Attention Walmart Shoppers! (Coupon Policy)

If you are a Walmart shopper, you'll want to be informed on their corporate coupon policy. I would encourage you to print it out and take it with you when you shop. I've found that each cashier at my Walmart tends to have a different idea as to what their policy is on coupons. If you have the policy with you, hopefully it'll help solve any issues with discrepancy.

I recently did a shopping trip to Walmart and the cashier adjusted my coupons down to the purchase price of the items. I questioned her on it, but didn't want to get into a fight. She won. However, according to their corporate policy, I should've received full credit for the coupons. Had I brought a print-out of the policy, I could've received overage.

Download Walmart's Coupon Policy HERE.

NEW Publix Coupon Policy

I'm sure you've all heard rumor by now that Publix is updating their corporate coupon policy. In the past, each Publix store manager has been able to tweak their individual store's coupon policy.

Here is the new policy going into effect. This policy will go into effect on May 23, 2011. Here is the official coupon policy that has been released. You should be able to pick up a piece of paper (like this one shown) at your Publix customer service desk. On the back, it will list the specific competitors your particular Publix store accepts.

Publix Corporate Coupon Policy Breakdown:

1. Publix accepts manufacturers' coupons (limit one per item), Publix coupons (originals only - no copies), valid Internet coupons, and coupons from nearby competitors identified by each Publix store. (Competitor names are posted at each Publix store.)
2. We will accept coupons from competing pharmacies for prescriptions only.
3. We will not accept percent-off items or percent-off-total-order coupons.
4. We will only accept coupons for identical merchandise we sell. Acceptance is subject to any restrictions on the coupon, and we reserve the right to limit quantities.
5. Manager approval is needed for individual coupons above $5.00.
6. For a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) offer, each item is considered a separate sale. We will accept a manufacturer's coupons and either a Publix or a competitor coupon on the same item.
7. Dollars-off-total-order coupons will be limited to one Publix and one competitor coupon per order.
8. The order total must be equal to or greater than the total purchase requirements indicated on the coupon(s) presented.
   

I personally don't see major changes in this new policy. Here are a few distinctions that I did notice for my own store:

1. According to this policy, they will no longer accept Wags and CVS coupons for any item outside of the Pharmacy department.
2. They will no longer accept other store brand coupons for Publix brand items; i.e. Target, Food Lion, or Harvey's brand coupons for Publix brand items.
3. Competitor names will be posted for each store. - This one I like since you never know what each store considers a competitor. This way (hopefully) it will be very easy to find out without having to hunt down the manager.
4. And finally, another plus is the stores will allow a Publix dollar-off-total-order coupon along with a competitor (such as Winn Dixie) dollar-off-total-order coupon per transaction. - My store only allowed one in the past.

I've listed the competitors for differing areas. If your Publix store is not listed, please let me know their official competitor list and I will add them to this list for your easy reference.

FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE:

Bradfordville - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, Save-A-Lot, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Capital Circle NE - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Forest Village - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Governor's Crossing - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Lafayette - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Lake Ella - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Oak Valley - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Ocala Corners - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Southwood - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Village Square - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Vineyard Center - EarthFare, Harvey's & Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie

Harris Teeter Coupon Policy

The following is directly taken from Harris Teeter's website:

Harris Teeter Coupon Acceptance Policy

GENERAL

• We accept coupons that have not passed their expiration date for use; we can not accept any expired coupons.
• We accept only one manufacturer coupon per purchased item.
• We do not accept coupons on items not purchased.
• Coupons must be presented at time of purchase; we can not return money for coupons not used.
• Coupons presented and items purchased must match exactly; size, variety, flavor, etc.
• We uphold any purchase stipulations set forth by product manufacturer.
• We accept only one coupon for Buy One Get One Free items.
• We accept coupons for items only of equal or more value; we do not give cash back.
• Sales tax is paid by customer at full retail.

DOUBLING

• We accept 20 double coupons per day per customer/household with VIC card; all others redeemed at face value. No orders may be separated that would allow the 20 coupon limit to be exceeded.
• We double manufacturer’s coupons up to face value of $0.99; with total amount not to exceed $1.98 or entire retail of item; whichever is less.
• We double up to three identical items with manufacturer coupon; additional coupons for like item will be honored at face value.
• No competitor coupons will be doubled or tripled.
• In the event of triple coupons, up to 20 coupons will be tripled per day per customer/household with VIC card; all others redeemed at face value. No orders may be separated that would allow the 20 coupon limit to be exceeded.

INTERNET COUPONS

• We gladly accept internet manufacturer’s coupons for product; however no “free” product internet coupons are accepted.
• With the purchase of two like manufacturer’s products, we accept two internet coupons, per store, per day.
• We do not accept internet coupons that do not appear to be originals or that won’t scan.

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.

RAINCHECKS

• Rainchecks never expire and are accepted at any Harris Teeter store.
• We do not issue rainchecks for coupon items that may be out of stock or for “while supplies last” items.
• We reserve the right to limit raincheck quantities based on product availability and advertised limits.
• Rainchecks can be written for a limit of three unless otherwise stated in the ad.

SCAN GUARANTEE

• Our scan guarantee states "If an item scans higher than the shelf tag or sign, you will receive one like item free, excluding alcohol and tobacco."

Harris Teeter reserves the right to limit quantities in coupon usage, as well as products and to amend our policies as we deem appropriate.

Meijer's Coupon Policy

(The following content taken from Meijer's website HERE.)

Coupons are a great way to save extra money when shopping with us, and we have made it easy to use them at our stores.

When accepting coupons, Meijer uses the following guidelines:

• We accept two kinds of coupons; Meijer issued coupons and manufacturer coupons.
• Only one manufacturer coupon and one Meijer coupon for the same item will be accepted (unless prohibited).
• Mealbox coupons are considered Meijer coupons.
• We accept all valid internet coupons. See store for details.
• We reserve the right to limit quantities.
• If the value of the coupon is more than the price of the item after discounts or coupons are applied, the value of the coupon will be applied up to the price of the item.
• We do not apply the excess value of a coupon to the order total if the value of the coupon is over the price of the item after discounts or coupons are applied.
• Only coupons for products carried in our stores will be accepted.
• All coupons should be given to the cashier while you’re checking out and cannot be applied to a previous purchase.

If you would like to see a list from the Coupon Information Corporation showing the most recent counterfeit coupons, click the following link:
http://www.cents-off.com/body_coupon_counterfeiters.cfm

Walgreens Coupon Policy

After speaking with a very friendly customer relations representative at Walgreens, here is what I've learned about
Walgreens Coupon Policy:

• Walgreens will accept a Manufacturer coupon with a Walgreens Store coupon on each individual item.
• If item(s) produce a Register Reward (coupon printed out of machine), that Register Reward cannot be used toward the purchase of the same item(s) and receive another Register Reward (no rolling them together).
• You may not use more coupons than the amount of merchandise purchased and still receive a Register Reward.

This is Walgreen's Corporate Policy, however each store manager may choose to limit quantities of items purchased and coupons used. If you have a problem with your store's policy, please contact Walgreens at #1-800-925-4733.

There have been rumors going around online that a manufacturer coupon cannot be used with a Register Reward earning item. This is untrue according to Corporate. Please see the 3rd point above for the correct "rules" regarding this rumor.

Walmart Store Coupon Policy

This is taken directly from Walmart's Corporate Coupon Policy found online HERE.

Wal-Mart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

• Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)
• Free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons
• Store coupons
• Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons
• Internet coupons
• Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:

• Wal-Mart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.
• Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Wal-Mart will not accept expired coupons.
• Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon." There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.
• Only one coupon per item is permitted.
• Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

Publix Coupon Policy

I had a nice chat with my local Publix Store Manager. And I thought I'd pass along the information she gave me on their coupon policy.

Remember that coupon policies can vary by store and each Store Manager has the right to refuse a coupon.

1. Publix accepts one Store coupon and one Manufacturer coupon per item. A store coupon is defined by one of the following: Publix store coupon OR Competitor store coupon.
2. For BOGO Sales, you may use coupons on both the Buy One AND the Get One Free Item. Use the coupon policy stated in #1.
   
3. $/$$ coupons are allowed one per transaction. These may come to you via mail or email from Publix or other competitors. $/$$ from competitors are also accepted.
   
4. If a coupon states that you receive an item for FREE, you may not use additional coupons to discount the FREE item further. Publix does not allow overage with coupon use. This means that you may not make money back when using coupons.
5. Lastly, each Publix store manager has the right to choose which stores are considered competitors, so be sure to check with your store manager to find out what coupons they will accept. It's worth a little time to find out so that you can save!
   

HERE'S THE SCOOP!

I've found out some new coupon policies that I was not previously aware of, so I thought I'd pass them along to you. They may vary by store or region, but just something to keep in mind!

Publix
Will not be accepting fixed price coupons (i.e. Walgreens puts out $.99 for Joy Dish Detergent Q's), as this is too much work for the cashier to go back and fix/adjust the price. They will, however, continue to accept $$ off Q's from Walgreens and the like.

CVS

Will not accept any coupon that does not ring up in their system. I came across this when I tried to use the $2/$10 Q and apparently it no longer scans.

Food Lion Coupon Policy

Here is Food Lion's Official Coupon Policy:

• Our company will gladly accept manufacturer and store coupons, provided they scan in our register system.
• We decline the use of single-sided coupons offering a free product, a coupon that has a higher dollar amount than the value of the product, a competitors' coupon, or if the coupon appears to be computer generated, copied, or reproduced.
• We will only accept one coupon per item.
• Please feel free to speak to the store manager with any concerns you have.

Target Coupon Policy

In an effort to give you easy access to all the information you need, please visit Target's online Corporate Coupon Policy HERE. It's important in the coupon game, to use our coupons in an honest way so that we do not harm the reputation of stores or brands.

Here is Target's (abbreviated) Official Coupon Policy:

When accepting coupons, Target uses the following guidelines:

• We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued and manufacturer-issued.
• We'll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits it.
• We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item; in this case, we're able to adjust the value of the coupon to equal the price of the item.
• We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
• All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier while you're checking out.
  

For questions about using a specific coupon, we encourage you to stop by Guest Service and ask to speak with the Guest Service Team Leader. They'll do their best to help while you're in the store. If you still have questions after speaking with them, please call our Guest Relations team at (800) 440-0680. Either way, we're here to help!