Well I haven’t wanted to update on the Safeway P&G mess promotion until I was totally certain. I have been reading all over the forums about this promo and I surveyed my store then I have been waiting and waiting and waiting on someone from Catalina to call me back.
Sooo I would like to announce it is INDEED a pre-coupon price (despite what the ad says). Now this did not work for some of you at the start because the rep explained to me they didn’t have it properly rolled out in all the stores yet. Apparently it is now printing!
If you feel like I do (that your emotions have been toyed with by Safeway) than just sit tight because I am planning to try a few transactions tonight. I will be updating with my personal results and we can just keep our fingers crossed. I have some scenario ideas worked out and I really think this can turn into a great deal. I don’t like to see anyone wasting time and money and it seems this is working for many but not for others so I am going to test it and see what happens.
If any of you have given this a whirl please let us know what happened for you!
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EDITED:
I have been going back and forth on this all night and I made a decision for myself and the blog and I would encourage you to decide for yourself what you think is right. Here are my thoughts- the ad says that the total must be $25 after all coupons. Just because the catalina is printing when you spend less than $25 doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. I love bringing you guys the hottest deals and I am always committed to figuring out the best way for you to stretch your dollars but occasionally there is a gray area and I have to decide what I think is right.
So after going back and forth on this for a few hours I personally feel we should honor the spirit of the promotion and I do not want to encourage people to bend the rules. As of late I have been noticing a trend at Safeway specifically where it is getting harder and harder to use coupons. I am getting more complaints than ever from you guys that are having all sorts of problems. Honestly I believe it is things like this that make the stores dislike couponers and treat us like criminals. So I would encourage you to make up your own mind about what you feel is right.
I have decided not to post any follow up scenarios but I would welcome you to share your opinions in the comments!
Has anyone tried incorporating olay into their deals? I went to my local one in CO and there wasn’t any marked for the deal but I did see a Venus razor, what ever the 5 blade is (embrace?) for $11.99 which seemed a little pricey :/
What do you suggest then? Our ad also says AFTER, and I don’t want to miss out on the catalina. Is there a way to make sure? For the CHILL deal last month, I missed out on a catalina because I had one too many coupons and the total was $24.74 instead of being over $25. Maybe it’s just Hawaii that was that way.
Kelly the only Olay is the Body Wash which is super expensive at $6.99. I was thinking Buy 5 and after coupons, catalina and $12 rebate it is $1.59 each which isn’t that great.
Linds- I think my suggestion is not to try this if you aren’t up for an adventure. I am reading that this is working for some and then not for others and it appears there is not a straight answer about if it is pre Safeway store coupons and on and on. So if you want to try it and see you might get a great deal. You also take the chance of not having this work and then you have to deal with catalina.
What you can do is scan your club card right when you get to the register and have them add everything for the P&G in one transaction- just watch your balance to be sure it is over $25. Then give coupons and cross your fingers! If it is not good than you can return everything and you have only lost a little time.
Linds – I did the chill promo several times (6 or 7) and my total was never over $25 after coupons. The catalina printed fine for me each time with one exception, but customer service gave it to me when I explained that it didn’t print. I was at the Kona Safeway store. I don’t run into many couponers here. Where are you?
Ah, I was wondering why I didn’t get the coupon. I went to customer service and asked; they checked my products and credited by $10. My coupons must have bumped me under $25. I’m glad it worked out, but a bummer that you have to watch your coupons so carefully.
My compliments to you for taking the high road on this one, Charlene! I love couponing and I love, love, love a good deal, but I agree that the occassional gray area requires us to use our conscience. Integrity is worth more in the long run. Thanks for all you do!
Thank you so much for looking into this for all of us! I wish the deal was more cut and dry to make it easier on the consumer :/
I went to Safeway this evening and bought a box of Pampers $19.99 and Tide Stain Release for $6.99. I used $6 in coupons and the catalina DID NOT print. I went to customer servie and the mgr went back to the shelves to verify the items were in the promotion. About 20 minutes later (with a screaming baby) he gave me $10 in cash. Sometimes it’s not worth it!
The rush of excitement you get from coupon usage is based purely on the fact that you saved money and you did it legally. I cannot imagine sharing my shopping experiences with anyone knowing I was stealing. There is no pride in that at all. I am reducing myself to the level of a common criminal instead of proudly sharing how it is I managed to pull off a great deal. If the advertised deal is not working out for me, I will pass on it, no harm done to anyone. There will always be another sale/promo in the weeks ahead. I agree with you 100% Charlene and let this one go.
The last P&G catalina they did a month or so a go I did not get the catalina because I did’nt reach the 25.00 limit after coupons, so I am just going to “assume” that it will the same for me again this time.
Well I feel terrible because I get just as excited for everyone else to get great deals as I do when I get them but this one just felt wrong to me. I mess up all the time and make bad choices in the excitement of the deal but I had to correct myself here.
Bobbi- I know how that feels. I get so exhausted from those kinds of trips too- you are so right better to pay a little more and avoid the stress 🙂
Charlene, I appreciate your integrity. Thank you for everything you do. I know it takes a lot of time and hard work. In turn, you make our lives a little bit easier. Thank you!
I was at Safeway and bought batteries (not able to wait for the upcoming Staples deal) using only e-coupons. My total was a little over $23 after e-coupon and the catalina did not print. The cashier was kind enough to let me return them and re-purchase them plus another pack, which put me over $25 and the catalina still did not print! In the end, I got $10 back. It was a hassle but I must commend my cashiers for their patience. I really don’t think this promo was well thought out. I don’t even want to attempt another transaction using coupons! I’m sure there’ll be a better deal on some badly needed toilet papers, diapers, and paper towels around the corner!
I went to Safeway yesterday, received my catalina for $10 however my total bill was around $30 AFTER coupons since I was worried about the overage issue. But, later on I was sitting and looking at my receipt and doing the math, and realized it really wasn’t such a ‘great’ deal to begin with. Atleast for me. Sometimes I feel I get so excited about saving money that I don’t look at the overall picture of things~the overall picture was that for $20 I could have probably gotten all these items for the same price or cheaper on a clearance rack at target…**sigh** I felt the same way with the chill promotion, I felt like while I was in the store I was buying stuff JUST to receive a $10 catalina. These are bad habits I must break quickly. I find I get better deals with the regalar old cats that print out for normal grocery items.
I don’ tlike safeway’s coupons, they are not for things that we buy and they have restrictions on it-i.e. get $10 worth of something or its only SPECIFICAlly for an item that isn’t very clear. ugh. Also safeway is $$$ more than going to nob hill. They had ground beef for 4.49 a lb, @ nob hill it was around $2. crazy. And it was same amount and everything.
Oh my gosh Tracey I do that too! You know what I do? I will buy a product for a few cents more so I can use a coupon 🙂 CRAZY! I just caught myself doing this with sour cream the other day. I think there is an excitement with “look how much I saved” and sometimes I need to take a step back.
Charlene, I love your site. Thank you so much for all your input!
Regarding spending just to get the sale, I know what all of you mean. It’s so easy to do, so I keep all my receipts, I have a spreadsheet that I use for all my non-bills spending. (yes, I’m a geek) It also includes how much I save using coupons and shopper club cards.
Once you have the spreadsheet set up, it’s not that time consuming to enter the numbers. benefit is you can track your spending and possibly try to stay within your budget.
This is very refreshing to see! I do not have a safeway around here, but I often wonder about some of the couponing sites I come across and some of the things people will do to get a good deal??? Is it really a good deal when we go outside of the bounds that are set up? I am soooo excited to save money but I feel good about doing it knowing I’m not trying to trick anyone or rip anybody off,
It is way to easy to get caught up in it and want a good deal so bad that we will stretch the limits but there has to be some boundaries!
Thanks!
On the topic of people “stealing”: We have a Walgreens that will only let you do one transaction and get only one catalina because they had some ladies come in with a ton of coupons and buying the full stock of what ever item was free or almost free and they would sale all they stuff they got in garage sales.
Charlene I appreciate your candor and I know we are all trying to find good deals for our family budget. I am frustrated that people will abuse the sales and ruin it for the rest of us.
Debbie I am sorry for that- I think shelf clearing is rude and what a shame that your policies changed as a result. I just thought I’d share my position and let everyone else make up their own minds about what they want to do. I can say the cats are printing for some and not others so it might be too much of a hassle to mess with anyway 🙂
Well, if you’re having trouble with Walgreens, I’d encourage you to ask your AM about doing a special order in advance of the sale.
I get bummed out when I find empty shelves, and I don’t do it myself, but I don’t think it’s stealing-or even “stealing,” if others do. It takes a ton of work to acquire coupons and amass a stockpile. If someone wants to make a side income selling razors-well, more power to ’em! One thing I’ve learned about couponing, is that another deal is always on the horizon.
This was one of the only Vons/ Safeway deals that when I used it, everything went smoothly.
They have changed their coupon policies big time, they will not take printed coupons if they do not scan, however if anyone stumbles upon this problem have the cashier lift the metal/glass cover to the scanner, then have them rescan every printed coupon you gave them, I promise you that they will all work! The eye of the scanner gets very dirty and does not read the barcodes correctly when this happens, thus it will not register your coupon.
I had 3 cashiers deny me of using my printed coupons, that is until they did what I suggested and they all went through fine, they now all trust me when I tell them the coupons I have are legit,lol!
So I went to Safeway last night. At first I purchased the wrong Bounty, according to the cashier, and that is why the coupon did not print. The manager came over and exchanged the paper towels that I bought for the ones included in the promo. The total for all of the P&G products included in the promotion that I purchased was about $26.00 AFTER coupons and BEFORE tax, and the catalina still did NOT print. So the manager just gave me $10.00. I’m not sure why it wouldn’t print. When he did the exchange he scanned all of the P&G products together. There should not have been a problem. Hmmmm…
Jennifer that is a great tip! Meg good point as well and a generous way to look at things 🙂 I do get every grouchy when someone takes everything on the shelf but you are totally right it does take an incredible amount of effort to get it all together. So they certainly earn those yard sale profits!
Well, as I’m sitting here laughing & somewhat feeling ashamed, I have to say I did clear the shelf today. I have been wanting to get the Special K granola at Target since Sunday, everytime I went to Target (4 times, but who’s counting)it was ALL gone. Today I went again and I was pleasantly surprised when there was a new stock of 7 boxes, so I bought 5..LOL!
I don’t want to offend anyone but I want to be honest about my feelings of this whole coupon/cat deal…I’m fairly new to the whole coponing world but so far I have put alot of research, devotion and hard work in to saving money & creating a better financial life for my family. I DO think some of these CAT deals get alittle out of hand when people start to abuse them or use them in a way that would jeapordize stores to no longer accept printable coupons or participate in cat offers. I also don’t like it when I work hard to do things by the rules and cashiers make ME feel like I am being dishonest or sneaky because some ofther couponers out there have mad bad choices. (ahem, Kmart) Please my fellow couponers, lets follow the rules, be respectful and honest when it comes to coupon shopping/CAT deals so we can ALL keep taking advantage of using our coupons at our own will.
Oh Tracey I wouldn’t feel bad about Target at all. I am glad you finally got a great deal on that cereal and the difference IMO is that stores like Target usually restock daily and they have good inventory. Plus they give rainchecks so no biggie. I mean like Wags where they can sometimes have very little products, don’t always give rainchecks and don’t restock. I think that is a bummer- especially on deals that crop up mid week and there isn’t time to special order.
These kind of promos drive me crazy. I did a P&G one a few months ago where you had to buy $30 worth of specific P&G products. I had two Tides which made it about $1.00 under the $30, so I grabbed a Dawn Dishwashing Liquid that was located by the promo sticker. I didn’t get the Catalina coupon. Apparently the Dawn was stuck in the wrong place. I made them cancel my order and start over with the RIGHT Dawn. Other times, I am never sure if something is going to go wrong (either through my fault or theirs) and you don’t know until it’s too late! I think it is easier, when attempting one of these promos, to buy ONLY the products for the promo–save the rest of your shopping for later. It makes it a little less stressful.
I used to have trouble with Safeway and coupons, more in the past than right now. Once they had some items on sale that, with the coupon, made the product ALMOST free (not quite). They wouldn’t take it! WTF?
I went today and bought 3 packs of Swiffer wet refills. Each is priced at 8.49 at my store so my total was just over $25. I had a $1 coupon but decided not to use it just to be sure the Cat printed. I got my $10 Cat and I plan to submit my receipt for the $10 rebate for buying $20 worth of Swiffer refills. Hopefully I haven’t overlooked something…$5 net price for 3 packs of refills seems like a good deal to me!
I’ve had a lot of trouble with Safeway and coupons…and E-coupons. It seems everytime I go there, I have to fight the cashiers about my coupons (“we can’t take this coupon because it will make us pay you money…”)(…as well as a host of other excuses)when they have done they’re math wrong, and i’m STILL paying 0.99 WITH the coupon…Just about everytime I go to our local Safeway, i leave there feeling like a total felon, with the attitude they portray toward my coupons. I try to have my coupons lined up 100%, and if something truly isn’t right, i back down, and they get they’re way. They also will not accept coupons after a sale if you’ve missed one, and go back…Unlike most retail grocery stores. Thanks for the tip about printables not scanning! I run into this alot also… 🙂 I shall have to educate them. 🙂 Anyone else have troubles with e-coupons not showing up??? sigh…
I’ve only had 1 issue with my P&G eSaver coupons not coming through but I contacted P&G and they added the money to my Safeway card somehow and at the end of the month I was able to get the money off my next purchase. They were incredibly helpful.