Day 3: The Anatomy of a Coupon

Coupons are confusing. Let’s think about why that might be. Grocery store makes a generous coupon offer of $1 off bread. Sounds straightforward. But then the yellow sign posted next to bread says 4/$8. Below the big, bold money-off offer it states that you may use one coupon per purchase.

Do you need to buy 4 loaves to get the deal? Can I use my coupon with the store’s sale? Should I ask the cashier to ring up two separate purchases so I can use two coupons? You grab one loaf and maybe decide to save your coupon until you do a bit more research, or at least not risk a scene at the register. And then you’ll also buy a cartload of groceries. Who’s the winner in this scenario?

Coupon fine print is absolutely necessary to understand so you maximize your deals:

• Expiration Date
  The only date listed on your coupon is the expiration date, or EXP. But it can’t hurt to ask if your store accepts expired coupons. Some do, some don’t. Stores are more likely to accept their own expired coupons as opposed to manufacturer offers.
• Cash Value
  Don’t get any wise ideas—you can’t really make cash from coupons. The “1/20¢ cash value” only serves to fulfill laws in some states that require a printed value. This quirk started during the Depression recovery years when stores issued stamps for free merchandise after purchasing a certain amount (think spend $100 and get $10 subsequent purchase). Stores felt free to change the stamp qualification amount whenever it pleased them, so legislation stepped in to require a printed value. It means nothing to us today.
• Offer
  You can’t miss this part—it’s the largest, most bold print on the snippet. What you need to look at is any qualification—”with purchase of 2 (fill in the blank product) oz. (or minimum product size)”. This is where you might be able to get creative to take advantage of more savings. If you have $2 off Tide detergent, look to see if you have to buy a certain size. Then look to see which Tide jugs are on sale. If you aren’t limited to a minimum size, buy several of the smaller or sale item with several coupons and you’ll pay less per ounce. Every coupon is valid with sale merchandise, unless otherwise noted, and you do not need to purchase all 8 loaves to score the $2/loaf price.
• “One Coupon Per Purchase”
  Rats. You have three coupons and want to use them now while the Fruit Loops are on sale. Oh well, just use it next time. Not so fast! This statement indicates that only one coupon may be used per product. Two coupons = two discounted products. Oh so sneaky! If wording indicates one offer “per transaction” or “per day” then you either need to make a separate purchase (former) or come back tomorrow (latter).
• Manufacturer’s Address
  Stores collect coupons and actually mail them off to each manufacturer to receive money back for their discounted prices. Be very leery of any manufacturer coupon that doesn’t include a redemption address.

More inquisitive minds will get a kick out of decoding the coupon barcode, which has it’s own language, to help match coupons with their corresponding products. Also, be aware that the image photo shopped in your shiny coupon may not look exactly like what’s on your shelf—another potential distraction to confuse shoppers.