The shop. Once you have the coupons you will be using and your list pulled to the front of your box, the rest is easy (by comparison). As you are walking the aisles, change the way you look at things. At the grocery store, keep an eye out for that clearance shelf in the back and those little "blinkie coupons" that sit in front of products. Feel free to take a few and save them for when you see that item on sale at another store. That is totally allowed, but don't clean them out. Leave some for others. At Target peek down each aisle for those red semicircles that mean an unadvertised clearance item. They also keep clearance stuff on their end caps. Vons (aka Safeway) often has coupon books sitting around their store for different promotions. These are often filled with valuable manufacturer coupons that can be used anywhere. Pay attention to prices of items you aren't buying now, but may buy in the future so you will know a good deal when you see one.
One thing I didn't mention before is price matching. This can be a life saver! Wal-Mart and Target both price match, so you don't have to go to both stores to get their advertised deals. Just take the ad with you and if it is an identical item, you can get that price at either store. This is also great for the Big Lots and Dollar Store ads, since neither of those stores accept coupons. Just bring the ad to Target or Wal-Mart and get the lower price, plus use your coupon. I once took a Big Lots ad to Target for Welch's grape juice. They advertised $2 for a 64 ounce bottle. I used my $1 off mfr coupons and saved $2.59 per bottle, plus, found coupons hanging on some of the bottles for $1 off 2, and got a few extra for $1.50 each. If you are praying about your trip, God will guide you to the deals that are right for you.
When you check out, like I said before, profile. Choose a checker who won't give you a hard time. And have your coupons, ads, and money ready. If you couldn't find an item that was on sale, mention it and get a rain check. Always be friendly. Also, it matters what order you hand the coupons to the checker in. If one coupon is a store coupon that says "valid with your $10 purchase" which all Vons coupons do, hand them that one first because if your total goes below $10, it won't scan, but as long as it is above $10 to begin with, you are okay. I've heard store coupons and rewards won't pay your sales tax, but if you scan them first and your manufacturer coupons second, the manufacturer coupons WILL cover the sales tax if you are getting that close to zero. I've never tested this one. I just pay the dollar or two. If there is a dispute about something you are doing and you know you are abiding by the coupon policy, feel free to ask for a manger (NOT supervisor), but the manager's (not supervisor's) word is law. If they won't do it, you are out of luck. Corporate won't help you out. I can attest to that.
So, here are some of the store coupon policies I could find online. If you pick a store that isn't one of these, just ask the manager when you go in if they have a written coupon policy that you could have a copy of.
Winco
http://www.wincofoods.com//wp-content/coupons/coupon-policy.html
Walgreens
http://www.walgreens.com/topic/help/generalhelp/coupon_policy_main.jsp?_requestid=37856
Target
http://www.target.com/Coupon-Policy-Store-Merchandise-Information/b?ie=UTF8&node=2223357011
Wal- Mart
http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx
Vons
http://www.safeway.com/ifl/grocery/Coupons-Policy
Rite Aid
http://content.riteaid.com/stores/CustomerCouponAcceptancePolicyAugust2010.pdf
The best part is the end when you look at your receipt and see that you saved 50-90%, so you take it all home and set it up on your stairs and take a picture and tell everyone about your great deals! Well, maybe you aren't THAT crazy yet, but give it time. :) I would LOVE to hear about or see some of the great deals you get! So please share. It would make my day. That's pretty much it from me. I may add an appendix here or there to cover special topics, but you have enough info now to go do some damage. Have fun!
One thing I didn't mention before is price matching. This can be a life saver! Wal-Mart and Target both price match, so you don't have to go to both stores to get their advertised deals. Just take the ad with you and if it is an identical item, you can get that price at either store. This is also great for the Big Lots and Dollar Store ads, since neither of those stores accept coupons. Just bring the ad to Target or Wal-Mart and get the lower price, plus use your coupon. I once took a Big Lots ad to Target for Welch's grape juice. They advertised $2 for a 64 ounce bottle. I used my $1 off mfr coupons and saved $2.59 per bottle, plus, found coupons hanging on some of the bottles for $1 off 2, and got a few extra for $1.50 each. If you are praying about your trip, God will guide you to the deals that are right for you.
When you check out, like I said before, profile. Choose a checker who won't give you a hard time. And have your coupons, ads, and money ready. If you couldn't find an item that was on sale, mention it and get a rain check. Always be friendly. Also, it matters what order you hand the coupons to the checker in. If one coupon is a store coupon that says "valid with your $10 purchase" which all Vons coupons do, hand them that one first because if your total goes below $10, it won't scan, but as long as it is above $10 to begin with, you are okay. I've heard store coupons and rewards won't pay your sales tax, but if you scan them first and your manufacturer coupons second, the manufacturer coupons WILL cover the sales tax if you are getting that close to zero. I've never tested this one. I just pay the dollar or two. If there is a dispute about something you are doing and you know you are abiding by the coupon policy, feel free to ask for a manger (NOT supervisor), but the manager's (not supervisor's) word is law. If they won't do it, you are out of luck. Corporate won't help you out. I can attest to that.
So, here are some of the store coupon policies I could find online. If you pick a store that isn't one of these, just ask the manager when you go in if they have a written coupon policy that you could have a copy of.
Winco
http://www.wincofoods.com//wp-content/coupons/coupon-policy.html
Walgreens
http://www.walgreens.com/topic/help/generalhelp/coupon_policy_main.jsp?_requestid=37856
Target
http://www.target.com/Coupon-Policy-Store-Merchandise-Information/b?ie=UTF8&node=2223357011
Wal- Mart
http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx
Vons
http://www.safeway.com/ifl/grocery/Coupons-Policy
Rite Aid
http://content.riteaid.com/stores/CustomerCouponAcceptancePolicyAugust2010.pdf
The best part is the end when you look at your receipt and see that you saved 50-90%, so you take it all home and set it up on your stairs and take a picture and tell everyone about your great deals! Well, maybe you aren't THAT crazy yet, but give it time. :) I would LOVE to hear about or see some of the great deals you get! So please share. It would make my day. That's pretty much it from me. I may add an appendix here or there to cover special topics, but you have enough info now to go do some damage. Have fun!
