B1G1 Coupons

Many of you have trouble with stores not allowing you to use a B1G1 coupon with a money off coupon.

First, I want to say that using a B1G1 coupon along with a money off coupon on a non free item is perfectly acceptable coupon use across the country in a variety of different grocery stores, drug stores, etc. Not all, but many stores will allow it without any trouble. You are not doing anything wrong by attempting to use coupons this way as long as they do not include any instructions on the coupon to the contrary. Many of you are able to use coupons in this manner at your stores without issues as well.  So why does it work at some stores and not others?

Human Issues

Although for some of you, the computer systems may have no trouble accepting the coupons. It will be a cashier or manager who prevents you from using both coupons. Because this is not addressed in most coupon policies, you are at the mercy of the store’s individual policy.

Computer Issues

At some stores, the registers are set up so that when you present a B1G1 coupon, that coupon will attach to both items, the FREE item and the non free item. When you hand over your money off coupon for the non free item, the computer has not left an item open to use that coupon on. This will be the same issue no matter which coupon you hand over first. If you hand the money off one first, when the B1G1 is scanned, the computer is looking for 2 items to attach to, and because it can’t find two, it will also deny the coupon. Here is where a cashier or manager will have to manually push the coupon through and either will or won’t.

New POS System

Target has a new POS system in place at some stores. This new register software has an upside, but like all computer software, it’s not perfect, and in this case, it will matter the order you hand your coupons over. With this system, when a coupon comes up and says item not found, the cashier will be able to enter into another screen and see all the items you are buying and choose one to attach the coupon to.

Since I am unfamiliar with this new system as it is not in all Target stores (and not sure if it will be either), Kristin has done a post about the new POS system.

Things to Try:

1. Ask to see a manager. Maybe he or she has a different outlook than the cashier.
2. Carry around a coupon that prohibits the use of using both coupons as an example. If you can show a cashier or manager the type of wording that a company would use if they wanted to prevent you from using both coupons, it may help. A perfect example is in the B1G1 Purina Busy coupon from the 3/28 SS. The coupon reads “No other offer may be used to purchase the same packages.
3. You can try calling corporate about these issues as well. It will depend on who you talk to at corporate and communication between corporate and your store on whether or not they will modify their particular policy of how they allow these coupons to be redeemed.