Coupon Basics: Types of Coupons and Where to Find Them

I have had a lot of questions about coupons, so I decided that I would try to start a series.  A basic 101 of coupons.  I am going to start this series explaining the types of coupons and where to find them.

There are 2 Main Types of Coupons:

Manufacturer Coupons are issued by the Manufacturer to help increase the sales of specific products. When you use a Manufacturer Coupon at your local store you get the Face Value of the Coupon deducted from your total at checkout. The store then sends in these coupons to the Manufacturer and “Redeems” them for the Face Value of the Coupon plus a small handling fee.

Store Coupons are specific to one retailer. The most common Store Coupons that I mention are for Publix, Walgreens and Target. 

• Store Coupons can typically be stacked with manufacturer coupons. Stores like Publix, Target and Walgreens allow you to use 1 Manufacturer Coupon and 1 Target/ Publix/ Wagreens Coupon per item.
• Store Coupons are basically like a Sale Price at the store and can only be used at one specific retailer.
• Store Coupons typically have their own bar code system and do not look like a normal manufacturer bar-code.
• Publix also takes competitor coupons.  Each individual Publix decides what they consider to be a competitor coupon, so check with your store to see which ones they take.  The store that I go to takes, Kroger, Target and Food Lion.

Where to Find Coupons:

There is an endless list of places where you can find coupons. Here is a list of my favorite and some of the most common places to look:

• Newspaper Inserts
• Online Coupon Sites: Coupons.com, RedPlum.com, Smartsource.com or Coolsavings.com
• On the Products, Store Shelves or on Product Displays
• Company Websites
• All You Magazine & Other Family Focused Magazines
• Facebook : Company Pages typically release coupons, so “Like” your favorite brands.
• Cellfire
• Home Mailers & Email Newsletters
• Coupon Clipping Services

This should help you get started.  Next week we will discuss Coupon Values and When to Use Your Coupons.  Until then, happy couponing!

Adapted from Passion for Savings