Ask a Walmart Expert

You May Be Paying More Than Others When Shopping Online!

November 17, 2016 by Aarn Farmer Leave a Comment

You May Be Paying More Than Others When Shopping Online!

Did you know you might pay more for something depending on whether or not you use your phone to buy it? Our local CBS affiliate had a story the other day that seemed to show that online companies are charging more for products when you buy them with your phone versus a desktop computer.

This is a fascinating story that points out how much information online companies can gather about when you surf their sites regardless of how anonymous you think you are.

What should we do with this info? I think at a bare minimum, you should check the prices of big ticket items with a few devices to make sure you are getting the best deals.

The 21 Day Grocery Budget Bootcamp ebook is here! Now you can learn how to save money on your groceries quickly and easily. Click here to get your copy!

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Can You Use Coupons and Smart Phone Rebates on the Same Items?

November 18, 2015 by Aarn Farmer Leave a Comment

Since starting this blog I have been contacted by readers many times with questions about couponing, Frugal Living, Walmart’s policies and procedures, and various other little things. I figure if one person is wondering about it, there might be others so this will be an on-going feature to answer the most common questions that come up. If you have a question, please check out the master list of Ask A Walmart Expert articles to see if your answer is there already or contact me and I’ll do what I can to help you out.

Ask a Walmart Expert: Can You Use Coupons and Smart Phone Rebates on the Same Items?

This was an issue that came up in one of our FaceBook rooms where someone was saying that they couldn’t get smartphone rebates (Like the ones found here) on products they used coupons on. I thought it would be helpful for us to be able to see together that there is absolutely no problem using smartphone apps and coupons on the same products so I made the video below to walk you through how I did it.

You should take note there is a special restriction on the SavingStar app. SavingStar wants you to use loyalty cards to get your discounts at retailers that have them so if you try to use coupons and a SavingStar rebate at, say, Kroger, because Kroger has a loyalty card you will not be able to get the discount from both the coupon and the app.

You can only get a coupon and Savingstar rebate at stores without a loyalty card where you upload pics of your receipts into the app, like Walmart. Other than that one restriction, you can get both a coupon discount and a discount from a smartphone app (or even discounts from multiple apps) with any purchase at any store.

The 21 Day Grocery Budget Bootcamp ebook is here! Now you can learn how to save money on your groceries quickly and easily. Click here to get your copy!

To get all the best deals, steals, and FREE Printable Coupons for Walmart, follow me on FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, RSS, or email.

WARNING: Read This Before You Buy Your Next Vitamin or Supplement!

September 4, 2015 by Aarn Farmer Leave a Comment

Are you one of the millions of Americans that buys store brand vitamins and supplements? Well according to a new report by the Washington Post, you probably aren’t getting what you think you are getting.

The New York State Attorney General’s office conducted a study into Walmart, Target, Walgreen’s and GNC private label supplements and found very little to none of the substance advertised in the pills. What they found were things like wheat radish, mustard and other substances that were decidedly non-herbal. Even worse, many of the things found are known allergens like wheat which can cause adverse allergic reactions in some people.

The New York AG office has sent cease and desist letters to the four chains listed to force them to stop selling the products in NY, but chances are most of you reading this article don’t live in New York which means these potentially harmful pills can still be found on your shelves.

How can this happen? Well these supplements aren’t food and they aren’t really drugs so the Food and Drug Administration has no oversight into the multi-billion dollar vitamins and supplements niche. That means no one knows if the Fish Oil pills I take every morning actually contain fish oil or if I’m downing 2 big pills of petroleum jelly with my morning coffee.

What should you do? Truth is, I don’t know. There is literally no way to know what companies are putting out good products and what companies are putting sawdust in pill form. No one is checking on them and there are no consequences unless someone actually dies from their products. (Which has happened)

We clearly need the FDA to step in and take over whatever oversight needs to happen to this niche. Call your local media and ask them to do a story on this and call your congressman and ask them why the Government has dropped the ball here. It’s only a matter of time before more people get hurt.

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Ask a Walmart Expert: What is Coupon Fraud?

August 26, 2015 by Aarn Farmer 9 Comments

What is Coupon Fraud?

Coupon fraud is one of those hot-button topics in the couponing world that very few people really understand. I cannot tell you how many times in my blogging life I have seen a new couponer say they used a coupon in a way that was maybe not exactly right and then watched as veteran couponers started shouting “That’s Coupon Fraud!” and telling them will soon be headed to jail. Nothing like the threat of jail time to discourage new couponers!

So let’s take a look at coupon fraud, break it down, look at some examples, and learn how to avoid it. If you would rather hear this discussion than read it, you can listen to the Grocery Shop for FREE Podcast we did on this subject

Let’s define our terms

Fortunately, we have a very nice definition of coupon fraud provided for us by the nice folks at the CIC.

Coupon fraud occurs whenever someone intentionally uses a coupon for a product that he/she has NOT purchased or otherwise fails to satisfy the terms and conditions for redemption, when a retailer submits coupons for products they have not sold or that were not properly redeemed by a consumer in connection with a retail purchase; or when coupons are altered/counterfeited. These activities are almost always in violation of Federal, State or local laws.

Coupon fraud costs consumer product manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

Coupon fraud also increases costs for consumers and makes it more difficult for honest consumers to legitimately use coupons.

Consumer Information Center

Sounds serious! The CIC gives us 3 areas coupon fraud can occur. Let’s take them in reverse order since it’s really the first one that applies to most couponers so we will save that one for last.

Coupons that are altered/Counterfeited

Most of us don’t counterfeit coupons but does happen. In fact you can read about a Louisiana man Charged with Selling Millions of counterfeit coupons or the $40 Million Counterfeit Coupon ring that was broken up a few years ago. This also includes photocopying coupons. Suffice it to say, if you are involved in trafficking counterfeit coupons, you will be found and you will face charges.

Retailer Submits Coupons for Products that have not been sold

This is far less common but you can read about a time Walgreen’s was Accused of Improper Coupon Redemption here. I’m sure there are smaller chains that try to redeem coupons that weren’t properly used but I’m also sure it is fairly rare.

Now let’s look at what we are usually talking about when we say Coupon Fraud.

Someone intentionally uses a coupon for a product that he/she has NOT purchased or otherwise fails to satisfy the terms and conditions for redemption

If you ever hear someone say Coupon Fraud, this is typically what they mean. Someone has used a coupon in a way that is not consistent with the written restrictions on the coupon.

Here are a few real world examples I’ve seen over the years

A Softsoap coupon that is only to be use on 8oz bottles or larger being used on a 7.5oz bottle.
A coupon for a FREE Tena product that says “Up to $5 with no overage” being used on a $3 Tena product with the overage given back in cash to the coupon user
A coupon for a specific type of Gold Bond Lotion used an a different, trial size sample of Gold Bond Lotion with the overage given back in cash.
A customer going through the self-serve check out lane and not depositing their coupons in the machine after they check out or scanning the same coupon multiple times. (FYI: Going through self checkout with a lot of coupons is a big red flag to loss prevention. Be assured they are watching you when you do that.)

How to spot a bad coupon

You may on occasion get your hands on a fraudulent or counterfeit coupon. Here are a few things you can look at to tell if it is an invalid coupon.

Look for long expiration dates – Most counterfeit coupons will have expiration dates over a year into the future.

Look for fuzzy barcodes – Most retailers will no longer accept coupons that will not scan so if your barcode is unclear, you probably won’t be able to use it anyway.

Absence of clear instructions – Valid coupons will have a remit address and clear instructions for what the retailer is to do with that coupon after they take it from you. If you have a coupon without this text, it is probably not a good coupon

You can also find a list of current counterfeit coupons here.

It should also be noted that if you got a bad coupon, chances are you bought it off the internet. Avoid doing that by just buying your local paper and getting the coupons from there or printing valid coupons yourself on your home printer.

Are their Consequences to committing coupon fraud?

So we need to be clear here. If you unintentionally misuse a coupon at your local Walmart, nothing is going to happen to you. Walmart will not ban you, (unless you do something else stupid in the store, like whip out your phone and start recording associates) the police will not hunt you down, you will not be going to jail. Don’t believe the crazy people on the internet, they probably aren’t lawyers.

However, if you are committing large-scale fraud like the counterfeiters above, you will absolutely get into some real trouble. In fact just a few Google searches will bring up a treasure trove of criminals, here are just a few.

And trust me, you could find more if you spend a few minutes looking.

Over the years I have spoken to many couponers who don’t feel like using coupons incorrectly is any big deal. The crazy thing is they are probably good law-abiding people in every other aspect of their lives but for some reason, they just don’t see misusing coupons as something morally wrong or illegal. They would never dream of stealing from their neighbors but there is just something about the fact that they are taking from a big corporation like Walmart that justifies it in their minds. I don’t know how anyone could make that moral leap as intentionally misusing a coupon is absolutely coupon fraud.. There have been many changes to coupon policies in the last few years as a direct result from couponers misusing coupons and every one of those changes has made life more difficult for couponers, you can read about a few of those changes here.

Coupon fraud is actually very easy to avoid. Just use your coupons correctly and pay attention to any restrictions. That’s it! It’s not brain surgery. Happy couponing!

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Will Walmart Ad Match Drug Stores?

April 9, 2015 by Aarn Farmer 1 Comment

Ask a Walmart Expert: Will Walmart Ad Match Drug Stores?

A few weeks ago, Walmart announced it would no longer automatically ad match local drug stores with its Savings Catcher app. This has apparently led to some confusion and people are saying Walmart no longer ad matches drug stores at all. This isn’t true.

The Policy is Still the Same

The Walmart Ad Matching policy still includes the line “We will match any local competitor’s advertised price.” This means that if a drug store near you has something on sale for cheaper than the Walmart price, Walmart will ad match it. (They will not match the price after a coupon, RR or ECB.)

You Will Have to Ad Match Manually

All this means is you will now have to ad match those items manually, at the register with the cashier. You can’t just zap your receipt and trust Savings Catcher to handle it. If you are not sure how to ad match, here is a quick explanation or you can take our FREE Online Couponing Class.

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Ask a Walmart Expert: What Stores are Kroger Affiliates?

April 8, 2015 by Aarn Farmer 1 Comment

Every week I make my Kroger Price Match list but not everyone knows what stores in their area are actually Safeway affiliates. You can find an updated list here but these are the current Kroger affiliate stores.

Combination Food & Drug Stores

Baker’s Supermarkets (Omaha, Nebraska)
City Market (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico)
Dillons Food Stores (Kansas, Missouri)
Fry’s Food & Drug (Arizona)
Gerbes Super Markets (central Missouri)
Harris Teeter (North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia)
Jay C (southern Indiana)
King Soopers (Colorado, Wyoming)
Kroger (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia)
Owen’s (northeastern Indiana)
Pay Less Super Markets (central Indiana)
QFC (Oregon, Washington)
Ralphs (Southern California)
Scott’s (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Smith’s (Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming)

Multi Department Stores

Fred Meyer (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)

Price Impact Stores

Food 4 Less (Southern California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Chicago, Illinois; NW Indiana) (Food 4 Less stores elsewhere are owned by other companies)
Foods Co. (Northern California)
Ruler Foods (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky)

Marketplace Stores

So if you have any of these stores around you, the Kroger Price Match list should work fine for you!

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Ask a Walmart Expert: What Stores are Safeway Affiliates?

April 7, 2015 by Aarn Farmer 9 Comments

Every week I make my Safeway Price Match list but not everyone knows what stores in their area are actually Safeway affiliates. You can find an updated list here but these are the current Safeway affiliate stores.

Carrs-Safeway (Alaska)
Pak’n Save (California)
Pavilions (California)
Randalls (Texas)
Safeway (Alaska, Arizona, Northern California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming)
Tom Thumb (Texas)
Vons (Southern California and Nevada)

So if you have any of these stores around you, the Safeway Price Match list should work fine for you!

It should also be noted that as of January 30th, 2015, Safeway and Albertson’s merged. As of right now, they have separate and distinct sales ads so for our ad matching purposes, they are still separate companies but that could change any time. I’ll let you know if it ever starts looking like they are going to run the same ad across both chains. Thanks to reader Elizabeth Reusch for reminding me to include this note.

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How to Transfer Money From Savings Catcher to Bluebird

March 7, 2015 by Aarn Farmer 15 Comments

How to Transfer Money From Savings Catcher to Bluebird

February 28th has passed and we can no longer double our Savings Catcher money by transferring them to Bluebird. Bummer! But, what wasn’t expected is the button to transfer money to Bluebird was totally gone.

Unfortunately, this is no longer an option, at all.

Well, guess what. We can! Now, the money won’t double but if you would like to continue to transfer your Savings Catcher rebates to your Bluebird card, there is a way. All you have to do is go to the website savingscatcher.walmart.com, not the smartphone app.

~~After you log in, you will see this option about halfway down the page.~~

~~Either click the “Redeem to Bluebird” button or you may need to edit your redemption method if you’ve never transferred to Bluebird before.~~

Why would someone make these transfers even though they won’t double anymore? Because it is still easier to pay with a credit card at the register than to print out your eGiftcard or bring it up on your phone for the cashier to scan.

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Does Walmart Accept Expired Coupons?

January 12, 2015 by Aarn Farmer 7 Comments

Does Walmart Accept Expired Coupons?

Short Answer: No, but only if the register reads it as expired.

Since the advent of the new double GS1 barcodes on coupons last year, the expiration dates of coupons can now be embedded within the barcode. This means that every coupon that is scanned gets its expiration date checked and if the date has passed, the register will beep and refuse the coupon.

However, every couponer will tell you that there have been times that they have used an expired coupon (accidentally or otherwise) and the register didn’t beep. What is going on? What you are seeing when that happens is the fact that some coupon manufacturers will put a little “grace period” into the expiration date. So if a coupon says it expires 2/28/15 on the text of the coupon, the date programmed into the barcode might be 3/31/15 so you have a little extra time to use it. Unfortunately, the only way you as a consumer can know that is if you happen to have access to a coupon barcode reader like QSeer.

Let’s take a look at how a properly encoded coupon look. First up, here is the coupon..

Run of the mill Gevalia Kaffe coupon, let’s zoom in on the expiration date.

And here is what we see when we scan the coupon with a coupon barcode scanner.

As you can see, this coupon has the expiration date of 2/22/15 programmed into the barcode. If you attempted to use this coupon on 2/23/15, it would beep and the cashier would refuse it. (Also notice that this coupon has a start date encoded as well, so you couldn’t use it before 1/7/15)

Now let’s look at a different coupon.

Again, just a run of the mill Campbell’s soup coupon.

As you can see, the expiration date printed on the coupon is 3/31/15 but look what comes up when you scan it.

As you can see, no expiration date is encoded into the coupon. This means that theoretically you could use this coupon 5 years from now and it will never cause the register to beep. That’s why sometimes the register will take an expired coupon and sometimes it won’t.

As far as I know, no store has “we will take expired coupons” written into their coupon policy. It’s more like, if the register accepts it, we will accept it. The only place I know of that will take expired coupons as a matter of policy are overseas military commissaries.

One other thing to keep in mind is that if a coupon is used more than a few months after the expiration date, the store will likely not be reimbursed so be careful and check your dates.

Also, no one should take anything in this post as me saying you should use expired coupons. Everyone should still take the printed expiration dates on the coupons as gospel. I just want you to understand why it seems like stores will sometimes take an expired coupon and why sometimes they won’t.

One other thing, everything in this post is valid for any store, not just Walmart. Will Target take expired coupons? The answer is the same as above. How about Kroger, or Safeway, or CVS? Same, same, same.

Hope that helps!

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Does Walmart Accept Competitor’s Coupons?

October 20, 2014 by Aarn Farmer 1 Comment

Does Walmart Take Competitors Coupons?

Short Answer: Only if a final price is listed

So this is one of the more common questions that gets asked, especially in our FaceBook room for Walmart Couponing and Ad Matching. And although we’ve handled it for Target coupons here and Walgreen’s and CVS here, I thought since the Walmart just updated their couponing policies, now is a good time to go over it all again.

Competitor’s Coupons Walmart WILL Accept

So first let’s look at the Walmart Coupon Policy to see the types of Competitors Coupons that Walmart WILL accept.

Walmart will accept these types of Competitors’ coupons

A specific item for a specified price, for example, $2.99
Buy one get one free (BOGO) coupons for items with a specified price
Have a valid expiration date
Are acceptable in black & white or color
May not be duplicated

The most important thing to note here is that there MUST BE A CLEAR FINAL PRICE. That’s what this whole thing boils down to because Walmart is going to price match the product, not really take it as a coupon. So let’s look at a few examples.

Here is an example of a Competitor’s Coupon that Walmart WILL accept because there is a final price listed. If you present this coupon to Walmart, they will just price match it by adjusting the cost of gum or mints down to $.69.

Here is an example of a BOGO coupon they will take. (I know technically this is a B2G1 but the same idea holds) They will price match the 2 toys to $6.99 and give you the third one for for free OR they will match all 3 toys to $4.66, depending on the cashier. Either way, you will get them for the price listed.

Competitor’s Coupons Walmart WILL NOT Accept

Here is the wording in the Walmart Coupon Policy

Walmart Will Not Accept These Types of Competitors’ coupons

Dollars/cents off at a specific retailer
Percentage off
Buy one, get one free (BOGO) coupons without a specified price
Double- or triple-value coupons

Here are a few examples to make it clearer.

This is a store coupon that does not have a final price listed. Because it is just for $.50 off and we don’t know how much the Mac & Cheese was to begin with, Walmart will not take it.

Here is an example of a BOGO deal that cannot be price matched at Walmart because there is no final price listed.

Here is a tricky one. The Ad lists a final price of $1.99 after a coupon has been removed. Walmart will NOT match the price after the coupon because you will need to have the coupon to get that price. They will, however, match the price of $2.49 if that happens to be lower than what Walmart is selling those bags of candy for.

This same idea also holds true for prices listed after a competitor’s giftcard, RR or ECB has been taken off a price and you can find more information on that here.

I hope that helps!

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Will Walmart Ad Match BOGO Deals?

September 15, 2014 by Aarn Farmer 4 Comments

UPDATE: Since this post was written, Walmart has changed the price match policy in Florida to make it the same as in the rest of the United States. You can disregard the information concerning Florida as the top part of the post now applies to all 50 states.

Will Walmart Price Match BOGO Deals?

This question is a little tricky to answer because there is one state in the union where the rules are different. Walmart has a completely different set of BOGO rules for the great state of Florida so let’s look at the other 49 states first.

Walmart BOGO Ad Match Rules for Most of the United States

The main thing you need to know is that as long as the Walmart cashier can figure out a FINAL PRICE on something, they will ad match it. Here’s the wording in the Walmart Ad Match policy online.

We gladly match the price in the following types of ads:*

Buy one, get one FREE ads with a specified price
- Example: Buy one for $2.49, get one FREE (BOGO)

So as long as the price of the item you are buying is listed, they will gladly match it.

Here’s the type of BOGO they WON”T match

We do not match the price in the following types of competitor ads:

Buy one, get one FREE (BOGO) ads with no actual price given

So if the ad just says BOGO and there are no prices given, you are out of luck. Walmart needs to know what you would pay walking out the door at the other store for that item.

Here are 2 real world examples of BOGO deals

So this isn’t the best example because it’s B2G1 but the idea is the same. Because a final price is listed, if Walmart carried any of these products, you could get 3 and pay $13.98.

Here’s an example of a BOGO deal you CANNOT ad match. There is no final price listed so Walmart doesn’t know what to do with the price. Even if you go to CVS and take a pic of this product on the shelf with the tag and try to show it to them, they won’t PM it because it has to be in the ad.

Remember that this principle holds true for any variation of the sale. So if an ad is BOGO, B2G1, B3G1, Buy 2 and get a third for a penny, Buy 1 Get a 2nd half-off, whatever, as long as there is a final price printed in the ad, Walmart will ad match it. No final price, no ad match, ever.

And just to be clear, when I say “final price” I mean the price BEFORE any coupons, RR’s, ECB’s or other discounts are removed. Here is more info on that if you need it.

Walmart Ad Matching Policy in Florida

So Florida has it’s own set of rules concerning ad matching BOGOs. In that state, Walmart is out to get Publix and Winn-Dixie so they will allow you to ad match BOGOs, even if no final price is listed and they will do it at Walmart’s prices.

So if Publix puts Bumble Bee Tuna on sale for BOGO, Walmart will allow you to get 2 cans for what ever the price of a single can is at Walmart. The only catch is there is a limit of two PM’s (4 items) per deal.

If you would like to see how this store policy evolved over time, you can read my article here.

You can see more of the Resources I have for Couponers here.

I hope that clears up any confusion but if you have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

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Ask a Walmart Expert: How Many Stores Will Walmart Savings Catcher Ad Match?

August 18, 2014 by Aarn Farmer 1 Comment

How many stores will Walmart Savings Catcher compare your receipt to? A TON!

UPDATE: As of February 14th, Savings Catcher will no longer catch deals from drug stores or on produce or bakery items. You can read more here.

I uploaded my receipt to Savings Catcher tonight and saw a new feature that absolutely blew my mind. Once you scan your receipt with the Walmart app, Walmart Savings Catcher tells you how many stores it is going to compare.

It told me it was Ad Matching and incredible 134 stores in my area! Not only that, it also started showing me the actual stores it was looking at and it was all over the map. There were stores from as far away as about 40 miles included on the list!

Not only that, I was astonished at the stores on the list. The stores you would expect were there like all the grocery stores, dollar stores, and pharmacies but there were also stores I totally didn’t expect like Best Buy and Radio Shack.

That means that Walmart Savings Catcher will match a huge array of stores from all over your area and will even catch things like electronics and more. Long story short, make sure you are loading EVERY SINGLE WALMART RECEIPT you get into Savings Catcher because you have no idea what it will catch!

Click here to read more about the Walmart Savings Catcher

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Can You Use a BOGO Coupon and A Dollar Off Coupon at the Same Time at Walmart?

April 17, 2014 by Aarn Farmer 3 Comments

Can You Use a BOGO Coupon and A Dollar Off Coupon at the Same Time at Walmart?

This is a question I get quite often. The thinking goes like this: If you use a BOGO coupon on a product, you should be able to use a dollar or cents off coupon that will take money off the product you are buying at full price.

That sounds perfectly reasonable and logical and that is in fact how those coupons can be used at almost every other retailer on the Earth. You walk into a Kroger or CVS with a BOGO and $ off and everything is copacetic.

Not at Walmart

For whatever reason, when you use a BOGO coupon at Walmart, the software at the register attaches the BOGO to BOTH items. This makes it impossible to use an additional coupon on either product.

But There Was Hope!

We did have one glimmer of hope though. Walmart updated their register software a few weeks ago that changed how it handled certain coupons. For instance, now when you scan a coupon for a FREE product, instead of the cashier having to manually type in the price of the item, the software would find the product that coupon was far and automatically enter the amount off that would make it FREE. Pretty awesome when you have a couple coupons like that as it really speeds things up. (If you do that, be sure to remind the cashier that they still need to write the amount down on the actual coupon)

Reports started coming in that you could now use a BOGO and a $$ off coupon at the same time. Anytime reports like this come in, I’m always a little skeptical. I’m in enough FaceBook rooms to realize that there are a lot of couponers out there that have no idea what they are doing. Anyway, here’s what happened.

So it looks like nothing has changed. The registers still beep when you use both coupons together. Oh well!

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Ask a Walmart Expert: Does Walmart Price Match Tires?

March 20, 2014 by Aarn Farmer Leave a Comment

Does Walmart Price Match Tires?

Short Answer? Yes

This is pretty straight forward. If someone is advertising in a printed ad a tire or set of tires that is EXACTLY the same as what Walmart sells for a lower price, you can price match it. This means that when it’s time to replace your tires, start grabbing ads from Sears, Discount Tire, NTB and more and take a look. You might save big!

One thing to keep an eye out for is sometimes Walmart will adjust the model number of a tire to keep it from being an exact match, usually by adding a “wm” on the end of the model number. If that’s what your Walmart has, you will not be able to match anything because it will not be an exact match.

What if it’s an online, TV or radio ad that you want to price match?

Well, this is a little trickier. Walmart is under no obligation to honor those prices but you can ask. I have heard of cases where they did it as a customer service but this is definitely a case of “your mileage may vary”.

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Ask a Walmart Expert: What Stores Will Walmart Price Match?

March 17, 2014 by Aarn Farmer Leave a Comment

What Stores Will Walmart Price Match?

Sometimes I get asked a question so basic that I am a little surprised I haven’t actually covered it. This post should have happened a long time ago.

Walmart will ad match any local competitor.

That’s pretty much it. If there is a store around your Walmart that sells a product that Walmart carries and it’s in a written ad for less than what Walmart is selling it for, you can ad match it. There is no set mile limit to what makes “local” competitor but a good rule of thumb is within an hour’s drive. (More about that here.)

Occasionally you guys write to me telling me about a store manager that refuses an ad match. Sometimes they say that a certain store isn’t a “competitor”. Like Walmart doesn’t consider CVS or Walgreen’s a competitor or something. If that happens to you, call 800-WALMART and pitch a fit.

Sometimes they will say a store isn’t “local”. This is a little harder to fight against because the rules are so vague but it still wouldn’t hurt to try to fight.

Hope that helps! Don’t forget about the Walmart Savings Catcher program also if you are lucky enough to live in one of the Beta test areas.

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Ask a Walmart Expert: How Can You Tell If a Deal is a Good Deal?

March 13, 2014 by Aarn Farmer 1 Comment

How Can You Tell If a Deal is a Good Deal?

I had a reader ask me this question a few days ago and it really put me back on my heels. I mean I know when a deal is good because I have been couponing for years. It’s just a skill you pick up over time. I know to never pay for toiletries, to wait until pasta sauce is around $.50 a jar, to look for dang-near free tuna, etc. But what about the newbies? You are standing in a Walmart, coupons in hand, ready to price match, but you still aren’t sure. If only there was some quick and dirty way to know if it was a good deal.

Compare it to the Store Brand item

Here’s what you do. Look for the store brand item comparable to what you are looking to buy. (At Walmart the store brand is usually “Great Value”) Compare your post-coupon, post-price match price to the store brand price.

Is the Store Brand less? Bad deal. Put your coupons away and wait for a better price match opportunity. If you need it now, buy the store brand.

Is the Store Brand the same? Don’t stock up but buy a few items to get you through until the next sale.

Is the Store Brand a little more? Still not a real good deal. Buy a few but don’t stock up.

Is the Store Brand a LOT more? Now you’ve got yourself a deal. Buy as many as you can and stock up.

Hope that helps!

To get all the best deals, steals, and FREE Printable Coupons for Walmart, follow me on FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, RSS, or email.