts but cannot keep up with current payments, the counselor may propose a debt management plan.

Under such a plan, the consumer generally makes one monthly payment to the counseling organization, which distributes the money to participating creditors. Creditors may agree to reduce interest rates, waive certain fees or accept a more manageable payment schedule.

However, those concessions are not guaranteed.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says counselors can also help consumers obtain their credit reports, understand their credit scores and develop a personalized plan for addressing their money problems.

Credit counseling is different from debt settlement. Counseling organizations generally try to help consumers repay what they owe, while debt settlement companies attempt to persuade creditors to accept less than the full balance.

What a counselor cannot do

A credit counselor cannot force a lender or debt collector to accept a payment plan, lower an interest rate or forgive part of a balance.

The counselor also cannot legally remove accurate negative information from a credit report. Late payments, charge-offs and other valid information may remain on a report for years, even after a consumer enters a repayment program.

Nor can a counselor stop a creditor from filing a lawsuit, guarantee a higher credit score or make unaffordable debt disappear. In some cases, the counselor may conclude that a debt management plan is not workable and suggest that the consumer speak with a bankruptcy attorney.

Consumers should be suspicious of anyone who promises instant debt forgiveness, guarantees results or claims access to a special government debt-relief program. The Federal Trade Commission says an unexpected call or text promising fast relief while requesting personal or financial information is a strong indication of a scam.

How to choose a counselor

The CFPB suggests beginning with organizations affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Financial Counseling Association of America. The Justice Department also maintains a list of agencies approved to provide counseling required before bankruptcy.

Before signing up, consumers should:

• Ask for a complete written list of services and fees.

• Verify that counselors receive training and independent certification.

• Check the organization with the state attorney general or consumer-protection agency.

• Avoid an agency that recommends a debt management plan before reviewing the entire financial picture.

• Ask whether employees receive commissions for enrolling clients.

• Confirm proposed concessions directly with creditors.

• Read the contract and understand which debts areand are notincluded.

Nonprofit status alone does not guarantee that an organization is inexpensive or trustworthy. A reputable agency should provide basic information without first demanding sensitive financial details, explain all options and offer help even when a consumer cannot afford substantial fees.