Bloom to do Double Coupons in September, up to $0.99 in value

Reader Amy followed up (thanks, Amy!) to let us know that Bloom is making good on the rumor. Looks like September it will double coupons up to $0.99 in value. (Note that - as far as I can recall, anyway - Shopper's Food Warehouse, Safeway, Giant, and other area stores already do this all the time.)

If you have any hot deals or freebies that you snag at Bloom using doubled coupons, be sure to post a comment!

5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 07/23-07/29

Big berry deals! Talk about a good week for making smoothies. :)

And before this kicks off - we just received a email from a reader (thanks!!) stating that the Fredericksburg Giant refused Internet coupons on the basis that too many customers are abusing them. Since I haven't redeemed an Internet coupon at Giant for a while, I thought that I'd ping our readers to get a readout for recent Internet coupon acceptance or rejections. If you're inclined, please leave a comment with details (including location). If this is happening at more than just a single Giant location, it could definitely change how I do the Giant matchups...obviously not spending the time hunting down and linking to printable coupons. Thanks in advance for participating!

1. General Mills Cereal, 4/$6
   $1/3, 06/13 SS
   $1/2, 07/11 SS
   Pillsbury Site: $1/2 GM cereals, $0.55/1 Cheerios
   Betty Crocker Site: $1/2 GM cereals, $0.55/1 Cheerios
   Check coupons.com for $1/2 GM cereal and $0.55/1 Cheerios printables
   Final price: $0.40/box if those $0.55/1 coupons double!
   
   
2. 1 lb. Strawberries, Blackberries, or Raspberries, or 1 pint Blueberries, 2/$4
   (Save at least $0.99)
   
   
3. SUPER G Leg Quarters, $0.79/lb. (Save at least $0.70) This is a freezable price! Chicken doesn't get much cheaper. These roast nicely, too.
   
   
4. Bumblebee Chunk Light Tuna, 2/$1 (Save at least $1 on 2)
   This is basically half-price - so if your household does a lot of tuna sandwiches or casseroles, stock up!
   
   
5. Breyers Mix or Match 4/$8, must buy 4
   Klondike Bars or Ice Cream Sandwiches
   Slim-A-Bear Treats
   Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Novelties
   Breyers Ice Cream
   $0.75/2 Breyers, 06/27 SS, could double to $1.50/2
   Popsicle Novelties
   Final price: With the Breyers coupon, you could get 4 for $5!

Other reasons to visit Giant this week:

Top Round London Broil or Boneless Beef Chuck Steak, BOGO (Save at least $3.49/lb.)

Perdue Split Chicken Breast, BOGO (Save at least $3.29/lb.)

Fresh Pork Tenderloin, $3.99/lb. (Save at least $2/lb.)

Oscar Mayer Beef Franks, BOGO (Save at least $4.39)
$1/2, 06/20 SS
Final price: $3.39/2 (~$1.70/ea)

Fresh Sea Scallops or (previously frozen) Pacific Dungeness Crab, $7.99/lb.

Dole Classic Iceberg Salad, $1.29 (Save at least $0.70)

Sweet White Corn, 8/$1.88

Giant Specialty Beans, canned, 2/$1 (Save at least $0.46/2)

Tropicana Pure Premium, $3.99 (Save at least $0.80)

Canada Dry, 7-Up, A&W, or Sunkist 12-Packs, 5/$12 (Must buy 5) - $2.40/12-pack

Heineken 18-Pack, $18.99
(I don't usually follow beer prices, but I have bought Heineken in the past to make beer bread and this is a pretty good sale price - retail is about $23-25 for an 18-ct.)

Angel Soft Bath Tissue, 2/$11 (Save at least $2.58/2)
$1/2 or $0.50/1, 05/23 RP
Final price: As low as $4.50/pack


***

Save $3 off your purchase instantly when you use your Giant card and purchase $10 worth (after coupons and savings) of Colgate/Palmolive products in one transaction.

Colgate Max Fresh Toothbrush or Total Toothpaste, 2/$5
$0.50/1 toothpaste, 07/25 SS
Final price: $1.50 - buy 7 @$10.50, get them for $7.50, or $1.07/ea.

Mennen Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick, 2/$4
$0.50/1, 07/25 SS
Final price: $1/ea. - buy $10 worth at this discount and you'll get 10 for $7 - $0.70/ea.!

Softsoap Liquid Soap, $1.39
$0.35/1, 07/25 SS
Final price: $0.69/ea. - buy 15 @$10.35, and get all 15 for $7.35, or $0.49/ea.!

Irish Spring Soap 8-Pack, $3.99
$0.50/2 multipacks, 07/25 SS
Final price: $3.49/ea. - buy 3 @$10.47 and get 3 for $7.47, or $2.49/ea.

Softsoap Body Wash, 2/$7
$1/1, 07/25 SS
Final price: $2.50/ea. - buy 4 @$10 and get 4 for $7, or $1.75/ea.

***

Earn up to 300 extra gas points this week - $0.30/gallon, when you buy participating products listed on the back page of your Giant ad. I've definitely saved a few bucks of gas money so far with this program!

***

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering

What other Giant coupon matchups and deals did you spot for the coming week? Did we make any deal-calculating hiccups? Post a comment to let us know!

Reader Emails - Stealth Coupons for Giant!

Fellow blogger (and Giant shopper!) Holly of RedBerryDeals emailed us a great scoop (bolding ours):

"I wanted to mention that I got several copies of the SmallVictories magazine at my Giant in Lorton, VA a week or so ago. I believe at customer service they still have some. They have about $16 worth of coupons.

Plus, to make it a better deal you mentioned the Nature Promise products are buy $15 get $3 back in a Catalina deal, and there is a FREE coupon for any Natures Promise canned beans. That will make the deal even sweeter. The canned beans are $1.

I know you have mentioned this book in a past post but thought with this week's deals this might be an even better deal! Since, Giant allows you to stack coupons too.

All expire 3/18/10 All of these can be stacked! I was able to do this at the self-check out yesterday.
$1.50 off General Mills Chex Cereal All Varieties 12 oz - 14 oz pkg (I used it with the $.75 Chex coupon that doubled to $1.50)
$1.00 off Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers All Flavors 6.6 oz Pkg (Regular price at my store is $2.19) This week 33% off regular retail.
$1.00 off 2 New Lunchables Lunch Combinations Subs Assorted Varieties 3.3 oz - 3.9 oz pkg
$1.00 off Hormel Pepperoni Snack Packs All Varieties & sizes (Regular price at my store $3.59)
$4 off Caribou Coffee All Flavors 12 oz Bag (Regular price at my store $8.99)
$1.50 off Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Milk Chocolate with Marshmallows 26 oz canister
$1 off 2 Kraft Cheese Singles or Natural Shredded Cheeses All Varieties & Sizes
FREE Nature's Promise Canned Beans All Varieties 15.5 oz Can
FREE Giant Frozen Vegetables All Varieties 16 oz bag
$1 off Ground Beef All Varieties 1 lb or more
$1 off Tropicana Orange Juice All Varieties 64 oz carton
$1.50 off Perdue Short Cuts Chicken Carved Breast Strips All Varities 9 oz package"

Wow, Holly! Thanks for the email. This could be very interesting; I had a trip to Giant planned today anyway. :) Wonder if I can find that booklet...

Reader Amy posted a comment that Giant shoppers may also find useful:

"I just checked my mail today and found coupons from Giant. There is a RedPlum flier with a Pizza Boli's ad on the front. One of the fliers inside is a 2 page spread of coupons for frozen items from Giant totaling $19. Some of these aren't great (must buy 2 or more to use them) but they are all $1 or more coupons, which is great for anyone who hasn't used their coupon doublers this week. Some of the brands included: Birdseye, Bryers, Bertolli, Healthy Choice, Edy's and several more. I thought I'd let you know because this is the kind of mail that often gets tossed in our house. "

Amy, this RedPlum flier usually gets tossed at our house, too, because it usually doesn't have these types of coupons. THANKS so much for passing along your tip!

I love it when readers and fellow bloggers send us intel from the field! :-D Thank you, ladies!

HOT Catalina Deal at Shopper's Food Warehouse: Buy $30 Worth, Get $15 in Catalinas! --and Shopper's Official Printable Coupon Acceptance Policy!

Whoa, Nelly! Gina of Moneywise Moms found a HOT hidden Shopper's Food Warehouse Catalina deal - spend $30 on participating products, get $15 worth of Catalina coupons good off your next Shopper's purchase. She worked this deal to the max - starting with just a hair over $30, bringing it down to about $11 with tripled manufacturer coupons, and leaving with $15 in Catalinas. Work it, girl.

Note: Reader Trisha also posted some useful info in a comment on this deal. THANKS!

Just a few thoughts on this deal:

1. Be very careful to buy only the items written in the fine print on the front of the ad. Not all of the pictured items are part of the promotion.

2. If you buy 2 wishbone in one transaction, a $1.50 OYNO Catalina prints out. It turns the transaction into even more of a moneymaker.

3. On one of my transactions today, it took a long time (maybe 3-4 minutes) after I paid, for my catalinas to print. I had already gone to customer service for help, when the bagger tracked me down and gave me my coupons.

Happy tripling!

Read more and learn from Gina's finesse! In the meantime we are posting the matchups that she found on our growing master listing of Shopper's Food Warehouse triple coupon matchups, with Gina's permission. (Thanks again!) Many other savvy shoppers have posted comments with matchups of their own, which have also been included in this master list, so go check it out!

Also, Gina's post alerted us to something critical: it would appear that the Shopper's Food Warehouse official Internet printable coupon acceptance policy has been greatly clarified from its previous wording. It now reads:

Internet Coupon Policy

SHOPPERS will accept valid manufacturers’ coupons obtained from the internet with a face-value up to $1.00. Internet coupons with a face value of $1.01 or above or FREE offers will not be accepted. Coupons must contain valid redemption information to be honored. SHOPPERS reserves the right to refuse any coupon deemed to be fraudulent and the right to change or terminate this policy at any time.

...so, if you are wanting to try Internet printables at Shopper's again, be sure to bring this stated policy printed out from the Shopper's web page.
.

Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter and Shopper's Food Warehouse - Includes Our Matchups!

Thanks to an earlier post by Laura of Frugal Friends (thank you so much!), I was alerted to the delightful news that Harris Teeter and Shopper's Food Warehouse are both doing triple coupons this week/weekend! Check out Laura's post for links to the Harris Teeter triple coupon matchups, courtesy of Nova Thrifty and Southern Savers.

And, oh, HONEY. My couponing mother-in-law and I have long been in mourning for what we thought was the end of Shopper's Food Warehouse special doubling and tripling deals. After about 9 months of deals that ran fall 2008 through this past spring, suddenly Shopper's had made "double automatically up to $0.99 every day" its new standard after May, and the hot deals were nowhere to be found. I didn't have a candlelight vigil or anything, but it was still a hit to my couponing power since for those 9 months I was doing runs averaging discounts of around 75% off or more. I was picking up toiletries and cleaning products to spare - not to mention all the hottest-to-market groceries, for free or close to it.

Well, I am all too happy to report that Shopper's is back in action this week with 7 full days of triple coupons! (And there was much rejoicing...) November 5 through November 11, you can triple all manufacturers' coupons up to $0.99 in value - the only restriction listed being that you must limit yourself to four (4) identical coupons.

Here are some matchups that we spotted right away in the Shopper's ad, with freebies and cheapies ($0.50 or less) bolded. We encourage you to comment with other deals you spotted in store - and will gladly add them to this list with credit to you. Also come back to this post at later points during the week to see what matchups have been added from our research and/or reader contributions. (Note: Giant matchups - also with 5 tripler coupons in-ad!! - to come tomorrow, likely, since this Shopper's deal had us occupied and started one day sooner...)

Please note that we have not had the greatest success with our Shopper's accepting printable coupons in the past, so if you plan on making a run with printable coupons, check first with your Shopper's location to ensure that they will be accepted.

Mueller's Pasta, 10/$10
$0.55/1 whole wheat printable, though whole wheat isn't listed in the ad, so check the price in store
$0.55/2, 10/04 SS
Final price with insert coupon: $0.35 for two boxes, or $0.17/box

Hamburger Helper or Chicken Helper, $1.25/each
$0.75/3, 09/13 General Mills insert
Final price: $1.50 for three, or $0.50/each

Del Monte Fresh Cut Vegetables, $0.88/can
$1/5, 09/20 RP
Final price: $0.68/can

General Mills Cereals, $2.99
Cheerios, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams

Pillsbury Biscuits, selected varieties in 25 oz. packages, frozen, 2/$6
$0.75/2, 10/04 General Mills insert
Final price: 2/$3.75, or ~$1.87 each

Sparkle 8 Roll Paper Towels, $5.99
$0.50/1 multipack, 09/13 RP
Final price: $4.49

V8, $2.79
$0.50/1, 09/20 ss
Final price: $2.04/bottle

Tony's Crispy Crust Pizza, 10/$10 (assuming this is single-serve because of price)
$0.50/1, 10/04 SS
Final price: FREE(?)

Tyson Any'Tizers, 10-13.25 oz., $2.49
$0.75/1 coupon, September All You magazine
Final price $0.24!
$0.55/1, 08/02 SS
Final price: $0.84

Tyson Breaded Chicken, 25-32 oz., $6.99
$0.55/1, 08/02 SS or 10/11 SS
Final price: $5.34

Duncan Hines Fudge Brownie Mix, $1.25
$0.55/2, 10/11 SS
Final price: $0.85 for two boxes, or ~$0.42/box

Nestle Toll House Morsels, 2/$4
$0.50/1, 11/01 RP (Though this seems to vary regionally; mine was a $1/2. Drat!)
Final price: $0.50/bag!

Carnation Evaporated Milk, $1.25/can
$0.50/2, 09/27 SS, or $0.50/1, 11/01 RP
Final price: FREE to $0.50/can

Domino Sugar, 2 lb. +, $0.35/1 (08/30 RP) or $0.50/1 (10/18 RP)
Don't know retail prices, but these are sure to be cheap with the coupons above while you're already browsing the baking aisle for the morsels and evaporated milk! ;0)

$0.75/1 L'Oreal Kids Product, 11/01 RP
L'Oreal kids shampoo retailed ~$2.99 last time I bought it at Shopper's, so this might be ~$0.75/bottle with coupon!

Shedd's Spread Country Crock, $2.99
$0.30/1, 09/20 RP
Final price: $2.09

Fresh Express Salad Blends, $1.99
$0.55/2, 10/04 SS
Final price: $1.16/bag

Log Cabin Syrup, $3.89
$0.50/1, September All You magazine
Final price: $2.39

Nesquick Chocolate Milk, $1.49
$0.50/1, 11/01 RP (also varies regionally - I had $1/2)
Final price: FREE!

Land O Lakes Spreadable Light Butter with Canola Oil, 2/$4
$0.40/1, 10/18 SS
Final price: $0.80/each

Shout Laundry Strain Remover, 60 oz. bottle economy refill, $5.65
$0.55/1, 09/13 P&G
Final price: $4.00

Nestle Coffee-Mate, 22 oz. jar, $4.19
$0.50, 11/01 RP
Final price: $2.69

Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, $2.79
$2/1, 09/27 RP
Final price: $0.79

Zatarain's Rice Mix, 2/$4
$0.75/2, 09/13 RP
Final price: $0.87 each

Cheez-It, 2/$5
$1.50/2, 10/04 SS
Final price: 2/$3.50 ($1.75/box)

Karo Lite Syrup, $2.59
$0.50/1, 10/04 SS
Final price: $1.09

Newman's Own Pasta Sauce, $3.19
$0.50/1, 10/25 RP
Final price: $1.69

Kraft Philadelphia Soft Cream Cheese, 8 oz. tub, $1.89
$1.25/3, baking section tearpad at various stores
Final price: ~$1.48/each

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits, $1.59
$0.40/3, 10/04 General Mills insert
Final price: $1.19/each

Splenda Sweetener, 100 ct., $5.29
$0.55/1, October All You magazine
Final price: $3.64

Karo Dark Corn Syrup, $2.59
$0.40/1, 10/04 SS
Final price: $1.39

Heinz Tomato Ketchup, $2.59
$0.75/1, 10/04 SS (a regional coupon found in southern states)
Final price: $0.34

Sun-Maid Raisins, $2.89
$0.35/1, 11/09 RP
Final price: $1.94

General Foods International Coffees, 9 oz. can, $3.79
$0.75/1, 10/04 SS
Final price: $1.54 each

Kleenex Facial Tissue, 280 ct. box, $2.68
$0.50/3, 10/04 SS and 11/01 SS
Final price: $2.18/box

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillet, $4.89
$0.75/1, 08/30 RP
Final price: $2.64

Angel Soft 12 Double Roll Bath Tissue, $5.99
$0.50/1, 09/13 RP2
Final price: $4.49

***

Edit: These added based on first 11/5 trip at Shopper's:

Mahatma Yellow Rice (saffron package), $0.99
$0.75/2, 08/30 RP
Final price: FREE!

Mahatma Brown Rice, $2.39
$0.55/1, 08/30 RP
Final price: $0.74/bag! Yeah, cheap, healthy eating!

Musselman's Applesauce, Key Lime flavor marked down to $1.55 to clear
$0.50/1, July All You
Final price: $0.05 per four-pack!

Domino Sugar, white, 2 lb. box, $1.99
$0.40/1, 08/30 RP, or $0.30/1, 10/18 RP
Final price: $0.79 to $1.09/box

Domino Dark Brown Sugar, $2.09
$0.40/1, 08/30 RP, or $0.30/1, 10/18 RP
Final price: $0.89 to $1.19/bag

Tyson Honey BBQ Any'Tizers, $2.49
$0.75/1, September All You
Final price: $0.24!

Smithfield Bacon, 2/$6
$0.55/1, 10/25 RP
Final price: $1.35/package!

Yakisoba instant noodles, 10/$10
$0.50/1, 10/18 SS
Final price: FREE!

POM large pomegranate blackberry teas, $2.59
$0.50/1, tearpad not in Shopper's
Final price: $1.09

Breakfast Lean Pockets, $2.95 per two-pack
$0.75/1, 09/27 RP
Final price: $0.70/two-pack

Welch's Guava Pineapple juice, $2.79
$0.75/1, 09/13 SS
Final price: $0.54

Pampers Tub Sensitive Wipes, $2.89
$0.50/1, in package
Final price: $1.39/tub

L'Oreal Kids Shampoo (bottom shelf of shampoo section), $3.28
$0.75/1, 11/01 RP
Final price: $1.03/bottle

***

Reader skgaff said in her comments, of a recent run (thank you!!):

Here are some matchups I used:

Krusteaz Crumb Cake/Muffin Mix, $2.89
$.50/1
Final Price = $1.39

Birdseye Steamfresh Lightly Sauced, $2.29
$.50/1
Final Price = $.79

New York Texas Toast, $3.00
$.50/1
Final Price = $1.50

Dole Frozen Fruit, $3.45
$.75/1
Final Price = $1.20

Jimmy Dean D'Lights Bowl, $2.50
$.55/1
Final Price = $.85

Garnier Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner, $3.39
$75/1
Final Price = $1.14

***

Laura of Frugal Friends got in some Shopper's action, and here is what she dug up. Thanks, Laura, for your contribution and taking the time to type these!

I just did a great shopping trip at Shoppers today!
Here are some additional finds that I don't think I saw on your master list:

Del Monte Gold Pineapple (full pineapple in produce section) @ $2.99
- $0.75 Internet Printable (currently on page 1 of Coupons.com) TRIPLED
= $0.74

Keebler Ready Crust Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.) @ $2
- $0.55 (can't figure out where I got this, but it looked like it was from an insert?) TRIPLED
= $0.35

Carnation Evaporated Milk (smaller can, 5 fl. oz.) @ $0.78
- $0.50/2 SS 9/27 TRIPLED
= $0.06 for 2 ($0.03 each)

French's Worcestershire Sauce, Classic (10 fl. oz.) @ $1.49
- $0.50 green hang tag on bottle in-store (about 1/4 of the bottles had them) OR $0.50 SS 10/4 TRIPLED
= FREE

Heinz EZ Squeeze Tomato Ketchup (20 oz.) @ $2.09
- $0.75 SS 10/4 TRIPLED
= FREE

Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix packet (1.25 oz.) @ $0.88
- $0.75/2 SS 9/13 TRIPLED
= 2 for FREE

No Yolks Noodles (12 oz.) @ $2.19
- $0.75 Internet Printable (you have to provide name, email and state in order to print this Bricks Coupon) TRIPLED
= FREE

Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice (6 oz.) @ $2
- $0.75 (can't figure out where I got this, but it looked like it was from an insert?) TRIPLED
= FREE

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (2 pack) @ $2.50
- $0.75 Home Made Simple Mailer TRIPLED
= $0.25

Windex Original (26 fl. oz.) @ $3.39
- $0.55 hang tag on spray bottle in-store (only saw one of these, not on every bottle) TRIPLED
= $1.74

***

Whoa, Nelly! Gina of Moneywise Moms found a HOT hidden Shopper's Food Warehouse Catalina deal - spend $30 on participating products, get $15 worth of Catalina coupons good off your next Shopper's purchase. She worked this deal to the max - starting with just a hair over $30, bringing it down to about $11 with tripled manufacturer coupons, and leaving with $15 in Catalinas. Read more and learn from her finesse! In the meantime we are posting the matchups that she found, with her permission:

Betty Crocker Cake Mix $1.25
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix $2.15. I used the .40 off from the 10/25 paper, but there are printables as well.
Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50. FREE with the .50 coupon from the 10/25 paper or this printable.
Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper $1.25 Print this .75/3 coupon.
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix $2.59. There's a .75/2 printable.
Bisquick Shake 'N Pour $2.19
Breyers Ice Cream $4.00. There was a $1.00/2 coupon in the 10/18 paper.
Chex Mix or Chex Select $2.69. There's a .50 off printable.
Cheerios 8.9oz box $2.99. There's a .55 printable coupon.
Gold Medal Flour 5lb bag $2.79. There's a .50 off coupon.
Green Giant Canned Vegetables $1.00
Progresso Bread Crumbs $2.59. Print this $1.00/2 coupon.
Progresso Broth 32oz $2.39. I used the .50 off from the 10/4 paper, there's also a printable.
Progresso Soup Traditional or Rich & Hearty $2.29. There were coupons in recent inserts.
Fiber One Bars or Chex Mix Bars $3.00. There was a .40 off Fiber One coupon in the 10/4 paper and a .50 off Chex Mix Bars coupon back in the 9/13 paper.
Kleenex Facial Tissue 110-ct $1.29. There was a $1.00/4 coupon in the 11/1 paper.
Klondike Ice Cream Bars or Sandwiches 6-8ct. $3.50
Shedd's Country Crock Spread 45oz $2.89. There was a .40 off coupon way back in the 9/20 paper, or you can print this .50 off coupon.
Yoplait Delights Yogurt 4-pk $2.89. There was a $1.00 off in the 10/4 paper and a $1.00 off printable.
Yoplait Yogurt 32oz $2.98
Yoplait Yo-Plus Yogurt 4-pk $2.49. I used the $1.00 off from the 10/4 paper.
Wish-Bone Salad Dressing $3.69. There is a printable .75 off coupon (for some reason, I was able to print 3 instead of the usual 2).

***

In her comment, dccheapskate notes:
Thank you for the list! At the HT in Manassas, the Lean Pockets and Hot Pockets are actually 2 for $4, making them free after the tripled $.75/1 9/27 RP coupon. Just thought you might want your readers to know they might be able to get a better deal.

Thanks for the comment and info, dccheapskate!

Note: Please make sure that your item matches your coupon's terms, since this Lean Pockets/Hot Pockets 09/27 coupon is for breakfast versions only.

***

My 11/9 trip:

Minute Rice microwavable 2-packs brown rice, $2.39
I love these for quick and healthy lunch additions.
(Note: you can also pick up the smaller-sized box of Minute Rice for $2.29 retail)
$0.50/1, 10/04 SS
Final price: $0.89 for a two-pack

Kellogg's Cinnabon bars, $2.99
$0.55/1, 11/08 RP
Final price: $1.34 for a 6-ct. box

Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice, various flavors, $2.19
$0.75/1, 11/08 RP
Final price: FREE! (+ Catalina, as mentioned in the original 11/9 trip post!)

Chock Full'o'Nuts Coffee, $3.69
$0.75/1, 11/08 SS
Final price: $1.44

Argo Baking Powder, $1.59
$0.40/1, 11/08 SS
Final price: $0.39

Alouette Cheese Spread, $6.29
(This is a splurge - I am a sucker for Alouette)
$0.75/1, 11/08 SS
Final price: $4.04

Dole Mango Chunks, frozen, $3.45
$0.75/1, 11/01 SS
Final price: $1.20/bag
(So much less work and waste than cutting a mango yourself! I will be smoothie-ing these in the near future)

Breyer's Yoghurt Inspirations, $2.69
$0.50/1, 09/13 SS
Final price: $1.19/four pack, around $0.30/cup

Halls Cough Drops, 30 ct., 2/$3
$0.50/1 any 20 ct. +, recent insert
Final price: FREE!

***

Coupons from coupons.com - caveat printor as Internet coupon acceptance practices may vary by store
$0.40 off Betty Crocker cookie mix - usually gets 2/$4 cookie mixes for $0.80
$0.50 off Betty Crocker tub of frosting - $1.65 normally, $0.15/each with coupon
$0.50 off Betty Crocker Warm Delights - normally gets $0.65 or so after coupon
Several $0.75/1 for various General Mills cereals
$0.50 off Tetley tea could make some boxes in the $0.50 range
$0.75/1 Fiber One frozen muffins
$0.50/1 Chex Mix makes some bags in the $0.50 range
$0.40/1 Larabar - unsure of these on original price, but could get close to free at $1.20 off!
$0.55/1 Bridgford frozen rolls, bread dough, or monkey bread, could get as low as ~$0.50
$0.75/1 Crunchmaster crackers

What other coupon matchups did you spot for the Shopper's Food Warehouse Triple Coupons event? Post a comment to give everyone the scoop! :)
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Anatomy of a Giant trip - $16.46 for $66.67 worth of groceries!

It was a good trip to Giant this morning. I printed out all necessary coupons last night - yes, it was an all Internet-printable trip - and done with only one computer! You too can get a similar haul of General Mills cereal for dirt cheap - dollar doublers not even required. Going with this "list" in mind and my doublers at the ready made the trip extra-efficient.

Note on this: If you're going to use the printable coupons listed in our Giant matchups for this week, print them now, because the July coupons will be gone soon in most venues, replaced by the August coupons, tomorrow in all likelihood.

FYI: For some reason, the Chef Boyardee/SmartSource batch linked will only print once; when I did the "standard operating procedure" for Internet printables and hit the back/"Retry" sending info combo that Internet coupon printers use to get their second batch for pretty much any Internet coupon source, a SmartSource banner displayed saying, "Fraudulent Coupon Printing detected" (or something similar). Yikes! That was unexpected. Just an FYI for those planning to go for some free Boyardee.

I netted $16.46 for:

10 boxes of cereal
2 four-packs of Yo-Plus
5 lbs. of peaches
2 bags of grapes
3 mangoes
2 cans Muir Glen organic tomato soup
1 can Chef Boyardee ravioli

(Click the below picture summary for images/details on today's trip.)

General Mills/general info: You'll see by clicking the image above that the 4/$6 General Mills cereals which are listed on the front page of the Giant ad do a two-deduction method; $6 deducted automatically after your fourth cereal (in my case, the MultiGrain Cheerios) is rung-up, and $3.16 at the end of the transaction, as a General Mills "Personal Thanks" item. This brought the price of the 4 boxes of MultiGrain Cheerios down to $6 for the 4. The tasty Banana Nut Cheerios weren't as cheap, but I had a bunch of $0.55 coupons, and the checkout still did another $6 deducted after 4 (as noted inside the Giant ad), so the Banana Nut variety came to about $0.90/box. Finally, after my transaction, I received a printed coupon for $2/5 General Mills cereals. Not sure if I can use this well, but just wanted to let you know that it is tied to the purchase of these GM cereals somehow.

In-Packaging Bonuses: Muir Glen soups are as low as $2.19. If you have some of the $1/any Muir Glen coupons (printable on the Betty Crocker and/or Pillsbury sites linked in our weekly deals post), these are usable with your dollar doublers, making the soups as low as $0.19/each - and bonus! The cans have a $1/soup coupon right on the front, for future use. If you have access to a big stack of doublers (and if you do, can I be your new best friend?) you might be able to roll these pretty easily across several trips to get multiple cans of the soup at $0.19/each. The Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax flavor had two manufacturer coupons in-box: $1/off Kashi TLC Snack Crackers and $1/off Kashi TLC Chewy Cookies (not sure about regular Go Lean Crunch 15 oz. boxes as my store had none in stock this a.m.). My Kashi boxes also had sample bags of TLC crackers inside - great for that "on the go" snack stockpile.

Refunds via customer service: For some weird reason the checkout wouldn't accept my $1 Chef Boyardee coupon, so the lady checking me out sent me to customer service for a refund. While I was there, I double-checked on some mangoes whose display had read 3/$2, but instead rung up at 3/$4.50! My Giant is about 50/50 about refunding the total amount of the item in question where the customer spots a mistake (the official policy), but this time the refund was given to me, so I netted back ~$5.50 total in cash - not bad for less than 3 minutes of my time and simple questions. I couldn't have asked for a friendlier customer service rep, either! She was so helpful in outlining the General Mills savings for me, too.
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Two Unexpected Developments in Today's Washington Post

One: My Giant ad was missing! I hope that it shows up tomorrow, because while I can look at it online, there's something to be said about flipping through the ad the old-fashioned way. Makes me wonder: are they going to delay/eliminate Giant ads in the future? I shouldn't panic, but it really shocked me to not get my Giant ad for once.

Two: Shopper's Food Warehouse is now doubling coupons up to $0.99 in value every day - just like Giant and Safeway. We had the same reaction as Gina - how will this affect the last ten months' barrage of even-better-value double and triple coupon specials?

In any case, spotted a few deals so far in the Shopper's ad with respect to this new auto-doubling rule. Anybody else see some hot deals?

1. Hillshire Farm Deli Select Lunchmeats, regularly $4.49. Use the $0.35/1 from the 05/10 RP to get $0.70 off the $3.33 sale price - final price $2.63. Note: There is a store coupon on the flap for 2 packages of Hillshire Farm Deli Select Lunchmeat FREE when you guy 4 12-packs of Coca-Cola (which is $12 for four this week). If you buy the lunchmeat, we're reasonably sure that you can stack the manufacturer coupon with the lunchmeat coupons. Best possible final price for four 12-packs of Coke and 2 packs of lunchmeat: $10.60 (assumes you get $6.66 off for two lunchmeats and also 2 x $0.70 off for using two manu coupons). Cheap!
   
2. Tyson Any'tizers are 2/$6. Use the $0.55/1 coupon from the 05/10 SS. Final price: $1.90 each.
   
3. The 05/17 SS $0.75/1 coupon will still get you free Edge, selling for 2/$3 this week.
   
4. Daisy Sour Cream is 3/$4 ($1.33/each). Use the $0.60/1 coupon (05/31 RP) to make it just $0.13 each!

Post a comment if you spotted other deals!

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Shopper's Food Warehouse Does Doubles/Triples at Select NOVA/MD stores, May 25-31

With many thanks to FrugalFriends (thanks so much, Laura!) - we have been alerted that Shopper's Food Warehouse is doing another round of unlimited doubled coupons up to $1 in value for the stores in: Burke, Fairfax, Chantilly, Manassas, Sterling, Herndon, Leesburg, Gainesville, Centreville, Wheaton (MD), Olney (MD), White Flint (MD), and only through Sunday at Germantown (thanks, Micki!).

Here is an image of the Kellogg's deal from our ad (looks different from the $5/$20 coupon placement - on the last page - of coupon doubling store ads). Gina's Shopper's and Laura's Shopper's each had both the $5 coupon and doubles in their ads, so they had some posted scenarios for cereal on the cheap this week. (Thank you, ladies!)



Here are our current resources that you can turn to before planning this coming week's trip to Shopper's. We'll probably tackle the ad matchups on Thursday some time.

• The Redemption Unlimited Continuously Updated/Consolidated Shopper's Food Warehouse Double Coupon Matchups List (Updated as of 05/28: totals recalculated for up-to-$1 doubling parameters, with ad matchups on the first page/tab and general matchups on the second page/tab)
  
  **Note: if you are a blogger and wish to help your readers with our matchups spreadsheet, please link to this post and not directly to the list. Please do not copy or paste parts of this list without our written permission.**


• The Redemption Unlimited Discussion on Shopper's Food Warehouse Coupon Acceptance Policy (includes Internet Printable Coupons discussion - join in with comments on the linked post!)

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$/$$ Shopper's Food Warehouse Coupons in the Washington Post

Gina alerted us to the presence of $/$$ coupons for Shopper's Food Warehouse in today's Washington Post. Values are:

$5/$25
$10/$50
$15/$75

Basically, a 20% discount is what we're talking about here - before your manufacturer coupons, if you're using any. If you make a $150 purchase, you can use all three coupons and save $30.

Remember that Harris Teeter officially - (and some Safeways and Giants, depending on the manager/policy) - accepts competitors' $/$$ coupons, so if you have some rockin' deals elsewhere, don't be afraid to ask in advance if you can use the Shopper's coupons!
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Giant Printables/Dollar Doublers Question

Reader Jen alerted us in a comment to some more fine print on those Giant doubler coupons (thanks for bringing this up, Jen!). The fine print appears not on the doubler coupons themselves, but on the Giant ad flap under the doubler coupons, at the very bottom. Jen asked:

"Does anyone know if printables will work with the doublers? The fine print at the bottom of the strip of coupons says "Offer applies to manufacturers' coupons clipped from magazines and/or newspapers" which seems to imply it's NOT applicable to Internet coupons - which would take out my free Frosted Flakes at the very least!"

Arrrrrrgh. This is the kind of fine print which spurs me try to acquire as many newspaper inserts (as cheaply) as possible for my coupon collection; I'm just getting tired of having to justify Internet printables as perfectly legit coupons, and stores seem to increasingly specify newspaper-only coupons. You don't need to spend $1.50 per Sunday paper, either. Find your cheaper local papers in gas stations and grocery stores - which often publish weekly and are around $0.50/each, depending on the publication. Bonus: you'll keep smaller newspapers afloat in this economy. :)

Nevertheless, if you're feeling bold, you could ask your Giant manager if they accept the printables with the doublers. We are curious to hear feedback from readers on their experiences redeeming printables these with the doublers!
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Click here to see an actual May 1 transaction - and Mr. Linky links to other blogs' Dollar Doubler strategies/transactions!

Get Your Simple And Delicious Coupon Booklet - and Use FREEBIE Coupon with $/$$ Coupons for Maximum Savings!

One strategy that coupon-collectors treasure is the acquisition of high-value manufacturer coupons through request-by-Internet/received-by-snail-mail coupon booklets. Case in point: the Simple and Delicious coupon booklet that has recently hit the 'Net.

What's in this booklet? $10 in savings for brands such as Hunt's, Chef Boyardee, and Orville Reddenbacher - even a coupon for a FREE 24 oz. bottle of Hunt's ketchup, just in time for barbecue season to be firing up.

No-strings-attached freebie coupons are great fillers for $/$$ coupons (like $10 off a $50 purchase). Even if you find one for a store you don't normally visit, remember that Harris Teeter accepts competitors' $/$$ coupons, and that Giant now accepts Safeway coupons and is even rumored to email $/$$ coupons. Does anybody know if CVS carries Hunt's 24 oz. bottles of ketchup? 0:-)

Money Saving Mom, Mommy's Wish List, Freebies 4 Mom, Frugal Coupon Mom, and the Bargain Jargon also blogged about this booklet recently.
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Shopper's Food Warehouse Coupon Policy, including Internet Printable Coupon Policies

I know that we have talked about Shopper's Food Warehouse's Internet Coupon Acceptance Policy before in a comment thread on a previous Shopper's post, but since we had received a reader comment this weekend with feedback on her unfavorable Shopper's experience, we thought we would document at length what Shopper's Food Warehouse says is its policy vs. what we have experienced in real life.

Shopper's Food Warehouse's stated corporate policy is that it does not accept any Internet coupons valued at $1 or more. Of course, I did not know this for several months, as in August through November 2008's coupon doubling/tripling sessions, I redeemed several $1-valued Internet coupons (and other lower valued Internet printed coupons) in a series of Shopper's transactions.

Come December 2008, however, I had the very embarrassing and frustrating experience of having half a shopping carts' worth of groceries' and other items' Internet printable coupons turned away! At first, the cashier politely told me that she could not accept the $1 coupon (and in all fairness, this matched the corporate policy that I later read). When she called the manager over because I expressed confusion since I had used $1 Internet printable coupons in the past, he told me that they would not accept any Internet-printed coupons, period. Argh! After I told him that I had redeemed several Internet coupons there in the past months with no issues, he replied that due to Internet coupon fraud they had not accepted Internet coupons in years, and that my prior transactions' Internet coupons should not have been allowed, and even said that such discounts would have been taken from the pay of the cashiers who had checked me out (what?).

Both the manager and the cashier were very gracious, but it was so stressful - after doing painless Shopper's transactions with Internet coupons for months - only to have hours of printing and organizing selected coupons and shopping for Internet coupon items wasted for the sake of an inconsistently-enforced policy.

Of course, I came home and did what I thought best for the sake of my own future planning: I wrote to Shopper's Food Warehouse via their website comments form. I received a reply in short order - to my delight - but it was a boilerplate coupon policy response that has been posted in many a coupon forum (to my chagrin). Nevertheless, it's something.

I pasted the email's contents below at the bottom of this post so that all of our fellow Shopper's coupon shoppers might have a basis for their shopping. If your Shopper's Food Warehouse Internet coupon experience was inconsistent with corporate policy, we encourage you to contact Shopper's Food Warehouse and tell them about it! Yes, you may very well get the same template response that we've seen, but it still means that more disenfranchised customers will be communicating their frustrations, which may lead to more consistent policy application across all stores. Oh - and can we recommend that you close with a line along these lines?
"I will be saving my Internet-coupon-related purchases for other retailers (such as Bloom, Giant, CVS, and Safeway) who have gladly accepted such coupons in the past without question."

The whole dynamic seems so smoke-and-mirrors, which is why we don't go out of our way to match Internet printable coupons in our Shopper's Food Warehouse matchups shopping lists. In fact, we never bring Internet coupons with us to Shopper's anymore as it's just not worth the sweaty-palms stress of, "Will-they-won't-they?". With all of the Sunday insert coupons out there, there are plenty of Sunday insert coupon matchups worth investigating every time Shopper's multiplies coupons - as you can see from two trips, trip #1 here, and trip #2 here, a weekend in which I paid $26.89 to Shopper's Food Warehouse for $168.79 worth of stuff - no Internet coupons needed.

Nevertheless, it's true that if all stores uniformly accepted under-$1 coupons consistent with regularly-stated corporate Internet coupon policy, this would lead us to do coupon matchups and shop for those products whose coupons are available online (whereas we likely wouldn't otherwise). In other words, once all Shopper's Food Warehouse locations start complying with the corporate "All Internet Coupons under $1 accepted" policy, we'll start posting "under-$1 Internet coupons" matchups - and buying these products by the cartful - as we're guessing our readers would also do. :)

We know of the following Shopper's Food Warehouse Internet printable coupon acceptance/rejection experiences:

• Chantilly, VA - Heard reports of refusing all Internet printable coupons, or accepting all Internet printable coupons, depending on your cashier. Yeesh!
• Eldersburg, MD - Accepts at least under-$1 Internet printable coupons
  
• Kinsgstowne, VA - Refuses over $1 Internet printable coupons
• Lorton, VA - Refuses all Internet printable coupons
  
• Oxon Hill, MD - Refuses all Internet printable coupons
  
• Rolling Valley, VA - Gina has successfully redeemed Internet printable coupons here, but one of us has had all Internet printable coupons refused at this location. 'Argh' again with the consistency.
  
• Stafford, VA - Refuses all Internet printed coupons
  

Incidentally, we are not aware of Giant rejecting $1+ Internet printable coupons, so if you really want to double them, try them at Giant.

What have your Shopper's Food Warehouse Internet printable coupon experiences been? Is your SFW consistent with the corporate policy of "All Internet coupons (except FREE item Internet coupons) under $1 accepted"? Or does your store reject all Internet coupons? OR (happy day), does your SFW accept all Internet coupons? We will add your experiences to this list above to help other readers who are hoping to try out under-$1 Internet printable coupons - so leave a comment with your experience!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: SFW Customer Service <SFW.CustomerService@supervalu.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 19, 2008
Subject: Customer Complaints

Dear --------,

I am glad to have had the opportunity to reply to your e-mail. Due to an increased number of fraudulent Internet coupons in the marketplace, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy no longer accepts Internet coupons for FREE items. At this time we are still accepting Internet coupons for CENTS OFF up to $1.00. I have forwarded your comments to the store manager and all parties involved. If for some reason your question has not been answered to your satisfaction please feel free to contact customer service. We hope you will continue to shop with us for many years and appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

Marshell Washington

Marshell Washington | Customer Care

Shoppers Food & Pharmacy |

www.shoppersfood.com

Low prices are only the beginning.

Reader Email - Harris Teeter Triple Coupons Allowing Consecutive Transactions!

We received a delightful email this weekend. (Thanks!) With our email-writer's permission, we're sharing some excerpts with you because of some useful tips:

"One tip I wanted to pass along is that that with Harris Teeter's coupon policy, a shopper is supposed to only be allowed 20 coupons per day. But most cashiers will let you split up an order if you have more than 20 coupons to use. What I do is just tell the cashier at the beginning that I have to pay for some items separately, I don't offer an explanation as to why, and they don't ask. So yesterday, when I went during their triple coupon week, I was able to use 20 coupons in the first order and 16 in the second. The store wasn't busy at all and the cashier didn't even blink about it."

So, it looks like Harris Teeter and Bloom are pretty similar. If you're hitting up the stores at a non-busy time and ask nicely, a cashier is likely to allow you to do a couple of consecutive transactions - in this way allowing you to use more than the 20 coupons limited per transaction.

Our email writer also mentioned:

"Great tip too about the [deal listed in a recent post about] Motts Applesauce at Target. I went there with the Target and Motts coupons so I could stack them (my Target had them on sale for $1.87), so with the $1.55 in coupons for each, I got 5 total for under the price for one normally. I was shocked when I went to HT to see the same apple sauce is normally $3.05 (because I had thought about not making separate trips and just using the $0.55 coupon to triple at HT and not go to Target). I was sure glad that I did stop at Target after all!"

This second part illustrates a great point: if you are willing to make even two stops at different stores during the week, you can save quite a lot more, especially when compared with using only one store's ads and coupon matchups.

Of course, the more stores you are willing to visit, the more you stand to save, but there is something to be said for conserving gas money, time, and oh yes: your sanity. :) Being especially dedicated to following deals at just two stores is a great starting point. Our email-writer later pointed out that her Target and Harris Teeter happen to be very close to each other, and this is a great way to kick off your 'two store or more' strategy; begin with the stores closest to you (and to each other!) and see what deals appeal. You'll be hedging your bets savings-wise.

Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts involving couponing strategy.
Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts involving store coupon policies.
Click here to see all Redemption Unlimited posts involving reader email.
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Holy Guacamole! BIGGER savings with $/$$ Shopper's Food Warehouse coupons - on Your Harris Teeter Triple Coupon Matchups! 03/25-03/31

Breathe in...breathe out...OK, folks, here goes:

Harris Teeter's posted coupon policy says that it will accept competitors' coupons for $/$$!!

Looksie:

Competitor’s Coupons
We gladly accept local competitors’ circular or direct-mail coupons for MONEY OFF THE TOTAL ORDER; we do not take competitor’s coupons for money off specific items.
We do not accept any internet coupons from other retailers.
You can use those $5 off $25 and $10 off $50 Shopper's coupons from Thursday's paper at Harris Teeter during triple coupons!! Yippee!!!! Remember to hand over your $/$$ competitor coupon first...then go in for the grand finale with a stack off 20 coupons. ;)

Post a comment and let us know how you do!
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Wegmans' Coupon Policies

Reader Adrienne just emailed us Wegmans' coupon policies, as stated on the Wegmans' website. Thanks, Adrienne! :)

What is the coupon policy for the Wegmans stores in Virginia and Maryland?

Answer:

We only double manufacturers' coupons with a face value of $.50 or less with the following exceptions and limitations:

• Coupons with a face value of $.51 or greater will be redeemed at face value.
• One manufacturers' coupon per item for a SPECIFIC BRAND product.
• Only FOUR(4) manufacturers' coupons can be doubled on FOUR(4) of the same brand product per day. Additional coupons for the same brand product will be redeemed at face value.
• Only FOUR(4) manufacturers' coupons for free products can be redeemed per day (excluding Internet coupons).
• The double or face value of a coupon may NOT exceed the retail price.
• One manufacturers' coupon and Shoppers Club discount or store coupon may be redeemed on the same item. The combination of a manufacturers' coupon and a Shoppers Club discount/store coupon may not exceed the retail price.
• One manufacturers' coupon may be redeemed for each Club Pack product.
• We cannot give you a raincheck for manufacturers' coupons.
• We do not accept manufacturers' coupons for free products downloaded from the Internet.

Face Value Redemption For...

• Alcohol coupons
• Coupons not for a specific brand name item
• Rebate/refund certificates
• Free item coupons (excluding Internet coupons)

Additional Shoppers Club Notes

Discounts on certain items (marked by MFR) are supported by the manufacturer; we are required by law to charge sales tax on the manufacturer-sponsored portion of such offers.

Forgotten coupons and Shoppers Club discounts must be redeemed within two weeks of the original purchase date with original receipt.

What is your Internet Coupon Policy?

Answer: We take internet coupons with only two restrictions. FREE coupons are out, and the fine print, to minimize checker uncertainty, is that the word FREE can't appear on the coupon. This includes Buy One Get One Free offers. The other restriction is that the electronic coupon value (or the double value) may not exceed the value of the item being purchased; the same as for other coupons

Questions about Bloom Triple Coupons Policy and Strategies

We just received an email from a reader with some great questions (yay, reader email!):

"If a coupon says "do not double or triple" on it, will it not triple if I take it to Bloom today? I'm trying to plan out my first big triple coupon shopping trip(s). Also, if I have two coupons for, say Pillsbury breads and I want to buy 2 do I need to do 2 transactions or can I use both in the same transaction? If I do need to do 2 transactions, should I stand in line twice or separate out my stuff and ask the cashier nicely to do two transactions?"

Let's go through these, keeping in mind that Bloom typically triples all coupons up to $0.99 in value, limited to 20 coupons of any type per transaction.

If a coupon says "do not double or triple" on it, will it not triple if I take it to Bloom today?

Check out the bar code number on your coupon. The first (separated) digit will be either a 5 or a 9. If your coupon has a 5 on it but says, "Does not double" or some variant, you should know that it should automatically double or triple when scanned. In fact, it would take the cashier approximately 5-10 seconds to correct the computer via a series of entries, so most cashiers do not elect to make a fuss about "5"-labeled coupons that say, "Do not double" - and in fact in our experience we have never had a cashier correct a "Do not double/5" coupon that scanned and doubled automatically. However, note that if your coupon has a 9 as its first digit (whether or not it says "Do not double" or some variant) it will definitely not double or triple. This applies to any stores that do doubling, like Giant, Safeway, Shopper's Food Warehouse, Harris Teeter, and so on.

Remember, though, that there is always the very miniscule chance that a cashier may elect to take the time and correct your "Do not double/5" coupons back to the single-time discount.

Also, if I have two coupons for, say Pillsbury breads and I want to buy 2 do I need to do 2 transactions or can I use both in the same transaction? If I do need to do 2 transactions, should I stand in line twice or separate out my stuff and ask the cashier nicely to do two transactions?

In the past, we have gone through Bloom checkout with up to 4 same coupons for the same items, with no fuss. However, to avoid any trouble, if you already know that you're going to make more than one trip, go ahead and split up your copies of a given coupon, just so you're not acquiring 246 cans of Ragu in one go (though several of something in one transaction really isn't a big deal). This strategy also is a winner for your fellow couponers courtesy-wise, because you don't end up cleaning out a shelf in one go, giving others the chance to get the discounts.

We have heard about folks doing consecutive transactions at one go with cooperative (thank you!) cashiers, but we don't recommend trying this at a busy time - like Saturday mornings, or 4-7 p.m. on weeknights. In other words, if you think that you'd like to try multiple transactions in one trip, try to do so during a lower-customer-volume time frame. This way, no one has to wait longer behind you in line, and the cashier doesn't feel pressure to get the line going.

Another way to strategize it is like this: if you have a bunch of a single coupon, but the expiration date is 2-3+ months off, and your deal with the coupon isn't on a weekly sale price, you could always use a few this time around, and wait for the next doubling/tripling round of deals to come! This is especially useful if the coupons are for some refrigerated product that is hard to freeze or otherwise preserve.

Once, A. asked the cashier at a Bloom if she could use more than one copy of a Pepsi 20-oz. coupon that she had from a tearpad (from another store). The cashier called the manager over to answer the question, and he said that the managers are getting increasingly wary of multiple Internet coupons because fraud is rife within the Internet printable coupon system - and thus managers and cashiers are hesitant to accept multiple copies because there is less and less chance of the stores being reimbursed by the manufacturer (he was nice enough to let me use two coupons anyway). Of course, A.'s question was about black-and-white tearpad coupons - which should not have mattered under the manager's argument, but the experience still brought to light four principles:

1. Internet printable coupon fraud ruins it for everyone, so keep your coupon printing honest, please, folks, and respect the print limits per computer!
2. As far as it is possible (and to not call negative attention to yourself in your own local stores) - avoid massive "hoarding" trips. Split into multiple transactions or save some for future deal-running.
3. If you're using Internet printables, moderation is key. Two of a given coupon per transaction may be a good rule of thumb.
   
4. Remain unfailingly polite and gracious to cashiers and managers when checking out and/or asking about coupon policy. In an ideal world, coupon fraud and suspicion wouldn't even be a part of the dynamic, but a cheerful, honest disposition goes a long way to representing the couponing community well and sustaining our chances for future deals! Remember that your reputation (and the reputation of fellow couponers in general) is not worth sacrificing for those frozen waffles! :)
   

We would love for you to post a comment if you have any input on strategizing for checkout during Bloom triples!
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Shopper's Summary

OK, I'm 99% sure I'm done with my Shopper's run. As mentioned a few posts ago, I had to take back some IcyHot back patches that I thought I was getting free. Fortunately for me, the cashier was so gracious and my refund took me less than 3 minutes, tops. Yeah, customer service! But while you're there - already hauled the toddler into the carseat, everyone's clean and fed and there's a clean diaper - might as well use any of the surplus (over the 4 limit) coupons that you couldn't use last time, right?

So I hauled out all my $1 soon-to-expire yoghurt coupons, along with some other freebies (Whipps) and did one more run.

Here's the sum:

~$94.56 spent for ~$397.84 worth of groceries, household products, and toiletries - a savings of 76%. Since I'll be MIA a few states away on a family trip in a few days, I'll be able to spread a lot of these groceries across our week-long trip. Somebody fetch the cooler! I've got a lifetime supply of free yoghurt here...

In all seriousness, yoghurt has a long shelf life. This time at Shopper's, I was careful to pick out 4-packs that had expiration dates toward the end of March, so none would go to waste.

I learned something new today: apparently the bar codes on coupons don't necessarily communicate the expiration date, at least not with some systems. I had one valid coupon refused because in my zeal of clipping several copies of that one, I had that one out of alignment and had inadvertently chopped off the expiration date. The lady said that they are required to eyeball every coupon to check the expiration dates! She also said that some people try to clip off the expiration dates to get expired manufacturer coupons through - talk about bold - and unethical (unless the store has an expressed policy of accepting expired coupons). So don't get all scissor-happy like me and accidentally shave off those expiration dates. :)

I don't know if I have any motivation to hit either Bloom or Shopper's at this point; I guess I'll monitor our other money-saving blogs to see if anybody else has scoops on freebies at Bloom.

Shopper's Wins the Coin Toss

Actually, Shopper's Food Warehouse's couponing doubling/tripling deal just starts a day earlier than Bloom's does. This morning I took my daughter, days away from her second birthday, for a Shopper's Food Warehouse trip with two coupon wallets stuffed to the gills. (You people with toddlers and preschoolers know what kind of gumption and endurance that takes.) I picked up a lot of stuff this time around, in large part because the $1 coupons accumulating since Christmastime were expiring soon, and it is hard to pass up those kind of discounts when they are staring you in the face. The food bank beckons!

At check out my groceries ran up around $323. I paid $93.54 for an overflowing cart - a savings of 72%. But I just noticed that the IcyHot patches I had bought, were labeled $1.99 on the shelf (ergo free after $1 coupon), rang up at $7.99! Ack! I'm not paying that much to smell like menthol. I'm taking these puppies back, and after that, my total percentage saved will be more like 77%.

The best steals were in the dairy section - and now my garage refrigerator pretty much resembles the dairy section at Shopper's.

DanActive yoghurt drinks: 2/$4, FREE after $1 coupon
Activia yoghurt: 2/$4, FREE after $1 coupon
Yoplait Yo-Plus: 2/$4, FREE after $1 coupon (I heartily recommend the blackberry pomegranate flavor)

Since I had 4 of each of these coupons, that was $24 worth of free yoghurt, peeps. Time for the happy free yoghurt dance...uh huh...oh yea...walk like an Egyptian...

Other freebies included:

French's Worchestershire Sauce, $1.49, FREE after $0.50 coupon
Reese's Whipps, $0.79, FREE after $1/2 coupon
Johnson and Johnson Buddies soap, $1.69, FREE after $1 coupon
Mentos gum, over $1, FREE after $1 coupon
Oetker Lemon Pie Mix, $1.49, FREE after in-store tearpad $0.50 coupon
Hershey 3.5 oz Bars Dark Chocolate, $1.69, FREE after $1 coupon
GUM Crayola Style kids' toothbrushes 2-packs, $1.50, FREE after $0.75 coupon
Colgate, $1.99, FREE after in-ad $1 coupon

Hot deals also included (deals $0.50 and under bolded):

Ortega Taco Mix and Fajita Mix packets, $0.89, $0.14 after $0.75/2 coupon
Success Rice, $2.19, $0.19 after $1 coupon
Quaker Rice Cakes, $2.39, $0.39 after $1 coupon
Hormel Compleats microwavable meals, $2.49, $0.49 after $1 coupon
Chinet Dessert Paper Plates, $2.99, $0.99 after $1 coupon
Chinet Crystal Cut Tumblers, $2.49, $0.49 after $1 coupon
Ken's Marinades and Wing Sauce, $2.68, $0.68 after $1 coupon
Ken's Salad Dressings (spritzers), $2.75, $0.75 after coupon
French's Spicy Brown mustard, $1.59. $0.09 after $0.50 coupon
Diet Orange Crush 2-liter, $1.25, just $0.25 after $1/2 coupon
Pledge Furniture Dusters (these are cool!), $2.79, $0.79 after $1 coupon
Campbells Microwaveable Soup Cups, 10/$10, but after $0.50/2 coupon, just $0.25 each!
Chock Full'o'Nuts Coffee, $3.29, but $1.79 after $0.75 coupon
Celestial Seasonings teas, $3.19, but $1.19 after $1 coupon
Stash Teas, $2.43-$2.59, but $0.93-$1.09 after $0.50 coupon
Buitoni refrigerated pastas (ravioli, tortellini, etc.), $3.99, $1.99 after $1 coupon
Daisy Sour Cream, 2/$4, $0.50 after $0.50 coupon
Rubbermaid EZ find lid 1.25 c. containers, $2.39, $0.39 after $1 coupon
Rubbermaid Takealongs pack of 2 round bowls, 2/$3, but use the $1/2 coupon to make them $0.50 per 2-pack!
FruitSense drinks (by the juice), 2/$5, just $0.50 each after coupon. Flavors like blueberry pomogranate mangosteen, kiwi lime colada, and cranberry raspberry.
Cascadian Farm frozen organic veggies - the sweet corn is the cheapest at $2.19, and the $1 coupon makes them just $0.19/bag!
Frank's Hot Sauce, $1.99, $0.49 after $0.50 coupon
L'Oreal kids' shampoo, 2/$4 this week, but after $0.75 coupon, just $0.50.
Sargento Cheese, 3/$10, but after $1/2 coupon, it comes to $2.33/bag. Not a steal, but good enough for a household bereft of cheese of any kind. ;o)
Also see my Buy 10 get $10 post for all product/coupon matchups from that part of the ad.

One tiny sour note: My Coke manufacturer coupon from Wawa was rejected! Bummer...not that it won't stop me from trying at Giant or Safeway.

If you are curious to know the inserts associated with these coupons, I recommend doing the quick lookup on AFullCup's coupon database - which keeps track of every coupon out there...provenance, expiration dates, etc. Amazing what resources can result when couponers join forces! :)

Let us know what deals you found in the comments section!

Oh, it is SO on! Bloom triples coupons this weekend, too!

Laura over at Blessings in Bargains just sent out the alert: Bloom is tripling coupons this weekend, too! Awwww snap! Did Shopper's just get served? Well, we shall see.

In the past six months, the coupon doubling/tripling has happened during different weekends. I guess that I'll take the positive outlook: this time my efforts dedicated to organizing will be good for two sales.

Details for the Bloom deal as follows:

Coupons valued up to $.99 triple.
Triple up to 20 coupons per visit, per day.

Now don't y'all break a sweat over this. Here's one effective general metric to sort out your "Where shall I use what coupons?" dilemma.

Your $0.00-$0.50 coupons are worth the same (triple their value) at both places. Since SFW routinely has lower prices, unless the Bloom ad for the coming week shows something really on sale, you will likely do best reserving $0.00-$0.50 coupons for SFW. Also, since Bloom doesn't truck with $1.00 coupons, your $1.00 should be used at SFW for a doubled value of $2.00!

Meanwhile, anything $0.51-$0.99 will be worth triple at Bloom (instead of double at SFW), so you are likely to save the most saving the $0.51-$0.99ers for your Bloom run(s).

Check your local Bloom Ad here to determine if your Bloom is participating, and follow the coupon matchups on Hot Coupon World. Thanks so much, Laura, for the heads-up!

I should also take the time to mention here that in past months, both of us Redemption Unlimited Girls have had trouble redeeming internet printable coupons at SFW and Bloom. I think it really is a case-by-case and sometimes cashier-by-cashier basis, even when the expressed company policy is to accept them. I've talked to more than one manager who has said that fraudulent IP coupons have made them/their company reluctant to accept them. Incentives to keep within printing limits to keep the IP industry honest, right?

Which is to say: don't get your hopes up with the IPs. In all honesty, the only places that we've had routinely accept IPs without hassle are CVS, Safeway, and Giant (though Giant will not accept IPs labeled, "Get Free.").