Extreme Couponing Strategy #7 – Stacking Printable Store Coupons
One of the things that Every Extreme Couponing Pro knows is you can Stack Store Coupons with Manufacturer Coupons to double your savings! This is also one of the few extreme couponing tricks that hasn’t changed much over the last few years. Even with all the changes to coupon policys the majority of stores sill allow stacking of 1 Store Coupon + 1 Manufacturer Coupon per item. Be sure to double check with your specific store if you have questions about your stores individual policy.
Here are a few of my favorite stores that allow stacking of a Store Coupon + a Manufacturer Coupon:
Walgreens Coupon Policy
CVS Coupon Policy
Rite Aid Coupon Policy
Target Coupon Policy
Dollar General Coupon Policy
Family Dollar Coupon Policy
Some Grocery stores also allow this, but it’s a lot more rare so be sure to ask your local stores first!
Stacking coupons is relatively easy, basically you can use 1 Store Coupon + 1 Manufacturer Coupon per item. If a coupon is for $1 off 2 items, then you can use 1 store coupon and 1 manufacturer coupon for every 2 items.
Some stores only allow one store coupon per transaction, visit or customer. So be sure to read the fine print on your coupons. Most Manufacturer coupons are one per purchase but stores tend to limit the quantities of coupons that can be used.
Here’s an example of how you can stack a Campbell’s Target Store Coupon with a Manufacturer Coupon to get Soup for just $0.49 (Down from $2.49!)
Buy 1 Bag of Campbell’s Go Soup, $2.49
Use 1 – $1/1 Campbell’s Go Soup Coupon
Use 1 – $1/1 Target Coupon
Pay $0.49 ea. after stacked coupons!
How to Find Store Coupons –
Most stores post store coupons in easy to find places, all you need to do is know where you should be looking! Here are a few of the most common places you will find store coupons:
Store Websites – Even if a store doesn’t allow stacking you may find store specific coupons on the store website. Try checking the national version of the store website such as Target.com, Walgreens.com or CVS.com, Rite Aid also posts coupons on their Video Values Site.
Store Sales Ads – We often find store coupons in the weekly sales flyers. Keep your eyes open for these coupons, they could be either Manufacturer or Store Coupons so some may be able to stack and others wont. At the Drugstores and Target typically they are store coupons which means you can stack them for additional savings! Sometimes you may see a coupon listed as an “In Ad Coupon” That means it’s a coupon found inside the weekly ad. It’s just a term we use to help you find the coupon quickly.
In Store Flyers – Publix, Walgreens and other stores often create flyers that are located in stores. These often contain Store Coupons so keep your eyes out for any flyers you see at your local stores. I often flip through any flyers I come across just to check and see if there are coupons included.
Mailers – A lot of stores will mail you store coupons directly. Make sure you sign up for the mailing list, email list, newsletters and more so that you get any coupons that are sent out. Often these are targeted to specific zip codes or areas but it’s nice to be on the list when coupons are headed your way :)
Mobile Apps & Text Alerts – One of the newest ways we are starting to see store coupons is via your smart phone. Most stores now have Mobile Apps
How to Know if it’s a Store Coupon –
Probably the most confusing thing about store coupons is that they can be hard to spot. I love the concept that the best way to spot a fake is by knowing what’s real. So I always try to tell people to familiarize themselves with Manufacturer Coupons. Store Coupons RARELY look like Manufacturer Coupons. Each store has their own “Look” But once you start to pay attention to the differences in bar-codes or numbers you can quickly spot them.
Here are a few examples: Let’s start with a Manufacturer Coupon:
There are 3 main parts to a Manufacturer Coupon that you want to look for.
1) Almost All Manufacturer Coupons actually Say Manufacturer Coupon :) Makes it easy right, Plus they should have a valid expiration date. Most stores will not take a coupon without a valid expiration date.
2) Look for the Databar and Barcode. The Databar and Barcode are easy to spot, All Manufacturer Coupons have to have a Bar-code or Databar in order for stores to be able to scan the coupon. This is also one of the quickest ways to spot a store coupon, some stores only require a PLU Number so they may leave off the bar-code, or the bar-code may only have 3-4 numbers rather than the full databar.
3) Look for a Valid Remit Address. This is normally in the Retailer Section of the Fine Print. Because a manufacturer is going to pay the store back for a manufacturer coupon there will always be an address where the store should send the coupon listed in the fine print. THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO SPOT A STORE COUPON! Typically stores don’t mail off their coupons to a retailer so store coupons rarely have Manufacturer Remit Addresses listed on them.
Target coupons specifically say “Target Store Coupon” or “Target Web Coupon” on them. They have a valid Expiration Date and a Barcode. Once again, Here’s the Kicker… The Target Store Coupons DO NOT HAVE a Manufacturer Remit Address, that’s because a store coupon doesn’t have to be mailed off to the Manufacturer.
The same thing with these Kmart Store Coupons. They don’t say Manufacturer Coupon and they don’t have an Address to redeem the coupon.
TIPS FROM THE PROS
Read My Post on How To Know if it’s a Target Coupon or Manufacturer Coupon if you’re having trouble figuring out which coupons to print from the Target Website.
Don’t Forget: You can Download the Stockpiling Price Sheet to see all of the estimated prices you could expect to pay for the basic items we buy each month. There is also a place to compare unit pricing. This is just a guide, but a great way to help you learn the prices of each item.
Tomorrow we will be talking about another strategy for getting the most out of your coupons!
Make sure you check out our Saving Money Blog and also our How to Coupon Page for more tips, tricks and videos on saving money and using coupons.
View all the posts in the Extreme Couponing Strategies series.
I LOVE GETTING AND USING COUPONS.