so who has higher prices (based on your experience) HT or Bloom and surely HT would not raise prices on a sale.

[cpnmaniac44]

I always thought prices at Bloom seemed high. However, they were having super doubles this week. Both HT and Bloom had the Jose Ole on sale B1G1 free. I had some $1/1 Jose Ole.
I got to double these at Bloom.
Their price was $5.99. I ended up with 2 extra coupons. I remembered HT had the same sale, but I knew the coupons would not double. But, I went into HT for something else and for my amusement, I checked the prices on the Jose Ole at HT.
$6.39 B1G1 free

Bloom was $5.99 (6.3% cheaper) B1G1 free

So, either Bloom does not have higher prices, or HT might raise prices when certain items are on sale.

HT would not do that.....would they...?

[kazey901]

I know for a fact that Jose Ole wasn't price raised at HT for this sale cause I checked the price a week before this sale and it was $6.39.

[kidsrn]

In the past 3 months I went to HT 4 times late on a Tuesday night BEFORE a coupon event the next day to check prices and stock. I have seen on 5 items that HT raised the price of the item overnight (sometime b/w 10pm and 7am). It might have been coincidence, but I don't think so. JMO. Another thing that irks me is that once the item is gone HT does not re-stock it. Until the first day it is not on sale and then, wa-la, like magic, there are now 20 of them on the shelf. Recent example? the Snuggle dryer sheets. Once they were gone, they never came back until the day after the sale ended (10/28). Then there were 25-30 of them out there having a party on the shelf. Very frustrating.

[carisal]

It seems to me that Bloom has lower prices. I havent compared item to item at the stores but late last year when I was more gung-ho I did several triples at Bloom and never had a problem finding 20 coupons to triple. Then I did a HT triples and had a hugely hard time finding 20 coupons to triple....
that said I probably haven't been to any triples in about 6 months except for one late last minute run to HT triples last month and that was only cause I needed mayo and pepsi.... LOL

[mrsfloyd]

Originally Posted by kidsrn In the past 3 months I went to HT 4 times late on a Tuesday night BEFORE a coupon event the next day to check prices and stock. I have seen on 5 items that HT raised the price of the item overnight (sometime b/w 10pm and 7am). It might have been coincidence, but I don't think so. JMO. Another thing that irks me is that once the item is gone HT does not re-stock it. Until the first day it is not on sale and then, wa-la, like magic, there are now 20 of them on the shelf. Recent example? the Snuggle dryer sheets. Once they were gone, they never came back until the day after the sale ended (10/28). Then there were 25-30 of them out there having a party on the shelf. Very frustrating.

This is why you ALWAYS request a raincheck if the item is not instock on the shelf. They will either go to the back and find some for you (if they have them) or they will give you a raincheck, and then when the sale is over and there are 25-30 of the item having a party on the shelf, you can pull out your raincheck and join the party.

[cpnmaniac44]

Originally Posted by mrsfloyd This is why you ALWAYS request a raincheck if the item is not instock on the shelf. They will either go to the back and find some for you (if they have them) or they will give you a raincheck, and then when the sale is over and there are 25-30 of the item having a party on the shelf, you can pull out your raincheck and join the party.

one possible issue with rainchecks are if the item was B1G1, and the items each rang up at half price during the sale, you may have trouble using 2 coupons per 2 items.
Many times, to give you the price on a B1G1 free raincheck they ring half of them up at the full price and do not charge for the others, or ring up all of them at the regular and discount half of them down to zero. So, in the eyes of the register-scanner, you are only buying half of them. This can complicate using a coupon on all the items, though during the sale there would have been zero issues, since HT rings up B1G1 frees at half price each.

So, at least on Jose Ole, Bloom has the lower prices.
MAYBE HT has higher prices to offset the fact that they double up to .99 all the time. They want to give you that luxury, double coupons, but take some of it back with higher prices.

[partialsmith]

Originally Posted by kidsrn In the past 3 months I went to HT 4 times late on a Tuesday night BEFORE a coupon event the next day to check prices and stock. I have seen on 5 items that HT raised the price of the item overnight (sometime b/w 10pm and 7am). It might have been coincidence, but I don't think so. JMO. Another thing that irks me is that once the item is gone HT does not re-stock it. Until the first day it is not on sale and then, wa-la, like magic, there are now 20 of them on the shelf. Recent example? the Snuggle dryer sheets. Once they were gone, they never came back until the day after the sale ended (10/28). Then there were 25-30 of them out there having a party on the shelf. Very frustrating.

At my HT, the BOGO items and others on a really good sale ae nearly always stocked in a secondary area. It's often not anywhere near the primary area. Last time I was there, I thought they were out of Emerald nuts, which are in the back of the store near meat, and I found a huge display in the front near coffee. Almost every time I think they're out of something, I've found it elsewhere.

Also, keep in mind that sales are often the result of stores getting a discount from a vendor, which they pass on to the customer. It's possible that they were limited to stock on hand from one discounted shipment, and they may not be allowed to order any more at the reduced cost. Ordering is usually handled at the store level, so you can definitely go ask in customer service if they will be ordering any more of the items not in stock. And you could, of course, write to corporate if it's a constant problem at your store.