Store flyers and coupons

[fishandchips]

Paid papers and magazines, free papers and admail all can come to one's door or into the home.
After looking through the papers quickly or more leisurely, I see what offers exist, if there are services or products that might interest me, new items worth considering and coupons! I clip things of interest and file any coupons (ones I need or ones I know others may want) or ads (yes, paper ads might have a value at the store or for information purposes--important if store is new and not listed in the phone book). Then I recycle the leftover papers.

How else can that paper be used? Think useful purposes, idea boards, crafts and absorbent applications.

Store flyers made of newsprint-great for outdoor area paint jobs to catch paint drips or oily fluid drips, paper hats or inverted "basket" for those random berries or little objects that are too hard to keep in ones hands, quick way to collect water on floor after a rain or spill indoors (layer some sheets over the wet spots), can roll papers into logs for starting wood fires, bundle flyers into a binder for pricematching grocery specials that week at your preferred grocery store, teaching kids or neighbours about comparing prices for items shown in the different grocery flyers, and crumple paper to fill up spaces in shipping boxes used for shipping or wrap breakable glass and dishes in paper to minimize movement in a box.

Store flyers on glossy paper-clip words for scrapbook or craft use, trim photos or ads that you can paste onto a sheet of paper of ideas so that you can take the sheet and post in a visible area or bring to a store as a shopping list, recipes can be removed and pages punched to fit a three-ring binder or inserted into page holders.

Coupons--there are people who for financial reasons need to make their money go farther to feed themselves and others. And there are people who love the pursuit of lower prices goods or free products to add some zest to their shopping trips for themselves or for items they will donate. Coupons clipped from flyers, magazines, papers or computer printouts (have to usually register for email newsletters or most grocery stores have coupon policies but no longer had boards for shoppers to post any extra coupons nor boxes for shoppers to drop unwanted coupons and pick up others).

I'll try something new with a coupon sometimes. If I like the product, then I will be ready to buy again without a coupon. But a sale reduction combined with a coupon really motivates me to try a new item! Or samples!

[CielOnTap]

Fall merchandise emails are coming into the inbox and the odd contest or sale news as well. Coupons have not been prolific this summer.

I will look at flyers--sometimes a deal aligns up with a need and opportunity makes the deal that much better!

[CielOnTap]

I did the dash to three stores of one chain that had a product on sale and for which I had a high value coupon. Found the item at third store. Yes, paid full retail value for refill but I did not like the provided product in the package anyway (it will be kept for backup use). Adrenaline rush...woohoo!

Coupon is set to expire at the end of the month so I was keen to use that coupon. Used a second coupon for another item also on sale. Grateful that I had a list in hand and knew where I was going to go without encountering crowds in the stores or checkout lanes.

I'm checking the back to school sales flyers for a specific pen brand, so I can get a package should it be on special. Already bought some lined binder paper and erasers. Items are always useful for brainstorming ideas or sketching pictures. I used to spend $20-30 without hesitating when high school and college terms were coming up. But with no recent night school courses (no budget for them) though a need for paper for notetaking at volunteer function remains, I wait for sales to obtain the most-needed items.

Back to school sales are also ideal for getting new clothing basics-discounts or buy one get second one at ---% off come into circulation. Do check the cotton quality--much cotton now is very thin or coarse unless you are willing to pay for better quality. I still don't know how some inexpensive clothing stores stay in business with the skimpy gear they sell.

[CielOnTap]

It's useful to bring your own copy of the store flyer or get own at the store entrance if there is a particular special price promotion or product you want to get. Always read the fine print in the flyer (usually it will be by the relevant product but most times the disclaimers, exclusions and whether a raincheck can be obtained are printed on the last page). Flyers with coupons or special cards for a special limited time offer or sales event tend to move quickly, so always check your newspaper inserts throughly in case you see an offer that might interest you. Some cashiers do keep flyers at their tills but since most cashiers are PT, they may not have memorized the specials. So having your flyer handy could help when a price check is called or the cashier can just use the flyer to adjust the price.

In grocery stores in Canada, sometimes a product special does not have a display price sign nor shelf price. That can be an issue if the product scans at the checkout at a higher price than listed in the flyer for that week. If there is a sign on the sales floor showing a price lower than what the scanned price shows, the shopper can ask for the SCOP policy to apply, if that store is known to be a participant in SCOP (through the Retail Council of Canada).

[smitty]

In my area of the Okanagan Valley there are not specials to my mind. True they do have some of the original plastic bags, but I basically have three of the cloth like bags at the bottom part of the wagon I am wheeling around & in the case of my own 11 Litre of water to my one Litre I will say "I will take the milk as is" & then only have the cloth like bags I have offered.

At the start if I only had two of the cloth bags & was up to $80.00 or more in productrs the shop would hand me a free mag to some cases I would buy an extra at the start so always when down with my SUV I just look in the back & haul out three of the cloth like bags.

[CielOnTap]

That's a good move to have bags stowed in the car for those grocery trips. It becomes a habit to return the empty bags to the car after unpacking the groceries.

Not all store plastic bags are sturdy-the 5 cent variety we have to buy in Ontario is now mostly that crinkly one sharp corner will cause it to split type (and bags tend to be short not long). The so-called plastic store totes--the clothlike feel of the Loblaws bag is ok but other stores have a laminated type tote that is not meant for heavy things, only bulky light ones.

Personally, when I can use a vehicle to do a shopping trip for a big bag of flour or a couple cases of soda and other groceries, I feel that I got more done than if I had to walk and carry everything myself or in a metal grocery cart (bundle buggy).

The Loblaws stores give customers a 5 cent refund on the grocery bill for every bag they bring for bagging. Just remember to clip off all interior tags or the scanner might charge you again for a bag you paid for earlier.

[CielOnTap]

Sometimes a demonstrator doing a food sampling has a stack of product coupons too, so look for coupons that way if you are really impressed with the new food item.

Those store flyers are worth leafing through-manufacturer contests and rebates are sometimes promoted within and they could help you "impulse buy" the featured items.

Sometimes you can only get coupons/deals if you like a company through its social media pages.

[CielOnTap]

A running list (no, it's not a piece of paper with legs but rather a shopping list to which you add items as they are used up--the list is posted in a spot that is easy to access for writing) helps to keep shopping night or day current. If the list is handily held by a magnet on a fridge or freezer door, it is easy to remember to add "milk" to the list when you take out the carton with the last glass of milk in it.

Coupons can be kept in an envelope, a binder or a plastic sleeve--sometimes it's easier to pull out coupons after reviewing flyer deals or before a shopping trip--you put coupons for items you are certain you will buy plus other coupons for items you'd like to get if the stock exists (especially on really great grocery deals).

About store prices-they are always worth comparing. I saw a shampoo that has been showing up as a sale item in the $2.49-2.99 range this summer, depending on which store flyer and week I was reviewing. The regular size shampoo was offered at $4.99 or $4.49 (when you buy 2 or more) along with a points offer at a well-known pharmacy chain. Hmmm, if money is tight, I'd search for the store with the better price. If money was not tight but I had no time to comparison shop, the points offer MIGHT entice me to buy the product to get those extra points for the loyalty card.

[fishandchips]

Long weekend's here (Labour Day in Ontario) and that means that the "deals" can sell out fast! I managed to get a pop special today at a chain store. Usually the store has specials for Sunday & Monday but this weekend the specials were Saturday only. Expect to see surprised customers paying the "rest of the week" price tomorrow.

I was in a gas station shop and noticed that personal care items for rather high prices can be had. Guess that drivers can forget a needed item on their ways out of town and will pay the premiums to get the item(s).

[CielOnTap]

Popular food chain has its autumn game back in Canada and yes, people are excited! Of course, only certain meal items have the game pieces...

Metro grocery store did advertise the Brita water filter bottle a week in its flyer so that could be a good item to have with you on bus or car trips if you feel that the local tap water could use some filtering. Wonder how it would improve the taste of a certain municipality's water--I always find its taste to impact the taste of Sprite soda dispensed in fast food places.