Ralphs, one of the largest supermarket chains in Southern California, is announcing major changes to its reward program this week. They have been teasing customers with advertisements like this:
There is one change, however, that they are not taking out full page ads to promote. Rather, they have buried the announcement in the fine print about something unrelated. And trust me, shoppers won’t be excited by the news.
*MOUSE PRINT:
They are dropping double coupons, a program they instituted over 20 years ago. [For those in parts of the country that don’t have supermarkets that offer double coupons, it works this way. The store will give you twice the face of the coupon when you buy the item, subject to certain limitations.]
Bargain hunters will be very unhappy, not to mention aspiring “extreme couponers”.
On Wednesday, March 28, please visit Consumer World for more details about what Ralphs’ dropping of double coupons could mean for shoppers across the country.
You missed the other 2 terms. My local store did something similar recently. They are ending their points (probably get so many points get money off your groceries) and switching to a ‘fuel’ rewards program. Meaning to get the reward you need to go to a particular set of gas stations. For mine the reward was capped at 25 dollars.
In reality I was getting about 5 dollars for every 5th trip. Now I get about 1-3 bucks off my gas for every 5th trip.
So this could also be a downgrade of how dollars off the program you were getting as well.
Also if you happen use less gas (because of driving conditions or distances) you loose out on the program as well. As you do not fill up as often so you rewards tend more often to expire. With the in store coupons you just made sure you used it the next time you shopped (which for me was at least once a week).
I use to be an avid couponer but no more. Each year less and less since many store brands are significantly cheaper with similar quality. The amounts necessary to purchase continue to escalate and, of course, the cross product purchase often necessary.
Back in the day when almost all our local stores had double coupons you could play the manufacture sales and do well but I just don’t see that.
Where I live we have three supermarkets that we shop at – Hannafords, Market Basket and Trucchi’s and none have those silly azz cards so many markets have. All three are also considerably less expensive than Shaw’s and Stop & Shop.
Gimmicks as these are a great way to attract customers, but unless you’re the only supermarket chain in the area, they have the right to not only downgrade promotions but to completely eliminate it all together. With the state of the economy today, we’re seeing more of this and not just with supermarkets. Ralphs customers should just be lucky that they can still redeem coupons and should stop whining about doing away with double coupons. That practice was common years ago with many major supermarkets that usually set aside a day or two during the week for redemption. You rarely see that today.
My wife and I have been using $5.00 off coupons (Entertainment Book) for every $50 spent at my local Shop N Save in the St. Louis area. Spending $100 plus yields us a $10.00 savings every trip. We buy 6 books a year just to use these and the savings well pay for each book. Now for 2012, the coupon specifies only one per transaction regardless of the total. We managed to get around that by splitting the groceries in two at checkout. Just another way for groceries to keep up with the economy.
Yep, it’s getting tough. A lot of Kroger stores are greatly reducing the number of coupons you can use and many are also stopping double coupons. And manufacturers coupons are terrible anymore. What used to be 50cents off one item (which would then double) is now 50 cents off two or three items and no doubling.
That “extreme couponing” show is the death of great deals. Every store manager I ask when they change policies usually mentions how that show has made the companies and manufacturers “clamp down” as they now get too many coupons, too many fraudulent, too many trying to substitute products (which they do all the time on that damn show).
Coupons are overrated. They are for boxed processed packaged food that is of limited utility. Where are the coupons for real food? – flour, yeast, lettuce, chuck roast, carrots, mushrooms, chicken, sausage, oatmeal, milk, cheese, bread. Food that people use to cook a meal. Coupons are just a way to try to get you to buy things you don’t really need in the first place.
My mom also noticed that on a lot of coupons, the manufacturers have put a limit on how many coupons you can use in one transaction. We’ve had to split our orders or leave the store and come back in and go to another register to use all of our coupons. We used Suave coupons at Food Lion yesterday and there was a limit on the coupon of 2 per shopping trip. My dad was there so he paid for one order and we paid for the other one so we could use all of the coupons.
When I was living in Los Angeles back in the 1990’s, they dropped double coupons, but a few weeks later, it was “back by popular demand”. Who knows if it will stick this time, but it is/was a great way to save a little extra money. I hardly ever see anybody using coupons, so I can’t believe the program actually cost them that much money. They should allow you to double 3 coupons per visit, or something like that.
DaveMich, there are coupons for non-food items you know. I get toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, shampoo and on and on for next to free using coupons.
As for food, I go for the coupons for cans of soup, veggies, coffee and coffee creamer, soy and almond milk, butter, jell-o, cream cheese, etc… There are a lot of coupons for food that isn’t just junk food or food you can use to cook with.
There are also a lot of great coupons for items for kids, from toys, to diapers, to formula, etc… and many times these are very high dollar items. Same goes for many female products.
And coupons for cold medicine, vapor rub, cough syrup, etc… are usually very high dollar and very much worth while.
I am seeing less coupons that are buy one get on free though when it comes to the body wash. I love those coupons.
And it seems to me that RAGU pasta more often now goes 3 for five bucks on sale vrs 2 for three bucks.
I am a zone mgr here in the southeast for the Kroger company which owns Ralphs and soon kroger will do this too.its a coming than people.
Thanks Bob for sharing the information on Kroger ending double coupons, can you share the details? A coupon blogger posted on Kroger Facebook wall yesterday that double coupons would be ending for Kroger Stores September 14, 2012. Many customers have posted asking Kroger if this is true. Kroger has not responded to any of its fans on Facebook. Be sure and post on Kroger Facebook and/or their affiliate store Facebook page for your area. (Fry’s – King Soopers, etc..) also post a comment on BRINGBACKDOUBLES.COM and
BRING BACK DOUBLES on Facebook. Thank you Mouseprint.org for spreading the word!!
Just did my shopping at Tops supermarket in Phuket, Thailand.
Redeemed an 7% off coupon if spending more than $30. Their loyalty card also kicks back around 1%. When I had it, used my PerkStreet debit for for 2% cash back and no currency surcharge. So the game is still being played somewhere in the world!
As for Ralph’s, in 1980’s there were Triple (the) Coupon promotions. Or was that Von’s?
Is Kroger Ending Double coupons NATIONWIDE??
March 31, 2012
Look Ralphs customers (who will lose double coupons April 1, 2012) Kroger Fry’s customers keep their DOUBLE COUPONS and get NEW LOWER PRICES too. This means California and Texas are subsidizing with their loss of double coupons the monies for double coupons for Kroger and its store affiliates NATIONWIDE. Kroger are you rolling out NO DOUBLES nationwide? When??
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=388631967827601&set=a.121049767919157.15077.113296398694494&type=3&theater
BRING BACK DOUBLES – http://bringbackdoubles.com/
I live in SoCal and am really annoyed with Ralphs, having been a loyal shopper with them for 40 years. I prefer to buy my gasoline at Costco, with whom I have a loyalty card that earns me a percentage back on gas purchases. Also, their program does not reset to zero at the beginning of every month, the way Ralphs’ does. It does seem that Ralphs has formed a partnership with Shell Oil, a product that I prefer not to use, so this is simply starting to resemble a shell game(no pun intended) to me. I have also noticed that Vons no longer doubles coupons. I’m in total agreement with the person who posted that she saves lots of money with coupons for toothpaste, soup, etc. Contrary to what another person posted, I have used coupons for Oatmeal, meats, produce and all sorts of other healthy foods. After Ralph’s so-called customer friendly changes, I have decided to let loyalty to any particular store fall by the wayside. From now on I shop only specials and deals. Hello Fresh & Easy, Sprouts, Trader Joes’s, Target, Costco, Smart & Final, et al. I plan on becoming much closer to all of you.
The kroger owed store I shop at (Scotts)has triple coupons on coupons 50 cents and under.
Is Kroger ending DOUBLE Coupons this summer?? Now that Kroger dominates the markets it serves are they also ending their loyalty to customers? https://www.facebook.com/groups/Krogercouponers/
Kroger Market Share: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=423178797698631&set=a.269347386415107.88573.267675876582258&type=1&ref=nf
Kroger Facebook finally replied after 6 days regarding the rumor of NO DOUBLES rolling out nationwide:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=331623480231064&set=o.150822764981356&type=1&theater
Can you really trust Kroger on their word – history tells us no: March 30, 2011 (HOUSTON) Kroger: Thanks to all for your feedback and comments regarding coupons. We want to make sure that you know the only market making changes in a double/triple coupon program is HOUSTON metropolitan area stores. We are not changing any other geographic area. https://www.facebook.com/Kroger/posts/10150128920308218 – – – and then look at Kroger/Ralphs history going back to 2006 in the first link.
Is extreme couponing a thing of the past? GMA ABC News
https://www.facebook.com/GoodMorningAmerica/posts/287338704676929
The War Against Couponers: Double Coupons Going Way of the Dinosaur
http://moneyland.time.com/2012/04/03/the-war-against-couponers-double-coupons-going-way-of-the-dinosaur/
Supermarket News – http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/kroger-positioning-varies-market
Over 1,500 boycotting Kroger at Kroger Couponers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Krogercouponers/
My favorite double coupon gimmick: “We will double coupons with a face value up to .99 cents with a maxiumum value of $1.” 99 cents coupons are double to $1, if you ever had a coupon for 99 cents. 75 cents are doubled also to $1. 55 cents are doubled to $1. Must be some kind of math trick.