Harris Teeter ~ Question: Will someone please teach me about rainchecks?

[christinalkc]

Okay, I have never requested rainchecks before and tomorrow I am planning to do it for the first time! Yay.. Now I need help to understand the whole concept and I hope you all fabulous people will help me.

I have these coupons:
(1) $0.75/1 Heinz ketchup
(4) $0.75/1 Sweet Sue Chicken & Dumplings
(1) $0.40/1 Pillsbury Brownies
(1) $0.75/1 Mazola Spray Oil

I really want to use these coupons but the items are out. The question is, will I be able to request for raincheck for all these items at a time?

Also, when I decide to use the rainchecks, will they give me the sale price and let me triple my coupons even though the store is not tripling at the moment?

How does it work????

I am total raincheck newbie so any help is appreciated. Thank you sooo much!! Cheers...

[jenjacobs]

I always request rainchecks in quantities of 3 because that is how many like coupons you can use AND if say I only have 1 q at the moment I may be able to trade for for additional ones in the future. For BOGO I request a set of 2 or 4 - note when they ring up BOGO rainchecks they ring one at full price and the other at $0.

You can request all those RC's at once BUT if you redeem them next week you will only get the sale price plus double coupons. You can not get a raincheck with the triple price. Your best bet is to hold them till it's close to the coupons expiring to see if HT does another triples and redeem them then.

[uummm]

Just be prepared to wait while they get the rainchecks. They started a new thing where they are supposed to be looking up each item in thier system and get the price then write down a control number. I have noticed if she can't find it in the sysytem they just ask you the price and it gets no control number. It takes time for them to find the product then get the control number.

I got 4 this morning and it took about 5 minutes for her to get the 4 for me. When I went in yesterday morning, it took just as long. I went in last night and must be the white shirt didn't care because he just wrote out the RC and never looked it up. But they are supposed to be doing it this new way (IT IS SO TIME CONSUMING!). Hopefully they will get enough complaints and they will figure out a way to speed it up.

Also don't mention anything about coupons. It says "We do not issue rainchecks for coupon items that may be out of stock".

[christinalkc]

Now I get it.... I can get the sale price but not tripling coupons if I decide to use the RC next week or something. All the coupons expire 12/31 except Heinz, which is 11/30.

Jen, about the BOGO.... the Mazola is BOGO now with $1.49 each. So, with just double $0.75/1 coupon, I will still get it free. But if the BOGO RC rings up one at full price and one at 0, does that mean that I won't get the one they ring full price for free, since you can only use one coupon per two BOGO items?

Thanks for the tip, uummm... :) I won't mention anything about coupons LOL. I guess I will send my DH to get the RC while I do the last bit of shopping.. Hehe...

Thanks again... and oh, how many RC can you request per day or I should ask, how many items can I request per day?

Cheers..

[cpnmaniac44]

Originally Posted by christinalkc Now I get it.... I can get the sale price but not tripling coupons if I decide to use the RC next week or something. All the coupons expire 12/31 except Heinz, which is 11/30. Jen, about the BOGO.... the Mazola is BOGO now with $1.49 each. So, with just double $0.75/1 coupon, I will still get it free. But if the BOGO RC rings up one at full price and one at 0, does that mean that I won't get the one they ring full price for free, since you can only use one coupon per two BOGO items? Thanks for the tip, uummm... :) I won't mention anything about coupons LOL. I guess I will send my DH to get the RC while I do the last bit of shopping.. Hehe... Thanks again... and oh, how many RC can you request per day or I should ask, how many items can I request per day? Cheers..

hi....you asked someone else about the Mazola but I'll throw out an answer. If the Mazola are regular priced at $2.98 and the B1G1 free sale makes them $1.49 which seems to be what you are saying, then yes, the .75/1 should double and the item would be free (.75 toward the item and then .74 toward the item since they no longer, or ever did, give overage. If triples is going on, you'd only get $1.49 out of that coupon and not the full $2.25). Be happy that Harris Teeter changed their policy a long while back, and decided to ring up items as half price on a B1G1 free sale.

Where are you?
Do you have Bi-Lo? Lowes Foods? Bloom? Foor Lion?

Food Lion rings up items on a B1G1 free sale as one item at the regular price and the other as free, so they do not take two coupons on a B1G1 free.

The coupons you mention expire late December. Very good chance another triples will happen. If the items are non perishable like Ketchup, Brownies, Oil, you may want to save the coupons and gamble on another triple event. If you were buying frozen foods or Hostess cakes, things that can spoil quickly you'd want to use your coupons now, since there may not be another triples.

I have had one HT honor triples with the rain check. When I ask for a raincheck I also hint....."since you are out of an item (not my fault and I say that veeeery carefully) what about me not being able to triple my coupons"? This has worked once, so it is quite rare, and do not expect it.

Use rainchecks to your advantage. If the items are on sale alot or that coupon is a common one, maybe you don't need a raincheck since both the sale and the coupon will be back soon. If my freezer is full and I want to use my coupons closer to expiration, I'll get a raincheck. I'll often go Tuesday night, the ending day of the sales around here, and hope they are out of the item or variety I wanted, so I can ask for rainchecks.

If you are planning for doubles and not triples, HT doubles 7 days a week. Get a raincheck and take your time using them based on your storage space, etc. If the expire date is close by, do not risk a raincheck and go ahead and buy the item and use your coupon. They could be out of the same item that you had a coupon for, if you wait until the day the coupon expires.

HT does not have a limit on doubling (from what I hear, can anyone verify that?) and I find that the managers will give you a raincheck for as many items as you want. I've never asked for 75 but I have asked for 25 and got it easily. And the rainchecks never expire from what I was told. I've used rainchecks that were over 2 years old, patiently waiting on the coupon to come back and it finally did. Also, if your rain check is for 15 items, my store says, when you use the raincheck you must get all 15 items. If they only have 10 on the shelf, you'll get a new raincheck for 5. But, if they have 20 items and you only buy 10 due to cash on hand or space to store these items, you lose the raincheck for the other 5 items.

If you do have Lowes, Bloom, Bi-lo then they all have their own rules on rainchecks and limits.
HT is the most friendly to me. I choose the quantity and they never expire.

You should be able to get a raincheck for as many different items as they are out of stock. I'd be leary of asking for two rainchecks on the same item. You do not want to be tooo obvious or stand out in some way. These managers can remember your face like they live with you.

They are giving us a privilege with their sales, coupon policy, rainchecks, etc. and for me, I do not want to abuse the privileges. (and I do not mean using coupons incorrectly, I mean taking too much advantage of their rules, like asking for 2 rainchecks for the same item - one is plenty and they may not give me two any way, so don't stand out from the crowd by being greedy on what they let you do)

HT is tied for first as my favorite place to shop, and I hope it stays that way.

[leqet]

Originally Posted by christinalkc Okay, I have never requested rainchecks before and tomorrow I am planning to do it for the first time! Yay.. Now I need help to understand the whole concept and I hope you all fabulous people will help me. I have these coupons: (1) $0.75/1 Heinz ketchup (4) $0.75/1 Sweet Sue Chicken & Dumplings (1) $0.40/1 Pillsbury Brownies (1) $0.75/1 Mazola Spray Oil I really want to use these coupons but the items are out. The question is, will I be able to request for raincheck for all these items at a time? Also, when I decide to use the rainchecks, will they give me the sale price and let me triple my coupons even though the store is not tripling at the moment? How does it work???? I am total raincheck newbie so any help is appreciated. Thank you sooo much!! Cheers...

Others already gave you some good explanations. I'll just say that the BOGO sales and rainchecks rarely work out for me when using Q's. HT's rules state you can only use one q per a BOGO. So normally we would buy one and it rings up half price and we can still use a Q. The problem with rainchecks for BOGO sales is that the cashier will usually ring up the item's as full price and zero and only allow one coupon per their rules. Despite the way the register works, I've never been able to use a BOGO raincheck to just buy one item at half price. The cashier usually argues with me that I need to get two. If it works this way at your stores then the Mazola for example will be rung up 2.99, -0-, then they would take only one .75 Q and you get both cans for 1.49 (during reg. doubles). I would still get the raincheck for it and hold onto it as close to the expiration date of the Q as possible, just be prepared that you might not get as good of a deal with the raincheck.

[cpnmaniac44]

I forgot that very important info........when you use the raincheck and it was a B1G1 free item, you have to lobby for them to be rung up at half price. It takes them more time and special scanning by somebody with authority.

[christinalkc]

Aaaahhh.. thank you so much for all the explanation! You guys ROCK!!!! I guess the Mazola spray RC is kinda pointless if it is not FREE (hehe I am cheap)

I will just request for Sweet Sue, Heinz and Pillsbury Brownies.

Thank you all once again!!!! Cheers!!

[mxmom99]

i usually ask them if they will fill in the price at half the regular...if they will, it makes everything soooo much easier.

[uummm]

I would still get the Mazola RC. You don't know if the price will go down or if a better coupon comes along. Remember they don't expire. Plus I have actually HAD to buy something (my kid's birthday comes to mind) and the cheapest Ice cream was $4 something. Luckily I had a Breyers bogo RC and I got to use that (luckily i had $.75/1 Q too) so you never know. It is good to have just to have (you can trade or ROAK them too!). I have a nice space on the side of my coupon box where I keep ALL my rc form all the stores. They are all different sizes anyways so they are easy to keep organized. Don't ever pass up the chance to get a RC. I know ther have been times where I wished I had gotten RC when something was out-usually because I got a kick butt coupon (doubled would be freebie) but the item was not on sale anymore.