North Jersery Inserts Really Bad Lately?

[ericderek]

I'm in North Jersey and picked up a couple copies of the Daily Record and the New Jersey Herald this weekend. I don't have the following coupons that others are listing:

Dove Deoderant
Nabisco $3.00/3
Bic Paper/Pen Products
Campbell's Soups
Swanson Broth
Excedrin

I have two SS, a GM, and a RedPlum.
This isn't the first time that I've noticed my inserts seem to be missing coupons.
What gives? Why am getting shafted? It is really annoying.

[Nyx]

I know how that is. I find that the Star Ledger often has the good regional coups, and the NY papers like the Post and Daily News.

[JerseyJoe]

I know, me too. always missing the "good" ones.

[Gardencook]

The coupon inserts often vary from region to region. Frustrating, but it's always been that way and I doubt marketing departments have plans to change. Marketers aren't there to provide customers with the best possible deal, but to sell the most product.
We tend not to get the higher value, more sought after Qs here. We used to get some of the high value baby and pet Qs, but haven't even been getting them recently. Years ago, we used to get an occasional insert Q for Quaker regular oatmeal or Fresh Express salads, but the past few years they've passed us by entirely.
Even when we get a Q it is often a lower value than other regions of the country. When other areas get $1/2 we might get $0.55/2. A lot has to do with competition. If you are in a smaller market area, you get fewer inserts and less valuable Qs.
Even when it comes to IP coupons, certain zip codes get higher value Qs -- just because of where they live. Boulder Canyon potato chips recently offered $1/1 Qs to Beverly Hills, CA, but Idaho zip codes only got $1/2.

[cpaige]

Sadly as PP's have stated, coupons are regional. I understand how frustrating it is as I'm always searching for the 'good' ones! This is one of the reasons for the database, thankfully. At least here you can put the coupon in the db and (cross your fingers) find someone who may have it and trade with them.

I buy the Asbury Park Press (eh for coupons) and the Philadelphia Inquirer (better value, usually no RP though). Also the Star Ledger usually has some decent ones.

I try (TRY) to get the match-ups done early enough so we can search for those much needed coupons.

Look in the trade forum. Maybe someone has what you're looking for!

And yes....it's irritating! NJ gets beats in the coupon area.

[lazy1608]

Even when we get a Q it is often a lower value than other regions of the country. When other areas get $1/2 we might get $0.55/2.


I wish we would get the $.55/2 since we double here and it is better than the $1/2! LOL (Of course just by ten cents but every bit helps! )

[Gardencook]

Even when we get a Q it is often a lower value than other regions of the country. When other areas get $1/2 we might get $0.55/2.


I wish we would get the $.55/2 since we double here and it is better than the $1/2! LOL (Of course just by ten cents but every bit helps! )

Yes, and we can only double a very few Qs, up to $1, so "wasting" a doubler on a 55 cent Q is out of the question here. We rarely double anything less than a $1, and still have lots of $1 Qs left over that we would LOVE to double, but can't.
I've suspected for years that manufacturers keep doubling rules in a region in mind when they publish Qs.

[lazy1608]

We don't double $1 coupons though. We only double up to $.99. We used to be able to double $1 coupons but it has been quite a few years since we could do that on a regular basis in our stores.

[Gardencook]

We've got a small independent store that recently started running a rare day with unlimited doubles up to 50 cents. They only announce them the day before, so you can't prepare.
They're running one today, but checked their new ad and it is full of sales on house brands this week -- so nothing to pair with Qs. Can't really find the motivation to go, since December 31 wiped out most of our low value Qs anyway.
Our store is small, and they didn't have the S&W beans I wanted last month. I had been at a sister store 25 miles away the previous day and saw they were on sale for a month, but they didn't have doubles that day. However, once our store FINALLY decided to stock the sale beans, they didn't run another double day.