According to Inmar, the whole redemption process generally takes four to six weeks from the time the consumer redeems the coupon until the retailer is reimbursed by the manufacturer. Our mission at Marketplace is to raise the economic intelligence of the country.
Marketplace helps you understand it all, will fact-based, approachable, and unbiased reporting. Generous support from listeners and readers is what powers our nonprofit news—and your donation today will help provide this essential service. Skip to content. I've Always Wondered Annie Baxter Mar 28, Listen Now. Share Now on:. Stories You Might Like Paper coupons are cool again. Study shows coupons lead to big profits for drugmakers.
The whole cycle takes about a month. In many cases, the manufacturer will recount the coupons to avoid fraud -- a process that may send the coupons through another clearinghouse!
This is another great example of how a simple idea -- "let's give people a little scrap of paper that they can redeem for 25 cents off a can of beans" -- turns into a whole lot of work for somebody!
Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Personal Finance. How do store coupons work?
The Coupon Process If you use coupons, you know that when you reach the check out counter, you hand the cashier your coupon s. Are gift cards a waste of money? Is it better to shop with cash, credit or debit? Are layaway plans or credit cards better for saving money? When I pay for my groceries with a check, where does the check go? Coupon processing Coupon University Manufacturers' coupons make a big comeback The state of the art in food couponing.
Above are images of store coupons. You can generally find these in the weekly circular or in-stores, and on occasion, store websites or Facebook pages. Other times, you might find store coupons in the newspaper inserts. For instance, Target often releases store coupons in the Sunday paper. For that reason, I do recommend getting on the mailing and email lists of stores you are apt to shop at.
You can sometimes get coupons sent in the mail from the store you would not get otherwise. Above are just a few examples of manufacturer coupons.
On any given week, the combination and amounts of the inserts will vary. Some weeks you might find a single SmartSource, other weeks you might find all three.
Other weeks still you might find two SmartSource and two Red Plum inserts. One thing I can say with certainty: the first of the month tends to have better coupons and holiday weekends often have no inserts. Other reliable sources of manufacturer coupons include:. This means that you can decide where to redeem them for the best value.
One thing we are seeing more and more is stores going to electronic methods of couponing. Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, and Target all offer some form of coupon program where you can load coupons to your phone or loyalty card.
These discounts will come off at the point of sale when you buy the correct items and use your card or phone at checkout. These coupons may be store coupons or manufacturer coupons. Is there a learning curve to couponing? In fact, I recall distinctly the first week I learned to use coupons. I have found that many new coupon users are able to experience a similar experience very, very quickly in.
So what do you need to know to get started? Here are the basic ground rules, taking into account new rules and recent changes:. I am sometimes asked how e-coupons fit into this equation. I know your head is likely swimming with information now. Have I overwhelmed you? Pick ONE store, preferably the one you do most of your shopping at any way, and read and re-read their coupon policy. Try adding in a couple coupon deals to your normal shopping trip and gain confidence!
What other questions do you have about the basic mechanics of coupons? I work at Fred Meyer and one of the biggest problems we have is that some of our products have coupons hanging next to them that are manufacture coupons redeemable at Fred Meyer.
Some customers think these are Fred Meyer coupons and therefore they can stack them with another manufacture coupon. But if it says manufacture coupon on it then it cannot be stacked with another manufacture coupon. Also FM has a limit of 5 like coupons per transaction and also a limit of 2 coupons per manufacture for internet printed coupons.
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