Thursday, September 1, 2011

Food Giant Rationing In-Ad Coupons

I've been told that the weekly store ads are being kept under lock and key at one of the Food Giant family of stores...the store is limiting one ad per customer.  What?  The Food Giant coupon policy says you are allowed to use three like coupons.  I can only imagine how many complaint calls Carrie in customer service has received today! 

My mom was nice enough to bring home an ad so I could take a closer look at the in-ad coupons.  They do appear to be manufacturer's coupons, but they do not say "manufacturer's coupon".  I am 99.9% certain that the coupons would scan at any retailer.  But, the coupons do not meet the coupon acceptance guidelines set forth by Walmart.  If you got your Walmart cashier to accept them, you were very lucky!  So, let's regroup, you are not technically going to be able to cut out those coupons and take them to Walmart or Kroger. 

But, wait, don't give up on me yet!  On the same page as the coupons, there is an advertised price, clearly stated for each of the coupon items (in the Market Place ad).  Walmart's ad match guarantee states: We gladly match the price in the following types of ads: Competitors' ads that feature a specific item for a specified price at a specific retailer.  Done.  Done.  And done.  Yeah, I might have to bring my coupon policy with me tomorrow...just in case.  ;-}

To prevent further conflict, here is my proposed solution: go to your Food Giant store of choice, buy your one item and then take your ad across town.  I hope Food Giant isn't imposing this limit because I recommended that everyone pick up three ads, to get your three coupons.  If they are, they are really not going to like my next recommendation: Just Go To Walmart And Price Match.  Don't bother with the B.S. at Food Giant and skip it all together.  I haven't yet been to Walmart to know if they are happily price matching and/or imposing quantity limits.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Walmart is welcoming this price match with open arms and listening sympathetically to all the couponers who are talking smack about Food Giant.  And smiling all the way to the bank. 

And here's where I pull out my soap box, you've been warned!

Please leave a comment if you think it's crazy to have a sale on mac & cheese and then tell every family that you are only allowed to purchase one box at this price.  What a rip off!  I don't know about you, but when I find a good sale on mac & cheese (and $1.47 is a darn good deal) I am going to buy a lot of mac & cheese.  I want to stock my cupboard with mac & cheese.  After all, I just had to pay over $3.50/gallon at the gas station to drive to the grocery store.  I can't afford to go back day after day to accumulate my mac & cheese one box at a time.  I am all for shopping at the Food Giant stores because they double coupons and it can save you a little more money.  But, when they pull a bait and switch like this to get shoppers into the store, that's when I call it quits.  Food Giant, you've gone too far on this one.  I'll be taking my ad, and my money, to Walmart.  Thanks again, mom, for brining the ad home to me!

New Printables from Coupons.com

Here are the newest printables available from Coupons.com this morning.  There are also a lot of the same coupons from the first of August again!

Snacks
Bugles ($0.50/1:9/1:77477)
Chex Mix ($0.50/1:9/1:77477)

Boxed / Canned
Campbells Soup ($1.00:9/1:77477)
Fleischmann’s Yeast Strip ($0.40:9/1:77477)
Fun da-middles ($0.50:9/1:77477)

Frozen
Totino’s Pizza Stuffers ($1/1:9/1:77477)

Health & Beauty
Maybelline NY FIT Foundation ($1.00:9/1:77477)
Maybelline NY FIT Powder ($1/1:9/1:77477)

Household
Solo Product ($0.75:9/1:77477)

Other
3-in-1 Oil ($1.00:9/1:77477)
Hasbro Connect 4 ($4.00:9/1:77477)
Hasbro Games, Various ($5.00:9/1:77477)
Hasbro Monopoly ($4.00:9/1:77477)

Pets
Pro Plan Cat Food ($3.00:9/1:77477)
Pro Plan Dog Food ($3.00:9/1:77477)

Pharmacy
Alka Seltzer ($1.00:9/1:77477)
Alka Seltzer ($3.00:9/1:77477)
Ester-C ($2.00:9/1:77477)

Cookies & Milk Coupon at 11:00 AM Today

If you're lucky enough to be around you computer at 11 this morning, be sure to head over to the Nabisco Cookies - Cookies and Milk Facebook page for a printable coupon.  I've missed this coupon the last couple of months, but, it had been "buy a Nabisco cookie get $1 off a gallon of milk!"  Good luck!