Reminder: Harris Teeter Triples

Here are a few tips and suggestions to make your Super Doubles week at Harris Teeter the best it can be....

1. Make sure you know the rules at your HT

• Some stores limit the number of printable coupons to 2 per product per day, even if they come from different sites
• All stores have a limit of 20 coupons per day
• Prioritize - Free or nearly free with triples (.99 and under)
• then use your sale matched triples (.99 and under)
• then used your sale matched high value ($1.00 and over)
• save your non sale matched high value coupons unless its a need it now!
• Most stores will only take one coupon per BOGO offer - but you can buy just one and it will ring up at half price
• Stores will not provide overage (so if you buy an item for $2.00 and use a $.75 off coupon, you will only get $2.00 off, there are no "money makers" at HT)
  
• Make sure you read all the fine print on your coupons and get exactly the right size/color etc... they will be very strict with this.

2. Make sure that your tripled coupons make the offer a good deal...

•  Are you actually going to use it?  Just because you have a coupon for it and the coupon is tripled, if you don't get it free, it's money out of pocket and space in the cupboard that you will waste...
  
• A full price item at $4.99 with a $.75 off coupon that is tripled to $2.25 is net $2.74 OOP, but if you know that that product regularly goes on sale for BOGO  you can hold your coupon for the BOGO deal and get the same product for $1.00 OOP after $2.50 price and $,75 coupon value doubled to $1.50
• Take contingency coupons... any item that is advertised on the websites as free after coups will fly off the shelves so plan to take 30 or more coupons to the store for your first trip to make sure you benefit from your trip
• Ask your store staff when they restock the shelves... what day the trucks come in for the products you want to get free... and if they aren't getting things in when you will be able to go back, go to customer service and get a raincheck...

3. Go with a positive attitude...

• The cashiers and staff are happy to help you to save money and its not their fault that the store sold out of all the freebies you wanted, that you brought too many internet coupons or that the product you are trying to get free is 1 oz below the stated limit on the coupon... so make sure you smile and thank them for what they do, even if you have a problem :)
• Don't forget that you can ask for 'triple coupon' rain-checks and have them stamp your coupons to use later as triples if there is a product that is out of stock!

H.

What not to do at the grocery store checkout

With coupon and saving addictions come the inevitable occasions when something just doesn't go right... so here are my top five things not to do at the check out...

1. Space out or search for aliens... 

keep an eye on your cashier and the screen, even if you're not couponning, the computer may ring up your items at the wrong price, s/he might scan something twice or forget to put a coupon in correctly... it pays to be diligent

2. Go to the 10 items or less aisle when you have 15 items plus coupons

We want to keep our store managers and cashiers happy with us

3. Expect everything to go smoothly at every transaction

Murphy's law says that the time it will go wrong is when you are already running late, with a crying/screaming child and a headache... but life happens

4. Get angry when something doesn't go smoothly.

If they won't take a coupon or a price doesn't scan right and your cashier is getting flustered, angry or rude, just politely ask that they suspend your transaction so you can speak to a manager - always get clarification from a manager if there is a change in the coupon policy or there is something that isn't right..
Keep smiling and be friendly with your cashiers and be PATIENT while they help you sort out your issue and remember to thank them even if it doesn't go your way...

5. Ignore your cashiers

Get to know your regular cashiers on a first name basis, trade couponning info or comment on a new product with them - open up the dialogue and be friendly!!! It will come back on you many fold as they get to know you too!

A bonus sixth- don't expect that you will be in and out quickly - if you have a ton of coupons and a ton of groceries, the process will take time... you can speed things along by organizing your coupons - putting BOGO and FREE coupons with the items that the cashier needs to note the price of, making sure you put those items at the end of the line if you are also planning to use a $/$$ coupon, and I try to separate my manufacturers coupons, competitor coupons and store coupons into separate piles...

Happy couponning!

Couponning 101 - CVS'ing

For those who attended last night's workshop... this is the page that was missing from your package... if you didn't make the workshop, this is a good overview of CVS'ing

Program is called Extra Care Bucks (ECB)

• Requires a key tag/card
• Make sure you register your card online for extra savings
• Ensure you give your email address for $ off $$ coupons
• ECB’s are essentially rebate coupons that can be used for any item in the store on your next purchase
• ECB’s offers are weekly or monthly

You pay for the item and get ECB back as an instant rebate coupon

• Best ECB offers are buy item, get all $$ back as ECB, but many are buy $$ worth of product and get a partial ECB back
• You can use coupons on top of ECB’s and that’s where the savings add up
• ECB’s expire about a month after your purchase

CVS Scenario
Often, they have a Proctor and Gamble ECB promotion, buy $20 worth, get $10 back
This usually happens when the new P & G coupons come out
You buy
2 bottles of Tide at $8.99
3 bottles of Dawn at $0.99
Total= $20.95
You use 2 tide coupons for $3.50 off; 3 dawn coupons for $0.50 off for $8.50 off and a $4 off $20 that was emailed to you so that your OOP is $8.45 and you get $10 back, making $1.65 worth of ECB above your OOP.


A few more tips:

• Make sure you always give them a $$/off $$$ (like the $4 off $20) coupon first before manufacturers coupons. In the example above had I used the manufacturers coupons first the total would have been less 20 dollars.
• Always have a list of exactly what is free, sometimes it is very specific items and you want to make sure you are getting the right things.
• If you are using a $4 off $20 or type of coupon like that make sure you have a few backup plans to hit your $20 in case your CVS is out of something.
• Take in a calculator to help you quickly add up your total to make sure you are going to have the right amount for you ECB’s to cover it.
• You need to always make sure that what you are buying is equal to your ECB’s or a little more (pennies). You can pay for $4 worth of items with $5 in ECB but you are losing money that way and don’t really want to do that. So find some filler items that you like, $1 disposable razors, a pack of gum… lots of options.
• Divide your purchases into ‘rolling’ purchases in the same trip, or use up your ECB on things you need if you don’t plan to go back to CVS often

Spotting Coupon Fraud - a great link from Southern Savers

http://www.southernsavers.com/2010/01/spotting-coupon-fraud/

Preparing for Super Doubles

Here are a few tips and suggestions to make your Super Doubles week at Harris Teeter the best it can be....

1. Make sure you know the rules at your HT

• Some stores limit the number of printable coupons to 2 per product per day, even if they come from different sites
• All stores have a limit of 20 coupons per day
• Use your high value coupons first ($1 to $1.98)
  
• then use your sale matched lower value  (.99 and under)
• Save your regular low value (.99 and under) and super high value ($2 and over) for next week or use elsewhere, unless you have room to back fill (you are under 20 coupons)
• Most stores will only take one coupon per BOGO offer
• Stores will not provide overage (so if you buy an item for $2.00 and use a $1.50 off coupon, you will only get $2.00 off, there are no "money makers" at HT)
  
• Make sure you read all the fine print on your coupons and get exactly the right size/color etc... they will be very strict with this.

2. Make sure that your doubled high value coupons make the offer a good deal...

•  Are you actually going to use it?  Just because you have a coupon for it and the coupon is doubled, if you don't get it free, it's money out of pocket and space in the cupboard that you will waste...
  
• A full price item at $4.99 with a $1.50 off coupon that is doubled to $3.00 is net $1.99 OOP, but if you know that that product regularly goes on sale for BOGO  you can hold your coupon for the BOGO deal and get the same product for $1.00 OOP after $2.50 price and $1.50 coupon
• Take contingency coupons... any item that is advertised on the websites as free after coups will fly off the shelves so plan to take 30 or more coupons to the store for your first trip to make sure you benefit from your trip
• Ask your store staff when they restock the shelves... what day the trucks come in for the products you want to get free... and if they aren't getting things in when you will be able to go back, go to customer service and get a raincheck...

3. Go with a positive attitude...

• The cashiers & staff are happy to help you to save money and its not their fault that the store sold out of all the freebies you wanted, that you brought too many internet coupons or that the product you are trying to get free is 1 oz below the stated limit on the coupon... so make sure you smile and thank them for what they do, even if you have a problem :)

H.

The end of an era...

The Publix at 17 & Main Rd is no longer accepting competitor coupons from stores not in the area... no more Meijer, Harveys or Kroeger coupons :(

They have also decided that the Wine Not is not a competitor

They are still taking Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS as competitors but they are not price matching to coupons... so they will only take $ off coupons from competitors...

It was very sad because I met a friend who had planned her trip around the Harvey's savings... and was disappointed at the cash, especially when my fave cashier hadn't heard the news and allowed all my Harvey's coups from this trip...

I knew that their coupon policy would probably change at some point, as many of the other Publix around had already made this rule... but it means that the savings I posted on Saturday will no longer work...

Publix is still my fave shop, but working the deals will be a little tougher in the coming weeks as I purge the no longer competitor coupons from my binder

H.