Learn The Art of Couponing: Couponing Decoded with FTM – Week 5
Welcome to week #5 of our Couponing Decoded Classes!
Each Saturday we will post a topic and we will all work through that topic together throughout the week. That will give us all time to discuss and work through any questions that you may have. The goal here is for everyone to share feedback and ask questions, because we all interpret things differently and learn differently. The main discussions for this class are going to take place over on our Kroger Facebook page. Click here to join in on the discussions.
We’ve covered quite a bit over the past few weeks and hopefully you are beginning to understand it all. Feel free to reference back to the previous week’s lessons for any refreshing you may need, and remember practice makes perfect!!! Here are the direct links:
- Week 1 – “Learning the Basics” CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST
- Week 2 – “Getting Started” CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST
- Week 3 – “Rebates & Digital Coupons” CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST
- Week 4 – “Planning Your Shopping Trip” CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST
This week’s focus is: “Following The Rules”
One of the toughest parts of couponing is figuring out all of the couponing rules for each store. Each store has it’s own coupon policy that will state rules like the number of like coupons you are able to use per transaction/day, what coupon types are not accepted, what coupons can be stacked and more. On top of that, coupons also have their own rules and limitations printed on them.. It is very important to know all of these rules in order to have a successful shopping trip.
The first thing you will need to do is learn the coupon policy for the store that you will be shopping at. Since this class is targeted to our Kroger Coupon Deals Facebook followers, we will focus on learning the Kroger policy first. As we have said before, it is better to start off small. I highly recommend starting with one store, mastering it completely, then moving on to another store. This will help you become fluent with a store’s policies without confusing them with another store’s policies. And ALWAYS keep a printed copy of the store’s coupon policy with you while planning your trip and while shopping. Even the cashier’s often don’t know the full coupon policy, or have interpreted it incorrectly, and this creates a big problem if you don’t have the published coupon policy available to show them.
Here is the official Kroger coupon policy:
Store Management has the right to accept, decline or limit the use of ANY coupon(s). Store Management has the right to limit the quantity of coupons and/or items purchased in a single transaction, by a single Customer, or in a single day.
- Coupons will be limited to no more than five (5) paper manufacturer coupons for the like products, each coupon value considered one (1) coupon in the same transaction.
- Coupons will be limited to redemption from products currently on-hand at the store location.
- Limit one (1) manufacturer coupon (paper or digital) per item purchased.
- All coupons will be accepted at face value.
- Expired coupons will not be accepted.
- Only Pharmacy competitor coupons will be accepted.
- Couponed items will not be sold to vendors.
Internet Coupon Restrictions/PAH Coupons:
- “Free item” Internet coupons can be accepted if all purchase criteria is met.
- Only one Internet coupon per item will be accepted.
- In some instances, Internet coupons may be limited to two (2) coupons per Customer in a single day.
Internet coupons that display characteristics below will not be accepted:
- Blurry
- Out of proportion
- Do not scan properly
- Appear to be altered in any way
Kroger Digital Coupons Policy:
Customers who choose to participate in the digital coupon program are required to have a digital account with a valid, active Plus Card. Kroger Associates or partners are prohibited from setting up or otherwise maintaining a digital account not specifically linked to that Associate or the Associate’s household.
A valid Plus Card or an Alternate ID is required to access a digital account in order to use digital coupons at the time of purchase.
Digital coupons and offers are deducted from a Customer’s total purchase prior to paper coupons or any other discounts, and cannot be added back or removed once the Card has been scanned.
- Limit 1 use per digital coupon, per transaction.
- Digital offers cannot be combined with paper manufacturer’s coupons on the purchase of a single item.
- Digital offers do not double.
- A limit of 150 coupons can be loaded per household at any time.
- Digital reproductions of offers will not be accepted (such as using a mobile application to reproduce an image of an offer/coupon).
The store manager has the right to accept, decline or limit the use of ANY digital coupon or offer.
The first line in the Kroger coupon policy is very important. “Store Management has the right to accept, decline or limit the use of ANY coupon(s). Store Management has the right to limit the quantity of coupons and/or items purchased in a single transaction, by a single Customer, or in a single day”. Depending on the store you shop at, the store manager could have lower or higher coupon limits set. The best thing to do is follow the corporate Kroger policy and if you encounter a problem at checkout, just ask for a manager to come over and explain their store’s official policy. Write any additional store level limitations on your printed copy of the Kroger coupon policy for future reference.
Kroger also has a separate digital coupon policy that is listed above. This policy is pretty simple. Each digital coupon is valid for one time use only for the exact product, size and quantity stated. You cannot stack a paper coupon and a digital coupon. If you have a digital coupon loaded to your card it will automatically come off at checkout and you will not have the option to choose between using a paper coupon instead. If you have a digital coupon clipped but have a higher value paper coupon to use, you will need to unclip the digital coupon before checking out. If your store still doubles coupons, most do not, digital coupons will not double.
Now that we know Kroger’s coupon policy, we need to also learn the manufacturer’s guidelines printed on the coupons. Some Kroger locations will allow you to use 5 like coupons per day even if the coupon states a lower limit. Other stores may limit you to the lowest amount stated. Here are a few examples:
This coupon states:
“Redeemable only by purchasing the specific brand and size. Void if reproduced, purchased, transferred or where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. And other use constitutes fraud. Consumer pays sales tax. Limit one coupon per item purchased.”
Technically this coupon has NO limits on how many can be used in a single transaction or in a day. So in this case you can use up to 5 of these coupons per day at Kroger; One coupon for each purchased. You will be responsible for paying the sales tax on the full sales price of the product.
This coupon states:
“Limit one (1) coupon per purchase on product/quantity specified and maximum of two (2) identical coupons allowed in same shopping trip. Void if reproduced, transferred, used to purchase products for resale or where prohibited/regulated by law. Coupon may not exceed value of item purchased. No cash back. Consumer pays sales tax.”
This coupon has several important limitations we need to pay attention to:
You may only use one coupon for each product purchased. You are limited to two (2) identical coupons per shopping trip by the coupon. You are limited to five (5) identical coupons by the Kroger policy. In this case you could make 3 trips to Kroger in one day and use two (2) coupons in each of the first two trips and use one (1) coupon on the last trip, for a total of 5 like coupons in a day. Some stores may allow you to use all 5 in a single transaction, or let you do multiple transactions in a single shopping trip instead of making several trips. This is something you will need to clarify with your individual store. Visit the customer service desk for more information, but do not rely on what a cashier says because they are often uninformed or misinformed.
This coupon states:
“Redeemable only by purchasing the specific brand and size. Void if reproduced, purchased, transferred or where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Any other use constitutes fraud. Consumer pays sales tax. Limit one coupon per item purchased. Limit of 3 like coupons per household per day.”
Again there are several important limitations we need to pay attention to:
You may only use one coupon for each product purchased. You must purchase the exact brand and size indicated on the coupon. You will be responsible to pay sales tax on the full sales price of the coupon. You are limited to one (1) coupon per item and three (3) like coupons per household per day. This means that even if you and your spouse have separate Kroger cards, and ring out in separate transactions, you can still only use a maximum of 3 coupons between you both because you are living in the same household. Again, some stores may allow you to use 5 in a single transaction still and this is something you should ask at your local store.
We’ve covered a lot of detailed information in one post so we should end here and pick back up next week so you don’t become too overwhelmed. Please print off a copy of the Kroger coupon policy, look over it and keep a copy in your coupon binder, folder, whatever it may be. Work on making out a list following all of the coupon guidelines and see how you do. Hopefully this will help you become a more confident couponer. I will put together a shopping list over on our Kroger Coupon Deals Facebook page and would like you all to post your lists in the comments of that post so that you can all ask questions and share information. Knowledge is power!
Click HERE to view the Official Kroger Coupon Policy and print
Click HERE to view the Official Kroger Digital Coupon Policy and print
Happy Couponing!