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Archive for the ‘Catalinas’ Category
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Catalinas coupons are one of my favorite topics because of their awesome savings potential. I’m often asked how to find catalina deals, and although there are multiple sources of information, this special type of checkout coupon is a recent innovation and as such, information can be thin on the ground at times. As I wrote in “Catalinas 101: What To Do If Your Coupon Doesn’t Print”, even the stores in which these offers print do not have the full details on their own catalina offers – most of the time, the only way you can get accurate information about catalina deals is to contact Catalina Marketing directly.
Well, it looks like Catalina Marketing may be taking the first step towards making their offers less confusing and more accessible to the general public. I read an article on Money Saving Mom this afternoon about a new website which they have launched, called CouponNetwork.com, where users can register to print coupons as well as access information about catalina offers (Or as they refer to them, “Buy & Save Offers”). Now, since this is a brand new website, information is very sparse: It only lists one catalina offer for my local store, so this isn’t a complete database by any stretch of the imagination. Also, I think this could be very confusing to most consumers, since you actually have to print the “Buy & Save Offer” in order to read the details of it – making it appear like a printable coupon, when in fact you’re just printing the information on how to earn a coupon. I think it would be a good idea to provide the details on the website without requiring the user to print it off just to read what the offer terms are. However, this is a brand new website and I’m sure they’ll continue to update it and make improvements – and I think it’s definitely worth bookmarking, as it has the potential to become a valuable resource for information in the future.
New to this website and wondering what on earth a “Catalina” is? Read my articles “Catalinas 101”, “How To Find Catalina Deals”, and “What To Do If Your Coupon Doesn’t Print” for more information!
Posted in Articles, Catalinas | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Back in April, my fiance went on his very first coupon shopping trip, with impressive results: he snagged 20 free Lunchables plus $18 in catalinas. But it gets even better!
You see, I thought it was unusual that it printed out an odd number of catalinas. There’s different types of catalinas, and in my experience, this type usually generates one catalina per item purchased. Since he purchased 20 Lunchables and received 18 catalinas, I had a hunch that perhaps two more should have printed; so I emailed Catalina Marketing to inquire, and sure enough, I was right! I just received this envelope in the mail, containing $2 in catalinas.
Also, I wanted to update you on the Charmin/Bounty deal from way back in March. I had been told that a representative from Catalina Marketing would call me back the next day, but I never heard back and did not receive anything in the mail; so I sent them a follow-up email to find out what was up. The representative who wrote me back did confirm that the deal ended on March 2nd. I let them know that the item was still tagged in the store on March 3rd, when I made my purchase, and they told me to take it up with Safeway. So at least I finally know what happened!
If you experience issues with a catalina coupon not printing, be sure to check out my post about who to contact.
Posted in Catalinas | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Update #2 – 03/08/10: I have yet to hear back from Catalina Marketing, but I will let you know what they say as soon as I find out.
ETA: There are conflicting reports on the end date of this deal – many sites are reporting that it actually ended on 3/2. So it may be that the catalina didn’t print for me because I was a day late! However, the catalina deal was still tagged in-store directly under the Charmin. Either they hadn’t pulled the tags down yet, or there was indeed a malfunction with the catalina machine. I’ll update you tomorrow!
Total spent: $13.98
View receipt
I read a post on Common Sense With Money this morning that inspired me to make a quick trip to Safeway. There is a deal on Charmin and Bounty that could end up being fantastic – here is an overview of the basic scenario:
Buy 1 Charmin Big Roll 24 pack and 1 Bounty 12 pack priced at $12.99 each
Your club card will deduct $6.00 for buying two
Use a $3/1 Charmin e-coupon and a $3/1 Bounty ecoupon, both available at the P&GeSaver website
Grand total should be $13.98, and you should receive a $10 catalina back for purchasing $25 in P&G products.
My understanding is that the catalina counts the total before club card deductions and coupons, so this should theoretically qualify as a $25 purchase. This purchase will also qualify towards the P&G Year of Savings rebate, and if you use UPromise , they also have Charmin and Bounty incentives available under the “Coupons and deals” tab. UPromise’s “ecoupon” program does not deduct anything from your total at the checkout, but puts the amount into a college savings program when you buy participating items.
This deal runs through today, March 3rd March 2nd?, and is reported as working at Safeway, Randalls, and Dominicks.
That’s the scenario, anyway – the coupons and discounts worked for me, but no catalina printed. I just got off the phone with Catalina Marketing (we were just talking about what to do when your coupon doesn’t print!), who said they are unable to look up my receipt until tomorrow, since I just made the purchase and apparently it isn’t in their system yet. Unfortunately, this means I haven’t been able to confirm the catalina deal for myself yet. I believe it does qualify, because commenters on both Common Sense With Money and Frugal Living NW are reporting that they received catalinas so long as their total before club card discounts and coupons was $25 or higher. So, I am pretty confident that I will get a $10 catalina mailed to me, but I will report back with what they tell me either way.
Posted in Catalinas, Safeway | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
I’ve written about catalinas a few times previously, and I thought this topic was worth its own article. If you’re not sure what a “Catalina coupon” is, check out my articles “Catalinas 101” and “How To Find Catalina Deals”.
 Remember when I bought 6 tubes of Grands! biscuits because of a catalina deal, but my coupon didn’t print? Well, I sent Catalina Marketing an email, and they mailed the coupon to me. I spent $3.54 on the biscuits originally, and now that I’ve belatedly received my $4.00 coupon, I am .46 cents ahead!
Has this ever happened to you? You’ve found out about a great catalina deal, planned out your scenario, and are so excited about your savings – until you go through the checkout line and your coupon doesn’t print. Why does this happen, and what can you do about it?
Why Didn’t My Catalina Print?
Like any other electronic device, catalina machines are subject to malfunction. Modern cash registers are actually a regular PC hooked to a cash drawer – when you see your total being rung up on the screen, it’s taking place on a program running inside of Windows. And we all know that computers don’t always work the way they’re supposed to! But it’s not always a complex technical issue – sometimes, the catalina printer is simply out of paper.
And don’t forget human error: Sometimes, even the most savvy coupon-queen will buy the wrong item or quantity. The UPCs which trigger catalinas are very specific – so when possible, read the fine print and check the offer for exclusions. Do you have the right product, flavor, size? Is the promotion still running? For instance:
 This is the offer terms listed on my Pillsbury catalina. As an example, the Grands biscuits that I purchased were participating, but Toaster Strudels were not.
What Can I Do About It?
So your catalina didn’t print – now what? You have two options for rectifying the matter: Take it up at store level, or contact Catalina Marketing directly. I highly recommend that you take it up with Catalina Marketing, and here’s why. There are countless catalina promotions running at hundreds of stores across the country, and each promotion is tied to a specific list of product UPCs. In order for your local supermarket to be fully versed on the terms of each offer, they would need to have an extensive database listing all current catalina deals with UPCs and promo dates included.
Perhaps some stores do, but as far as I am aware, none in my area have any such list. In my experience, store staff often have no way of knowing which promotions are current; and if they do, they have no way of verifying the terms of the offer. Up until my last trip, I had never even bothered asking at store level about my catalinas. Last time, I decided that I would, just to see if it would be easier. First, I asked the cashier if the machine had paper, because my catalina had not printed and the lights on the machine were blinking in an odd manner. It did indeed have paper, so I then went to customer service and asked if there was something else wrong with the machine. The manager was aware of the Pillsbury deal, but she told me that she did not think the Grands! Jr. biscuits were participating, even though the offer didn’t specify any exclusions; so I told her I would email Catalina Marketing. I did – and they promptly sent me the coupon which should have printed.
Catalina Marketing are the company behind these coupons, and as such, they have quick access to anything you need to know about an offer. Every time I have contacted them, they have quickly determined what I should have received and mailed it to me directly. I have provided their email form and phone numbers at the bottom of this article – simply have your receipt ready when you contact them, and they will research the issue for you.
If it is vital that you receive your catalina during that shopping trip, you could ask a manager to return your items and re-ring them on another register. I’ve never done this, because in my experiences it would have been a big hassle for everyone.
Verifying Catalina Deals
I mentioned above that you should carefully check the terms of a catalina offer whenever possible – but sometimes, it isn’t. Say your sister calls and says, “Hey, I just got a $1.00 catalina for buying 3 Brand X canned vegetables at Safeway!”. So you stop by Safeway later that afternoon and buy 3 Brand X canned vegetables, but no catalina comes out. That’s your queue to email Catalina Marketing and say, “Hey, my sister got this great catalina for buying 3 Brand X canned vegetables, but I didn’t. Why is that?” You could even contact them before your shopping trip and ask for the terms of the offer. “My sister just told me about an offer for Brand X canned vegetables, can you tell me which varieties are participating?”
How to Contact Catalina Marketing
If you experience issues will a catalina not printing, you can click here to email Catalina Marketing or call them at either 1-877-210-1917 or 1-888-8coupon.
Posted in Articles, Catalinas | 7 Comments »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
I headed over to Safeway yesterday to pick up some necessities and get in on some great catalina deals that Money Saving Mom alerted me to. I ended up with $60.83 worth of groceries for $3.81:
If you’re new here and not sure what a “catalina” is, check out my articles “Catalinas 101” and “How To Find Catalina Deals” for a full explanation!
First transaction:
Total spent: $2.00, and got a $2.50 catalina back
Total before coupons: $8.00
View receipt
Got:
2 boxes of Fruit By The Foot
2 boxes of Fruit Roll-Ups
Regularly $2.00 each, I received an automatic $4 discount for purchasing 4 boxes, making them $1.00 each. I then used two $1/2 printable coupons to make my final cost $2.00 – and then I received a catalina back for $2.50 off my next purchase, because I bought four Fruit By The Foot/Fruit Roll-Ups; so I made a .50 cent profit.
Second transaction:
Total spent: .50 cents, and got a $2.50 catalina back
Total before coupons: $8.00
View receipt
Got:
4 boxes of Fruit By The Foot – regularly $2.00 each, I received an automatic $4 discount for purchasing 4 boxes, making them $1.00 each. I then used two .50/2 printable coupons and the $2.50 catalina that I earned during the previous transaction, which brought my final total to .50 cents. I then received another $2.50 catalina back!
Third transaction:
Total spent: $1.00, and got a $2.50 catalina back
Total before coupons: $8.00
View receipt
Got:
4 boxes of Fruit Roll-Ups – regularly $2.00 each, I received an automatic $4 discount for purchasing 4 boxes, making them $1.00 each. I then used one .50/2 printable coupon and my $2.50 catalina earned during the previous transaction, bringing my total to $1.00 – and I received another $2.50 catalina back.
Fourth transaction:
Total spent: Zero, and got a $2.50 catalina back!
Total before coupons: $8.50
View receipt
Got:
1 head of Garlic
4 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks – these are also included in the “Save $4” and catalina deal – regularly $2.00 each, I received an automatic $4 discount for purchasing 4 boxes, making them $1.00 each. I then used two $1/2 printable coupons and my $2.50 catalina from the previous transaction. I added a head of garlic to this transaction, because it was exactly .50 cents and I needed it anyway, which made my final total zero – and I received another $2.50 catalina back!
Fifth transaction:
Total spent: .30 cents, and got a $2.50 catalina back
Total before coupons: $8.00
View receipt
Got:
4 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks – regularly $2.00 each, I received an automatic $4 discount for purchasing 4 boxes, making them $1.00 each. I then used three .40/1 printable coupons – which can be found here and here – and my $2.50 catalina from the previous transaction, bringing my total down to .30 cents. And of course, I received another $2.50 catalina back for purchasing the fruit snacks!
Sixth and final transaction:
Total spent: .01 cent
Total before coupons and bottle return slips: $20.83
View receipt
I had a ton of cans and bottles that I needed to return, so I did that before I went shopping. When you return cans at Safeway, you get a voucher for the amount of your bottle refund which can either be cashed out at the checkstand or used like a coupon towards your shopping trip, which is what I did.
Got:
1 12-pack of bath tissue (double rolls) – price: $5.99
1 2-lb bag of cheese – price: $4.49
2 gallons of milk – on sale for $1.99 when you buy two gallons, final price: $3.98 for both
1 half gallon of chocolate milk – on sale for $1.99, used one printable coupon for one free half gallon of chocolate milk when you buy two gallons of white milk – final price: Free!
2 pints of International Delight coffee creamer – on sale for $2.19, used two free product coupons that Jai and I signed up for during one of their promotions on Facebook last month. The coupons took off $2.49 each, so they were free plus .60 cents overage.
I then used my $11.35 in bottle return vouchers (told you I had a lot of cans to take back!) and my $2.50 catalina from my previous transaction, which brought my final total to .01 cent.
The fruit snack catalina promotion runs through the 24th, so if you shop at Safeway, be sure to stop by this week so that you can get in on the good deal!
Posted in Catalinas, Safeway | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 27th, 2009
I had to run over to the next town for (yet another) visit to the podiatrist today. There is another Safeway near the doctor’s office, so I stopped by after my appointment to see what kind of deals I could get. I did alright, although I goofed up on one of my scenarios.
I got $28.27 worth of groceries for $2.27, and I have one $2 catalina left:
My first transaction:
Total spent: $2.00, and got $8 back in catalinas
Total before coupons: $22.00
View receipt
I was hoping that this Safeway would also have the $1/1 Bertolli blinkie machine, but it was nowhere in sight. I still had 4 blinkies left over from my last trip, so I used those in conjunction with some other items in the promo. I had read on Hot Coupon World that there was a catalina deal on the Aquapods, but I messed it up – I thought that I would spend $1.50 per 8-pack, and get a $2 catalina back for every one purchased. But I was mistaken – the promo actually gives you a $2 catalina for every two 8-packs that you buy. Oh well!
So here’s what I got:
4 pouches of Bertolli pasta sauce – $1.50 each after the “Save $5” promo, used four $1/1 blinkies. Final price: .50 cents each, and I received $4 in catalinas back for the purchase.
1 bottle of Kraft salad dressing – one of the “Save $5 promo” items. This was $1.50 after the promo discount, and I had a $1/1 coupon that another customer had left on the shelf. Final price: .50 cents
5 eight-packs of Aquapod water – on sale for $1.50 after the “Save $5” promo; I received $4 back in catalinas for the purchase.
I then used the $10 in catalinas that I had earned on my last trip, bringing the total down to $2 and receiving $8 back in catalinas. Not the greatest use of my catalinas, since I misunderstood the promo and thought I’d be getting $14 back, but hey, the water will be good for my emergency stockpile.
Once I got back home, I ran over to my local Safeway to see if I could do better. Sadly, the blinkie machine there has been removed! I’ve heard before that these machines get rotated out about once a month, so I’m guessing that they’re changing the marketing around since March is almost over. This would explain why my readers have had such a hard time finding these!
But I still needed a few things, and since it looks like I won’t be able to roll these catalinas, I decided to spend them:
Total spent: .27 cents
Total before coupons: $6.27
View receipt
Got:
2 gallons of milk – milk is normally $2.49 a gallon, but if you buy two gallons at a time, you save $1. We always need milk, so this seemed like a good investment. Final price: $1.99 each.
1 quart of half and half – price: $2.29.
I then used three of the $2 catalinas from the last trip, bringing the total to .27 cents; and I have one $2 catalina left over for next time.
Did anybody else manage to get in on the Bertolli deal before the blinkies disappeared?
Posted in Catalinas, Safeway | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
So a few hours after my 100% savings trip, I checked the Safeway forum on Hot Coupon World, and read about a great catalina deal with Bertolli pasta sauce. I couldn’t wait to check it out, and since I’m only three minutes away from Safeway, I went back again to see what new goodies I could score:
$39.04 worth of groceries for $4.98; but I walked away with $10 in catalinas!
Here’s how I did it – my first transaction looked like this:
Total spent: $4.97 – but I got back $10 in catalinas!
Total before coupons: $20.00
View receipt
I also earned one Power Pump reward during this trip.
Got:
10 Bertolli pasta sauce pouches – on sale for $1.50 each after the “Buy 10, Save $5” promo. There is a coupon machine right next to the Bertolli sauce at my store, containing coupons for $1 off one pouch. So I used ten of these $1/1 coupons, making the final price .50 cents per pouch. And, there’s a catalina deal going on now where you get a $2 catalina back for every two pouches that you buy! For those of you just joining us, “catalina” is a nickname for coupons that print out at the register – and this type are dollar off coupons that can be used towards anything on your next purchase (with narrow exclusions for alcohol and lotto tickets). For more info about catalinas, check out my articles here and here.
So with $10 worth of catalinas in my wallet, I went back for round two:
Total spent: .01 cent – and I got $6 in catalinas back!
Total before coupons: $19.04
View receipt
Got:
7 Bertolli pasta sauce pouches – used seven more $1/1 coupons from the in-store display. Final price: .50 cents each.
2 bags of Fresh Express salad – I needed a few more items to qualify for the “Save $5” promo, and I’ve been enjoying this salad and wanting to pick up more. I used one $1/2 Fresh Express salads coupon that I found in a “blinkie” dispenser at Fred Meyer. After the “Save $5” discount and this coupon, the final price came to .25 cents per bag.
1 can of corn – this was also included in the promo, and I needed one more item to qualify. I like having canned stuff on hand, so this worked just fine! Final price: .75 cents.
1 pint of half and half – it was on my list anyway, and I needed a filler item. Final price: $1.29.
After my .03 cent bag credit, the total came to $6.01. I then paid with one penny cash and the $6 in catalinas that I had just earned – and I got back another $6 worth! So I walked out of the store with all these items plus $10 worth of catalinas to use next time. I plan to keep rolling this deal with the pasta sauce as many times as I can!
Also, for my local readers: someone on Hot Coupon World mentioned that they found the same $1/1 Bertolli coupons at Fred Meyer. So check there as well! This is a fantastic deal, and it’s really easy to do!
Posted in Catalinas, Produce Deals, Safeway | No Comments »
Monday, March 16th, 2009
You might recall that back in January I received several survey invitations at the Safeway checkout, for purchasing South Beach Fiber Fit bars. I was invited to take three different surveys, and was offered a $5 Safeway gift card for each one completed. Well, it only took me a few minutes to do the surveys, and today I received $15 in Safeway gift cards! The best part is that I had coupons for the South Beach bars which made them free – and then I was offered these gift cards on top of that!
I have gotten several survey invitations like this in the past, so keep your eyes peeled whenever you’re handed a catalina. You never know what it could be!
Posted in Catalinas, Gift cards | No Comments »
Monday, November 10th, 2008
Hot Coupon World user Merczilla obtained a copy of the “Home For The Holidays” promotional list from Safeway, and was kind enough to take the time to upload it and share with other couponers. You can check out the post on Hot Coupon World here. The list shows all of the participating products in the deal, and as far as I know, it ought to be the same nationwide. However, if you have any questions about the listed items, just check with your local customer service desk.
So far, I’m not seeing any freebies or even close to freebies. This is a decent deal if you need to stock up on the promo items anyway, especially if you’re running low on baking supplies. But I personally don’t see any deals that I’ll be rushing out for yet; I’m waiting to see what the sale prices look like for next week.
Posted in Catalinas, Safeway | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
I just got my weekly Safeway sales flier in the mail today, and there is a new Safeway-sponsored catalina promotion starting today that runs through 11/30. The ad reads: “Home For The Holidays – Receive Reward Coupons every times you purchase participating products in a single transaction with your club card – look for items with participating tags. Get a $5 Reward coupon when you spend $20 or more. Get a $10 Reward Coupon when you spend $30 or more. Reward Coupons good on future purchases. Qualifying transactions must be participating items purchased in a SINGLE transaction. Limit one Reward Coupon per transaction, per day. Void Where prohibited. Some item exclusions may apply. Offer valid 11/5/2008 through 11/30/2008.”
Check out the ad online by going here and punching in your zip code. The ad shows some of the participating products, which are mostly baking supplies.
The neat thing about these promotions is that you can usually use manufacturers coupons on the participating items to lower the out of pocket cost and sweeten the deal. I’ll see what kind of coupon matchups I can come up with, and I’ll post back with some scenarios.
Posted in Catalinas | No Comments »
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