Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
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Can You Save on Generic Grocery Items? 

Reader question:  Can you get coupons for the generic or store-brand groceries to save even more?   

Great question!  The answer is, it depends on which store you use.  I have seen some coupons for store brand items in the past, but they are rare.  Grocery coupons are generally only available for name brand items.
 

Many shoppers tell me they do not bother with using grocery coupons because the store brand item is cheaper.  Yes, sometimes that is true.  But it is also true that you can buy some name brand items on sale, with a coupon, which may be doubled, and get the item free.  It’s hard to beat that price!  Therefore, shoppers need to be open-minded to all of their savings options—brand name items with coupons and store brand or generic items, preferably on sale.  
 

However, there are other creative ways to save even more money on store brand items.  Here are a few examples:
 

• Some grocery stores have their own store coupons, and they may apply to their own branded items.  For example, Publix stores in the Southeast have a “one cent Mystery Coupon” in their Sunday newspaper ad each week.  Shoppers can get a specific item for only one cent if they purchase a minimum of $10 in groceries and shop on Sunday or Monday.  Frequently, the Mystery Item is a Publix store brand item, such as their own brand of soda, peanut butter, 5 lb. bag of sugar, oatmeal, to name a few recent examples.
  
• Many drugstores have weekly ads that feature coupons for their own store brand items.  For example, Walgreens’ and Eckerd drugstores’ weekly ad has several coupons for their own brands which can save as much as 50% off their already low store brand prices. 
  
  
• Target stores now sell groceries, and their website has printable grocery coupons that change each week at www.target.com. Many of these coupons are for their own store brand items.  For example, this week they featured a $1.00 coupon for a five- pound bag of their brand of apples, a $1.00 coupon for a 12 pack of their own brand of soda, a coupon for $1.50 off their brand of soup in their deli department, and a coupon for 50 cents off their store brand frozen pizza.
  
  
• Some major supermarket chains offer incentive programs to reward shoppers with automatic rebates on their purchase of specific items.  In some cases, they double the reward percentage if the customer purchases their store brand alternative.  For example, the Kroger Company (which owns several brand banners across the country) offers a Baby Club program at many of their stores.  Shoppers register their store’s loyalty card at the customer service counter with the Baby Club program, and their baby-related purchases are tracked automatically.  When the shopper spends a total of $200 in baby purchases (which includes diapers, wipes, food, personal products) they get an automatic credit of $10 on their next grocery purchase (which is a 5% rebate).  However, if the shopper buys Kroger brand baby products, they only have to purchase $100 of products to get the $10 credit (which is a 10% rebate).  If the shopper buys baby products to donate to charity, even if they do not have their own baby, they still qualify to join the Baby Club program to save even more.  Other supermarkets offer similar Baby Club programs, and may mail coupons to your home for store-brand baby items as well.
  
  
• Check with the Customer Service counter at your store to see if they offer a special magazine or flyer with store brand coupons.  Ask them if they offer store brand coupons in any other places.
  
  
• Do not hesitate to take advantage of your store’s quality guarantee on their store brand items.  If you buy a discounted generic item that you end up throwing away because it doesn’t fit the bill, you aren’t saving any money at all.  The good news is that most stores will refund your purchase price if you aren’t satisfied, and some stores (like Kroger) have a “Try it, Like it, or Get the Name Brand Free” guarantee.  Just like it claims, if you bring back the store brand item that didn’t work for you, they will give you the comparable name brand item at no cost.  Be sure to save your grocery receipts for at least a week or two to make it easier to return products if necessary.
  
  
• Finally, you can send an email to the Customer Service contact address on your supermarket’s website.  Be honest, and tell them that you like to buy their store brands and would welcome any coupons for their brand items if they were available.  Be sure to include your address and contact information.  Many stores have “customer relations” coupons available to satisfy these kinds of requests.  

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABC News’ Good Morning America. You can find more of her savings tips in her book  “The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom” and on her website at www.couponmom.com

.  Copyright 2006Ó Stephanie Nelson.