Archive for September 2nd, 2010

Worried about changes to Dillons’ coupon policy? Don’t be.

[UPDATE: This is an older post here at Wichita on the Cheap. If you’d like to see the entire 2011 Dillons Coupon Policy, please visit this page: Dillons Coupon Policy . You can also learn more about couponing, find coupons to print, and see which local bloggers do Wichita grocery store coupon match-ups at this page: Grocery Savings and Coupons.

For many of us who use coupons, this week’s rumors about changes to Dillons’ coupon policy were unsettling. (When you combine coupons with sales at Dillons, the deals can be so good that even Aldi’s can’t beat ‘em.)

UPDATE March 2011: Well, now there has been a change to Dillons’ coupon policy. We can no longer stack a paper coupon with a digital coupon. As far as I know, that is the ONLY change.

Following is the original post with corrections to reflect this new policy:

Still, to make sure we’re all clear on things (and because I wanted to make sure I am clear), I asked for and received Dillons’ guidelines regarding the use of coupons — and they’re the same guidelines that have been in place and that we already know and love.

These general coupon guidelines apply at Dillons and Gerbes locations across Kansas and Missouri. Other stores-including other stores owned by the same parent company-will most likely have different policies. Again, there are no new policies; nothing has changed here.

Manufacturers’ coupons will be doubled up to a dollar. (To get the double coupons, you still have to use your Dillons Plus card, as always.) Examples:

• If you have a coupon for 35 cents off a can of beans, you’ll get 70 cents off that can of beans at checkout. (And you’ll get a gold star from me for scoring such a great deal.)
• If you have a coupon for 50 cents off that can of beans, you’ll get $1.00 off the beans at checkout.
• If you have a coupon for 75 cents off the can of beans, you’ll still get $1.00 off of the can of beans.

This is exactly the same policy as before. There are no changes to this policy.

Expired coupons are not encouraged, but they are accepted up to two weeks following the coupon’s expiration date.

Store coupons (issued by Dillons or Kroger) are not doubled. (And that’s usually printed right on the coupon: “Do Not Double.” This is also not new.) You also can’t photocopy them or otherwise try to duplicate them. (Do people even try that?)

Internet coupons, aka Print-At-Home (PAH), aka printable coupons are accepted and there is no limit on the number of Internet/PAH/Printable coupons you can use in one shopping trip. In fact, Dillons not only accepts printable coupons, they even provide them on their website. More guidelines about them:

• Internet coupons printed in black and white are accepted, as long as the bar code is there.
• ‘Buy one, get one free’ printable coupons are also accepted.
• As with any coupon, you just have to make sure the coupon requirements have been met.
• You can’t stack Internet/PAH/Printable coupons (stack = use two coupons for one item).
• Management does reserve the right to reject any Internet coupon that appears to have been altered or doesn’t scan properly.

Digital Coupons from www.dillons.com or www.gerbes.com don’t double, which is sad, but not new. However, digital coupons can be stacked with paper coupons! In other words, if you have a digital coupon from dillons.com loaded onto your card, and a paper coupon for the same item, you can stack them and get both discounts. Not anymore. However, the following is still true:

• Digital coupons are available approximately one hour after loading.
• Digital coupons are limited to a one-time use.  A limit of 150 coupons can be added per shopper’s card.  All digital coupon values reflect exact discounts at the register – digital coupons will not double.
• Digital coupons will will not stack with manufacturer, store, and internet print-at-home coupons.
• Digital coupon offers will be updated each month.  See site for expiration dates.

Notice that these guidelines apply only to digital coupons from Dillons.com or Gerbes.com. There are other digital coupon providers out there with their own policies.

Competitor pharmacy coupons are accepted, up to face value, as long as all the coupon requirements are met. The competitor pharmacy coupons must be handled in the Pharmacy only. They don’t accept any other competitor coupons.

Taxes, of course, must be paid on any item redeemed with a coupon, even if the coupon makes that item free.

The store manager has the right to accept, decline, or limit the use of ANY coupon(s). This just makes sense to me. There are fraudulent coupons out there, and some look so real they fool us.