Coupon Question and Answer: Ask I Heart Publix 5/9
May 9, 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:
- If the coupon allows, is it ok to print multiple copies of internet printable coupons?
- What constitutes a competitor’s store brand?
- What is the best way to present your coupons to the cashier?
- How do I find out why my region doesn’t get $X/$XX coupons?
- Are there certain items or coupons to lookout for that are frequently money makers?
And here are the answers!
1.Michelle wants to know: Some printable coupons will let you adjust the number of copies you can print before it is sent to your printer. Do you think it’s a problem to print several copies as long as the fine print does not state one coupon per customer/household?
Michelle: If there are no specifics detailing the quantity allowed then technically you can print to your heart’s desire 
Most companies realize this is not in their best interest and either use print limiting software or specify a limit before printing. Of course common sense and consumption should be your guide when selecting how many to actually print.
Christy: If the coupon allows me the option of picking the number of coupons I print, I normally print 4 (that’s generally the max number of items that I purchase in a single trip). Personally I don’t see a problem with printing what you will use as long as the coupon doesn’t state that you can’t. Since I don’t abuse the system I just hope that most people will be like me and print only a reasonable number of coupons.
2. Gina wants to know: I don’t think I’ve ever seen this addressed: what constitutes a competitor’s store brand? Are Archer Farms AND Up & Up both considered Target’s store brand? What about Method? (Is there a list somewhere of “house brands”?)
Michelle: A store brand will only be available for purchase at the specified store. So in the example you used – both Archer Farm and up & up are store brands but Method is a national brand that can be purchased at stores other than Target. A quick product search will usually give you the scoop on the brand in question.
Christy: I can tell you for sure that Method is definitely NOT a store brand (since a number of stores carry it), but otherwise this may depend on your particular store. To the best of my knowledge there is no list of “house brands” so you’ll want to check with your customer service desk about whether they will accept a coupon for a competitor house brand…knowing how good Publix is, I doubt they’ll give you a very hard time.
3. Darla wants to know: What is the best way to present your coupons to the cashier? I have ‘free’ product coupons, B1G1, manufacturer’s coupons and store coupons. I’ve heard you should put them in a certain order (for example, B1G1 coupons last) for max savings?
Michelle: I always put my free items at the end of the belt so the cashier can find the prices easily. I actually usually have the prices ready for them. At my store they trust me – but in case I am at another store…they can easily find the price if they need it. I don’t think it makes a difference when you give the free product coupon…just as long as they can get the price quickly.
Christy: I think you’ll get a lot of different answers to this question because everyone has their own system (Commenters, tell us how you do it!). Personally, I’ve tried it a number of ways and I am most comfortable with handing over my coupons after all items have been scanned. First, I hand over any $X/$XX coupons, then as I usually buy multiples of each item I hand over each set of coupons individually – for example, (2) BOGO coupons for X product, then a set of (4) $1/1s for Y product, then a set of (4) $.50/1s store coupons for Y product. That way I can watch to make sure that each set of coupons comes off my total before I hand over a different coupon set…and the cashier can very clearly see how many coupons I am using for a particular set of items if there are any questions.
I’ve found that this works best and I have many fewer instances of “skipped” or missed coupons at the end of the transaction. I also always write down the amount of any item that I have a free or BOGO coupon for – that way if the cashier can’t find that particular item in the (sometimes very long) receipt, I can tell him or her what amount to look for.
4. Heather wants to know: I’ve noticed that when you post the deals for $5/$30 coupons at Publix, only certain counties are listed on the coupons. It’s very rare to find these available in my area. Are these coupons regional? If so, how do I find out what region my county is in and why we rarely get these deals?
Michelle: These coupons are released as a way to drive customers to stores in specific areas. They are going to want to get folks in the store in areas where competition is high. There are the occasional dollar off coupons that they put out with promotions, like the recent Spring Cleaning promotion coupon. Just when I give up thinking I will never see a coupon they surprise me and I get my hands on one 
Christy: I’ve noticed this too, and I think there are a number of counties that have gotten these coupons because Publix is trying to get more shoppers in those areas. I have noticed in my 3 years of couponing that these coupons make the rounds so hopefully you will see one in your area before too long.
In the meantime, you might want to look at which stores your Publix accepts as competitors and see if THEY have $X/$XX coupons that you can get ahold of (since Publix will accept a competitor’s $X/$XX coupons). Winn Dixie $5/$30 coupons have been VERY easy to find recently with the Enjoy the City book deals so if nothing else I just use those when I shop at Publix.
5. Tonya wants to know: I have been couponing since last May and have a great stockpile now. I have just started to get the hang of money makers though. I did luck out with vitamins and tuna a while back, but usually it seems like by the time I have learned about them they are all sold out. Are there certain items or coupons to lookout for that are frequently money makers? Are there certain stores that have more frequent money makers than Publix? There are 5 of us including three kiddos so we go through a lot of food and diapers at my house. I would love to be able to regularly offset some of these costs with money maker items.
Christy: I may be in the minority here, but while moneymakers are great, they’re also kind of a pain. My stores always sell out of the big moneymakers when they come around and frankly I’ve stopped chasing them down for the most part…it’s just too much work for a lot of frustration.
That said, though, I completely understand the need to get your grocery totals down as low as you can. The most common moneymakers I can think of are Sundown Vitamins. Other than that, just keep an eye on coupon values. If you see a coupon come out that is a nice high value (about half the value of the item or more), then it’s likely that you’re going to find a good deal with that coupon.
Michelle: Moneymakers are few and far between now days. Coupon values are getting lower and lower – plus companies are getting smarter and using very specific language to limit the products that can be purchased with the coupons.
There is no way to predict a moneymaker…they are really hit or miss. Like Christy, I rarely bother with them or even hope to get them. My area has a very high rate of couponers. It is pure luck if I get the good deals so I just don’t hold my breath for the hot deals!!
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.
Target has their Market Pantry brand in addition to Up&Up and Archer Farms as well
I wait until all of my items have been rung up and then I hand the cashier 3 stacks, one for competitor (with the $/$$ on top), one for store coups and one for manufacturers coups. For free items, I write on the coupon how much that staor is charging (different stores in my area usually have slightly different prices). When I do this, the cashiers rave about how easy of a couponer I am and always say thank you for writing in the price for them so they do not have to stop to do it or to look for it in the item ring up. Also, this lets me watch as each coupon is going through to make sure that it is done properly (which is why I don’t hand them over until after all of the items have been rung up). I caught the cashier at my publix today using the wrong coupon code on a free item which would have worked in my favor, but it was not honest, so I pointed it out and she was thankful for the correction. Just always try to be honest, helpful and organized, and your cashier will appreciate it!
I do mine the same way. I break out into three piles, also if I have formula checks then I keep those seperate as well. If I have a BOGO coupon then I will write the price down when I put it in my cart. Most cashiers will take what I wrote down, but some will sill look it up. I also try to keep them to the front or the back so it is easy to find. I have had some cashiers ask if I had any BOGO items at the very begning and they ask to see my coupons and then check them off as they are scanned.
I have recently started self scanning and I like it alit better, i scan my own qs and hand the others to the employee at self checkout.
This almost never works for me–either the coupon won’t scan, the slot won’t recognize that I’ve deposited a Q, or the system will require the employee’s recognition of my Q after every one. I’ve found it much easier to go into a cashier’s lane and am jealous that self-scanning works so well for you!
When I am ready to check out, I always give the cashier my coupons right up front. Some cashiers like to go through them as they ring up items, and others just like to go through them all at once. I put the $/$$ coupons first, then {“Free”, then BOGO, then the cents off. I shop once a week for groceries so I usually have 40-50 coupons to use. I don’t write the prices for items that the coupon needs a price on, but I do write that down on my list so I can tell the cashier if she asks or cannot find it on the receipt. And like Karen, I recently had 2 coupons for “Buy one Mrs. Paul’s parchment bake or Van Camps and get one Birds Eye vegetable free”. Mrs. Paul’s was BOGO for $5.99. The cashier put in that price instead of the $2.49 for the veggies. I pointed that out to her so she changed it. If you are honest with your purchases, cashiers and customer service have alot more respect for you and you will have less of a hassle at check out because they know you.
I am so happy to hear your answers to question #1. The Riceworks Facebook coupon allowed multiple prints and I have been struggling with weather or not it was right to print a few extra of them. I do not want to be dishonest or misuse the coupon but I do agree with you that if they allow multiple prints, it should be ok within reasonable amounts.
My Publix cashiers don’t allow us to write in the price of a FREE product but I have found that they do like me to give them my free and B1G1 coupons up front so they can write in the prices as they ring them up.
I love hearing your answers and perspectives on the questions. Thanks so much!
At my Publix, they love it when I have the manufacturer’s coupons, store coupons, and competitors’ coupons in separate stacks. I know they don’t like to stop every other coupon to put in an LU #. Once I noticed how they put the store and competitors’ coupons aside, I just started handing them to the cashiers already separated for them. They also like it if you put the free items first or last in the order, so it’s easier for them to find the prices, as well as hand them the coupons for free items first (unless you have a $/$$).
I always give my coupons up front with my resuable bags. Sometimes the cashiers go through them first and that helps them make sure I’m getting the product I have the coupon for. I also either mention if I have a coupon for a free product or put that coupon with the product, especially if it’s a coupon they have to write the amount on. If I have two coupons for one item, manu and store for example, I keep them together to hopefully limit questions.
I always used to divide the q’s up into store, competitor, and manuf. categories, and just hand them all to the cashier at once.
Not anymore
When my math wasn’t adding up with what my total after coupons ended up being- I thought maybe something was going wrong with my coupons… So I started writing down the total number of coupons I was using, and the price that they added up to. The first trip, I had 18 coupons, but counted on the receipt that only 14 had been scanned. I pointed it out to the cashier, and she said “Oh…. these ones didn’t go through”. But she hadn’t mentioned that to me when she tried to scan them! After having the manager review the coupons, and discover they were indeed valid, I got them taken off my total. Then a couple weeks later, it happened again!!!
So unfortunately, I don’t have much confidence in my cashier’s couponing procedures anymore- and I do what Christy answered… Hand them in group by group, making sure they all “go through”.
Rainchecks are a Moneymakers best friend. The best way to handle a MM when it comes along is to not expect it to be there, and do not plan it into that first trip. That way its an extra surprise if its there, but if not, you arent disappointed and you can just go and get your raincheck to grab the MM later.
but if it is not a sale item, sometime the store will not issue a raincheck because the item is not on sale. had this happen to me at publix with the stayfree pantyliners
And if it is on sale and you have coupons, defintiely get a raincheck. Publix’s updated coupon policy states that they will accept expired coupons witha rain check as long as the coupon was valid on the date the rain check was issued.
I save my bogo coupon items for last so they won’t have to go through a whole long list to find the prices. My cashiers actually recommended this to me. I am going to start doing the different stacks now. That is a really good idea. I noticed the cashier sorted them when she was scanning last time I was checking out. So anything I can do to help them out I will do. I don’t want them to see me coming and want to run for the hills, lol.
I found my best money maker was with panty liners. Publix often has store coupons for $ off of Carefree panty liners. I just pair that with a manufacturer coupon. Since that product cost $1 to $1.30 I make money. Just before this last rotation of the Green Advantage flier the store coupon was for $2 off of Carefree panty liners. That was awesome. I made a dollar and change for every one I purchased.
I’m fairly new to coupons. I feel, thanks to this website, that I have caught on quickly and have a nice stockpile started.
My question is:
How do you keep your friends and family from “shopping” at your house and trying to grab stuff for free? I’ve offered to teach them, and some are trying, but they see 6 jars of spaghetti sauce and always seem to ask for one or two. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I try to explain that I had to pay for everything there and that since I don’t work during the summer, I need to make it last. Any advice????
I would start by not letting them see the stockpile. They can’t take what they don’t know you have:) Then when they ask politely let them know that you rely on that stock pile to get you thru the summer when there is no money coming in and you don’t have to grocery shop. Then maybe they will learn to do it on their own. As long as they are shopping in yoru pantry they will never do it on their own.
I had an acquaintance that I USED to tell my deals to. She would never coupon herself although I showed her how numerous times. If I said X product will cost .20 cents after the coupon and sale, she would hand me the .20 cents and expect me to use my gas, my time, my coupon, my money for the tax to pick up what she wanted. Guess what. I no longer share.
I’ve been told that it would happen to me too. (People trying to hand over .20 for an item that you spent time, energy, gas, and INK to get.)
I made a deal with my brother. He and I will split the cost of the papers, ink, and printer paper. I would hunt down the deals, (really just coming to this website… te he he) and we will split the deals 50/50. We met at the store, shopped together, then split the groceries in half. We even bartered for like items… I wanted the cookies, he wanted the pop tarts, so trades worked out. We agreed that for my effort in “hunting” the deals, I get an extra $5.00 dollars off my bill weekly.
This deal meant that instead of me buying $298.00 worth of product for $118.00, I paid $55.00 for $168.00 worth of product. It’s a little easier on my budget, and I can spend the rest of my budget stocking my freezer with meat.
For now, my stockpile is safe again! Thanks for the advice.
I hand my coupons (divided into stacks of M coupons and store coupons (since my Publix doesn’t consider Target a competitor, I don’t have many competitor coupons). BUT, I place any coupons for free items in front of my purchases with the coupon on top of the item. My Publix cashiers have commented that they really appreciate that, as they can scan the item and scan the coupons (and write the price on the coupon) all at the same time and don’t have to search for the price. (I can’t write on my coupons either.) I have found that cashiers vary on how they treat coupons and couponers. Some let the scanners do all of the work; some are untrusting and check each coupon with each item before ringing up any item! This second method slows down the process terribly as she checks not only that I have the item, but that the stated size on the coupon (how many ounces in the jar of pasta sauce are required for the coupon). Needless to say, I avoid that cashier when I can. I am being as honest a couponer as I can and don’t like the feeling that someone has to check my every purchase THAT carefully.
With regards to the private label items – I recently read Publix’s updated coupon policy off their website. It now states that if you have a private label coupon they will accept it for their private label items. They see it as a way to get people to try the Publix brand items.