Harris Teeter ~ Question: some questions about HT coupon rules.

[cpnmaniac44]

1. what is the limit on number of visits per day?
2. what is the limit on like coupons?
3. on B1G1 free items, that appear to be rung up at half price, how many coupons can you use on those two items?
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when I get answers I have info to share to others directly from my store manager.

[mrsfloyd]

Their official policy limits you to 20 doubled/tripled coupons per day. The register does stop tripling after coupon #20. Official policy also limits you to 3 like coupons/items - interpretation on that rule varies a bit.

Official policy on BOGO's is 1 coupon per BOGO deal. You can, however, purchase 1 item and use 1 coupon. That 1 item will normally ring up at half price.

Store enforcement does vary but here at HCW we are only supposed to post in accordance with the rules set forth in HT's official policy.

Whatever info you have that you want to share from your store manager, honesty you're better off to keep it to yourself if it in any way goes against the official policy. Posting anything that does not comply with the policy will get you a warning from the mod. She has to follow HCW's rules, and that's one of the rules. If your info is in compliance w/ HT's official policy, please feel free to share.

[[[eta: please note that this is just meant to be a friendly heads-up for you to help make sure that you don't get any infractions against you.]]]

Also, whatever info you have that you want to share, it's likely that many of us here already know what you're talking about. Certainly not all, as there are always newbies, but many of us do know the system MUCH better than a lot of HT employees.

That being said, you can find the policy here:

Harris Teeter - Coupon Policy

Coupon Policy Harris Teeter Coupon Acceptance Policy General We accept coupons that have not passed their expiration date for use; we can not accept any expired coupons. We accept only one manufacturer coupon per purchased item. We do not accept coupons on items not purchased. Coupons must be presented at time of purchase; we can not return money for coupons not used. Coupons presented and items purchased must match exactly; size, variety, flavor, etc. We uphold any purchase stipulations set forth by product manufacturer. We accept only one coupon for Buy One Get One Free items. We accept coupons for items only of equal or more value; we do not give cash back. Sales tax is paid by customer at full retail. Doubling We accept 20 double coupons per day per customer/household with VIC card; all others redeemed at face value. No orders may be separated that would allow the 20 coupon limit to be exceeded. We double manufacturer’s coupons up to face value of $0.99; with total amount not to exceed $1.98 or entire retail of item; whichever is less. We double up to three identical items with manufacturer coupon; additional coupons for like item will be honored at face value. No competitor coupons will be doubled or tripled. In the event of triple coupons, up to 20 coupons will be tripled per day per customer/household with VIC card; all others redeemed at face value. No orders may be separated that would allow the 20 coupon limit to be exceeded. Internet Coupons We gladly accept internet manufacturer’s coupons for product; however no “free” product internet coupons are accepted. With the purchase of two like manufacturer’s products, we accept two internet coupons, per store, per day. We do not accept internet coupons that do not appear to be originals or that won’t scan. Competitor’s Coupons We gladly accept local competitors’ circular or direct-mail coupons for MONEY OFF THE TOTAL ORDER; we do not take competitor’s coupons for money off specific items. We do not accept any internet coupons from other retailers. Rainchecks Rainchecks never expire and are accepted at any Harris Teeter store. We do not issue rainchecks for coupon items that may be out of stock or for “while supplies last” items. We reserve the right to limit raincheck quantities based on product availability and advertised limits. Rainchecks can be written for a limit of three unless otherwise stated in the ad. Scan Guarantee Our scan guarantee states “If an item scans higher than the shelf tag or sign, you will receive one like item free, excluding alcohol and tobacco. Harris Teeter reserves the right to limit quantities in coupon usage, as well as products and to amend our policies as we deem appropriate.

[cpnmaniac44]

I had 6 coupons. $0.55 off one Nature's Pride bread.
Raincheck for B1G1 free, I headed to the register with 3 Honey wheat and 3 Whole Wheat and the 3 whole wheat were the short fat packages, and honey wheat was the long packages.
I asked the clerk if each item would be rung up at half price like all their other B1G1 free sale items. She said no.....because it was a raincheck I guess.

The manager did come over. I asked about the two varieties of bread allowing me to use my 6 coupons. She said NO.............it is not 3 coupons per like item, it is 3 LIKE coupons per 3 items. She said the variety stuff, like the whacky mac is a no go. Someone said there were 2 colors of Macky Wac = 2 varieties = 3 coupons on one color and 3 on another color = 6 coupons alllowed? According to her, that is not correct.


All the above to slow down, prevent, stop, bad use of coupons.

I hope I broke no HCW rules.
I was just told the limits per like items, limits per B1G1 free sale.

[mrsfloyd]

When they ring up rainchecks, if it says 'B1G1' on it they will normally ring in one at full price and then the next at $0.00. I think they do it this way (even though they ring up at 1/2 price during the actual sale) b/c it is faster. If you watch them, every time they price-modify an item for a raincheck they have to go through this thing of putting the raincheck through a machine that prints something on it. For each item they price modify. So if they're only having to do that 3 times instead of 6 times, it's faster and easier.

No you didn't break any rules. The whole 'like item/like coupon/different variety' thing is debatable. I believe since it is not absolutely crystal-clear it is up to the discretion of the store manager. Most of the stuff in the policy is pretty clear, but that one's a little odd. The wording is technically: "We double up to three identical items with manufacturer coupon; additional coupons for like item will be honored at face value." It's really not great wording at all. While some managers will interpret that to mean you can get 3 Honey Wheat and 3 Whole Wheat since they are not identical, others will say differently. I wonder how your manager would handle the rule if you had the $0.75 Muir Glen coupons and wanted to purchase 3 Muir Glen soups and 3 Muir Glen tomatoes. Those items are clearly different items, they just happen to use the same coupon since the coupon is normally for $0.75 off of ANY Muir Glen item. See, that's where the rule gets murky. The rule does not actually say that you can only use 3 identical coupons, it says 3 identical items. I find it best not to ruffle any feathers, though, especially at a store that you go to frequently. It's best to learn their interpretation and know what you are and are not allowed to do w/ that manager.

Also, I believe that the coupon limits that they do impose are not so much to stop 'bad use of coupons' as they are there to limit HT's losses. HT does not get reimbursed for the doubled or tripled value of a coupon. If you use a $0.75 coupon at triples, they still only get $0.75 back from the manufacturer and have to eat the other $1.50. (I've read it comes out of their marketing budget, but any way you slice it that's $1.50 that they're not getting back.) So if they limit you to getting 3 like items w/ the same coupon, then they are limiting their loss for a particular item to no more than $4.50 per transaction. Likewise by limiting us to 20 tripled coupons per day, they are trying to limit their per-transaction loss due to tripled coupons to no more than $30.00 per transaction. It's not necessarily about 'bad coupon use', just good business. Double and triple coupons get customers in the store, but then HT keeps it in check. Or tries to, anyway. LOL

P.S. My little warning above was b/c I thought you were about to tell everyone some things that your store manager lets you do that are technically not allowed according to the policy. People will sometimes pop in with 'hey my store lets me do this and says you don't really have to follow this rule' etc, and those kinds of posts are not allowed b/c HCW wants to keep things consistent by following official published coupon policies. You did just fine though. :)

[jenjacobs]

Thanks Virginia for answering questions. Saves me some typing.

But for OP please let's not discuss mutliple trips even if your manager allows it. Thanks and welcome to HCW!

[uummm]

Actually you could only use the 3 coupons because you can only use one coupon per 2 bogo items purchased. You were only "buying" 3 items, the other 3 were free. Identical or not, you only paid for 3 because the others were free.

We accept only one manufacturer coupon per purchased item.
We do not accept coupons on items not purchased.
We accept only one coupon for Buy One Get One Free items.

[mrsfloyd]

You're welcome Jen. You know I love to 'talk'. :-)

Originally Posted by uummm Actually you could only use the 3 coupons because you can only use one coupon per 2 bogo items purchased. You were only "buying" 3 items, the other 3 were free. Identical or not, you only paid for 3 because the others were free. We accept only one manufacturer coupon per purchased item. We do not accept coupons on items not purchased. We accept only one coupon for Buy One Get One Free items.

Good catch. Although she didn't say how many she actually ended up buying and how many coupons she ended up using. If she still bought all 6 loaves, I think she would have used 3 of the coupons from her description...