Lately I have been shopping more at Walmart. My Target started really being picky about coupons and price matching at Walmart is easier than price matching at Target in my opinion. When I read their new coupon policy yesterday, I was thrilled but skeptical, so I decided to put it to the test!
Here’s the “full” policy: (I highly recommend that you download one here and print it to take with you when you shop)
Walmart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):
* Manufacturers’ coupons
* Print-at-home internet coupons
o Must be legible, have “Manufacturer Coupon” printed on them, have a valid remit address for the manufacturer, valid expiration date, and have a scannable bar code.
* Competitors’ coupons that feature a specific item for a specified price
o for example, $2.99
* Soft drink container caps
* Checkout coupons
o (also called “Catalinas”) that are printed at our competitors’ registers, have “Manufacturer Coupon” with specific requirements printed on them, a valid remit address for the manufacturer, valid expiration date, and a scannable bar code.
Walmart does not accept the following coupons:
* Print-at-home Internet coupons that require no purchase
* Competitors’ coupons for dollars/cents or percentage off, buy one get one free, and double- or triple-value coupons
The following are guidelines and limitations:
* Only one coupon per item is permitted.
* Coupons must have an expiration date and be redeemed prior to expiration.
* Coupons may exceed the price of the item. Change may be given or applied toward the cost of the basket purchase.
* Walmart only accepts coupons for merchandise that we sell.
* Coupons must be presented at the time of purchase.
* We accept the following with Customer Service Supervisor/Management approval:
o 40 or more coupons
o Any coupon over $20
o $50 or more in coupons in one transaction
Here are the things that I tested out yesterday:
* Coupons may exceed the price of the item. Change may be given or applied toward the cost of the basket purchase.
I had my $3 Gain fabric softener coupons. The 40 count boxes are $1.87. I decided to only buy one box to “test” this out (I’ll probably regret this later because I’ll probably never find them in stock again!). The coupon does beep and prompts the cashier to verify the coupon amount. Mine looked at the coupon, verified the amount, and moved on. No hassle whatsoever! In the past, when I have used coupons that exceeded the amount of the item, when it beeped, they would check the item amount and adjust the coupon down.
* Checkout coupons (also called “Catalinas”) that are printed at our competitors’ registers, have “Manufacturer Coupon” with specific requirements printed on them, a valid remit address for the manufacturer, valid expiration date, and a scannable bar code.
I used one of my “OYNO” from the Randall’s deals (Safeway affiliate store). The cashier took it and scanned it. No beeps and no hassles!
* Competitors’ coupons that feature a specific item for a specified price
My Randalls store didn’t have all of the varieties of pasta sauce that I wanted in stock yesterday, so I decided to try to use the coupon at Walmart. They treated it as a price match and adjusted it down and I was able to use a manufacturer’s coupon I had from a Kroger mailer on top of that without any problems!
Overall, I’m very pleased with the new coupon policy! It’s very straightforward and it seems like the cashiers have been trained in how to implement it. I haven’t tried getting “cash back” from overage and honestly, I don’t recommend that because I think it would be more hassle than it’s worth, but I could be totally wrong! The only thing that’s a bummer with the new policy is that you can no longer use internet print coupons for “freebies.” I don’t know of any stores that will take these anymore, and I do understand why (too many fake freebie coupons have been circulating).
Have you tried out the new Walmart coupon policy yet? How did it go for you??
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.
