Coupon Question and Answer: Ask I Heart Publix 10/10
October 17, 2012
If you have a question about couponing at Publix, this is the place to find 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 under “About” titled “Ask I Heart Publix” where you can find the questions and answers from past weeks!
Here are this week’s questions:
- What is the proper way to use the Publix digital coupons?
- How do you ensure that the cashier actually deducts all of your coupons?
- Once a store is out of booklets, do they get more?
- If you have a coupon that requires the purchase of a particular item, does it “use up” that item so that other coupons cannot be used?
- Do you think you are required reading for Publix store managers?
And here are the answers!
1. Kristi wants to know: What is the proper way to use the Publix digital coupons? Sometimes I have a coupon for an item on my digital coupons but a better paper manufacturer’s coupon. I’ve noticed that the computer will take them both…what do I do in that situation?
Christy: Digital coupons are not available in my area yet, but Michelle wrote a pretty detailed post about Publix digital coupons over here that is really helpful. According to the Publix Frequently Asked Questions, “Should a paper coupon be accepted for an item, the digital coupon will not be accepted and will remain in your account for future use” so it looks like you should not be able to use both coupons on a single item.
If you are noticing that there is a glitch in the Publix system that is allowing you to use both coupons, I would bring it to the attention of your store management or call Publix Corporate to let them know. You obviously can’t control which digital coupons are being credited to your bill once you give the cashier your registered phone number…but you do want to make sure that you use the new system the way it was intended!
Michelle: I think that at some point the computers will be smart enough to only allow one coupon to be used. My Kroger folks have learned to never load a digital coupon if you have a better value paper coupon. At Kroger the eCoupon will be used first and then not allow the paper coupon to used (unless you have an additional product to attach to the coupon).
2. Bella wants to know: How do you ensure that the cashier actually deducts all of your coupons? Coupons tend to stick together (especially printed ones), plus many are different size, and if I don’t watch like a hawk at the register, I frequently notice – at home – that some of my coupons were not deducted.
Michelle: I usually offer coupons in sets so that I can watch them be scanned. It is not so much that I don’t trust the cashiers but I often have to change my game plan while I am at the store.
Handing them over a few at a time lets me double check myself and make sure they all get scanned. I think sometimes cashiers can be overwhelmed with a huge stack of coupons…this way they can do a little at a time.
I am also a crinkler 
To help me keep my coupons separate I will crinkle the coupon a bit so they are easier to grab.
Christy: I found that this was happening to me just about every week, too. It wasn’t intentional, I’m sure – but I use a fairly big stack of coupons each time I shop, so one or two coupons per order got skipped pretty frequently.
What I’ve started to do is wait until the end of the transaction once everything is scanned, and then hand over each set of coupons individually. First I’ll hand over any $X/$XX coupons, then all the coupons I have for a particular item. So, if I have 2 manufacturer’s and 2 Publix coupons for Scotties Tissues, then I’ll hand those over together. That way I know exactly what is being scanned when, and I can keep an eye on the register too – I know that there should be (2) $1 coupons coming off and (2) $.55 Publix coupons coming off at that moment. This way, too, the cashier can see exactly what coupons I am using for each item.
I also often have to change my shopping plan on the fly if my store is out of something or if I decide not to grab it at the last minute. So handing over coupons by one “set” of items at a time, I can also avoid any chance that I would accidentally hand over a coupon for something I didn’t actually purchase this trip.
Since I’ve started handling my coupons like this, I’ve had very few skipped coupons – and if there are errors, they are usually mine (eg I forget to hand over a coupon for a particular item).
3. Beth wants to know: You recently mentioned a new coupon sheet that Publix would make available to the public – the Stocking Spree. I have been into 2 Publix stores near where I live and neither of them have had it. One said they never received it (the manager gave me another booklet he had behind the counter which I thought was very nice!) and would not be getting it and the other one said that all the coupons were taken on the first day and that some people took way more than they needed and they were not getting any more (she was actually very rude in telling me this).
So my question is – do some stores get the coupons, and others don’t, and why? And – if they run out, is it true that they do not get any more? Just wondering.
Michelle: Believe me – I understand your frustration! My store has to keep the booklets behind the customer service desk to try and prevent folks from cleaning them out in minutes.
The stores do have a limited supply and I know my store never gets more. I keep hoping that the folks at corporate see that there is a big demand for these booklets and start offering up more. Keep your fingers crossed!
Christy: I’m not sure if my store ever gets a second shipment of coupon sheets or booklets and I just haven’t noticed, but it has always seemed to me that booklets get put out one time and once they’re gone, they’re gone. I can tell you for sure that some stores do get particular booklets and others do not – I’m not sure what determines this, but I’d love to know! Do we have any Publix employees reading that can tell us more about how the booklet process works?
4. Jennifer wants to know: If you have a coupon that requires the purchase of a particular item, does it “use up” that item so that other coupons cannot be used? For example, if I had a $1 off milk with purchase of cereal manufacturer’s coupon, could I use another manufacturer’s coupon on that same cereal?
Christy: No, you would only be able to use the $1 off milk coupon in this scenario. The Publix Coupon Policy Q&A states:
When the manufacturer issues a “$1 off the purchase of two items” coupon, it requires the purchase of two items. So, because you have to purchase both items to meet the coupon’s requirements, a manufacturer’s coupon has already been applied to both items.
You can check out the whole Publix Coupon Policy and Q &A over here.
Michelle: Christy is right and I actually did a big post on this scenario this weekend. Check it out HERE.
5. Archerethan wants to know: Do you think you are required reading for Publix store managers?
Christy: I doubt that this site is required reading for Publix employees…but it certainly would help management to know about the hot deals that couponers will be coming in for!
Michelle: Tee hee…of course I hope that Publix likes my site. I’d love for Publix managers to hang out here. I think they could probably get some good scoop on hot deals and get to see life on the other side of the register 
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.
To adress ensuring that all coupons get scanned, here’s how I work it with my favorite Publix cashier.
She prefers that I give her the Qs as the items go by and she counts them all, verifys that they are all good and match the products and verifys with me that she didnt miss any.
At the end of scanning all items she runs the Qs through and counts them as she scans because she knows I know my quantities. When something doesn’t add up she has me count the actual Qs. It’s team work! Mistakes happen, believe me the cashier is not there to mess up your savings.
We have a great system and she is by far the nicest and most patient cashier at my Publix.
Really, it is all about your relationship with your cashier and your comfort level with each other.
I also let the manager know what a great employee he has and I have let corporate know as well. She has been rewarded several times and she has thanked me. It’s my pleasure to do for someone who always treats me right.
I always like to read this section every week. I certainly do learn something from it. As for IHP being “required reading” for managers…..ha ha ha…..well, maybe it should be! : )
I also like giving my coupons in the quantity I have. Most of the time I give in quantities of 4 since I usually get a double paper and able to print from 2 computers. But I always give the cashier 4 at a time so I know its being scanned. I will also give $/$$ off 1st, then free item coupons I have (which I always put in the last part of the checkout so the cashiers have easy access to the price) and then publix coupons and then regular coupons. I’ve had cashiers ask me if I have any coupons when I’m loading stuff up on the belt and then ask for it. But I don’t like giving my coupons to them because its always then that my coupons aren’t all scanned. I like being able to watch and know my coupons are coming off. Some of them argue with me that they need it before they scan my groceries. I always explain that I have it in order and I do have all of the stuff required in order to use my coupons.
I too have had cashiers argue with me that they need the coupons up front before they can scan the groceries. I usually tell them I am still sorting out the coupons. One cashier that used to love going to has undergone a real change in the past few months and I now avoid him at all costs. he was one of the ones who said he had to have all the coupons up front and I used to give them all to him at the beginning. He ALWAYS missed several and I would end up at home, irritated. I started checking my receipt before I left the store, and since I write down the Q amount and such next to the items on my grocery list, I was able to catch quite a few (esp when he would leave off the $5/30 Publix Qs!!), but it was a pain to have to go to cust svc to deal with it. Not to mention they would go to him and check to make sure he had the coupons and that wouldn’t help his mood any, I can tell you!). Then I would tell him I was still sorting and hand over a few at a time. I would get my coupons scanned but also get a very grumpy cashier too. I tried to be nice to him but then it just got to be too much, so now I pick and choose my cashiers. I just love it when the manager or asst manager is on cashier duty, they never give me any problems, they know me and that I am very careful to use my coupons correctly. The manager has commented more than once, after seeing me read the fine print on a coupon – that he wished all of the customers would actually read the coupons. No wonder cashiers dislike couponers, the mgr has told me people bring in expired Qs, Qs for the wrong brand and so forth and then get mad when the store won’t take them.
I like to paperclip all of the coupons (MQ and PQ) for each item in individual groups. I like to hand them to the cashier one group at a time, saying “Here are the coupons for the 4 jars of pasta sauce”, “Here are the coupons for the 2 boxes of cereal”, etc. This does 3 things:
1. It gives me a chance to double-check that I am handing over the correct coupons (because we all make mistakes, couponers and cashiers alike).
2. It breaks the coupons down into manageable “chunks” for the cashier.
3. It reinforces the quantity of each type of item that I purchased. This is especially important when the quantity required on the MQ and the PQ are not the same. (if I am using two $1/3 MQs and three $1/2 PQs and I bought 6 items).
As Jackie said in a previous post, it is all about working WITH your cashier as a team to get the order rung up correctly.
That’s how I do it as well…at the end, by the item “clusters”.
For those that do it as the items are running across the register, how do you know (say in the upcoming promotion) that you have hit $50 “pre-coupon” so you can get a gas card?
When I’m doing this type of promotion, I don’t know until the end if I’ve hit the multiple that I’m looking for…I’m usually pretty close, but something with tax sometimes screws me up and I’ll end up a dollar or so under…in which case I get a candy bar “treat” for the effort to get the next gas card “level”.
I honestly never thought about the way I hand the coupons to the cashier. I usually “pull over” before I head to check out and sort through and group coupons together. This is helpful especially when they are out of items I intended to buy.
I don’t think I have been seriously shorted, but I will keep this in mind for my next trip:) Especially if it makes it easier for the cashier.
I happen to know the manager at my Publix reads your blog on a regular basis after I mentioned it to him one day. He had heard of this blog at a district/regional meeting but never visited it. Afte I suggested he check it out he has become a regular, if not frequent, reader.
As to the coupon scanning question, I have narrowed down my cashiers to 2 or 3 that I prefer to go to. They know me, my kids, my coupon habits, etc and we have a good system in place. I hand them my bags and coupons up front and then I’ll call attention to any coupons I might have for free items so they can be sure to mark the price on the coupon when they scan it. I also make sure I am at the screen that faces the customer as the cashier scans each coupon in. This way I can see everything… the coupons in the cashiers hand and the coupon amount coming off my total on the screen. I am like a hawk and my regular cashiers know this about me. They are always just as eager to see me get a good deal as I am.
I, personally, don’t want to use a coupon when I did not purchase the product, which happens occasionally when I have to get a rain check for that item, etc. or the deal wasn’t what I thought it was. I always head to the chair in the pharmacy area and sit down, open up my ziplock bag with my coupons and go through them, one by one, to make sure I have, indeed, purchased that item and place the coupons for the items not purchased back into my purse til I get home. That way, I am not embarrassed when I am asked by the cashier: “Did you buy two of this item?” or the computer spits it back out. I always feel like they think I am trying to pull something over on them….and I Do Not Want that to happen. Although, I have NEVER had a Publix cashier be rude or ugly with me. Actually, that did happen to me not long ago, as one of my coupons from the prior week was in my ziplock bag and I didn’t notice it when I put my new coupons in there and was in a hurry and did not actually go through my coupons before heading to the check-out.
A bad experience that I did have at another store, no names mentioned, convinced my husband that that was the LAST time we were going there, even though they had a great deal going on another item we wanted that week. I had one of those Buy Three, Get Three Free coupons for Renuzit Air Fresheners. I gave the lady my coupon and as I was headed out the door, I looked down and noticed that I got $1 off the three “free” Renuzits, instead of $3. I walked right back to the cashier as she had not started with the next customer yet and asked her why I only got $1 off when it should have been $3. She said “Lady, I scanned the coupon and that is what it gave you.” Since my blood pressure was slowly starting to rise and I am not in the habit of causing a scene anywhere, I simply asked her “What part of this coupon am I not understanding?” Her response, in a very rude voice, was that she run the coupon through and that was all she could do for me. She locked her register and headed to the customer service desk when she saw I was not satisfied with her answer. Before we even got to the customer service desk, the lady behind the counter said “I bet you have a Renuzit coupon”. Well, if they knew this was happening and I was not the first…why did they not instruct their cashiers to “handle” it!
I know my comment is long, but, I am a TRUE advocate for Publix and their coupon policies!!!!!
I always give my coupons in this order.
$5 off $30
Publix Coupons LU
Competitor Coupons
Coupons that require the input of a price which I have already written on coupon.
Manufacturer coupons with glossy finish or small ones.
Printed internet coupons
I always have cashiers tell me how much they appreciate the way I do coupons. I even write the price on the penny item coupon. I had one cashier tell me “have a nice day but don’t ever come back to my line” He was kidding of course- he told me scanning my coupons gave him carpal tunnel.
I also write the amount on the back of the “free” coupons!
Digital coupons are considered to be MFG coupons, so you can still use a competitor coupon with the item.
I’ve taken to doing total separate transactions for the d-coupons, as I have a friend in Birmingham that had 6 of one item, 5 paper coupons and her D-coupon did not come off.
Well your site is looked at by managers,I was asking about something an siad that it was on site an they asked what site an I told them, IHeartPublix” an the manager siad , yes I know that one they are pretty good. So you go girl !!!!!
I always make a list of my coupons & amounts on the back of my grocery list. Before I leave the store I count the coupons on my receipt and if the number matches we are golden. If it doesn’t I can figure out pretty quickly which ones didn’t scan by the amounts missing.
Does anyone know if Publix will accept a percent off coupon from a competitor? I just received a Target 5 percent off your entire purchase up to 50.00 coupon in the mail. Target is a competitor at my Publix.
Nevermind – I just read on the Publix site that the answer is no….
Speaking from a cashier’s point of view, it’s always helpful if customers give you coupons that specify “free” items ahead of time. I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating it is trying to scroll through the list to find the price of the item so that we can enter it in. It slows down the process and makes the customers behind you angry. Also, I like to have the manufacturer’s coupons, Publix coupons, and competitor’s coupons separated. While manufacturer’s coupons can be scanned, the other coupons have to be manually entered one at a time. It slows things down if you have to separate as you go. Thanks!
thank you! This actually helps!
The coupon booklet quantities are often determined by the vendors and not by Publix. If stores run out or don’t receive them at all, we can contact the specific vendor and ask for more to be sent but that doesn’t guarantee that they will send more. It also depends on when the store runs out; if they run out towards the end of the promotion then the coupons would not be any good when they finally arrived at the store. Usually stores only receive one shipment and when it runs out, that’s it. The coupon booklets associated with promotions are usually company wide. Occasionally promotions won’t run in all 4 divisions and that is when some stores get coupon booklets and other stores don’t.