Coupons 101

We have all seen coupons in some form or fashion over the years, but coupons have started to come in many more forms in the last few years.

When I think of a coupon I typically think of the traditional coupon which I find in the newspaper, or is sent in the mail by a manufacturer.

Do not print this coupon it is for demonstration purposes only and is NOT valid!

(Thanks to BlueDogBakery.com for this image)

However, coupons come in many forms and can be tangible or just codes. Here are a few types of coupons you will likely see;

• manufacturer coupon- typically by a brand for a specific product, coupon will say manufacturer coupon
• retailer or store coupon- a coupon offered by a store for specific item or amount off a product(s)
• peelie coupons- a coupon that is stuck to a product like a sticker to try to get you to buy item right then
• printable coupons- coupons that are online that you can print out and redeem at a store for a specific item, typically a manufacturer coupon. (I will post websites I use for these at the end)
• catalina coupons- coupons that print from the register after your purchase, usually based on your purchase.
• electronic coupons- coupons that can be loaded onto your loyalty card (i.e. Kroger card, cvs card etc.) from the Internet.
• loyalty cards (Kroger plus card, cvs card)- discounts that are typically automatically deducted from the price of an item if you buy the allotted amount.
• mailers- coupons sent you via snail mail for a specific product.
• online coupons/promotional code- usually a code (series of letters and/or numbers) that you would enter upon checkout of an online purchase.

The definition of a coupon according to wikipedia is a "ticket or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product."

Coupons are typically used by a company and/or retailer to try to entice you to purchase a specific product. The coupon by itself is not always a good deal, as the coupon alone usually specifies a specific brand/size/amount that you have to purchase to get the discount allotted. The savings come when you learn to look for sales and stack those coupons to get even better deals.

How a coupon works.

We are going to use the coupon I posted at the top again to understand how to look at coupons.

The most important thing about a coupon is understanding what that coupon is saying. There are 5 main things that I look for when looking at a coupon;

1. Whether the coupon is a manufacturers coupon or a store coupon, you can see that this one is a manufacturers coupon. (You will want to know this based on your stores coupon policy, I know I can stack a store AND manufacturers coupon for even more savings.)
2. When the coupon expires, I look for this so that I know how much time I have to find a good deal. (From what I have seen so far, most coupons will be good for about a month)
3. What the coupon actually is for, and how many items I have to purchase to obtain the discount. This coupon is for $1.00 off of 1 (or $1/1) bag of dog treats.
4. I also look for a minimum size on the purchase, I am learning, that I can get somethings for free, because of the no size exclusions. (I get trial sizes of deodorant/laundry detergent for free because most do not excluded trial/travel sizes)
5. In the middle there are usually guidelines on how to use the coupon, whether you can pair (stack) it with another coupon or not. It will also say how many coupons can be used per transaction (total purchase) or purchase (one item).

***I want to remind you all that I am still learning and am not trying to give you incorrect information. To the best of my knowledge, I am giving you correct and authentic information. Once again, make sure that you do your own research, and check with your stores on their policies!***

This next part we are going to go through how the coupons actually work. I want to to give credit for this to Hip2save and AccuGraphix both for content and graphics. We will be using this bar code for the next explanation (this has probably been the most important info I have used)

UCC prefix (NSC) - This number will always be a 5 or a 9. These numbers have to do with doubling if you store will allow.

EAN UCC prefix- These numbers tell the register what type of coupon it is. (whether this is a peelie or an insert coupon, although I have not looked at this)

UCC Company prefix (EAN UCC company prefix)- positions 2-6 (3-8) this group of numbers identify the manufacturer (brand), these must match the product you are purchasing and is how the computer validates your coupon.

Family code- The next 3 numbers are the family code. For example, I'm going to give you two different groups of numbers, from two different coupons. Both for Pampers products, but one for wipes and one for diapers

ucc prefix UCC company code Family code value code (we haven't gone over yet)

wipes

5 37000 462 50

diapers box

5 37000 481 82

As you can see Prefix code is 5 both could be doubled, if your store allows

UCC Company Code is the same both are PAMPERS brand

family code is different, this shows what the exact product is that can be purchased.

Value Code- The last two numbers in the group are the value of the coupon, what you need to purchase to get said amount. These numbers do not necessarily tell you the exact amount off, as they are a code and there are more than 100 codes for a full list of the values go here or here.

Check Digit- This is the very last number, and is somehow calculated by the rest of the digits in the bar code system. It will change but I do not really understand the purpose of this number!

I highly recommend you visit Hip2Save Be A Confident Shopper post and her coupon newbies info. (She is one of my favorite bloggers and I use Collin's help A LOT!!!!! She is very funny and realistic) as well as AccuGraphiX "The Bar code people" which is where I got a lot of my information.

Please remember, that I am still learning and I am to the best of my knowledge giving you correct information, to aid in your ability to get the most out of your couponing. Please check with your store(s) to get their policy. Just because you can ring up a coupon, does not mean that you should! Make sure to do your research!

Thanks again to Hip2Save, Accugraphix, and bluedogbakery for your help!