Vacation in FL - need Publix tips!

[Giovanna816]

Hello all!

I'm from Ohio, and a huge couponer up here BUT we don't have Publix. I'll be visiting my brother around the Ormond Beach area in FL and he said that Publix is the closest grocery store. He also mentioned Food Lion but said he prefers Publix.

So my question is fellow couponers - what's some Publix tips so I can show off my mad couponing skills to my brother and SIL and lead them to the dark side of couponing!!!! I've been reading a little on your forum and it seems they often take competitors coupons (not sure I could part with my ECB though, I'm kinda attached to rolling them).

Mainly...does Publix double coupons (and if so to what amount)? When they have a BOGO sale can you use a coupon for both items? Do they have a self checkout aisles? What days do their sales run? How far in advance do you get your sale ads? Do they accept IP and are there any restrictions on them?

We will be arriving in Fl on 3/7 and I hope to have a shopping plan ready (I can't help it, I'm a planner )

Any tips would be fantastic! I really want my brother and SIL to get into couponing more...and would love to be more educated about their particular store to make it even more convincing!

TIA!!!!!

[BayshoreGuy]

Originally Posted by Giovanna816 Hello all! Mainly...does Publix double coupons (and if so to what amount)? When they have a BOGO sale can you use a coupon for both items? Do they have a self checkout aisles? What days do their sales run? How far in advance do you get your sale ads? Do they accept IP and are there any restrictions on them?

Well - here are a few answers

In Florida the sales run from Thurs thru Wed. Partial ads tend to appear here on the boards starting Monday Night. They can be found on Publix.com around midnight on Wed for Florida stores.

Publix does not double coupons in Florida.

Yes you can use a coupon on both items in a BOGO ( You can also use a store coupon (Publix) on each item if they are available for the item as well.

As mentioned above Publix does issue their own coupons which can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer coupon for the same item. (subject to wording on the coupons)

Publix does take competitors (Grocery chains) coupons at their stores. Other types of store coupons (ECBs) are YMMV.

None of the stores in my part of Florida have self checkout.

Yes they accept IP coupons but not for FREE items.

Read the newbie forums for anything that I might not have been able to answer for you.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

Enjoy your stay in Florida!

[Giovanna816]

YOU'RE AWESOME!

Thanks so much! Where do I get Publix issued coupons? Is this something I can sign up on their website for, or maybe something my brother would get in the mail at his house?

I really appreciate it! We can't wait to get to see the sun! I used to live in Orlando...but didn't coupon at all back then.

[BayshoreGuy]

Originally Posted by Giovanna816 YOU'RE AWESOME! Thanks so much! Where do I get Publix issued coupons? Is this something I can sign up on their website for, or maybe something my brother would get in the mail at his house? I really appreciate it! We can't wait to get to see the sun! I used to live in Orlando...but didn't coupon at all back then.

There's usually a turnstile near the doors where the weekly sale papers are. Publix usually has a couple of fliers each month with their coupons in them. One for food products and one for Health and Beauty items. They usually have some store coupons in them, as well as listing the special buys that are running during that period. New ones should be coming out around the time you are coming down for your visit. So my best advice is to just check where they put the sale ads near the doors. They may be scattered throughout the store too, so just keep your eyes open. Publix store coupons do not have the bar codes on them.

They also have a few magazines that you can subscribe to - Greenwise and Family Style and I think there's a baby club too. They usually have some Publix coupons in those too. Go to the Publix.com website for those.

[Mothernature]

Look at Publix for Wine Tags. Winn Dixie's tend to have the self-check outs.

[jolly321]

Great Job Bayshore....

All the Publix stores I always visit have awesome peelies and tearpads, so be on the look out for these.

[qponqueen]

Some of the larger Publix's have self check-out. At most of mine the coupon savings limit is set at $50. You can save more, but a supervisor will have to come over and enter the coupons manually with her key. THEN they may decide to read every letter of every coupon. So I always try to do my shopping in trips that will save me just under $50. ALSO. You must make sure that you have at least as many items as coupons. When you are using a store coupon in conjuction with a man Q, it is easy to have too many coupons. Again, the register will freeze up and a supervisor will have to be called. Publix supplies shopping list cards in the turnstyle near the door. I always grab one and write everything down as I shop to make sure that I don't exceed the above limits.

[faiydutkitten]

You should check out the FLIPs (Food Lion Internet Printables) in the Food Lion Forum, Publix usually takes those since they are competitor coupons and there are new ones every week. I am in Jacksonville FL and my Publix takes Target Printables also as competitor coupons.

[cade_avery]

Definitely check & print FLIPs before you go. FLIPs can sometimes make non sale items a great deal. And they often make sale items free or money makers. Plus my Publix accepts Food Lion brand FLIPs on the Publix brand items. And they sometimes have deli or produce savings, or milk and eggs. I use FLIPs at Publix pretty much every week.

[mycouponhunter]

I hope you enjoy your stay in FL. I moved here (near Clearwater) two years ago from OH. So when I found out they don't double coupon here I almost moved back!:) I also missed my Kroger even though when I lived in OH I always thought Kroger was expensive. It is really hard to get free with coupon items when you can't double coupon, but with the sales it works itself out. I just started shopping at Publix and I only shop the sales. I go to their website and write down on an envelope what is on sale and then match it with coupons. They always have a bunch of BOGO Free sales and you can use two coupons (I actually just found this out). Stay away from the Produce and Meat at Publix or anything else that's not on sale. They also have a bunch of coupons at the the store.

When I moved here I couldn't figure out why people shopped there, but after shopping mainly at Superwalmart for a year I figured it out. The have great Sweet Tea! Just kidding, but if you like tea buy a gallon from the Deli. They have great customer service and they hardly give you any trouble about coupons. They might be building one closer to my house and i'm excited because right now the closest grocery store is Sweetbay.