Walmart has the superior coupon policy of all stores. They will accept almost any coupon, as long as it will scan. You can even take a competitor sales ad (like HEB) into Walmart, show it to the cashier, and get your items for that price. The catch here is that the advertisement or competitor coupon must list a specific item at a specific price. A specific example that some people might know about is buying cigarettes. When you see cigarettes on the shelf for like seven dollars, you can say “Give me the Tobacco Barn price on those” and the cashier only charges you five dollars for them. Though Walmart definitely has it going on when it comes to the coupon policy and honoring other store’s prices, there are still some rules that you need to know in order to make your shopping experience as fun and rewarding as possible.
The general breakdown of the coupon policy involves the same general rules that you would find at most any other store. Walmart only accepts coupons for products that they sell, and the quantities, and sizes must match the items being purchased. The coupon cannot be expired, and must be presented to the cashier at the time of purchase. Power shoppers should be aware that if the value of the coupon is more than the price of the item the difference is given to the customer in the form of cash, or it can be applied to the rest of the order. On the other hand, Walmart “store brand” coupons are honored at face value and if the value of the coupon exceeds the price of the product, the difference is not refunded or applied to the basket. Specific types of coupons also have different policies, which are briefly outlined below.
Using Internet coupons at Walmart
The policy for “printed coupons”, or “Internet coupons”, states that they must be legible and have the words “Manufacturer Coupon” printed on them. Also the coupon must have an address on it, so they can mail it in and redeem the value with the manufacturer, and it must have a valid expiration date. Obviously, the coupon also has to have a bar code on it. If you do not have a color printer for your coupons, that is okay, because black and white coupons are also accepted, as long as they scan properly, and are not an obvious duplicate. The only thing you should know about buy one get one free coupons is that they must have a price on them.
Using catalinas (register coupons) at Walmart
Walmart’s policy for coupons that are printed by cash registers, also known as catalinas, is pretty straightforward. Competitor catalinas must have a stated amount off of the normal price of a specific item. Catalinas like other valid coupons must also have the words “Manufacturer Coupon” printed on them, with specific requirements such as size and/or weight of the item. They must also have a bar code that can be scanned, an expiration date, the manufacturer’s address, and is not a duplicate. How would you duplicate a register receipt, anyways? Of course since most cash registers do not have color ink cartridges, a catalina can be printed in black and white.
Using manufacturer coupons at Walmart
A great source of coupons is your mailbox, or the Sunday newspaper. The most popular kind of coupons circulated in these communications is manufacturer coupons. At Walmart, the rules for manufacturer coupons are almost the same as the other types of coupons in the way of having minimum requirements of “Manufacturer Coupon” printed on them, bar codes, expiration dates, manufacturer address, and they cannot be duplicates. Coupons must state a specific dollar or cents discount amount on single items. It is not necessary for all manufacturer coupons to have specific size and “flavor” requirements, though. Manufacturer coupons can also be redeemed for free items, unlike internet coupons. Buy one get one free (BOGO) coupons are not required to have a price on them when coming directly from the manufacturer, either. Soft drink caps often have coupons in them and Walmart will gladly accept them.
Using competitor’s coupons at Walmart
The only things you should know about competitor coupons at Walmart is that they must list a specific item at a specific price, and Walmart must sell the item. Buy one get one free, coupons also must have a price listed on them, unlike the manufacturer coupons. There are not as many restrictions on competitor coupons, only that they have a valid expiration date, and they can be accepted as black and white. The policy does not say anything about duplicates or anything else. That might be a loophole for the power shoppers.
Coupons that Walmart will not accept
No discussion of Walmart’s coupon policy is complete without mentioning the types of coupons that they will not accept. In order to cut down on the confusion about this, read carefully. Walmart will not accept coupons that take specific dollar amounts, or percentages off, an entire basket purchase. As far as competitor coupons, you will run into problems if you try to use a coupon with any of the following: states that it is only valid with a specific retailer, gives a percentage off an item, the coupon says it can be doubled or tripled, and buy one get one free coupons without a specific price. Also, it cannot be stressed enough that Walmart does not accept printed coupons from the internet for a free item, without requiring a purchase.
Though there is no limit to the amount of coupons or the amount of money you can save by using them at Walmart, there are some special circumstances that require approval from a manager, which can make you wait for a few minutes if the store is busy. These circumstances are nothing out of the ordinary and happen quite often. A manager needs to approve any coupon related transactions when there is more than fourty coupons used in one transaction, if there is a coupon with a value of twenty dollars or more, and when the total value of coupons equals fifty dollars or more.
If you would like to see the most current coupon policy published by Walmart, you can do that at: http://walmartstores.com/download/4730.pdf