Coupon Question and Answer: Ask I Heart Publix 6/20
June 20, 2012
If you have a question about couponing at Publix, this is the place to find out the answer! Each week my buddy Christy over at Winn Dixie on a Dime and I have a little coupon question and answer session here on Ask I Heart Publix. 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!!
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:
- Do all states require couponers to pay tax on the pre-coupon subtotal? What states do not require it? And what states have no sales tax at all?
- Why doesn’t Publix have Catalina machines?
- Our newspapers in Huntsville Al, have stopped including the coupon inserts because of people stealing them, and only taking that part of the paper. Do you have any good resources for where I can get full inserts?
- If I have a $.50 off coupons for an item that is BOGO and I’m buying 10 of the items (basically only paying for 5), can I still use all 10 printable coupons?
- With all the online printing of coupons, what steps do you take to protect the computers you print from?
And here are the answers!
1.Carly wants to know: I live in Georgia- a state that requires couponers to pay the sales tax on a pre-coupon subtotal. At Walgreens last week I spent $43 OOP and $20 of that was just tax! My questions are: Do all states require couponers to pay tax on the pre-coupon subtotal? What states do not require it? And what states have no sales tax??
Michelle: I have never compiled a list of the states that do not charge sales tax on specific items but I know there are a few. This site has a breakdown of the various taxes over the US. Here in Georgia we have different tax rates based on the type of item purchase. That is the reason I never bother trying to figure out what my taxes might be. We have a different tax rate on bread and another on laundry detergent…I have no time to try to figure out what my food tax is versus my other taxes. Taxes are not exactly my favorite thing on earth 
Christy: No, not all states require this. One of the best things about couponing in Florida is that this is NOT the case here (it certainly helps make up for the ‘no double coupons’ thing!). I believe that Alabama also pays pre-coupon sales tax, but I’m not sure about other states. Commenters – do you pay sales tax pre- or post-coupons in your state?
2. Cindy wants to know: Why doesn’t Publix have Catalina machines?
Michelle: I have mixed feelings on Catalina coupons. They can be tricky little boogers as many are triggered by specific purchases. Sometimes it is difficult to know what all products will trigger the coupon. Then there are the times when you make the purchases and the machine is off or out of paper…you get the point.
I wouldn’t mind them as an addition I suppose but I really am not too upset about not getting them. I have to deal with them over on I Heart Kroger and they can be a bit of a pain to keep up with…tee hee
Christy: We get a LOT of coupons at Publix so I don’t get too upset about the lack of Catalina machines at Publix…I figure it’s just one of the things that we live without because we love Publix 
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3. Kristian wants to know: Our newspapers in Huntsville Al, have stopped including the inserts for coupons because of people stealing them, and only taking that part of the paper. Do you have any good resources of where I can get these?
Michelle: That is a bummer…boy people are getting desperate!! As far as a place to find full inserts, the folks over at Sunday Coupon Inserts sell full inserts as does Crystal at Coupon Beat!
Christy: That’s really too bad. I’ve dealt with missing inserts in my local paper a number of times as well…that is really the reason that I stopped buying papers each Sunday and started getting multiple Sunday papers delivered. I find that I still have the occasional missing or incomplete insert problem, but it happens FAR less frequently.
4. Jamie wants to know: Does Publix accept all printable coupons for as many products as you purchase? For example, if I have a $.50 off coupons for an item that is BOGO and I’m buying 10 of the items (basically only paying for 5), can I still use all 10 printable coupons??
Michelle: From the Publix Coupon Policy: Publix accepts manufacturers’ coupons (limit one per item) For a buy-one-get-one free (BOGO) offer, each item is considered a separate sale. We will accept a manufacturer’s coupon and either a Publix or a competitor coupon on the same item. So you can use one manufacturer’s coupon per item that you purchase.
Christy: Publix will accept 1 manufacturer and 1 Publix -OR- competitor coupon for every item that you buy, regardless of whether that item is on sale (BOGOs included). So if you buy 10 items (but only pay for 5 with the BOGO), you can use 10 manufacturer coupons AND 10 Publix/Competitor coupons on those 10 items – as long as each coupon specifies “$X off 1.”
5. Natalie wants to know: My question is… With all the online printing of coupons, what steps do you take to protect the computers you print from? I’m told that I’m more susceptible to viruses from online coupon sites. Any pointers or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Christy: I really haven’t had many problems with this…maybe because I have a Mac, which is less susceptible to viruses. (This is kind of a tradeoff for me – it’s nice to be more secure, but my Mac dependence means that I now can’t print coupons from Coupon Network or Redplum since Macs and Flash don’t get along well!)
Commenters, what have you done to protect your PCs from viruses?
Michelle: I too have a Mac but I also have virus protection in place on my computer. I spend way too much time on this computer to risk having issues due to a virus/malware. An investment in an antivirus/malware software is well worth the expense! Unless you are a computer professional it can be very difficult to deal with a virus once it gets in. Rather than paying big bucks to have someone help you when it is too late, just spend the few bucks for prevention. In this case being proactive is a much better option than having to deal with the consequences!
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.
Christy. i have a mac and i recently updated the new install of flash and i can now print all of the coupons!
Yeah, I’ve never had an issue with a Mac *computer* and Flash and/or printing coupons (or if I did have an issue, it was fleeing and fixed with an update or reboot). iPads and iPhones don’t get along with Flash, but MacBooks and the like should be fine.
Kristian:
I get my inserts mailed to my doorstep every week while I’m at work! This makes my life much easier – not having to worry about when I can go to the store to buy papers, are there inserts in the papers, etc. I use Coupon Insert Service and TONS of my friends and family use this service too! She only charges you for the shipping & handling, not for the actual coupons. I pay $9.00 a week for 5 of each insert, but you can get more or less papers if you want. And if there are no inserts in the papers because of holidays, she will still mail you all kinds of extras from the previous weeks, so it’s a win win!!! Overall, it’s a fantastic service – check it out!
http://www.couponinsertservice.com
I think that is incorrect about coupons in Florida. You do not pay tax on FOOD items in Florida so any food items you get free are free. Non food items I have got free I have definitely paid tax on.
I was thinking the same thing, and it also depends what type of food item. I remember I went to publix once just to get the b1g1 ocean spray deal with a b1g1 coupon and did not take in money because I thought it would be zero, but I was charged normal tax.
It is hard to keep up with how much the tax is going to be but when figuring, I get pretty close.
I have found that my tax goes down significantly both on taxable food items and non food items when I use coupons in Florida. I don’t know the details but in examining my receipts it appears that I am charged the normal tax rate on the cost of the items after all my coupons. I watch the register display and the tax amount does drop as my coupons are scanned.
I use a PC – several actually. I’ve never had a problem with viruses, and I use only the free virus protection you can download. I think it’s Microsoft Fortress or something like that – my husband keeps up with it, not me. The icon is a castle. We also use Malwarebytes and CCleaner.
In Alabama, we’re charged tax on pre-coupon amounts. That being said, we DON’T pay sales tax on store coupons. And all of our sales tax is the same inside that town’s city limits (Prattville’s is 9.5% (!): laundry detergent, eggs, dog food, cleaning supplies – it’s all the same. However, our property taxes are fairly low, so it’s a trade off, I guess. If they don’t get your money on stuff you buy, they’ll get it on property you own!
I feel your pain…in Daphne it’s 9.5% too and when we were in Montgomery it was 10%! Although I am jealous of your Publix in Prattville which doubles coupons and has the penny item; since we are so close to Florida, we have 1/2 price BOGO, but no coupon doubles or penny item…it’s a weird mix of both worlds!
That is strange! You’d think if they had one, they’d have them all! I love my Prattville Publix – just wish they took Target as a competitor since it’s RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD! We don’t have a Super Target, though, so that’s probably why.
In Georgia the food tax on is 2% and non-food items it depends on your county. I live in Cobb county and it is 6%. I factor in the takes when shopping because it may not be beneficial to take advantage of a free deal unless the item is something I need. For example the some sundown vitamins are free with coupons and the green advantage flyer but when you factor the taxes of 6% they are not free after all.
I pay 9% tax here in Decatur, AL whether food or non-food and it is pre-coupon. When I see and hear people talking about all their freebies, I have to think about my 9% tax and whether it will really be a freebie or not. Once you consider taxes, the shopping trips don’t sound near as good.
We do pay pre-coupon taxes on all purchases in Alabama. We pay a flat % thought, versus different amounts on different items. The percentage charged vary by city and county, but at least it is a flat %. I bet trying to figure out your taxes in GA does make your head spin
I can always figure my tax amount on my pre-coupon total (if I want to lol) and get my total OOP.
Please see my post/reply below. Only manufacture coupons have tax. Store coupons should not have tax charged. In Alabama, tax on coupons is based on IF the store will be reimbursed. There are different % for tax, but not on any item you would purchase in the grocery store…..things like cars are a different %.
the only way I can get coupons is through an insert service. Our local paper is horrid when it comes to coupons and our Atlanta Journal is $3 a paper!! I order mine from Insert Insanity. http://www.insertinsanity.com The best prices around! I pay I believe around $14 or so for 6 of whatever inserts are in the paper that weekend! Way cheaper than buying 6 AJC!
pc and i only use the free antivirus programs.the only time i have problems with flash is when DH tries to look at some shady site b/c they had a two headed dog or something equally dumb like that,(he never admits to it “one of the kids must have dome it”)but i haven’t had problems now that we use panda cloud.
Oh, my! TAXES are not the thing I want to discuss before I’ve finished my first cup of coffee, but here goes.
FL consumers pay “indirect” taxes on food — that is, the taxes are covered in the price of the food; the prices of food are, generally, higher than in states where consumers are charged a separate (“direct”) amount for taxes on their grocery bills. Sellers/Retailers still (must) pay taxes on their Sales of food and other goods. Taxes pay for roads & highways (and repairs on them), government agencies, environmental aspects, ETC., in getting the food/goods from producers to reailers & consumers ~~ believe me, the government is not letting some states go tax-free! (!!!!)
So, the bottom line is some states/consumers pay Direct Taxes on food, others pay Indirect Taxes on food — but they ALL pay taxes! All (?) states charge Direct Taxes on non-food items because the prices vary so extremely. That is, a person who buys a package of paper should not be burdened with hidden taxes levy for buying computer systems or cars; consumers should know exactly what they are paying for. Food items don’t vary as greatly and can be blanketed by Indirect Taxes more easily & without upset.
OK, 2nd cup of coffee!
Have a great day!
OOPS! Some minor corrections:
“…from producers to retailers & consumers…”
“levy” should be “levied”.
In SC we do not have tax on food but we do pay tax pre coupons on nonfood items.
I live in SC too a just found out about the sales tax on coupons! Don’t use your coupons at TARGET! They are the only ones that have been charging it! It hardly seems worth it now to use them things. Got to buy 3 or 4 of something to get a paultry $.25 off.
Kristian – I live in Huntsville, AL too and still get coupon inserts every Sunday. Just curious, are you buying papers in stores or having it delivered?
Kristian – I live in Huntsville, also. My subscription to the Huntsville Times always has the inserts included. Also, if I need extra papers, I usually go to CVS, Chevron, or Shell gas stations and all three of them always have all of the coupon inserts in their papers. Maybe you should try another location to buy papers. Good luck!
I am in Decatur. Huntsville Times has told me that home delivered papers are guarnateed to have inserts. The newspaper stands aren’t guaranteed and most places in the Decatur area don’t have stands anymore due to the theft of the papers/inserts. Most have moved the papers inside gas stations. But yes, Huntsville most definitely has the inserts. On another note, I did hear Huntsville Times is going to a 3 day/week print and will be increasing the price of the paper. Decatur Daily only carries RedPlum, No SmartSource. DD is hit or miss on P&G inserts.
Christy,
I just noticed where you are using a Mac and can’t print from Couponnetwork.com and Redplum.com. I too am a Mac user. The funny thing is, I can print from Couponnetwork.com and Coupons.com, but not Redplum.com or Smartsource.com. I am running an older OS (Tiger). I have a PC running Chrome that I use when I want to print from those two sites I can’t on my Mac. I still prefer my Mac! As you said, they are far less susceptible to viruses. I once opened a virus as a text file and printed it out for our IT department so they could see the coding on it
PRE-COUPON TAXES — The reasoning for charging pre-coupon taxes is because the taxes pay for roads, road maintenance, government agencies that inspect goods & services, etc. Goods are, most often, shipped and assessed for shipping by weight. The weight of a truck (carrying goods) has the same wear & tear on roads, no matter what the consumer ends up paying for those goods — with or without coupons. Pre-coupon taxes must be paid in order for those goods to cover its share of roads, road maintenamce, etc. Hope that makes sense.
In Florida, most food items are tax-free. Most junk food items are subject to regular taxes.
I may be wrong about this, but I think that for taxable items, you pay the taxes on the pre-coupon amount. I know that when I’ve gotten a warranty replacement for my Pur filter and Swiffer that broke (the filter doing so two or three times), I’ve gotten a coupon for a free item. I’ve always paid tax.
As far as the Mac not printing from Coupon Network is concerned, I don’t see how that is the case. Target and Smart Source use the same software and I have no problems.
Actually, that’s not true. SmartSource uses a java applet and coupons.com and catalina have their own coupon activator. Use a computer at school campus (mac) and will run ss because java is installed, but will not let you download software for coupons.com or ?
VIRUSES & Coupons – The best virus program I have found is avast and its FREE. My husband had an internship at a college pc repair shop and that is the program they installed and recommended to everyone. I’ve only had 1 virus in the last two years and I booted to safe mode and ran a boot-time scan and the virus was deleted.
Sales Tax – I love that Florida doesn’t have tax on food. Though when I visited my home state of PA last month I discovered there was no tax on non-grocery items! I am so jealous now. Not sure about the food, but I think that’s tax-free there also.
i have a question, P&G sent me an email talking about their Shopper Card. What on earth is that?! I can’t find what it is anywhere on their site. Maybe I’m just blind! Thanks!!
See the link below for info on the P&G shopper card. You can get it at participating stores and it has a list.
https://www.pgesaver.com/info/FAQ.aspx
I’m weird and when I go to the store I like to know down to the penny how much my total will be. (I’m usually on a strict budget so this helps keep me inside what I am “allowed” to spend.) I’m in Cobb/Paulding county. In Paulding the tax on non-food items is 7% and the tax on food items is 3%. I use this rate for shopping in Cobb county also, even though their’s is a percent lower. I keep a list of everything I have in my cart, the pre-sale price, the sale price, and the after coupon price. It’s divided up into a food and non-food category and I keep each column added up as I go. At the end of my shopping trip (before I check out) I take the pre-sale price of the non-food and food columns, multiply by the percentage and then add the tax to the after coupon total. This should be your total, down to the penny! HOWEVER, I’ve found that Publix can be quite different. Next time you’re there and you’re watching the coupons come off of the total, make a note of how much a coupon actually takes off. The majority of times coupons at Publix actually take off tax too. I don’t know the formula or why some stores do and some don’t. It’s weird. But I like to err on the side of caution and don’t count on the tax being lower than what I’ve calculated!
Hi, Regarding the question on sales tax and coupons. I used to work for an Alabama City performing tax audits so I can tell you what the rule was when I was doing the job. When a manufacture offers a cents off coupon, sales tax is due on the value of the coupon. The reason–the store is still being paid that amount for the item so it is part of the sales price. When the store offers a store coupon (or doubles the manufacture coupon) for which they will not recieve reimbursement, there is no tax due on the coupon value. The reason–the store is just using the coupon to reduce the price of the item. The key in Alabama is if the store recieves the coupon price reimbursed to them, then sales tax is due.
Just looked at my last Publix receipt (Georgia). It was $14.65 after coupons. Tax was 42 cents and $1.05 which is 3% and 7% of total. Items were not taxed before coupons. Also true on my Kroger receipt. They don’t separate it into the 2 tax types by rate looks the same (total after coupons).
Thanks so much for the publix’s coupons. I will share them with my friends..
On coupon printing, Redplum has recently changed their site and tries to run a program called webkit2webprocess.exe on my computer. Yes, Redplum actually tries to run a PROGRAM on my machine. This is EXTREMELY dangerous behavior and of course my security suite blocks it. Looks like I won’t be printing Redplum coupons anymore until they get some intelligent people to fix their website!! To those of you who have had trouble printing Redplum coupons recently, this is probably why. Redplum has changed their site so that it behaves like a hacker or virus might. They should know better but obviously don’t. Best advice is take your business elsewhere. It’s unfortunate that Publix, in an obvious sign of gross mismanagement, has gotten into bed with such a poorly-run company that engages in such questionable business practices!!