Coupon Question and Answer: Ask I Heart Publix 4/11
April 11, 2012
Keep sending in those questions – we love to answer them! Just remember if we didn’t get to your question this week…we will do our best to cover it another week!! As always a big thanks to my buddy Christy over at Winn Dixie on a Dime who gives me so much help to get the questions answered.
Remember–there is a tab at the top of the site called “Q & A” where you can find the questions and answers from past weeks!
Here are this week’s questions:
- How do I know which coupon inserts should be in my Sunday paper?
- Can you explain how Publix rain checks work?
- Do you factor your printing and ink costs into your savings?
- What is the best day to shop at Publix?
- Where is a credible place to trade coupons?
And here are the answers!
1.kZ wants to know: I do not subscribe to our paper, I just go to the store on Mondays when I usually can score the Sunday paper for $0.75 instead of $1.50. I do check for the inserts before I buy them, but how do I know what ones I am checking for? i.e. does Red Plum always go, does SS always go, how often does P&G, GM, etc. insert. The week before SB Sunday there were two SS inserts, and I went back for two more papers since the Q’s in the inserts were so good to me. This week when I checked (and yes, I went through the entire rack) I could only find the Red Plum insert in any of the papers. Then it occurred to me that perhaps SS took the week off. So how do I know for sure?
Christy: Michelle posts the Sunday Coupon Insert preview each week on Thursday or Friday…just keep an eye out for that post and you will always know which inserts you can expect in each Sunday’s paper.
Michelle: Yep, I post the preview at the end of the week so you will know what to look out for. The inserts we get will vary each week. You can see the complete 2012 Sunday Coupon Insert Preview to see what you will find in the coming months.
2. Ashley wants to know: Can you please explain the mechanics of rain checks? I’ve heard that getting rain checks for produce is a good way to save on fresh fruits and veggies, but how many can I get and for how long will a rain check be honored? I’ve been hesitant to ask for rain check so far, but they might help me save in an area I haven’t explored yet.
Christy: My store will only give one rain check per person (per visit, of course). Generally you can’t get a rain check unless the store is actually out of the item – so it can be a good idea to shop on the last day of the sale when they’re most likely to be running low on the inter you have in mind.
It is my understanding that Publix rain checks are good indefinitely. I have rain checks from last year (sometimes I forget to use them 
) that my store has accepted without a problem. As always this can depend on your store so you might want to check with your Customer Service desk for their input.
Michelle: Rain checks are offered by the store as a courtesy when an advertised sale item is out of stock. Often there is an item limit per rain check. At my store there is a limit of four BOGO deals (8 items). Also, there is a 30 day expiration from the date written. Based on Christy’s response it looks like it will vary by store.
Keep in mind that rain checks are only to be requested if the store is actually out of an item. A rain check is not meant as a way to extend a sale for your personal benefit.
3. Michelle wants to know: Do you factor your printing and ink costs into your savings? If not, how much do you think this cost affects your overall savings?
Michelle: No – I have a separate budget for office supplies. Like all of my budget categories I have a yearly budget and try hard to stay within that number. I typically get my year supply of paper in August with the school supply sales so I rarely have to spend a ton of money on paper. My husband bought me a great printer last year that is a dream come true when it comes to ink usage. I rarely have to change out the ink and when I do, I use rewards from the office supply stores in conjunction with coupons and sale.
If you print a lot, you might be better off spending a little money on a new printer that isn’t an ink hog!
Christy: I don’t factor paper and ink into my weekly savings, since I have a separate “Office Supplies” budget that I keep for those expenses. Printing coupons can get expensive, especially if you print in color – so I always suggest that you print in black & white (and if you’re in the market for a printer, choose an inexpensive laser model – I can get months worth of printing out of a single toner cartridge, and I print a LOT).
4. Leigh Ann wants to know: In your opinion, what is the best day to shop at Publix?
Christy: This really depends on your personal preferences & schedule. I like to shop on the first or second day of the sale when possible, since I know that I should find everything I’m planning to purchase (and the store isn’t very busy in the middle of the week). However, there are some benefits to shopping other days: Saturdays and Sunday you will often find people handing out coupons in-store (which is always fun), but the store is generally busier and lines may be longer – and shopping on the last day of the sale is a good plan if you want a rain check for a particular item, as I mention above. Commenters – what’s your favorite day to shop?
Michelle: I like to shop early in the week usually on Monday or Tuesday. I go very early in the morning so that it is not busy and I can scan the store without a ton of traffic Shopping at the end of the sale means that most of the unadvertised deals have been reported. I also have any new coupons from the inserts that came out the weekend before I shop.
Wednesdays are my least favorite day. Lots of folks choose to shop the last day of the sale and it is senior citizen discount day so it it typically very crowded. Maybe I will have to our together a poll to see what everyone’s favorite shopping day…it might be a fun to see the results.
5. Jordana wants to know: If we have formula coupons for items we don’t use, do you know somewhere credible where we can trade for other types of coupons?
Christy: The I Heart Publix Forum, of course! The IHP Forum people are the best – you will almost always be able to find someone who has what you need, and I’ve had nothing but great experiences trading with forum members.
Michelle: The folks on the forum are great. There is also more than just trading going on over there, it is a great place to “hang out” with like minded folks. Definitely check it out.
I hope our answers to these questions were helpful! Make sure you ‘tune in’ next week for even more Q&A with I Heart Publix. If you have a question you’d like to see answered, email me at contactiheartpublix@gmail.com.
I like to shop the first day or two of a sale. If I wait too long they are out of everything. Sometimes I wont be able to make it to the store tip Monday and by then I have to get fain checks.
Rain checks
Any recommendations on printers that ARE NOT ink hogs?
I have two – Brother HL-2220 (not wireless) monochrome printer and a Samsung 1865W (wireless)monochrome printer. Love both – great for printing tons of coupons. I was going broke buying inkjet cartridges for color printer/copier/fax. The replacement cartridges for these printers run about $25 (for off brand) or $50-$60 for name brand and last around 1500 pages.
I usually shop on the first day of the sale so I can also get the penny item. If it’s something I don’t need (like this week-don’t need another roll of paper towels) then I will probably wait till Monday or Tuesday. I typically shop within an hour of opening when its quiet and I “coupon-fairy” any unwanted q’s.
lol, I coupon fairy as well. When I clean out my binder every sunday I put coupons that expiring I won’t be using with the clipped coupons from the insrt and put them around the items as I shop. Sometimes I give them to the customer service area since that’s where our savers are and people really enjoy it!
I coupon fairy all the time at my favorite Publix and watch for people buying items that I have coupons for. I do not coupon fairy at my other (evil) Publix because the Manager has his employees go around and pickup any coupons laying on the shelves. Actually caught one employee following me around the store picking up my coupons.
I go when the store opens on the first day of the sale and I have on my work schedule that i will be in slightly late every Thursday to accomodate this (I make up for it by working late that same day). That way everything I want is on the shlelf (but I do NOT clear shelves) and usually there is no one else in the store that early (my store opens at 7am and my husband has to leave the house by 6:45 anyway to get the kids to school, so I am already up). Then I don’t have to worry about people getting in line behind me and getting annoyed that I have coupons and the cashiers seem less stressed too since the store is basically empty. It also gives me time to scan the clearance section and check for unadvertised sales without feeling crowded by a ton of shoppers. I can also usually do 2 transactions to maximize my savings (if I have $ off coups from the paper) without having to worry about getting in someones way (I always ask the cashier first though if I can do two transactions in their lane – although they always so of course). I occassionally will go back the evening of the last day of the sale if I purchased something new that I got a great deal on that my family really likes so I can get a few more of that item. Also, on the day that the new green advantage flyer and/or yellow advantage flyer comes out, if I feel there are fabulous deals in there worth the trip, I will go the morning of that first day as well. If I feel like they are just OK deals, I will wait until the next Thursday (first day of weekly sale for me) to I pop in to look for those sale items.
Saving on paper is easy if you have to print for work/school. I am in college so I have a ton (and I mean of ton) of stuff that I have to print out. I recycle the paper from assignments I turn in or articles I print for coupons. I have never heard a complaint about doing so. I have been printing coupons on the back of paper for about two years now
I have wondered SO many times if it’s acceptable to print on the back side of paper – for instance, the dreaded full page ad that prints either before or after the single coupon! Thanks Ashley!
I do the same! Also, for those pesky coupons that print a HUGE ad at the bottom of the page, just flip it over and put it back in the printer and the other coupon will print on the back of the ad portion. No one has ever said anything to me about it either.
I too have used the backs of my kids school work to print coupons on(sometimes the cashier gets a kick out of this). I also have used blank parts of junk mail to print coupons. Basically if part of something that is the size of standard paper is blank-I have used it to print coupons on. I have had absolutely no problem with them being accepted anywhere. I really do not go through much paper at all because I do this. You can usually get free printer paper several times a year at the Office supply stores(free after rewards or rebate that is). I only print in black and white and have had no problem with coupons ever being accepted.
I’m in grad school and am always print on the backside of article or rough drafts of papers. Only once did a cashier give me a funny look when she turned it over and saw part of brief on health care policy. When I smiled and said “I recycle” she smiled back and nodded. Now I get annoyed any time I run out of “scratch paper” and have to print coupons on regular paper
Rainchecks do vary by store and I love my stores policy! A few weeks/months ago when the Prego pasta sauce was bogo they were wiped out. So on the final day of the sale I went to see one last time and nope, shelf still clear so I got a raincheck. During the 30 days I was still unable to find the Prego so I recieved a giftcard for the total price of the prego I would but (10) It was so awesome. Ask your store managers if they do this. Since this was the first time I’ve never been able to cash in the raincheck it was a nice suprise! Gotta love publix!
My CVS store dos not accept black and white copies I had to buy colored ink just because I love CVS!!!
Both of my CVS stores takes black and white copies. You ought to call the corporate office and ask about this.
I like to shop on Saturday afternoons. True, it is a busy day, but the crowds have usually died down by late afternoon. Most importantly, it gives me a chance to check out the Friday shopping totals online for deals or coupon links that I may have missed.
Too funny how people choose their shopping day and why. Mine is during the week when I don’t have to pick up kids somewhere but my favorite day to go is Saturday Morning at 7am as the doors open. My store gets a truck delivered on Fridays so the best chance for in stock sales seems to be the next morning.
I like to shop on Wednesdays to get the penny item if it is a good one (one that I’ll use). If not, I go some time on the weekend; I don’t mind shopping when other people are in the store. I also tend to play coupon fairy often and enjoy it.
Though one time, I tried to give the guy ahead of me in line a $5/30 Q because I wasn’t going to use it. He almost didn’t take it, even though I said, “It’s like I’m offering you five dollars for nothing, and I won’t be able to use it before it expires!”
I shop on Wednesday if possible. Yes, there are senior citizens who are also couponers and that extra 5% is great! We are empty nesters but need to save even more because we are on a limited budget with a fixed income.
Comments on printing:
If you are using an ink-jet you should be looking to replace it with an inexpensive B&W laser. I got my HP LaserJet P1102w on sale for $59.99 less a $10Q I had for office depot. The toner is inexpensive, right around $40-$50. Before I bought my laser, I went through two changes of ink jet and printed maybe 400 sheets and spent $180 on ink (that’s 45¢ a sheet!). My new laser will print roughly 3000-5000 sheets depending on coverage (that’s .01¢ a sheet).
Comments on favorite day to shop:
Monday through Friday between 7am and 11am
Wednesday night after 7pm
Why? Less people in the store = cashier’s that are in a better mood.
I NEVER shop on the weekend.
We always shop on Wednesdays for the 5% sr discount and the mystery coupon. We don’t normally run into any crowds around 9:00 AM.
Look for a printer that uses cheap cartridges! Out Lexmark uses $5 black ink! We got it after our HP broke. When I opened it up, there was a Chinese candy wrapper lodged in it!! HP did not even respond to my calls or FB posts!!! Boo HP, never again.
Hi Y’all…do you know if all states participate in the Wednesday Senior discount day? My parents are loyal Publix shoppers (as we all are
) and I would love for them to be able to save even more with a Senior discount. I live in NW Florida…do you know if Florida stores participate? Thanks a bunch.
Not mine, I am in South FL
I was wondering the same thing! Our sales start on Thursday here, in Brunswick Ga. My mother in law gives me all her coupons, but I still try to find ways to help her save. She loves Publix bogo policy b/c we dont have “true” bogo. I’d love to be able to tell her she could save an extra 5%.
How old do you have to be to be considered a senior? lol. I know my father in law gets discounts elsewhere, but Idk if she’s old enough yet.
I shop Sundays because my Publix receives both a grocery and produce delivery that morning, the newest Sunday coupons are out in case of a last-minute deal, and it’s one of my days off since I work full time.
My printer is a Brother laser printer I got on Black Friday. I agree with Michelle’s comments above – there’s no way an ink jet can touch the savings I get using a laser printer and no inconvenience of frequent cartridge changes.