Saturday Savings – Where To Shop: Part 2

As we continue to learn more about where to shop to maximize your savings, let's move on to grocery stores. In my book there are three types of grocery stores: 1) Those that don't accept coupons, 2) Those that accept manufacturer's coupons at face value, and 3) Those that double and triple manufacturer's coupons. When I was growing up, Kroger was our family store. I always remember going to the store with my mom, or walking to the store under protest, and seeing a banner hanging outside of the store advertising double and triple coupons. At the time I did not know what that banner meant because I did not grow up in a "diehard" couponing house. We would use coupons sometimes, but it wasn't a way of life like it is for me now. So just in case you are in the same boat, and couponing, and the lingo associated with it, are foreign to you, I will cover the basics here.

Fact #1 – To maximize the value of your coupon, you should shop at a grocery store that doubles and triples your coupon. Doubling and tripling takes the value that the manufacture is going to reimburse the store and adds extra savings from the store itself. The store is giving you money, and sometimes free products because of the extra value of your coupon.

Fact #2 – The way a coupon doubles or triples is pretty standard with the two stores in my area – Randall's (Safeway) and Kroger. The store will double your coupon up to $0.50 and will triple your coupon up to $0.35. Let me break this down a little further for you.

• All coupons with a face value of $0.01 (I have never seen one.) up to $0.39 will triple in value. So a $0.35 coupon is now worth $1.05 off of the product.
• All coupons with a face value of $0.40 up to $0.50 will double in value. So a $0.40 coupon is now worth $0.80 off the product.
• All coupons with a face value of $0.51 up to $1.00 or more are accepted at face value.

Fact #3 – It appears that all stores do not accept coupons equally. What I mean by that is at Kroger I can use multiple coupons with a value that is supposed to be doubled (like at $0.50 coupon), and their registers double each coupon no matter how many I have. As long as I have one coupon for every product each coupon will multiply. However, at Randall's (as I learned recently in my couponing) I can only have one like coupon doubled per transaction. I can not prove with certainty the Kroger rule, but now that I am thinking about it I will check it out the next time I go.  Here is an example for clarification of how it works at Randall's:

• Assume I was buying canned green beans priced at $1.50 cents per can, and I have a coupon for $0.50 cents off 1 can. If I were buying one can at Randall's, I would pay $0.50 for this can because my $0.50 coupon would double giving me a value of $1.00 as a form of payment. However, if I were buying 4 cans of green beans at $1.50 each ($6.00 total) and I have 4 coupons for $0.50 off one can you would assume that my total price would be $2.00 for all four cans. This is not true at Randall's. At Randall's the register only doubles the first of my 4 coupons, and accepts my other 3 coupons at face value. If you know this you have one of the following options:
• Ask the cashier if you can make four separate purchases.
• Make four separate purchases on different days or stores (remember you have an entire week in most cases to catch the sale)
• Resolve to only purchasing one can and saving your other coupons for a future sale. (hopefully before they expire)
• Bring your husband and make him purchase a can in the other line! (You know I will use that one!)
• Accept that you will only receive a double coupon benefit on the first can, and you will have to pay $1.00 for the others. You will get a savings, just not as much of one as you could receive.

NOTE: The only coupons you have to worry about with Randall's are those that fall into the double or triple coupon benefit range. If the green bean coupon offers $0.55 off of one can, you can use as many as you want because it would not have doubled or tripled anyway.

Fact #3 – Doubling or tripling can save you money, but make sure the item is on sale or you "must" purchase the item. Don't let the coupon burn a hole in your pocket. Nine times out of ten a sale will come around before the coupon expires.

Facts #4 – Always take your time. If you get in the store and things don't seem right then don't buy. Go home and regroup then try again later.

Let's stop there for today. I encourage you to try your hand at coupon shopping at the grocery store. There are many opportunities for free items. Build your stockpile!

Let me know how your couponing is going. Next week we will address digital coupons.

Enjoy your weekend.