AuburnChick's Adventures

I have noticed that when I say the words “stacking coupons,” some people have no idea what I’m talking about!

Well, in a post dated September 12, 2009, I blogged about this!  Read on!

I constantly run across people who don’t know that you can stack coupons when you shop.

In fact, I did not know this before I got serious this summer.

I thought I would explain how this works.

First, let’s talk about the difference between manufacturer and store coupons.

This is a manufacturer coupon…

Do you see how it says “Manufacturer’s Coupon” in black across the top?  This means that the company that produces the item produced the coupon.

Every time a store accepts one of these coupons, they, in turn, redeem them for the face value of the coupon.  In other words, the manufacturer of that product reimburses the store for allowing the customer to use it.

Now, a store coupon is a little different…

The top coupon is from Publix, and it clearly says “Store Coupon” across the top.  It also has Publix in bold at the bottom.

The second coupon says “Super Target Web Coupon” across the top.  Any Target store will accept them.

These coupons are produced by the stores themselves.  They receive no reimbursement for the face value.  Manufacturers do not produce these.

Stores that accept competitor coupons are, in essence, “losing” money because their competitor is obviously not going to reimburse them for an item they wanted a customer to purchase in their own store.

However, stores that do this use it as a lure to entice customers to shop at their stores.  You may go in for that product, but you’ll probably buy something else while you’re there.

Many stores allow you to “stack” coupons by using a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon on the same product.

In fact, Target’s coupon policy, found here (some people suggest you print it and keep it in your wallet…just in case you need to present it to a manager), clearly states that customers can use a Target and manufacturer coupon on the same item.

This can lead to huge savings!

Take, for instance, my recent purchase of TGI Fridays frozen snacks.

I stacked a $2/1 Publix coupon with a $1 manufacturer coupon.  That dropped my out-of-pocket expense from $3.59 to $.59.

Of course, you know that I was able to save more because this product is B1G1 this week.  Publix policy allows customers to use coupons on both items in their B1G1 offers.  That is why I made money on this deal.

You can sweeten your deal further if you get coupons that say, “Save ‘x’ amount on ‘y’ product when you buy ‘z’ item.”

This is how I got free barbecue sauce a few weeks ago.  I stacked mac and cheese coupons and then got the sauce for free.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.  I do respond (many of you know this already).