Coffee With Collin: Proper Coupon Usage (Un-Extreme & Un-Complicated)
This week’s Coffee with Collin focuses on a VERY important topic in the world of couponing: proper use of coupons. Let me say that this video is primarily directed at coupon newbies so it may be somewhat boring for those of you who have been couponing for quite some time now. However, I encourage all of you to take the time to watch the video (newbies and experts alike) as I hope that all of you coupon experts will leave tips to help the newbies and on the flip side, I want all of you coupon newbies to be able to ask any sort of questions that you may have (and remember, there are no stupid questions!).
**If you can’t see the video, go here to watch it.
Proper Coupon Usage
(1) You can only use one manufacturer coupon per item purchased. For example, if you have 3 $1/1 Colgate toothpaste manufacturer coupons, you can purchase 3 Colgate toothpastes in the same transaction and use all 3 $1/1 Colgate toothpaste manufacturer coupons (i.e. one coupon per toothpaste purchased). This “rule” may seem obvious but many coupon newbies (and even some cashiers/managers) do not always understand the difference between a purchase and a transaction. Since you are purchasing each item, each item is itself a purchase. A transaction is the total of all the items purchased. In this case, the 3 Colgate toothpastes make up your transaction. Still confused? Check out this article.
(2) In some cases, you can use both a manufacturer coupon AND a store coupon for the purchase of one item (this is called stacking). For example, Target allows you to use both a Target store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon for the purchase of one item. This same sort of policy holds true for Rite Aid and Walgreens as well. If you are not familiar with a store’s coupon policy (and whether they allow stacking), I strongly encourage you to read the coupon policy and/or check out my store guides prior to your first shopping trip.
(3) Do not use expired coupons even if they scan! If you have a stash of expired coupons, consider sending them to military families overseas. Check out this post for more information.
(4) If you have a coupon that requires the purchase of multiple items, then you must purchase the stated number of items on the coupon. For example, if you have a $1/2 Ken’s Dressing coupon, you must purchase 2 Ken’s Dressings to use the coupon. Also, keep in mind that this $1/2 coupon is applied/attached to both dressings so you cannot apply an additional manufacturer coupon to either of these 2 dressings.
(5) Read the text on Free product coupons and Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons and pay special attention to the maximum value allowed. For example, let’s say you have a free product coupon for Axe Shower Gel with a maximum value of $5.99 specified on the coupon. Your store has the Axe Shower Gel priced at $6.99; if you use the free product coupon, you will actually pay $1 for the shower gel since the coupon only allows a maximum of $5.99.
(6) Look Beyond the Picture (i.e. focus on the text and NOT the picture). For example, I have a manufacturer coupon that specifically states “Save $3 off any K-Y Brand product (excludes trial sizes)”; the manufacturer has intentionally placed a picture of K-Y Intense (a rather expensive K-Y product) on the coupon. At first glance, one may assume that you can only save $3 off the purchase of K-Y Intense; however, once you read the text, you realize that the coupon can be used to save $3 off any K-Y product except for trial sizes. That means you could use this coupon to snag K-Y lubricant for FREE or almost FREE!
(7) Have I mentioned that you need to read the text?! 😉 Another reason to read that text is because occasionally a coupon may state one per customer. In this case, you can only use one coupon no matter how many items you purchase.
(8) If a printable coupon seems too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of e-mails (even if they are from your friends and family) that attach coupons for free products or other offers that seem “too good to be true.” They are almost certainly counterfeits. To check out a suspicious coupon, head over to the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) and you can view a list of current counterfeit coupons. You can also report a suspicious or counterfeit coupon that you discover.
Photo courtesy of FritoLay.com
If you come across a coupon with one or more of the following items, keep in mind that this may indicate that the coupon is fraudulent: coupons with NO expiration date; misspellings on coupon; no purchase required to get free product; coupon does not refer to specific size or weight limits for free product; extremely high maximum value for free product (ex. – $5 maximum value for a single bag of Doritos is extremely high considering these rarely sell for over $4/bag at ANY store)
(9) If you want to confirm that a Coupons, Inc. coupon is legit, head over to the Coupon Resource Center and enter the Veri-Fi code found on your coupon (i.e. the unique code that prints on your coupon). Keep in mind that when you go to print a coupon, you should never see the actual coupon on your screen, only an offer to print it. Real coupons require special software to print proper barcodes and limits the number of prints of each coupon. For this reason, you CANNOT photocopy a coupon! Keep in mind that photocopying a coupon, intentionally using a coupon for a product that you have not purchased and/or intentionally using a counterfeit coupon can result in serious legal consequences (to date, the longest prison sentence has been 17 years of jail time and the highest financial penalty has been $5 million in fines!).
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OK, now that you know how to use coupons properly, how about learning about the coupon redemption process. Do you really know how the process of coupon redemption works for stores?! What do stores do with those stacks of coupons that they collect from all of us savvy shoppers? Knowing this information outlined below will allow you to be that much more confident when you are at the register and the cashier mumbles something like “Using coupons rips off the stores.”
Coupon Redemption Process
-Manufacturers design coupon promotions with their sales/marketing teams
-Coupons are distributed via newspaper inserts, direct mail campaigns, via the internet etc.
-A very “hip” shopper excitedly enters the store and proudly uses all of his/her coupons at checkout 
-The cashier scans the coupons and puts them into the cash drawer. Typically, at the end of the day the coupons in each cash drawer are added up as if they were cash, and that amount is added to the cash sum to be sure the overall total for the drawer is accurate.
-Once per week, all of the manufacturers’ coupons (and any coupons issued by the grocer) are sent in plastic bags or pouches to the store’s corporate headquarters.
-There is a very lucky person at headquarters in charge of processing the coupons. That person boxes all of the bags of coupons and ships them to a third-party clearinghouse.
-The clearinghouse is then responsible for doing the most important part of the coupon redemption process– separating the coupons by manufacturer or by scannable coupons versus damaged/torn coupons. Most of this process is done by hand. Sometimes coupons are put face up on a conveyor belt and move under a scanner that reads the UPC codes and tallies the amounts. However, damaged and torn coupons have to be tallied by hand. The clearinghouse then sends all the sorted coupons with an invoice to the manufacturer.
-The manufacturer will reimburse stores the face value of coupons or if the coupon calls for free merchandise, for the retail-selling price up to the stated maximum value printed on the coupon PLUS 8¢ for handling each coupon properly redeemed (this 8¢ value may vary slightly). Many times manufacturers, such as ConAgra Foods, will also reimburse retailers that are using a clearinghouse or billing agent at a rate equal to $5.50 per thousand of coupons redeemed.
-The manufacturer either reimburses the clearinghouse for the amount of the invoice, and the clearinghouse mails a check to the store for the amount of the coupons OR the manufacturer sends a check directly to the store and the store then pays the clearinghouse. (The clearinghouse is paid a certain amount per coupon by the store, plus shipping and handling).
(Thanks to HowStuffWorks for some of the info on explaining the coupon redemption process!)
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If you’re ever in need of a specific product and are wondering if there is a coupon available, what better place to search for it than the Hip2Save Coupon Database!? 😀 Here at Hip2Save, we’ve created a Hip2Save Coupon Database where you can search for any and all coupons, including home mailers, printable, store-only, in-store, Facebook, and many other types of coupons!
I may have just not been in the know, but my Target will now only let me use one like coupon per transaction. I’ve always bought two of each item since the computer lets me print two, but today the cashier made me take every double out of my bag and void it. So discouraging!
Target has been so rude to me the last few weeks. They huff, puff, roll their eyes, and just make degrading looks at me. They say “I’ll let this thru this time, but if it beeps we won’t take it next time” Well coupons beep sometimes just so the cashier is reminded to check the coupon against the product. ANYWAYS, it has gotten so bad I had to email corrperate about them. I never thought I’d ever have to do that, but they are so rude and I just leave feeling humiliated.
Someone suggested to go to the young male cashiers so I did yesterday. He wasn’t rude, but made the comment “Target is really cracking down on coupons!”
Well even if that is so the ohter cashiers do not have to make me feel bad and embarass me in front of other shoppers. 🙁
Good luck with corporate! I contacted them twice over incorrect coupon redemption, cashiers rudeness, managers stating incorrect coupon policy, etc. They sent me the exact same form letter both times. “We’re sorry…blah…blah…blah…” I just gave up and will only go to Target when there are at least 5 or 6 EXCELLENT deals worth fighting over which isn’t too often!
I don’t get this “cracking down on coupons” mentality. What is that supposed to mean? In my opinion, “cracking down” implies that coupons are something bad that need to be stopped. Huh?
What is wrong with retailers? Don’t they realize that there are lots of places to buy the same products, and if they don’t welcome me and my coupons, I will find somewhere else to make my purchases?
Kelly I felt the same way when he said “cracking down”. I thought & wanted to say out loud “then why are they even offer store coupons if coupons are so bad”.
@Sue: I didn’t even get a letter back! I figured it may not do any good, but I had to vent to them. Maybe if they had enough complaints they’d do something. *wishfull thinking* ITA I only go now if I have a bunch of good deals that make it worth the headache.
From a retailers point of view, shelves often get wiped out due to people have coupons to pair with deals. If you limit the coupons/items more people can get in on the deal and not be totally discouraged. I’m sure some of you watched Extreme Couponing…although I’m sure most everyone on here isn’t nearly like that, the only way a retailer can try to let every customer that walks in and wants to get the deal is to limit it to others. The odd thing is that customers still don’t care…but oddly enough they care when they get to the shelf and it’s empty and blame the retailer for letting it happen. Although retailers know the sales, they don’t know what coupons exactly are going to come out.
I stopped shopping at Target altogether (when I am buying coupon-type things). My local grocery store and my local drug stores NEVER give me a hard time about coupons. They are so nice and friendly. Why would I bother being humiliated at Target and having to go to customer service EVERY TIME to fix coupon problems when it doesn’t save me THAT much overall (same or better deals are eventually found at the other stores)? Note, though, that after I contacted corporate about the problems, they did send me some Target coupons for $3 off anything. Still, shopping there for coupon-type stuff is still so not worth it to my family.
My Targets are “cracking down” as well. All it does it make it more work for them and make the people in line behind me more irritated because I have to do more transactions. I had a hard time using 2 like coupons for one of their gift card deals they had going. It’s really frustrating. I used to LOVE Target.
This is why I will only use Target coupons at Target. They even gave me a hard time over a coupon for Enfamil that I got from the doctor!!
I emailed Target corporate about being out of stock so long with the Purex on price cut. My daughter was there every day before work checking for me. I went myself Friday and they were still out. There were 2 ladies standing there complaining as well. It has been well over 2 weeks. Finally they got some in on Sat and the price had been raised up to $3.99 which meant I paid .99 but that is steal a deal. I only bought one. I don’t have to have more than one to consider it a deal.
They did respond to me very quickly. I mean, if they don’t have stuff to buy, not much reason for them to pay employees and turn the lights on, you know?
I think what they mean by “cracking down” is that people are taking the stuff home faster than they can stock it. The coupons are creating artificial demand, so I guess they would eventually take steps to temper the madness somewhat.
Lately, my Target is sticking to the “one per transaction” on the printable Target coupons too. Bummer.
*LIKE* 🙂
I think some people may need to read couponing rules again so that they don’t mess it up for the rest of us…..
absolutely agree with you, I’m very glad that she put this up because there are people that ruin it for everyone else. I work retail and deal with them all the time and it is aggravating. It’s people like that that give couponers a bad rep. I love helping people save money and use their coupons correctly…most regulars know this about me…but there are a few bad regulars, constantly trying to use coupons for the wrong products, and not just size wrong…I mean way off wrong. She tries to use the “language barrier” excuse, and noone falls for it, she knows what she’s doing. It’s people like that that try to scam companies that make me instantly annoyed some days when I see someone walk in with a coupon binder in hand.
Great information! I appreciate the time you put into putting together this information, I found it very helpful.
Have a great day!
Thanks Janice. You too!
WAlgreens receipts are so complicated I can’t tell if I really did save any money. It says I saved $36.00 but fom what? I can’t tell. The teller tried to explain but I got to confused on the buy one get one free plus my $3.00 off. I’m confused Ms. Collin! 🙁 Kat
For the same reason, I HATE the new target receipts, too. UGH
Thanks for putting all that together. In light of all the “allegations” that are flying on the web regarding TLC Extreme Coupon show, it is nice to know that you are educating us all. I know stores get taken advantage of all the time & it hurts us honest couponers when a few people purposefully use coupons inappropriately. I hope the TLC’s program does not have any negative repercussions for us. However, my fear is that manufacturers and stores will take notice of this and discontinue many of the coupons or deals. Thanks for all you do!
I was thinking the same thing! I wonder how many stores now will discontinue their double/triple coupon days because of some of the crazy coupon hoarders out there.
I was determined not to watch the show when it came out, but I watched the rerun last night and all I can say is omg. I feel condfident that it will hurt us couponers in the future. I honestly do think that there should be limits on things though.
Collin, where did you get those fabulous earrings? I love them and want a pair for myself!
From this Stella & Dot giveaway I did…
https://hip2save.com/2011/01/giveaway-4-readers-win-25-stella-dot-gift-certificates.html
Love them! 🙂
I THOUGHT they were Stella & Dot!!!!! Love love love Stella & Dot. 🙂 I have been eyeing those earrings.
I have a question. Why do some manufacturer s bother putting “do not double” on their coupon? If they are only going to reimburse the store the face value of the coupon why would they care if the store doubles it?
I have often wondered this as well. Anyone have an informed answer?
I am curious as well, considering that when it gets scanned, it automatically doubles regardless if it says not to or not.
As long as it starts with a 5 it will. The coupons that start with a 9 will not double.
This is definitely a great question and one that is difficult to answer. My thought is that a manufacturer prints “Do Not Double” (DND) on a coupon because the manufacturer does not want to be held liable for reimbursing the store for double the coupon value. If a store makes the decision to double a coupon that has DND, then the store is responsible for this loss in revenue. Hope this makes sense!
Collin, I work for a food broker and work closey with some manfacturars. The DND clause is on the coupons because manfacturars don’t want their product to be devalued. If I can get the product for free as a result of a double, I will think less of their product and never pay full price for it. Something about when you pay for a product you appreciate it more. This is true acutally because I myself don’t feel half as bad when a product I got for free goes to waste, vs something I paid more for….make sense?
Thanks for sharing this information Robin!
Yes, that is what I always deducted. I do have to wonder why they don’t actually restrict it in the coding as well.
Same reason Sony controls what retailers can charge for their products.
Yes, Sony is great but some people do not feel like they are getting something of value unless they pay a steep price.
I’ve wondered that with the coding as well….sometimes it’s done but most times it’s not.
Weird, cause I’m exactly the opposite. If I get a really good deal on a product because of the coupons, I find I am much more appreciative and loyal to that company. I never used L’Oreal before but because of the fabulous deal and rebate I got on their Youth Code, not only to I buy more of their products but I tell everyone I know about them too. If a company helps me out with great coupons, I am a fan.
I am new to couponing … there is so much out there! Yikes ! I feel very unorganized and feel that I am not making the most out of it. Any tips or ideas as to where I can find more information. It can be very overwhelming! Thanks.
Collin has a lot of great information, if you click on “New Here?” at the top it will give you a lot of great information. She has also put together videos in the past for people on how to get started. I started in 2008, and have tried just about every couponing method. It is a bit of a trial and error at first to see what works best for you. My tip is to not try and get every single deal from several stores. Pick one or two stores that you frequent, and just focus on the deals there. It gets too stressful trying to run all over town to score tons of deals. It gets really overwhelming and you eventually want to give up. I’m just speaking from personal experience 🙂
Hi Jen,
I know watcha mean about feeling unorganized! 😉 I suggest you check out my coupon newbie section here – https://hip2save.com/couponnewbie
Also, here are a few other posts I’ve done that may interest you:
https://hip2save.com/2011/03/coffee-with-collin-stockpile-organization.html
https://hip2save.com/2011/02/coffee-with-collin-coupon-organization-part-i.html
https://hip2save.com/2011/03/coffee-with-collin-coupon-organization-part-2.html
https://hip2save.com/2011/01/how-do-you-organize-your-stockpile.html
https://hip2save.com/2011/01/how-are-you-getting-organized-in-2011.html
Thanks Collin!!!! Great video great information!! Very helpful to many of us!!!
Ha, I hope J’Aime watches this!
Collin, you rock! You need to go on the TLC show and show people how us “normal” people coupon. We don’t all buy 60 bottles of mustard! 🙂
LOL!
Michelle, wasn’t that crazy. When Collin showed us her overstock, I was impressed with how she had her stuff organized and didn’t have enough stuff to last for years. It’s almost like those people are hoarders.
What I don’t get is why you would need items to last for years; when most (not all) of the deals come out regularly.
I thought it was sad though that their stockpiles were overtaking their house. It’s cool to have some stuff stockpiled, but sometimes I think people go too far.
Maybe there should be a segment on maintaining your stockpile that focuses on donating items, rotating stockpiles, when stuff expires, when it’s TOO much!, etc.
Agree, most of the time I try to Stockpile enough so that when the deal comes around again that I not completely out but down to my last one or two. What is the point of have a huge stockpile if you can not use it all?
THIS!!!
That is ridiculous! Why would you stockpile so many items with expiration dates? Sure you may have gotten the items for free or nearly free, but if you end up throwing it away because it expires, you are wasting the product and your time and efforts for getting it “free”. Nothing is free…there is a price for everything!
What was funny/aggravating was the husband was saying he doesn’t even eat mustard! and he kept saying that it was enough and to leave some on the shelves and she was determined to use every coupon she had…and i remember correctly…it wasn’t even free after coupons it was about 30 cents each….i wouldnt even get that much mustard if i had the space and they were free!
I agree! I didn’t know she put out those videos last, had never even heard of her before the show. I didn’t like her when I saw her on the show and the biggest reason being that she cleared that shelf. Her husband kept saying that was enough and she said no it wasn’t. There was 3 left on the shelf and she was like take 2 more. She even went as far as centering it and making sure the bottle faced the right way. It was like she was proud of herself….just rubbed me the wrong way I guess.
Thank you for this timely post, in light of the allegations that J’aime committed coupon fraud on TLC’s Extreme Couponing. People like her make stores crack down on coupon use, seriously injuring the rest of us.
I just wanted to make sure the Rite Aid Mitchum deodorant coupon which was posted yesterday was a valid coupon. I noticed that it only had a one part UPC code and is just a PDF coupon. Has anyone checked to see if it is valid?
I received the mitchum coupon in an email from riteaid.
Thanks Andrea, I was not aware of where the Rite Aid coupon came from. That is very helpful to know.
I am so disgusted by Jaime from the TLC show. I have been couponing for 2 months, and I have a huge stockpile, and I use the coupons correctly, so there is no need for fraud.
thank you
granitestatesavers.blogspot.com
Thank you for that video! Thank you for being someone we all can trust!
thanks Collin!
Don’t forget Walmart and their B1G1 coupon attaches to both products. You can’t use a coupon on the first product…without a manager’s over ride.
What about PDF coupons that are legit? Such as the Boogie Wipes coupons are normally PDF. And Sunbelts BOGO coupon stated we could print as many times as we wanted? Those scare me.
Hi Starla,
There are legit PDF coupons available. You just want to make sure that they come from the manufacturer’s site. And if you are in doubt, email the manufacturer directly and ask them if the coupon is legit.
Sunbelt changed to bricks and the value went down.
You’re awesome! I always learn something from these posts!!!
I am a new couponer and I have a question… if a product is on sale buy-one-get-one-free and you use a buy-one-get-one free coupon on it, how does that work exactly? I’ve never quite understood that. Thanks!
Bethany,
When most stores have a BOGO sale and you use a BOGO coupon, the coupon only attaches to one product in the computer even though you have to “buy” 2. So the store pays for one product (they may get special pricing from the manufacturer.) And your BOGO coupon “pays” for the other product.
You will get 2 for free unless the store specifically prohibits it!
on a BOGO sale when using a BOGO coupon… my coupon has been handed back to me with the comment I am “already getting the item free so I can’t use the coupon”…. And I have not been comfortable arguing that I could use the coupon, getting both items free.
You tell them “I am NOT getting it free, I am PAYING for the 2nd item with THIS coupon, which YOUR store will get REIMBURSED for, so you are actually MAKING money from me purchasing THIS product” (Caps is what you need to annunciate.) After telling that to a few cashiers/managers, the light bulb finally clicked on.
what about if it’s at a store (like publix) where B1G1 really means half off? For instance, if it’s B1G1 $4.99 each item rings up for $2.50. So then when they take off the coupon don’t they only take off $2.50????? Confused….
Ginger that is correct with Publix (and Bi-Lo too) except where their stores have true BOGO sales, like in Florida. But the great thing about that is if you have $1/1 you can use one on each item when they have a BOGO sale, where in Florida you can only use 1 $1/1 coupon since you are getting the second for free (someone correct me if I am wrong…)
Thank you Collin. That was informative. I am debating printing copies of the redemption process and handing it out to cashiers that take coupons personally!!! On another note, I really am almost distraut about that RIDICULOUS ‘Extreme Couponing’ show. I have already begun to feel a few minor effects from it. I’ve been to 2 stores and redemmed 3-6 coupons and had the cashiers reply “So wow, are you like an extreme couponer, like that show?” SERIOUSLY?!?!?! Bah! I also went to Walgreens last week where the manager told me a woman came in and ordered 300 of a sale item becuase she had 300 coupons… They filled her order too! I have a sinking feeling that my happy little coupon world is going to change…
I know what you mean. Just know that this new “rush” will fade out just as soon as it has started. Things will get back to normal.
Yep!! Pretty disgusting! Only takes one bad apple.
Same thing happened to me at Walmart. Used 4 coupons and then the converstation started jokingly,…Oh, are you like those people on that TLC show…..way to go TLC, sigh!
Thanks for posting this. I presume its sparked new interest because of TLC’s Extreme Couponing! I used to use expired coupons because you could go to the Veri-fi site like you did and see when it really expires, which is legit. I have sinced stopped checking because its too much of a hassle with all of my coupons now and the clerk reads when it says its expired, not what the site posts. I wish I had known about sending expired coupons to the troops because I throw them all away once a month when they expire and hate seeing them go to waste. I will definetly send them now! Thanks for the ethics part about shelf clearing…perhaps my neighborhood will read this and stop clearing the shelves.
Thanks so much for this post. I agree with the others about Extreme Couponing. I really think that its going to have a major affect on the honest couponers out there!
Great comments, Collin. There are correct ways to coupon for couponers and the stores they frequent!
What about hitting the back space to get second coupon to print? Is that legal? I know many does it.
Yes, hitting the backspace button is totally legal…this is the same thing has hitting the print button twice. When you hit the backspace button, a second coupon is generated with another unique code. As you likely know, you can only hit the backspace button once since you can only print 2 of the same coupons per computer. If you hit the backspace button a third time, you will not be allowed to print an additional coupon.
Collin beat me to it. 😉
So happy about the database. Thanks Collin
Thanks for the guidelines.. i didnt know you could do something useful with expired coupons
I’m new to couponing couple of months now. I follow your examples all the time. However my Walgreens beeps just about everytime I use a coupon. Example was the one for shave gel for .55 off a couple of weeks ago. You would also earn a RR. I just let it go and just got the RR at the end. But last week I tried the deal with the caryola I’m not sure the amount of the coupon but they had the 2/3.00 deal and there was a coupon you were applying to the transaction. These are sunday paper coupons so my question is why are they beeping when I follow your deals to the T. It makes me feel akward and they ladies at the register just look funny . Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all you do for us.
Whether or not the coupon beeps is completely up to the programming of the stores computer system. It absolutely does not mean you have done anything wrong or that the coupon isn’t being used correctly. The cashier probably has a funny look on her face because she is as confused to the beeping as you are. I just wait patiently for them to figure it out and try to ignore any attitude. Many times, changes are made and the staff of these stores are not properly informed or trained and they are just trying to do their jobs without getting in trouble. Unfortunately, I think more and more people are misusing coupons and the cashier has to answer for it. Keep your head up and keep saving money!
Thank you.
Walgreens just got new scanners and my coupons have been beeping like crazy too. But did you notice the difference between the crayola coupon and the rest of the coupons in the insert? Its just one long bar code with a few numbers on top. That is how all coupons will be formatted and will be common within the next few months. Dropping off the first part of the UPC (which is the family code that people de-code – ie Jamie using .75/1 Fiber One coupons on Cheerios), so cheating the system will be harder.
I did noticed that. The cashier said I cut part of the coupon off, but I know I didn’t. I’m not one to argue over something so I walked out with out that deal.
When i used the crayola coupons at my Walgreens they would not scan and would not take being typed in either. The cashier read the fine print checked my items and manually entered a 1.00 but we were both confused how a Sunday paper coupon wouldn’t even scan. Makes sense now if it’s the new bar code system but I live in Iowa and we are always behind times. It’s going to be a huge pain if they change all the coupons and not the registers in stores first.
Thanks Collin! It’s always a good idea to hear it again and refresh the rules. Love the verify site, I had heard of this and had not needed to find it but now it’s bookmarked just in case. 🙂
A question about stacking store coupons: Does the store coupon count towards your overall total of coupons? Or in other words, if I buy 4 items, use a manufacturer coupon & store coupon for each item, do I have 4 coupons or 8 coupons? This always throws me off, especially at Target. Is it different from store to store (ie Walgreens, Publix, Target, etc.) or a uniform standard?
It depends on the store…Walgreens will have a coupon that says something like Limit 4….if you wanted to buy all four of that item you would only need 1 store (walgreens) coupon and 4 manufacture coupons. However other stores require you to have a store coupon per item. If you are in doubt I would just ask.
You have 8 coupons. But at Target you don’t have to have 8 items, only Walgreens makes you purchase the same number of items as you have coupons so at walgreens you would have to get 4 filler items to use all 8 coupons, at Target you just have to have the 4 items that your coupons are for. HTH
paulemay,
At Walgreens their store coupons DO NOT count towards the item-to-coupon ratio…only manufacturer coupons. So if you are buying 4 items and have 4 manufacturer coupons and 4 store coupons, you do not need fillers in that situation. Fillers are only needed if you have more manufacturer coupons than items (for example, if I’m using a Register Reward and already have coupons for each item I’m buying, I would need a filler item because RRs are manufacturer coupons.) And at Walgreens, one store coupon will apply to how ever many of that item you are buying…you do not need to have one per item. Does all this make sense?
Rebecca,
At Walgreens, the store coupons DO NOT count towards the coupon-to-item ratio…only manu. coupons.
This was so helpful to me! I had the same questions and so glad to hear this! I had no idea.
Also can you please clarify something about Walgreens deals. When it says in the fine print under the deal *limit 1 coupon printed per offer. See coupon for exclusions, limitations and expiration. The deal I’m looking at this week is the Dove 2/12 – $4 RR = 2/8 does that mean I can only use 1 manufacture coupon for this deal and not 2.
Hi there,
The fine print that states “Limit 1 coupon printed per offer. See coupon for exclusions, limitations and expiration.” – is actually not referring to the manufacturer’s coupons you will be using to score this deal… But actually referring to the Register Reward that you will earn as the “coupon”.
I hope that makes sense!
Thank you for answering my question. Yes it does and now I can help the cashiers understand it better.
I accidentally tried to use an expired coupon a few weeks ago and the cashier caught it, I was so embarrassed. I hate it when the cashier thinks I am trying to pull a fast one. But it really was an accident, I bought a box of Quaker instant oatmeal and it had coupons printed on the inside of the box, I just glanced at the exp date and it said 12/31…. I thought wow that’s a long exp. date but I planned on using it soon since we go through so much. Well I guess that box of oatmeal had been on the store shelf for quite some time cause the exp. date was actually 12/31/2010…oops 🙂
I know every now and then I miss something, either an expiration date or it says you have to buy 2 items and I don’t notice it…and I always feel horrible when they notice it. I know there are a lot of scammers out there and I’m not one of them, but sometimes I honestly miss things.
Thank you for the information.
Hi! I’m not sure if anyone else has asked this yet, but I was wondering if it’s okay to pair a coupon w/ a buy one get one free coupon? I would think it would be okay, because the 2nd coupon could apply to the item purchased (not the freebie item). I’m wondering specifically because at target on some of the physician’s formula products they have a buy one get one free coupon on some of the products!! I happen to have a $5 dollar off coupon that I printed from Collin’s post awhile back about P.F. beauty products (it was a giveaway, but I missed out on that & got a coupon). Any help on this would be great! Thanks 🙂
I have done this at Target and have no problems.
So if you have a B1G1 free coupon that coupon will attach to the free item, which leaves the product you are buying open to be “covered” by a manufacturer coupon. Some stores may not allow it so check their policy, but Rite Aid does for sure!
To answer your question, I believe you can use a $X/1 coupon with a BOGO coupon, but not a $X/2 coupon with a BOGO coupon.
I paired a BOGO coupon with a $2/1 coupon just this week. I bought 2 of the 4 packs of Gillette Sensor 3 disposable razors, regularly priced 8.99, so the two packs would have been $17.98. Walgreens is running a buy one get one 50% off sale on them this week. So that brought the two razors down to 13.49. Then I used the BOGO coupon that stated it was worth up to $7.13, so now the total is down to 6.36. Then, finally my $2/1 coupon came off, and the total for those two packs of razors was $4.36 plus tax!
My walgreens says its double couponing when trying to pair with my bogo coupon, they always give it bk. I even explained policy how when they have bogo, I can use a bogo or two. One girl in particular always gets angry. Even when matching bogo, she’ll say I only have 2. At another location I held my ground, got lectured it would beep and wouldn’t take….i thought I was gonna rip my hair out, I just wanted her to scan it. I felt horrible the people waiting, I wasn’t moving…..she finally did and IT WENT through :). So I had proof…my location still says no…makes no sence that if they bogo I can use two, it’s THE SAME, uggg. Lol. I found two nice locations, they are far all rest here have too many with no manners.
I found this very helpful, I have been using coupons for a while and still make mistakes 🙁 but I think in time I will get better and have fewer mistakes.
I just tried to use the Tillamook coupon for $1.00 for Monterey Jack Cheese at Fred Meyers and they would not take it because there wasn’t that “squiggly” code on the upper right side. Last week I tried to use it at Walmart and the male cashier wouldn’t take it because it said “Manufacture’s “Web” Coupon” The cashier in the next row said the same thing that it’s a “Web” coupon they can’t take those. Nothing about the “squiggly” code missing in the upper right corner so I didn’t purchase the cheese. On the way out I asked the lady that stands at a station at the end of the registers and she had me get the cheese from the cashier and she tried it and it went through just fine. So what’s up w/all that?
Nice article. Thanks from a newbie!
Thanks for taking the time to explain all of this! Really useful information!
thanks for taking the time to do this.. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.
Nice post Collin. It was good to have it all spelled out.
Hi collin
thanks alot for such an informative video. i have been couponing for over a year now….and i have moved to 4 different states in that time period….so far i have shopped at safeway, albertsons, fred meyer, kroger, meijers and all famous drug stores. Now i am in publix land:)
my question to you is
if i have a coupon for buy 3 get 1 coke 2l free coupon and $1/3 coupon. Can i buy 4 and use them both???
as per my understanding that free coupon will attach to the fourth bottle and $1 will attach to the three bottles i am paying for right?????
Hi! You absolutely can use your Buy 3 get 1 free coupon along with your $1 off 3 coupon together.
On a side note Publix is my favorite grocery store to shop at, but I don’t buy anything there that isn’t on sale because their regular prices are quite high. If I absolutely need something and it’s not on sale at Publix I run over to Kroger or the Commissary. Once you get the hang of shopping at Publix and their rules I’m sure you’ll love it too!
Me 2! I shop Publix exclusively for the BOGO & other sales. They put out tons of store coupons that you can easily pair with manu’s. Once you get the hang of it it’s definitely the best place to score some deals! Love me some Publix 🙂
I agree I love Publix!! I drive 40 min once a week just to shop there. They are super coupon friendly & the manager is awesome about ordering extras for you if you ask. Example: When Eight O’clock coffee was BOGO he ordered 3 cases (36 bags) for me & I had coupons for all of them so I got them for $1.98 a bag!!
Excellent post. Possibly the most informative coupon video out there (not boring at all).
This should be required viewing for every cashier and store manager, especially those who refuse to accept IPs.
Is there a site like Veri-FI for SmartSource or other non-coupons.com IPs?
Your videos could NEVER be boring…thanks again for all your hard work and tips.
Totally unrelated to coupons….
I want to know where you got that painting over your couch. I want it!
Is it ethical to type in different zip code to get coupons? It says YOUR zip code, so would that not be lying? I recently had someone ask me.It made me feel like I had done something wrong 🙁
Great question! Personally, I do not believe that it is unethical to search by a zip code different from your own. A manufacturer releases coupons in the hopes that a consumer will print the coupon, purchase the product, like the product and then come back and purchase more of the same products. Although a coupon may be directed towards a certain region of the country or zip code, in the end, the manufacturer is happy no matter where the coupon is redeemed because it resulted in a sale. If a manufacturer wanted a coupon only to be used in a certain area, the coupon could include specific text like “Not Valid in __________”. Just my thoughts though…..
😀
Very nice post!
I never know quite how to use a BOGO coupon – if you have a BOGO and also a manufacturer’s coupons for say $1 off that item, can you use both together? One coupon for the BOGO and one coupon on the other item? Is that wrong?
Yes you can. Many stores allow you to do this. Here is the wording from Walgreens coupon policy: https://www.walgreens.com/topic/help/generalhelp/coupon_policy_main.jsp
Buy One, Get One Free Coupons
When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.
This may be answered somewhere else but I haven’t seen it. If a store is running a BOGO sale, can I use two coupons? i.e. Kroger has BOGO on frozen vegetables and I have two 50 cent coupons. Thanks!!!
I think that depends on store policy. My Giant Eagle will not let me use a mfc on the free item in a BOGO store sale. Many stores will though, check the policy or customer service while you are there.
my kroger has always let me use 2 coupons on a BOGO sale.
I have a complicated (at least to me) coupon question-
I have a BOGOF coupon for pretzel chips
then I have a B2 pretzel chips get a free tribal origins hummus coupon
plus I have $1/1 tribal origins hummus coupons
Can I use all 3 of these coupons to purchase 2 pretzel chips and tribal 1 hummus? Or can I only use 2 of the 3 on this transaction? Since I’m new at this I’ve been scared to try this transaction. Thanks!
It sounds like you would be doubling up coupons on the hummus.If you use the Buy two get one free that would be attached to the hummus and an additional $1.00 off would have no product to attach to. The rest sounds fine.
Hi! Unfortanetly you can not use all 3 coupons to buy 2 pretzels and 1 hummus.
When you have a B1G1F coupon you use a $1/1 coupon when it applies to the item you’re buying (not the one you get for free). So, you can’t use the $1/1 hummus and the b2g1f coupon together because you already are getting the hummus free. If the $1/1 was for the pretzel that would work though.
Hope that helps some.
Note: You could buy 3 pretzels and 1 hummus coupon and use your B2G1 free coupon along with your B1G1F coupon.
Now I’m confused. I was with you until the note at the end. If she bought the two pretzels and one hummus, then the B2G1 would apply to and clear the price of the hummus. At this point she is still paying for two bags of pretzels and could use the BOGO on pretzel. She would end up only paying for one bag of pretzels. NO? YES? To use all three coupons listed initially, she would need to purchase two pretzels and two hummus. I think. 🙂
Danielle, you’re correct. I confused myself for a second above. Sorry!
Chelsea be prepared for the cashier to be confused and reject your coupons. Try to get a handle on how to explain it in case that happens.
Yikes. But in the CVS policy page here on Hip2save, there is an email from CVS customer care saying you can still use 2 $/off coupons when you have a B1G1F Q so why couldn’t I still use the $1/1 coupons for the hummus? This is so confusing!
I’ve been couponing for quite a while, but I still have a question I’ve yet to see really answered. I’m having a hard time wording it, so I’ll give an example. Take $1 off 2 mars easter candy coupon that’s out right now. The single packages are on sale at Walgreens for .29 cents. They don’t give overage at Walgreens, right? I’ve seen on another site where they had listed to use two coupons and buy 7 items and get all of them for pennies. So instead of getting 2 for free, you’re getting 3 per coupon for free and using that 7th as your buffer for the extra pennies not accounted for. Is this ethical? I’d almost feel better price matching at walmart and using the overage since it’s in their coupon policy instead of getting 2 (and a half;) extra for free.
Thoughts? Ideas? Sorry if it’s too confusing.
I think it’s a very proper use of this type coupon. Many of these coupons list every single candy that the coupon can be applied against, and they do list the single serving variety. They had one at Christmas as well.
The candies are only .29 to begin with, so it’s not like each item is being dramatically discounted by the coupon. Say they are .79 each (which is not unheard of). You could only get three and still pay .37. The manufacturer is providing you with a $2 discount on their candy. Regardless of whether you buy the big bags or the small ones, they are still out $2 for the coupon.
And, manufacturers (especially this large) are not so stupid as to “forget” pertinent wording, such as “8 oz or larger”. In other words, if they omit size restrictions AND specifically list the names of the candies including the single serving, they mean for you to use it as you wish.
I know the IP doesn’t list the candies, but there wasn’t really room for it. The list on the insert coupon was quite long and very, very tiny print.
I had tried that at Wags and the cashier would not let me do it because the coupon clearly states $1 off TWO products. I couldn’t really argue because the wording was quite clear so I cancelled it and decided there would be another use for the coupon. I don’t think there is anything wrong with doing this, the coupon is out there to purchase Mars products and the store will be reimbursed in full. Your basically taking advantage of the overage and whether or not the store allows overage should be in the policy. I can’t remember if Wags does, they are usually quite awful to me and I drag myself in for cheap Folgers and free candy. At least I got coffee. 🙂