lingo

Transaction vs. Purchase- Clearing up coupon lingo

Abby H.

If you read the fine print on coupons, it usually says a bunch of stuff that rivals legal documents.

Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 11.41.45 AMYou’ve probably seen the following statements:

  • Limit one coupon per purchase….
  • Limit one coupon per transaction…
  • Limit one coupon per purchase of products and quantities stated.  Limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip…
  • One coupon per person, per day…
  • Limit one manufacturer and one Target/Store coupon per item…
  • Limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day…

UGH!!!  That’s so confusing!  How is anyone supposed to stockpile and save tons of money when there are so many restrictions?

Well, let’s clear that one up.

  1. Each item you are buying is a purchase.  3 widgets, 3 coupons for those widgets, 3 purchases.  You don’t need to buy each widget separately, you can have them all rung up together.
  2. A transaction is your entire basket order.  Everything you put onto the conveyor belt all totalled is your transaction. Some stores (not too many, check your stores coupon policy) allow you to break up your basket into separate transactions to use more coupons.
  3. Our third example comes from Proctor and Gamble (P&G) coupons.  This means that you can only use four of the same coupons on four of the items stated on the coupon, in the sizes stated on the coupon in the same shopping trip.  The term”shopping trip” is up for debate, but to me that means per time you visit the store.  Some couponers argue that “shopping trip” is the same as transaction.  I don’t chance it.  I’ll just stick to four P&G coupons per store visit.
  4. The fourth example is super rare, generally seen on high value store coupons. It means exactly what is says. You may use one of those coupons per day.  Your mom may use one of those coupons per day, your uncle, your cat, etc.
  5. Target and some other stores (Albertsons, CVS, Walgreens, and Vons) allow you to match up (or stack) a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon.   An example is shown below with coffee creamer.    Store coupons can be found on on the stores website or  in store advertisement/circular that is available in the store. Target and Albertsons have store printable coupons available on their website, while Vons has store coupons that you can load onto your Vons card (these are sometimes called E-coupons or electronic coupons).  CVS and Walgreens have sale flyers and coupon booklets in their stores and CVS has the “magic coupon machine” where you wave your CVS card under the reader, and it spits out coupons! Check your stores coupon policy to see if they have any further restrictions on how many stacked coupons you can use per transaction, which bring us to…Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 11.42.04 AM
  6. This is taken directly from Target’s updated coupon policy.  At Target (and some other stores), you may use 4 identical/like coupons per household, per day. So, at Target, you can stack 4 sets of coupons.  4 Target coupons and 4 manufacturer coupons for your 4 items for your household. That doesn’t mean you can’t come back the next day and do it again!  I’ve done that before when a deal is super hot.

Coupon Lingo!

Abby H.

deals_and_Coupons_version_2 (1)

Just like any other hobby or subculture, couponing has it’s own lingo. You’ll often run across it reading blogs or talking to fellow couponers. Here is a list with the most commonly used lingo:

Actual – Physical items you hold in your hand meaning a box of pasta rather than a pasta coupon. Used often in trading coupons.

BLINKIES – These are found in stores in a dispenser machine. Most often the box will have a red blinking light on it.

BOGO (or B1G1)- Buy one get one free.

Catalina – Coupons that come from a machine at the cash register. Named after the manufacturer of the machine that spits out the coupons.

CRT – Cash register tape.(this is a pretty dated/old school term for a receipt)

Double Coupon – Means the value of the coupon is doubled at the register. In San Diego, Only Kiehl’s doubles coupons.

ECB – Extra Care Bucks. A form of rebate from CVS. ECB’s are a CVS exclusive.

FREE ITEM COUPON -You get a free product at the store at no cost or just tax.

HBA – The health and beauty aid section.(shampoo, conditioner, body wash, styling products, etc.)

IP – Internet printable coupon.

INSERT- The packages of coupons that come in the Sunday paper.

MANU or MANNY – Short for Manufacturer Coupon. A coupon issued from the manufacturer. Manufacturer Coupons are about 90% of the coupons in the Sunday papers.

MIR – Mail In Rebate – you have to mail it to a clearinghouse to redeem. Learn more about rebates here.

MM- Money Maker- Any deal where you come out ahead or the store pays you to leave the store with items. These deals are pretty rare these days.

NON-INSERT- A coupon that does not come from the coupon packages (called inserts) in the newspaper. Non-insert coupons come from inside or outside packages, home mailers, Smartsource blinkie machines, magazines, tear pads.

OOP – Out of Pocket – money paid after coupons.

OYNO – On your next order – a lot of Catalinas fall under this, meaning you need to make an additional purchase to redeem.

P&G – Proctor & Gamble Sunday insert coupons.

PEELIE – coupon’s found on products that are sticky unless removed carefully.

POP – Proof of purchase found on actual item, usually a UPC/barcode.

RP – Red Plum Sunday Insert Coupons. In San Diego, these coupon inserts come in the Monday junk mail.

SASE – Self Addressed Stamped Envelope some freebies or rebates require them.

SS – Smart Source or Sunday Insert coupons.

STORE COUPON- A coupon good at a specific store (Target, Albertsons, Vons, CVS, and Walgreens all have store coupons).

TEAR PAD – A pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display.

TMF – Try Me Free – rebates for the full price of the item when it first is new to the market.

WINE TAG – coupons found on the necks of wine bottles. In CA, these coupons require the purchase of at least bottle of wine to redeem the deal.

WYB – When You Buy – additional purchase is required to redeem.