Teaching Tuesday: Lesson 2--Know The Policies

In last week's lesson, we discussed the importance of knowing prices so we can be sure if we are getting a deal.

So, you find an item on sale at a store you do not normally shop at.  You also have a coupon for that item, so you think you can save even more using the coupon, but can you?

It's very important to know the coupon acceptance policies of any store you plan to shop at, so you can know exactly what you can expect to pay for an item.  Some items are only a good price if you are able to use a coupon, or sometimes only if that coupon will double.  If the store will not double your coupon, or will not accept your coupon at all, you could end up paying more than you normally would for that item, and that would not be a good deal for you.

Today, I'd like to go over the coupon policies of the major grocery chains in my area that I cover match-ups for on this page:  Kroger, Albertson's, and Tom Thumb.  These are the policies as of right now, and could change at any time.

First off, Kroger used to double coupons in this area, but as of November, they stopped.  They still accept paper and internet coupons at face value.  They also allow e-coupons to be loaded onto your shopper card.


Albertsons is quickly becoming my favorite store to shop at (since Kroger stopped doubling).  They are a bit higher priced that the others on their everyday items, but will double coupons without limit (check your individual stores, though).  Coupon values up to $0.39 will triple.  That means that if you redeem a $0.25 coupon, the register will deduct $0.75  (triple the value).  If you have three of them, all three will triple.  Coupon values $0.40-$0.50 will double.  That means a $0.50 coupon will deduct $1.00 at the register.  Coupon values over $0.50 will be redeemed at value value.  Albertsons no longer uses shopper cards, so none of the e-coupons are available there.

Tom Thumb follows the same rules/values for doubling that Albertsons does, only they limit doubled coupons to one per transaction.  That means that if you have 3 $0.25/1 coupons to use, the first will deduct $0.75 (triple), while the remaining two will be redeemed at face value.  E-coupons may be loaded to cards as well.

Those are the basics for the main stores I shop at.  Store policies can vary from state to state, region to region, and even manager to manager, so be sure to double check at your store, especially for limits!


Homework:
Familiarize yourself with your local store's coupon policy if you have not already done so!