Don't Forget

To enter my giveaway for the $25 Publix Gift Card HERE. Its open until the end of the week. I'm finally getting caught up with online activities after being out of touch for a week on our cruise. It sure is nice to get away from phones, news, TV, and computers for a while. I'm not sure I want to get sucked in again. Life is nice without it all. Anyway, those of you who shop at Publix should enter my giveaway because your chances are excellent, it has very low entries. 

 

Disclosure: General Mills gave me one gift card to keep and one to giveaway, as part of the #MyBlogSpark program.

The Scoop at the Store

#Publix of course. I went last night to get my AMEX gift cards and was surprised they were out of the $50 card already, the first day of the ad. Customer Service manager was nice enough to let me get one $100 gift card ($5.95 activation) and use 2 coupons toward it, so even a better moneymaker. The Rachel Ray Just 6 dog treats were gone, and so were Hartz Crunch and Clean dog biscuits, so let the raincheck madness begin. I did get a couple boxes of the Hartz and opened one up for my aging old lady dog and she wasn't super excited for them. But there is a cute toy in the bottom of the box, kind of like a kong. Its a rubber dog biscuit shaped sleeve to put a biscuit in for your dog to chew and then scoop up the crumbs that come out of the holes.

 

I suspect your stores are cleared out too. I'm actually glad I can get rainchecks because I'm headed out on a cruise tomorrow and will miss my shopping. I know it sounds kind of crazy, and I probably am a bit - but I'm going conflicted about missing my deal opportunities because my sister and BIL are coming in from out of town before the cruise and I have to entertain instead of shop. Maybe they'd like to see some deals in action? NOT. My sister is so anti coupon it's stupid. She's embarrassed by me using them. Just wait til I pay for all my cruise expenses with my AMEX gift cards that I got using my publix gift cards that I got with overage.

 

HERE are coupon matchups to Green Advantage Buy Flyer for 2/19-3/11, thanks to Slickdeals

 

Watch for updates with the new ad, it may be posted on slickdeals later Friday and then I'll get it here.

Publix Green Adv Flyer 2/19-3/11/11

BIG Savings For The Whole Family!

It looks like they've come up with new wording on the Thermacare so it can't be interpreted to be just one box for the $5/2 coupon, still might be a good deal with a matchup MQ. The usual $3/1 vitamin Q will be a moneymaker on B6 but not Vit D (only 100 ct)stacked with $3/2 MQ. Also looks like Reach floss will be free with the $1/1 MQ.

Publix Qs:

SAVE $5 on ANY TWO (2) MIX OR MATCH: Advil or Advil PM 32 ct. or larger or Children's Advil or any Thermacare 2ct. or 3 ct.
Save $2.00 on any Maybelline New York Cosmetic Product
Save $1.00 on Listerine any 500 ml - 1.5 ltr or Whitening 16 - 32 oz.
Save $2.00 on any Centrum or Caltrate 60 ct. or larger
Save $2.00 on John Frieda Precision Foam Colour
Save $2.00 on John Frieda Full Repair Hair Care
Save $1.00 on any Colgate 360 Toothbrush or Colgate Total Advanced or Total Toothpaste 5.8 - 7.8 oz
Save $3.00 on any Sundown Naturals Vitamins 120 ct. or larger or Osteo Bi-Flex 120 ct.
Save $1.50 on any Burt's Bees Body Lotion 6 oz.
Save $2.00 on Publix Protective Underwear 14 - 20 ct. or Bladder Control Pads 42 - 60 ct.
Save $10.00 on Alli Starter Kit 90 ct. or 120 ct. Refill
Save $3.00 on Zantac 75 mg 60 ct. or Zantac 150 mg 50 ct.
Save $2.00 on Wellgate Wrist, Knee or Ankle Support
Save $2.00 on Advil Cold & Sinus, Allergy or Alabert D 12 Hour 12 - 24 ct.
Save $2.00 on Dimetapp, Robitussin or Advil Congestion Relief
Save $4.00 on Brita Bella, Grand or Riviera Pitcher

Manufacturer Qs:

Save $2.00 on any Bengay Product 2 - 4 oz. or 3 - 5 ct.

Rest of Ad:

Degree or Dove Anti-Perspirant Any 2.6 - 3 oz. 2 for $7.00
L'Oreal Perference or Feria Hair Color 2 for $12.00
Aquafresh White & Shine, Advanced or Extreme Clean Toothpaste 5.6 - 6 oz. 2 for $5.00
Nature Made Vitamins or SoyJoy 6 ct. bars 25% off
Reach Advanced Design toothbrush 1 ct. or Access Flosser Starter Kit $1.99
Reach Floss 55 yd. 99¢Neutrogena/Aveeno Suncare SPF 30 - 70 .47 - 5 oz. $7.99
Neutrogena/Aveeno Suncare SPF 85 - 110 3 - 5 oz. $9.49
Garnier Nutritioniste Skincare Cleansers, Moisturizers & Treatments 20% off
Clean & Clear Products Assorted Varieties 20% off
EPT Early Pregnancy Test 2 or 3 ct. $3.00 off
Earth Therapeutics Bath Accessories 25% off
Right Guard Total Defense 5 2 - 4 oz. or Dry Idea roll-on 3.25 oz. 2 for $5.00
Fructis Anti-dandruff Shampoo 13 oz. $3.99
Conair Brushes $1.00 off
ACE or TruFit Support Wraps/Braces 15% off
Schiff Products: Move Free, Glucosamine, Glucosamine Plus, MegaRed, 3-day Cleanse, Knockout or Fruits & Vegetables 33% off
Revitalens 10 oz., Complete Multi-Purpose Solution 12 oz. or Blink Tears 15 ml. $6.99
O Cedar Pro Mist Kit or Pro Mist Refills 25% off
Prilosec OTC Acid Reducer 28 ct. $18.99
Benefiber Powder 38, 90 or 125 servings or Caplets 114 ct 25% off
Filtrete Water Filtration Products 25% off
Hefty EZ Foil Pans with Lids 2 for $5.00

 

Use Publix Curbside to check prices on items that are listed with just a % off.

 

via Slickdeals Publix Thread

Publix Green Adv. Flyer 1/29-2/18

Sweetheart Savings: Green Advantage Flyer Jan 29-Feb 18

Publix Qs: (all expire 2/18/11)
$5/2 (mix or match) One A Day 30-200 ct, Phillips Colon Health, Citracal, Flintstones, Aleve 40-200 ct,
Bayer Aspirin 50-300 ct, Alka-Seltzer Plus 10-36 ct, or Midol 40 ct.
$2 off on any Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandage (excluding travel/trial size) when you buy Neosporin 1 oz
$3/1 Zyrtec 24-25 ct or Zyrtec-D 24 ct
$5/1 Centrum Silver 110 ct
$5/2 (mix or match) Os-Cal, Citrucel, Ecotrin, Feosol, Geritol, Tagamet, Debox, Vivarin, Gaviscon, Phazyme, Sominex, Gly-Oxide or Contac
$2/1 MQ printable phazyme, sominex, vivarin, oscal
Buy 2 phazyme at $2.49, use 1 $5/2 PQ + (2) $2/1 MQ to get $4 overage (if store allows)
$1/1 Slim-Fast! 3-2-1 Plan Product (excludes singles)
$10/1 NicoDerm CQ 14 ct, Nicorette Gum 100 ct+, Nicorette Lozenge 72 ct, or Nicorette mini Lozenge 81 ct
$1.50/1 Breathe Right Nasal Strips, 10-30 ct
$1/1 Axe Product
$1/1 Dove Men+Care product
$1/1 Degree or Deove Anti-Perspirant Deodorant, any 2.6-3 oz
$4/1 Claritin 20 ct+ or Claritin-D 15 ct+
$2/1 Claritin, Claritin-D 10 ct+ or Claritin Pediatric 4oz Syrup
$4/1 Simply One Vitamins, any 30 ct
$2/1 PreserVision 50-60 ct or Ocuvita Adult 50+ Soft Gels, 50 ct
$2/1 U by Kotex, 14-60 ct product

Manufacturer Qs:
Neosporin Lip Health BOGO, expires 2/18/11 (redeem ONLY at Publix)

Rest of Ad:
L'Oreal Excellence, Excellence-to-Go or Healthy Look Hair Color, 7.99
St. Ives Body Wash 18 oz, Scrub 6-10 oz, or Noxzema Wash 6 oz, Scrub 5 oz, Pads 90 ct, or Cream 12 oz, 20% off
Aquaphor or Eucerin Products, 30% off
Sundown Naturals Vitamin D 100-300 ct, or 2 oz, Fish Oil 60-200 ct, or Co Q10 24-60 ct, 33% off
K-Y Intense, K-Y Yours+MIne, K-Y Kissable Sensations or K-Y Intrigue, 20% off
Listerine Total Care, Advanced, Zero, Smart Rinse or Agent CoolBlue 500ml, 3.69
Listerine PocketMist, 2 ct, 2/$7
Colgate 360, MaxWhite or Total Manual Toothbrush 2 pk, or Sponge Bob, Diego or 360 Sonic Powered Toothbrush 1 pk, 4.99
Citrucel, 100 ct, 30 oz, or 16.9 oz, 9.99
Gaviscon 12 oz or 100 ct, 7.99
Os-Cal Calcium Supplement, 120 or 160 ct, 10.99
Ecotrin 81 mg, 150 or 365 ct, 5.99
Slim-Fast! 3-2-1 Plan 200-calorie Meal Bars, 5 pk, 3.99
Nivea Lip Products, 0.17 oz, 2/$3
Nivea for Men Products, 0.5-7 oz 25% off
ZOIC Ready-to-Drink Nutrition Drink, any 4 pack, 2/$10
Super C Vitamin & Mineral Drink Mix, 7 ct, 2/$5
L'Oreal Youth Code, 0.5-1.7 oz, 21.99
Thicker Fuller Hair, DEP, L.A. Looks, got2b or Zero Frizz Hair Care, 4-20 oz, 25% off
Revlon ColorSilk Haircolor, 2.79
L'Oreal Couleur Experte, Touch-On Highlights, Frost & Design, la Petite Frost or Super Blonde, $2 off
L'Oreal Kids Haircare, 9 oz, 1.99
Salon Grafix Hair Spray, 10 oz, 3.99
Organix Shampoo or Conditioner, 13 oz, 4.99
Cold-EEZE, any 18 ct, 3.99
NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit, Includes 50 Premixed Packets, 8.39
Senokot Tablets, 100 ct, 17.99
Senokot-S, 60 ct, 23.99
Legg's Value Pack Knee Highs, Silken Mist or Sheer Energy Pantyhose, 25% off
Hefty EZ Foil Bake & Broil Pans, 0.99

Thanks to Slickdeals.net Publix Thread

Publix Online Price Checker

Sometimes you see a really great coupon and wonder what the price of that item is at Publix. Happens to me all the time. Here is a great solution to your dilemma of needing a price check on an item - use the Publix Curbside service! Just click HERE for the Tampa curbside site and enter the name of your item in the search box. It will list the sizes, a picture, and the current price. These are regional prices and there is an Atlanta curbside site too, for all non Tampa readers.

Oops! I Just Spent My Grocery Money

So, I'm all caught up at work, perusing one of my favorite sites www.slickdeals.net and happened upon a deal today at www.Cowboom.com. It was kind of impulsive, but my sister and I have been "skyping" and she questioned why don't I have a built in web cam and microphone? Well, I got my web cam and headphones a long time ago, before the handy dandy built in ones. Besides it was free for doing an online focus group.

 

Anyway, As I'm F5'ing my way through the available laptops, a really cute Dell mini 10" laptop came up for $129. So, after about 2 seconds I put it in my cart. Then I thought about how long it would take me to get a return on my investment. You see, with a new laptop I can print a whole slew of coupons that I've already done on my other four computers. I figure I can print $129 worth of coupons and redeem them in just a few shops.

 

Actually, I figure I already paid for it with my grocery money - from last year. Over the last year, we made money on our grocery shopping, even though we brought home over fourteen thousand dollars worth of products - they didn't cost us anything. We spent about $1400 at stores to gather all this food and product, but it also included $1760 worth of store and gasoline gift cards, so we actually made a few hundred dollars. You may wonder how this can possibly be true, but I assure you it is - with using coupons. Lots of coupons. Lots of deal hunting online. Lots of trips to the store (253 to be exact). Lots of stuff to stockpile. And unfortunately, it was a very sad day in our house on Dec 31 when thousands of unused coupons expired. We had a funeral for all the booklets, inserts, peelies, blinkies and coupons.

 

Granted we wouldn't have purchased as much product (we give a lot of it away) if we paid cash for it, but we used to spend over $100 a week on groceries. The five thousand dollars we didn't spend on groceries last year paid for my new laptop I just bought, our cruises in Feb and Apr, and our new appliances. It's not rocket science, anyone can be a couponer - it takes less time than I bet you spend watching TV each week.

 

So, the new year has already started and the new coupons are rolling in. I went "recycling" last night for the first time in many months because last weekends paper had 5 great inserts. There are a lot of new deals to be had. Don't let them go by this year.

The Dark Side of Couponing

One of the hardest things about couponing is the scorn we endure in the stores. The people behind us in lines sighing loudly, the cashiers as they sift through our pile of coupons and try to remember if we bought that item, and of course the store managers that treat us like we are criminals. I work really hard at couponing - getting rss feeds from tons of coupon shopper blogs with matchups, gathering inserts, filing and clipping, making a shopping list and getting the matchups, and then the easiest part of all - the shop. Except the shop is not turning out to be very fun anymore. It used to be exhilarating walking the aisles - finding a new booklet, grabbing a peelie or blinkie, finding the shelves stocked with the items on our list, and a fresh snack as the lady makes a nice meal at the Apron Station. The climax of the trip was checking out and watching as the totals drop, and then just paying a couple dollars for a cart full of product.

 

But it seems like those days are far and few in between now. There is stress involved in grocery shopping. How stupid is that? My store used to have a wonderful coupon friendly group of store managers and assistant store managers, but then things changed. We've all seen it, the shuffling of coupons by the cashier as they set some aside. Reading the small print and deciding today after years of no problems, they are going to enforce the "one coupon per purchase per customer" on the PQ. I can deal with it and offer alternatives, like my DH with me is a customer too, so we can use 2, right? It usually ends up being less than pleasurable to shop. I know from the vibes on the internet and coupon forums that everyone is having more difficulty successfully shopping with coupons. Especially the people who are really good and consistently save above 80%. We are treated like criminals because we have mastered the coupon game, and the stores don't like it.

 

Last night was one of those nights at Publix. Here's my shopping list. Nothing too out of line, except maybe getting 10 egg beaters, but there were plenty on the shelf and my coupons expire on Sunday so I had to do it. But I broke one of my rules by not getting fillers so that my item count exceeded the coupon count. I've been slack in not worrying about manager overrides or "getting numbers" as they call it to complete my transaction with too many coupons.  But holy crap, I got the new young asst store manager male who thinks that couponers are thieves.

 

28-Oct	21		49.05	7.39	36.20	tax	5.46	23	-88.87%
Product	qty	price	subtl	-B1G1	-Q		total	Q#	Q details
mushrooms	1	1.50	1.50		1.00		0.50	1	$1/1 TQ print
iceburg lettuce	1	1.69	1.69		1.00		0.69	1	$1/1 TQ print
tomato	1	0.92	0.92				0.92
banana	2	0.35	0.70		0.70		0.00	1	$1/1 TQ print
Egg Beaters	10	1.67	16.70		7.50		9.20	10	$0.75/1 print
Gortons Tilapia BOGO	2	7.39	14.78	7.39	3.00		4.39	3	1/1MQ+1/2PQ
vivarin sominex	4	3.19	12.76		18.00		-5.24	6	$5/2PQ+ (2) $2/1MQ
$/$$ coupon		0.00	0.00		5.00		-5.00	1	$5/$25 competitor

 

My order rang up and my DH didn't split up the bananas to count as two items - but that wouldn't have helped anyway. I had 3 extra coupons requiring an override. First off he starts scrolling through the screen making sure I bought produce for the $1 off TQ for produce. He would only give me 0.70 off and said I didn't buy at least a $1 of produce. I asked what he was talking about, I had plenty of produce. I told him I had to guess on the weight since they don't have prices on bananas and tomatoes, my goof I guess - the tomatoes were only 0.92 instead of 1.00. I let it go. What really irked me was him trying to give me back my $5 PQ for the sominex and telling me they weren't going to pay me to shop. This store has always been cool about overage, but this guy is obviously not. DH started getting angry and told Eric the ASM, that he was insulted and this was not a pleasurable shopping trip. I told the ASM we were paying over $5 for the order, how could he say he was paying us? Anyway, this is our home store and we always try to fly low under the radar. We don't want to alienate the staff even though they are not the most friendly. We just wanted to get out of there by now. Then Eric starts trying to be nice and offers to get our names so the store manager can call us. Yeah right. He says this as he's printing a duplicate receipt and has all my Q's in hand on his way upstairs to the office. He was going to go try to figure out what happened. It was all legit, just like it always is. They just don't like it.

 

So, the dark side of couponing is that it is not for the weak at heart. You need to be confident and sure of your rights and responsibilities. Don't let ignorant staff tell you they can't let you use that coupon. A coupon is legal payment. It seems like the better at couponing you get, the more scrutiny you will have to endure. It does not get easier the better you are.

 

The important thing to remember for me anyway at Publix, is to pick the right cashier, make sure you have fillers to bring your item count greater than your coupon count (and if you don't - leave out the overage items that shop) to avoid having manager override required. I broke my rule and paid the price - an extremely ugly encounter at the store that just doesn't sit right with me. I don't feel like it would help to talk to the store manager or corporate either because they don't want the really good couponers around. I can't even say I spend thousands of dollars a year on groceries anymore because I don't, but I used to. I still get thousands of dollars of food and products, but they're not getting the cash.

 

So, I'm staying out of Publix for a while. I need to work through my stockpile anyway. And work through my anger and dismay at how a good thing makes me feel bad.

Ball Park Franks BOGO coming up at Publix

Last week there was a great coupon for Ball Park Franks on facebook, that I mentioned HERE. Well, lucky us! Publix has the Ball Park Franks on BOGO coming up this Thursday 9/2 - 9/8. Here's the deal: get 2 packs of hotdogs, use 2 prints of your facebook coupon and they are BOTH FREE! Stockup time.

Ball Park Beef Franks Regular, Bunsize, Fat-Free, Singles, Grillmaster or cheese or Fat-Free Smoked White Turkey Franks, 12.8 to 16 oz pkg (Excluding Angus) BOGO $3.99
-$1/2 Ball Park Products 8/1/2010 RP Insert (exp 9/11/2010)
-$0.75/2 Ball Park Products 8/1/2010 RP Insert (exp 9/11/2010)
-$2/1 Facebook coupon (no longer available)
-FREE Sara Lee Buns ( up to $2.00) with the purchase of 2 Ball Park Franks DND starts with 5 Tearpad

For the complete Publix Sneak Peek, check out www.iheartpublix.com

 

#Publix Changes

My love affair with Publix is over, its moved onto the part of a relationship where there are some uncomfortable situations. My last three trips to Publix have sucked, and especially today. I walked away from the checkout and said forget it, I'm not shopping here.

 

I know things are changing and Publix tells us that the couponing has gotten out of hand. They are losing money, especially on honoring competitor coupons. Today I saw this sign: Attention Customers, Effective Sat 8/28/10 we will no longer accept competitor coupons from Albertsons, U Save, Save A Lot, and Whole Foods.  We will only accept, Aldi, Target, GFS, Sweetbay and Winn Dixie.

 

So at least I was warned, so I didn't even bother with pulling out my SAL coupon. But as luck would have it, there were 2 Thermacare on the shelf. That should have been a red flag. Whenever Thermacare is in stock it means the store believes the $5 off PQ requires 2 products, not one Thermacare. Anyway, I said I didn't want it then, but DH said NO WE DON"T WANT ANY OF IT. He was pissed, and called the store manager over to say we wouldn't be purchasing from their store any longer.

 

Anyway, we needed some fruit for making fruit salad and went to another store close to our house. I asked the store manager if I could use the $5 off $25 Save A Lot coupon and he said yes. But if there were a lot of other coupons they like to have that coupon used at the end. My order was $34 and I told him I didn't think it would be over $25 at the end. The young male cashier suggested we just use that coupon first, and the manager said "sure, that works" and walked away. I paid $0.79 and the dude complimented me on my great shop.

 

Thats the way it used to be and what my expectations are, to have a pleasant trip.

Cover Girl At Publix

None of the coupon sites, forums or blogs have this matchup and its probably because they haven't updated the Green Advantage Buy Flyer with new coupons. I think its a moneymaker at #Publix for a few days from Thursday 8/12 thru Sat 8/14. So unless I'm really confused (which sometimes I am) here's the deal with Cover Girl makeup. Remember last month when they had the sale for $2 off on CG makeup - nail polish and lip products? Well, that sale stacked with both a Target coupon and a manufacturer coupon to be a good moneymaker. I got a bunch of nail polish for $1.29 and used the $1/1 TQ + $1/1 MQ to make $0.61 on each item. I happened to have the $2/1 Cover Girl MQ home mailer coupons that made even more.

 

So here's the deal now, but I don't have a price on the concealer, powder or blush - I'm hoping they can be had for less than $2.50 during the sale, so its a moneymaker. Its possible the sale may include CG Beauty Tools (file, tweezer, etc) and I know those are cheaper than $2.50, and there is a $1/1 PQ in the GAB that could stack with the MQ. 

 

 CoverGirl Foundation or concealer, pressed powder, or blush, .04 to 1 oz pkg or each, $2 off
-$1/1 CoverGirl Cosmetic Item, excludes trial size TARGET Coupon 6/27/2010 P&G Insert (exp 8/30/2010)

-$1.50/1 CoverGirl or Queen item, PUBLIX Coupon - Green Advantage Flyer (exp 8/14/2010)-$1/1 Covergirl product, any 8/1/2010 P&G Insert (exp 8/31/2010)

Thermacare At Publix

For all you Publix shoppers frustrated at not finding Thermacare Wraps (the moneymaker this month), supplies have been limited at the warehouse. As luck would have it, the same $5/2 coupon will be running in the next Green Advantage Flyer valid Aug 14.

Publix Watching For Coupon Fraud

I just saw this video on how Publix is training their cashiers on how to spot fraudulent coupons and to scrutinize all coupons more carefully. Just a heads up to Publix shoppers, its not you its them. Your trips are going to take a little longer as the cashier spreads your booty all over the scanner belt and looks for the UPC codes and fine print. And YIKES! Those internet printables! They will be looking at those with the eagle eye.

 

I didn't like how they insinuated that all internet printables are fraudulent coupons, especially when the coupon value is high, or exceeds purchase prices. Goodbye, Schick razor overage! Hello manager override, which will become a much more regular thing. Oh well, its still worth it, but the pleasure is decreasing.

Donate & Get a $10 Publix Gift Card

 

Finally a blood drive where I can get a Publix $10 gift card! This weekend 5/22, Monday 5/24 and next holiday Monday 5/31, Florida Blood Services has a promotion where you can donate at Manatee, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas locations and get either a $10 Publix gift card (at Publix locations), or 10 free Hooters wings (at Hooters locations), or a free footlong sub (at Subway locations).

 

If you are able and willing, please give the gift of blood.

When Coupons Get Others Mad

I've been thinking

One of the things that bugs me the most about being a couponer is that people (and by people I mean, cashiers, managers, other customers) think I am getting away with something, ripping off the store, cheating the system, some even say I am stealing. And it makes me furious.

This attitude comes from a lack of knowledge about how coupons work. If you're here reading my blog, you probably know how coupons work. Here's a quick reminder for all of us...

Manufacturer's coupons: When the stores submit these to the clearinghouse, they are reimbursed FULL FACE VALUE plus $.08 per coupon. So the store makes MORE money by accepting your coupon than by the average shopper handing over cash/credit.

*If a coupon is difficult to read/scan at the fault of the manufacturer/design, the store can charge the manufacturer even more for the handling of these q's.

*Most Clearinghouses are huge conveyor belts that scan coupons to tally the reimbursement value, so that cashier that agrees to "give it to you for free, shouldn't that be enough?" by marking your $1 coupon down to $.75? Just made $.25 for the store. That huge scanner doesn't pay a single inkling to that little $.75 the cashier wrote on your coupon.

*Stores even get reimbursed postage for the cost of shipping the coupons to the clearinghouse.

Doubling/Tripling coupons: A gimmick to get you in the door. The store eats the cost of doubles/triples. They consider it worthwhile if it causes you to shop there rather than at... Wal-Mart.

Competitor Coupons: This is truly a loss for a store. There is no reimbursement value for competitor coupons. Like doubling/tripling, accepting competitor coupons is a gimmick to get you in the doors to buy all your other items at their store rather than the competitor. Stores that accept competitor coupons are using a brilliant marketing strategy. They are counting on you wanting to buy all your items in one place, and hoping that if you have a competitor's coupon that you can use at their store, you'll stick around for the other things as well.

Store Coupons: Store coupons are a little tricky to define. Let's take Publix as an example. Regular Publix shoppers will notice that those Advantage Buy Flyers have coupons and sales that rotate on a regular basis. One that appears often is the $6/2 Sundown Vitamins coupon. The CEO of Publix may be a nice guy, but he's not browsing the local store looking for things to give away. I promise. :) What happens is, some head honcho at Sundown gets together with some head honcho at Publix and they strike a deal. The value could be based on number of coupons redeemed, or number of stores that run the sale. Specifically for Publix, the most recent numbers show that Publix is getting reimbursed approximately 75-80% of the Store coupons' face value. So don't let anyone say to you "Publix doesn't get reimbursed for these" "We can't give it to you for free" "We can't pay you to take it". Because that shows lack of knowledge of how these q's work.

BOGO deals (Publix): You may not be aware of this, but like the store coupons, sales like the Mega sales at Kroger and BOGO sales at Publix are also marketing ploys that are reimbursed by the manufacturer! If Publix is selling Scrubbing Bubbles BOGO at $3.99/ea, that means, you, the consumer, will pay half price for the item, or $2.00. At the end of the sale, Publix tells Johnson and Johnson, hey, we sold 100 bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles, costing us $199, now pony up. And Johnson and Johnson PAYS Publix for running the special and promoting the product. It is another form of advertising. Most recent numbers show that BOGO sales at Publix are reimbursed at approximately 70-80%.

ETA: It occurred to me I failed to mention rainchecks. Rainchecks are another loss for a store. The store is reimbursed the difference of the sale to the store, but if a raincheck is issued, the store is the one to eat the cost when you do use the raincheck. The manufacturer will cover the "deal" for the week the item is on sale, but the store is responsible for keeping the items in stock. If a store has to issue a raincheck, then the amount of discount given is lost since it is beyond the sale week. This is a reason you will have limits enforced on rainchecks.

It makes me crazy that people have this mindset that people who use coupons are abusing the system. I hate that. As long as you are an honest couponer, using legit coupons and following the store rules, then you are doing no such thing. Abuse comes from illegal photocopies, stacking two manufacturer coupons on one item, and so forth. That is true abuse of the system. Most of us? We are just honest people looking for a good deal.

And in the end? The store wins. The store wins BIG by catering to couponers. Let me show you what I mean. . .

When I shop at Publix, I use the trick of buying multiple moneymakers to build up overage to afford the items I need. This helps reduce my out of pocket expense. Do I need 10 bottles of Aleve? 8 Rolls of J&J gauze? 10 boxes of Phazyme? Not right at the moment, and I certainly wouldn't walk into Publix and pay for all of that with cash. So Publix makes a higher profit by selling to me than the average person who runs in for a few things.

My most recent shopping trip:
For Items I use regularly that I stockpiled or needed (eggs, Morningstar, fruit, etc)

Total Cost: $125.61
Total store coupons: $5
Total Mq's: $64.15 (Quantity of mq's presented: 51: $4.08 handling fees)
Total doubles: $4.50
Total BOGO: $60.49

For Moneymakers:
Total cost: $108.96
Total store coupons: $103
Total Mq's: $82

(Quantity of mq's presented: 41: $3.28 handling fees)
For this scenario, we'll go with an 80% return on BOGOs and store q's.

So, for this trip, after reimbursement, the store will have received approximately $288.50, losing $38.20 in store coupons, doubles and BOGOs.

BUT If I wasn't a couponer, and only bought the items I needed/wanted, and we're assuming I am still stockpiling... The store would have made $120.62, losing $17.60 in store coupons, BOGOs and doubles.

When I shopped, I cost them $20.60, but I brought in an additional $167.88.

Now. Which stores was it that wanted to turn away the couponers????

This is a post written by another great blogger and posted with permission. I couldn't do it justice to paraphase, plus its her content, so just visit her blog I Prefer Publix to see all the comments if you want. Originally posted Sunday, January 24, 2010

Publix Reminder

Just a reminder that there is no new ad this week, the current ad runs through April 3rd. Publix is closed on Easter. The new ad will start Monday, April 5th and only run a couple days til the usual cycle Wed/Thur starts again 4/7 or 4/8, depending on your area.

Publix Recalls Seasoning Mixes

Publix Super Markets, which has more than 1,000 stores in five Southern states, has voluntarily recalled four kinds of seasoning mixes that may possibly be contaminated with salmonella.
Publix said it has taken the mixes off of its shelves and says shoppers can return them to the stores for a full refund.
The privately held grocery store operator said late Monday that the mixes were made with hydrolyzed vegetable protein supplied by Basic Food Flavors, which is based in Las Vegas.
Consumers who eat products tainted with salmonella could suffer serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly young children, frail or elderly persons and others with weakened immune systems.
Spokeswoman Maria Brous said in a statement there have been no reported cases of illness with these products.
The recalled products include all lot codes for 0.75-ounce packs of Publix Mushroom Gravy Mix with the UPC 41415-03308; 1-ounce packages of Publix Meatloaf Seasoning, UPC 41415-03408; 1.45-ounce packets of Publix Beef Flavored Stew Mix, UPC 41415-03608, and 1-ounce packs of Publix Au Jus Gravy Mix with UPC 41415-04208.

Husband Shoots Cashier in Orlando Publix

TODAY this happened.

 

The Associated Press

Published: March 3, 2010

ORLANDO - Police say a cashier who was shot inside a crowded Orlando supermarket has died.Orlando police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Guckian says 34-year-old Anicia Yankton died at a hospital early Wednesday morning. Police say her estranged husband, 62-year-old Andreau Yankton, shot her in a Publix store Tuesday night. The grocery store was open at the time of the shooting, but no customers were injured. Andreau Yankton was confronted by authorities outside the store and reportedly shot himself. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Can't Find Publix Booklets?

If you're having an impossible time finding the new coupon booklets from Publix, Multiply Your Meals and Beautiful Benefits, you can simply go HERE to request them directly from the manufacturer Unilever. One the right hand side there is a link under special savings to click and get an email popup. Just email them by March 15th with your requested booklet(s), name, phone and they will mail you the booklets.

Publix Pays

I'm not sure exactly how to report my latest shopping trip, but I think I got paid to shop at Publix. I bought the usual salad fixin's and some BOGO items with matching coupons to make them really cheap. The money makers were the knox gelation (4) and some shedds country crock (2). I did happen to have two $5 off $50 Publix coupons I could use since the total was over $100, and the free milk gallon with $100 purchase coupon, plus an $8 walgreens register rewards coupon. The unique thing was the sale this week on American Express $50 gift card get a free $10 Publix gift card. There was a $4.95 activation fee on the AMEX card, so it was only a $5 money maker.  Well, at the end of the transaction, I paid $39 and walked away with a cart full of groceries and $60 in gift cards. So, I think they paid me $21 to take away my groceries.

 

I did the same thing today saved $51, spent $39 and walked away with a bag of groceries and $60 in gift cards. I used the Amex card from yesterday to pay so no OOP from my wallet. Now I have $80 in gift cards remaining, and my OOP was $39 from the initial shop. So $41 of it is profit.

 

Now I'll be able to pay for my groceries for about 2 or 3 months with those gift cards. It's absolutely amazing that this is legit. I can't believe more people aren't doing it. It's funny sometimes in the store, I'm behind someone in line and see all the food they're getting where they could have used coupons, and then they pay over $100 or $200. I just shake my head.

Combining Coupons for a Great Deal

I just have to share this great post by one of my favorite coupon blogs iheartpublix.com. Even if you don't have a Publix in your area, she explains in detail how to "stack" coupons appropriately to get great deals. Its a confusing topic, but she has done a great job of clarifying for us.