Based on all the feedback from you guys –I think this little feature will not go anywhere anytime soon 🙂  You guys are great about sending in those questions!  Just remember if we didn’t get to your question this week…we will do our best to cover it another week!! As always a huge thanks to my buddy Christy over at Haphazardly Hobbying who gives me so much help to get the questions answered.  I like that we are often able to give you a couple of points of view!!
Remember–there is a new tab at the top of the site called “Q & A” where I will do my best to organize the information from this feature so that it can serve as a quick reference!
Here are this week’s questions:

  1. What’s the couponer etiquette regarding shelf clearing on super cheap/free/overage items?
  2. Will Publix allow me to use a FLIP for a Food Lion brand item for a Publix brand item?
  3. How do those Target ‘Buy 3 Get 1 Free’ coupons work with Publix items that are already BOGO?
  4. Who pays for the “FREE” item during a BOGO sale – the store, or the company (Kraft, etc)?
  5. Even though my Publix doesn’t consider Target a competitor, shouldn’t they accept manufacturer’s coupons printed from the Target website (with a Target logo)?
  6. Where can I find a printed copy of Publix coupon policies?
  7. Is there any way that I can tell if the coupons on the Target website are manufacturer’s or store coupons before I print them?
  8. How do you come up with your grocery shopping budget?
  9. What are some ways to be more efficient and cut down on the time I spend preparing for a shopping trip?
  10. Do you have any tips on how to save time on the process of clipping, sorting, planning, and shopping?

And here are the answers!

  1. Anonymous wants to know: What’s the couponer etiquette regarding shelf clearing on super cheap/free/overage items? Through the grapevine I have learned of a couponer in my area who has bought 40 or 50 of the same item–and done it with multiple items–so that that person’s total is less than $10 for hundreds of dollars of products. I often go into the store to get one or two of the deals, and they are already gone–even if I go the first day of the sale (this happens at several stores around me). I am all about saving money, and taking advantage of the good deals, but it seems to me that buying up all the product so that no one else has a chance is rude. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way and I just need to get over it. Is there anything I can do to be sure I can get the deals, even if there are “shelf-clearers” in my area?

    2. This is a hot button with many couponers.  In my opinion–good couponer etiquette is to purchase a reasonable amount and make sure that you leave enough for the other savvy shoppers in your area when possible. Every person will have different needs and thus require different quantities. It really just depends on how you choose to justify your purchases –there is really no right or wrong so you just have to go with your gut!!  I have had people tell me that they needed 50 of an item as they donate to their church pantry.  Another person might argue that is unfair as they just wanted two to use for their family!  I have come to the point where I just don’t care if I miss a deal here and there.  Yes it can be annyoing and frustrating to go in to find the items you want are gone but I have found there is ALWAYS another deal!! 
    Rain checks may not be the best option but it is an option and I have had stores work with me if a coupon is close to expiration and I can’t get access to the product.  That is the great thing about Publix–they are willing to work with you!! 
    If you expect you will want a large quantity–I’d suggest in this case that you talk to your customer service desk as soon as you hear about a hot item you know you’ll want. Let them know that they are most likely going to sell out of that item and even place an order for the quantity that you want – that way you’re sure to get the deals you want without clearing the shelf for the next person.  I always tease my store telling them that they should hire me as I could give them a heads up on what they will want to order 🙂

  2. Maggie wants to know: Will Publix allow me to use a FLIP for a Food Lion brand item for a Publix brand item?

    3. This will vary store to store– you always want to check with your customer service desk the first time to be sure your store will honor the coupon! 

  3. Kim wants to know: How do those Target ‘Buy 3 Get 1 Free’ coupons work with Publix items that are already on BOGO?

    4. For our answer, let’s say we’re talking about the ‘Buy 3 Oscar Mayer bacon get 1 Free’ coupon and Oscar Mayer Bacon is BOGO at $3.99. This would be the best deal in the land of true BOGO, where the scenario looks like this:  
    Buy 4 Oscar Mayer Bacon, 2 x $3.99 = 2 x $0= $7.98 – B3G1 Target (competitor) coupon ($3.99) = $3.99. You can also use manufacturer’s coupons to bring this total down – if you have 4 $1/1 coupons, for example, all four packs of bacon would be free!
    In the land of half price BOGO, it’s still a good deal:
    Buy 4 Oscar Mayer Bacon, 4 x 1.99 = $7.98 – B3G1 Target (competitor) coupon ($1.99) = $5.99. Again, you would be able to use manufacturer’s coupons to bring this total down – the same 4 $1/1 coupons would make all four packs of bacon $1.99.

  4. Chrissy wants to know: Who pays for the “FREE” item during a BOGO sale – the store, or the company (Kraft, etc)?

    5. Christy: In my understanding, a BOGO is a sale price that Publix advertises to get customers to come into their store and buy other items – so if we were thinking about it in terms of who ‘pays’ for the free item, then it would be Publix. However, many companies will often offer special pricing TO PUBLIX (when they’re buying in bulk for all their stores) in exchange that they put particular items on sale, which will in turn increase the company’s sales. I hope this makes sense – and maybe Michelle knows more or can make this clearer.
    Michelle: I think Christy has probably given the best answer possible.  In any kind of retail environment –a company will provide an item to a store at a specific cost.  The store then sells that item at an increased price to the consumers to obtain a profit.  I am not sure anyone really “pays” for the free item if you look at it as a whole. Here is a scenario (scaled down for the example)  If Publix buys one thousand boxes of  Nilla Wafers for 50¢ per box and then turns around and sells them for $1.50 per box to us –they are making $1 profit on each box.  If they decide to sell them BOGO $2 they are then making 50¢ profit per box!  So it really just boils down to cost/profit margin.  There are so many variables that can affect the overall profit (but they do profit 🙂 ) 
    There is so much invloved in the retail world that it would take a book to provide a comprehensive answer 🙂

  5. Kathryn wants to know: My Publix does not consider Target as a competitor. But why is it that they will not take a manufacturer’s coupon printed from the Target website that has a Target logo? Isn’t it still just a manufacturer’s coupon?? 

    6. Unless a coupon states “Redeemable only at XYZ store” then your store should take a manufacturer’s coupon no matter what store logo happens to be on the coupon. The logo is a suggestion but not a requirement.  It may just be that the cashiers haven’t been properly informed about which coupons they can take and which they can’t.  You might want to speak to the manager for clarification.  Once again…each store can make their own rules but it can’t hurt to ask!

  6. Marie wants to know: I live in South Florida and have had a lot of problems using coupons in my area. When I shop at Target, Winn-Dixie, or BJs, I carry their coupon policy with me to show the cashier in the event that I encounter any problems. I want to do the same at Publix, but I have not been able to obtain a copy of their coupon policy. Do you know where I can find it?

    7. Christy:  This question got me wondering so I called Publix’s toll-free customer service line and left a message asking about an official corporate policy. They called me back within 15 minutes – not surprising since we love Publix in part for their great customer service! The associate I spoke to told me that Publix doesn’t have an official coupon policy in writing because much of the policy is at the discretion of each district manager; however, she said that the policies should at least be consistent among all the stores who have the same district manager. 
    Since this hasn’t been my personal experience – in my town, stores no more than five miles apart (and yes, with the same DM) have wildly varying policies, at least according to different cashiers and customer service reps – the person I spoke to said they’d pass my information on to the district manager and have him call me directly to answer any of my questions. I’ll keep you guys updated and let you know what I find out!
    Michelle:  Honestly guys… not having a corporate policy is really a good thing for us.  If we force Publix to write down their policy they will have no choice but to be limiting and specific.  Allowing each store to decide who they view as a competitor will ensure that a variety of competitors are possible.  If you make it a point to understand your store’s guidelines you should not have any issues.  If you do happen to encounter a discrepancy with a specific cashier, a trip to the customer service desk will usually correct any problem. 

  7. Carrie wants to know: My Publix doesn’t accept Target as a competitor, but they will accept manufacturer’s coupons with the Target logo on them. Unfortunately, it’s hard to figure out which is which on the Target site! Is there a way to tell before printing if the particular coupon I want is a manufacturer coupon instead of a Target coupon?

    8. Christy: Unfortunately, I don’t think that there is a way to determine which is which from the website. One thing you might try in order to save yourself some ink is to look the coupon up on any of the coupon databases (A Full Cup, Hot Coupon World, etc) and see if someone has noted whether or not it’s a Target coupon. You can also utilize the comment boards here – Michelle’s readers are super helpful, and I bet nine times out of ten someone will know the answer! Your last resort might be to print ONE coupon on a piece of scrap paper – if you can’t save ink, at least save paper!

  8. Melanie wants to know: How did you come up with your grocery budget? Is there a particular plan you use?

    9. Christy: I need to be WAY better about my budget – not that I wouldn’t stick to one, but rather that I’m pretty lax about what my budget IS. Basically, I looked at what we were spending on groceries and toiletries, etc before I started couponing (around $550 a MONTH! For TWO PEOPLE, two dogs, and three cats! Can you imagine???) and decided to cut that in half. Once I had accomplished that, I set myself a few (admittedly rather flexible) spending goals: I try to spend around $40 a week at Publix and no more than $10-$15 a week at the drug stores (that includes my costs for Sunday papers/coupons). My monthly totals now are around $200, and considering that I’m sitting on a 6 month stockpile of almost all toiletries and at least a 3 month stockpile of groceries, it’s all just maintenance. 
    All this said, I would really like to put together a much more rigid budget in the near future to see if I can help us save even more. (I’m hoping that I’m going to catch better habits through osmosis from Michelle, actually!! 🙂 )
    Michelle:  I did the same thing as Christy.  I started by cutting our budget to $100 per week.  Believe it or not prior to coupons I was spending well over $200 per week!!  Once I started seeing my spending decrease I systematically reduced my budget by 10% every few weeks until I ended up at $40.  By gradually reducing the budget I was able to stockpile quite a bit and now I really just maintain and get perishables each week. My budget is not set in stone. Some weeks I spend over $40 and other weeks I am well under $40.  My goal is an average of $40 per week or about $2100 per year!  By the way -Christy I am sending good vibes your way…tee hee 😀

  9. Marla wants to know: What are some ways to be more efficient and cut down on the time I spend preparing for a shopping trip?

    10. Christy: I think that the question of efficient couponing is one we ALL wonder about from time to time – I know that there are at least a few days every month that I throw up my hands and complain that there HAS to be an easier way to do all of this!! 
    Here’s what’s worked for me: as I find a deal during the week, I pull/print the coupons I need for it RIGHT THEN and put them in my weekly shopping envelope, then I make a notation on the envelope with the details of the deal. I’ve found that this saves me a TON of time when I’m putting together my shopping lists because I don’t have to try to remember what the deal was and where I found it! I also try to make my list right after I’ve done maintenance on my coupon stash, so that I’m more likely to recall what coupons I have that might match up to particular deals in the ad. 
    Lastly, whenever possible, I try to make my lists for two weeks at once – so after Michelle has put the ad up on Monday, I’ll go back to the current week’s ad to make that list (to shop Tuesday or Wednesday) as well as use the sneak peek for next week’s list (to shop Thursday or Friday). This way I only have to go in and pull coupons twice a month, which saves me a bit of time and frustration, plus I can do things like price check the next ad’s deals while I’m shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday.
    Again, I know there are things I do that I could streamline – I’d love to hear the time saving things that you all have come up with!
    Michelle: Well since I type the deals –I usually have a good idea of what I want to get.  I also print all the coupons that I think I will use as while I do the matchups or post the deals.  This helps as I can check them to make sure the links are working AND to make sure I get my prints.  We all know that printables can come and go very quickly so printing as early as possible means I get my deals 🙂  I take those coupons and place them in a ziploc to be used later.  I shop on Monday mornings so that is a week after I list the sneak peek.  So throughout the week whenever I see a new deal, I gather the coupons and stick them in my ziploc.  Every Sunday night I sit at the computer go back over the ad and super deals, create my spreadsheet and organize my coupons. 
    I bet if I tracked the amount of time it takes to do all this I imagine it is at least two hours.  The fact that I save hundreds of dollars each week…I’d say that is a pretty good hourly wage! Doing it a little at a time makes it a bit easier to maintain my sanity!
    Like Christy–I’d LOVE to hear your time saving tips!!

  10. Holly wants to know:  I have seven kids and I seem to spend A LOT of time shopping – it takes me at least three hours of actual shopping, never mind how much time it takes me to keep my coupons in order and up to date. Do you have any tips to make the process go faster? 

    11. Christy: First of all, I have to tell all of you that manage to be coupon goddesses (& gods!) with kids in tow – you are all amazing to me! I know how easy I have it right now since my husband and I haven’t had kids yet – I literally can’t imagine how you guys manage everything you do. 
    As far as trying to streamline your shopping process, my ‘answer’ would actually be a number of questions about how those three+ hours in store break down – once you’ve identified what takes the longest amount of time, you can try various things to try to streamline: 
    Do you shop with all the kids, and if so, can you arrange for a babysitter (even just for a few of the kids) every once in a while? If you could do this even once a month you could cut down on your overall time shopping. 
    How much of your time in the store do you spend looking for things like tearpads, booklets, peelies, etc? I know I’m an in-store coupon junkie – I can spend HOURS in the store just trying to find new awesome tearpads or booklets! (Michelle can definitely attest to this, since I’ll often call her and gloat about something new I’ve found. 🙂 ) So instead of looking for such things while I shop and having the whole process take forever, I try to take an hour or two on my least busy day once every couple of weeks and run to a store in my area with the express purpose of coupon & deal hunting. If you have couponer friends you might even split this task up by week – one of you watches the kids for an hour while the other runs out and looks for coupons & unadvertised deals. 
    Do you shop with a ‘set in stone’ list, or do you decide to make other purchases (and therefore spend time digging out coupons) on the fly? If you do a lot of on the fly purchases, I’d suggest that you try one week of shopping JUST by your list and see how much time that saves, if any.
    I hope my questions & suggestions help you to start the process of streamlining!
    Michelle:  SEVEN–oh my I thought it was bad with two!!  I always shop with a list and try very hard to stick to that list. I know my store very well and when doing my spreadsheet I will admit that I am a nerd and group items based on how I shop. I start with grocery then produce, dairy, meat and end with frozen.  Basically I follow a routine and move quickly through the store.  I bring snacks and even let the boys bring toys to play with in the cart.  Anything I can do to keep them happy makes for a less stressful trip!! 

I hope our answers to these questions were helpful! Make sure you ‘tune in’ next week for even more Q&A with I Heart Publix. If you have a question you’d like to see answered, email me at contactiheartpublix@gmail.com.