Why Didn't My Coupon Double?

Most of my local grocery stores double coupons.  From time to time, you will find that a coupon you used did not double.  There may be a few reasons so do your homework before you shop.  A coupon with a barcode that starts with a 5 will automatically double even if it says on it "do not double" or "do not double or triple".  The register will automatically double these but a cashier can manually override this if he/she reads it and adjusts it.  Coupons with a barcode starting with a 9 will never double.  You will find coupons like this in those "Blinkie" machines on the edge of the store shelves.  You know, the ones your kids love to pull out and wait for the next one to come out and pull that out and over and over again until you stop them!  Another reason your coupon may not double is that some stores have a limit on how many times a coupon for the same products will double.  For instance, at ShopRite, if you are purchasing 5 of the same product and you have 5 coupons for those 5 items, the first 4 will double and the 5th one will not because their limit is 4 doubles for the same coupon.  Stop & Shop is supposed to have the same rule but I have found that more than 4 will double.  Another reason is "there is no reason".  From time to time a coupon will not double and there is no logical explanation for it and you need to bring it to the cashier's attention so they can call a manager over to override it.

Couponing "Under The Radar"

I'm sure you have all heard of "Extreme Couponers".  Well, the publicity they are getting lately draws alot of attention from store managers and employees.  True Extreme Couponers shop and coupon "under the radar" as we call it.

For example, my post I made yesterday (click here to see that post) about my freebies score at Rite-Aid was not all done in 1 store.  Emptying the shelves in a store is not "courteous couponing" and will help in not drawing alot of attention to yourself.  Not that we are doing anything wrong by scoring free items but some managers and employees will make you feel like you are.  I actually stopped at 3 different Rite-Aid stores yesterday and did a few at each store.

Most stores (such as ShopRite) do put a limit on what you can purchase at that particular sale price but some stores don't.  So, be courteous and "keep under the radar" so we can continue to score these deals.