Manufacturer Coupon Policy

Lowes Foods welcomes legitimate manufacturer coupons when the following requirements are met:

• Coupons must be in date.
• Coupons must match the item(s) purchased.
• Coupons must be presented at the time of purchase.
• To ensure product availability for all customers, we limit redemption to 4 coupons for 4 of the same item. For example, if you have five coupons for a specific cereal and have purchased five of the item, we will honor the coupon for up to four of the boxes of cereal.
• All sales taxes are paid by the customer at the full retail value of the item.
• Coupon value cannot exceed our retail price of the item; no cash back will be awarded.

Double Coupons

• We will double up to 20 manufacturer coupons with a face value of $0.99 or less every day.
• No minimum purchase is required.
• Manufacturer coupons for FREE items or Buy One, Get One FREE items will not be doubled.
• Any manufacturer coupon that states “Do not double” will not be doubled.
• A doubled coupon will not be honored if the doubled amount exceeds the retail or sale price of the coupon item. No cash back will be awarded.

Other Coupon Promotions

• From time to time, our manufacturer coupon promotions will be enhanced. For example, we may offer our customers the opportunity to triple their coupons. Special promotional opportunities will be featured in our circular or on-line.

Internet Coupons

We gladly accept legitimate internet coupons. However, there has been a growing number of fraudulent internet coupons in the marketplace. We are committed to protecting our customers, manufacturers and our company against this illegal activity. Therefore, Lowes Foods will practice the following guidelines for internet coupons:

• We will only accept printable internet coupons if they scan at checkout.
• We will not honor FREE Product coupons printed from the Internet.
• We will accept Buy One Get One FREE and other values that have a purchase requirement.
• We will accept internet coupons that have an expiration date. If no expiration date is visible, we cannot accept the coupon.
• Coupons will be rejected if they are distorted, altered or obvious duplicates. Coupons are non-transferrable, meaning they should not be photocopied or scanned and distributed to others.
• Coupons have unique serial numbers printed on them and follow industry-standard format. Any presented coupon that does not follow standard format will not be accepted.
• Internet coupon limits are the same as manufacturer and store coupons.

If you have any questions on the standard format of internet coupons, you can verify at www.printcoupons.com.

Store Coupons

• In order to redeem store coupons, a Lowes Foods rewards card must be used.
• Store coupons must be in date.
• All limits and purchase requirements must be followed.

Competitor’s Coupons

• We gladly accept local supermarket or supercenter competitor’s circular or direct mail coupons for dollars off the entire order. (examples include Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Kroger, Super Target, Super K-Mart, Wal-mart)
• We will not accept any competitor coupons for specific items. For example, we will not accept a competitor’s coupon for $1.00 off of an individual item.
• Purchase requirements must be met.
• Coupon must be in-date.
• We will not accept any type of internet coupons from any other retailers.
• We will not accept any type of competitor coupons from drug stores or club stores.
• We will accept Catalina Check-out Manufacturer coupons from competitors as long as they are in date, all purchase requirements are met, and they scan.

AC = After Coupon
ADDIE = Address
AR = After Rebate
BLINKIES = instore coupon dispensed near product, usually from a black blinking box
BOGO or B1G1F = Buy one get one free
CAT or Catalina = coupon dispensed at register after purchase
CRT = Cash register tape
DND = Do Not Double (the coupon is not supposed to be doubled)
DOUBLE COUPON = coupon that a grocery store doubles in value
FAR = Free After Rebate
FLIP = Food Lion Internet Printable
IP = Internet Printable
MIR = Mail In Rebate
NED = No expiration date
NBPN = No Beer Purchase Necessary
NWPN = No wine purchase necessary
OOP = Out of Pocket
OYNO = On your next order
P&G = Proctor & Gamble Sunday supplement coupons
PEELIE = coupon that you peel off the package
RC = Raincheck
RP = Red Plum Sunday Supplement Coupons formerly known as Valassis
SS = Smart Source coupons
STACKING = Some stores allow the use of more than one coupon per item, IF the coupon itself does not restrict such usage.
TEAR PAD = A pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
TMF = Try Me Free
TRIPLE COUPON = a coupon that a grocery store triples in value
WINE TAG/WT = coupon, usually for $ off any meat, cheese or produce.
WPN = Wine purchase necessary
WYB = When You Buy
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary= success of the attempt may vary at your store

Store Abbreviations:

BL = Bi-Lo
HT = Harris Teeter
FL = Food Lion
LF= Lowes Food

If you followed the advice in coupon 101, here are more tricks of the trade

Organizing your coupons
If you have been collecting blinkies, tearpads, insert coupons, hangtags etc you are probably wondering how to organize the pile sitting near your computer. Most couponers use 1 of 2 methods.

Accordian File - you can buy accordian files at your local office supply store and organize however it makes sense to you (some organize by store aisile, some alphabetically, some by product type - condiments, health & beauty etc).

Binder Method - a zippered binder with baseball card inserts (find them at the front of Target where they sell trading cards) organized however it makes sense to you (some organize by store asile, some alphabetically, some by product type - condiments, health & beauty etc).

Bringing all your coupons with you as its advantages. You may find great unadvertised or clearanced items you want to take advantage of.

With couponing the smallest size is usually the best deal
Wholesale clubs may have convinced you bigger is better but it is not true. Often the smallest size is free or cheap with coupons.

Ask for Rainchecks

Rainchecks are a great way to save money. Remember even if they are out of one flavor or scent you can ask for a raincheck. Just go to the customer service desk and request one. Rainchecks often expire in 1 month to a year - at Harris Teeter they never expire! By the time you are ready to redeem your raincheck, you may have found a better coupon or maybe it is triples!

What’s the easiest way for a new couponer to get started?

The quickest and easiest way is to buy multiple copies of the paper every Sunday and save the inserts. Also ask friends, family members, neighbors or co-workers for extra copies.  Hit your local Starbucks, Panera Bread or wherever people like to read the Sunday paper and leave extra inserts laying around. Write the date on the outside of insert and save the entire thing. Why? Because if you clip only what you think you’ll need you’ll miss out on some great deals or freebies later on down the road.

Every Sunday paper you will generally find 2- 5 inserts (except major holidays, there are no coupons!). The main inserts every week are Red Plum (RP) and SmartSource (SS). Once to twice a month you will find a Proctor & Gamble insert (P&G) and ocassionaly a Unilever insert.

Check this site for weekly deals! Every week we will be posting the best deals for all the Charlotte area grocery stores. When you see a deal, pull out your inserts, clip the coupons you need and head to the stores!

Don’t be brand loyal - pretty much all toothpastes, deodorant, pasta, condiments, etc work the same or taste the same. A smart couponer knows to get maximum savings you buy what is free or on sale. There are very few things the Cheapskate Chicks are brand loyal to!

When there is a sale - stock up - also known as stockpiling. This is where multiple copies of inserts come in handy. If the deal is free or near free buy as much as your family can use before the item expires. It even pays to buy coupons! Our favorite sites for buying extra coupons include:

The Coupon Clippers
Ebay
The Coupon Master

Why buy coupons? Because different areas of the country get different values. This may make for a freebie or very cheap item during regular doubles or triples. For example Charlotte typically gets .40/1 Viva paper towel but other areas get a .85/1. Viva are $2.59 at HT so during triples they’d be .04 with the .85/1. Generally never pay more than 10% of the value for a coupon, EXCEPT for hot coupons like the .85/1 Viva- they might go for as much as 20 to 25% of face value. Also keep in the mind the Charlotte Observer is now $2 for a Sunday paper. Unless the paper has lots of coupons you need, it may be cheaper in the long run to buy 1-2 papers and then buy additional coupons when the sales ads come out that week.

To get the best deals every week you may have to shop more than 1 store. The Cheapskate Chicks love an excuse to go shopping so in general we shop the deals at 1-3 stores a week.

Where else can I find coupons?
Coupons are everywhere if you keep an eye out. Here are some of our favorite places to find coupons:

Internet Printables - most sites will allow 2 prints per computer
Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Red Plum
Eat Better America
Betty Crocker
Pillsbury

Call or email manufacturer’s with a compliment - most of the time they will send coupons, you don’t even have to ask!

Inside product packages - check before you toss!

Tearpads - every time you see one of those cardboard displays in a store check it out. You may find a tearpad of coupons.

Blinkies - remember those annoying little black blinking boxes you see stuck on asile shelves? Those are referred to as blinkies. Grab a few and save them for future deals!

Hangtags - coupons you will find hanging off the neck of a product

Peelies - a coupon sticker stuck on a product. Some couponers believe it is OK to take them and use them on a future sale others believe you should only take them if you are buying that product right then and there. Do what is comfortable to you!

Catalinas - these print out at the register. People often leave them in grocery carts or toss them on the ground. Grab them!

Mambo Sprouts booklet - this is a great resource for organic coupons. The only place I have seen this booklet locally is Earthfare. They are usually laying out at the front of the store by customer service. Go in and grab a few!

Don’t blow your budget
The first few weeks people start couponing they may go overboard and try to chase every deal at every store. Our advice it to pick 1 or 2 stores, get to know the coupon lingo and their coupon policies and stock up on the good deal items and/or freebies that week plus your regular grocery shopping. This way you will slowly build a stockpile over the course of several months without blowing your budget. Remember the same deal always comes around again, sometimes better than the last time. So if you miss a deal don’t worry!

What items can I typically get for free to .50 here in Charlotte?
Between doubles everyday and triple coupons you’ll see these deals come up again and again at area grocery stores:

toothpaste
toothbrushes
dental floss
pasta/noodles
rice
boxed potatoes
instant potatoes
Duke’s Mayo
French’s yellow mustard, spicy or honey mustard
BBQ sauce
salsa
Kraft salad dressing
Daisy sour cream
single serve yogurts
microwave popcorn
hot sauce
relish/pickles
boxed side dishes
chicken broth
canned veggies
frozen veggies
shampoo & conditioner
hair spray, mousse or gel
deoderant
shave cream
panty liners
maxi pads
tampons
toilet cleaner
Windex/Glass Plus
Scrubbing Bubbles
all purpose cleaners - 409, Fantastik
sponges
paper towels
Quaker Old Fashion Oats
Eggo products
applesauce
candy bars
energy bars - Luna bars, Zone bars etc
gum
Excederin
soap - bar soap and liquid soap like SoftSoap
tuna
Muir Glen Tomatoes
Muir Glen Tomato Paste
Muir Glen Tomato Sauce
Old El Paso & Oretega refried beans, enchilada and taco sauce, taco/fajita seasoning
soup
Pillsbury cressent rolls/biscuits/cinnamon buns
brownie/cake/cookie mix
frosting
sugar
brown & confectioner’s sugar
tea bags
Smart Water/Life Water/Gatorade/Powerade
dish detergent
dish washing liquid
plastic baggies