There are a few things you need to know about couponing at Publix.

There is no official overarching couponing policy.  The stores have a lot of discretion about what to accept or not accept. The best thing to do is get to know your store and managers and ask (frequently) about what they accept. Don’t be scared! Their goal is to make the customer happy and keep you spending money in their store.

The 4 types of coupons you can use at Publix:

1. Manufacturer Coupons - These are found in Sunday newspaper inserts, magazines, tearpads in the store, or internet printable coupons etc.  Publix doubles these coupons that are 50¢ or less (except in Florida where Publix doesn’t double). The store mails these to a clearinghouse and gets reimbursed for the face value + 8¢ for handling.
2. Store Coupons – This type of coupon is typically found at the store in the form of a booklet near the weekly ad.  They can also be found on tearpads, peelies and brochures inside the store.  Very occasionally a Publix store coupon will be printed in the Sunday coupon insert.  These coupons do not have a barcode and can be recognized by a four digit LU#.  Most of the time they are valid for a month or month and a half.   Store coupons can be stacked with manufacturer coupons unless either coupon explicitly states otherwise, which makes for some really great deals! These coupons do not get mailed to a clearinghouse because the store has already set up an agreement with the manufacturer to provide the coupon.  The store does get benefits for offering this type of coupon.
3. Competitor Coupons – Publix has a great policy that no other grocery store has – they accept the coupons of their competitors!  This is not a price match, they just honor other store’s coupons.  Obviously, what constitutes a competitor will vary from store to store (sometimes manager to manager).  Local grocery store chains are almost always accepted (ex. Food Lion, Albertsons, Kroger, Winn Dixie, etc).  Some stores will also accept Target, CVS, Walgreens or other drugstore coupons, but this is less common. Competitor coupons can also be stacked with manufacturer coupons and many times store coupons as well.  Competitor coupons should be used with care because the store does not get reimbursed in any way for this type of coupon. The money comes out of their profits to make you the customer happy.  Be appreciative and not greedy!
4. Upromise eCoupons-Ask at the Customer Service desk for a Upromise Card and register it online.  The idea behind this card is that you earn rewards on certain items which collect in an account and can eventually be used to pay for college.  Any one can get a card, even if you don’t have kids or anyone specific to save for.  You scan this card each time you shop for a 5% credit to your account on certain items.  In addition, each month Upromise issues eCoupons that you can activate and when you purchase an item that has an eCoupon, the money gets put into your uPromise account. The coupons expire at the end of the month.  This is just one more little way to save!

Getting the most bang for your buck:

Each week I will post the best deals and you can print a shopping list with all the coupon matchups.  In general, I use the methods described below to get some really awesome deals.

1. Stack those coupons - most stores will take one of each type listed above for each item.  The only problem you can run into with this is that the register is programmed to allow the number of coupons to equal the number of items.  If you have more coupons than items you will need a manager intervention. As long as you have followed the rules on the coupons, this will not be a problem.
2. Use your coupons with the Weekly Buy One Get One Free Deals from the Publix Ad – In Florida you have to buy both items to get the free one.  Everywhere else, the B1G1 items will just ring up half price so you can buy as many as you have coupons for.  You can use one of each type of coupon listed above for each item being purchased (Yes, even if its free, you can use a coupon).
3. Use your coupons with the Advantage Buys – The same booklets at the front of the store that have store coupons also contain “Advantage Buys”. These are deals that last about a month and offer lower prices on many items for that period. Combining with coupons makes for even better savings.
4. Look for clearance deals that you have coupons for - Many stores have a small round spinning display that contain items they are clearancing out.  Most are half the original price or better and combining these with coupons you can really do well. This is the wild card of my shopping trip because you never know what you’re going to find.  Have those coupons handy!
5. Publix Mystery Penny Items – This applies unless you are in Florida (sorry guys). Each week Publix puts out a coupon in the Sunday paper for a 1 cent mystery item when your purchase exceeds $10.  This is usually in their ad, but sometimes printed on a random page of the paper.  It’s valid for two days (Sunday and Monday) of the ad period which runs from Wednesday – Tuesday in most areas.
6. Always  be on the hunt for coupons – Doesn’t matter where I’m shopping I’ve always got my eyes peeled for tearpads, blinkies, peelies and anything that resembles a coupon.  Manufacturer coupons from other stores can be used at Publix so stock up when you find a good one (but leave some out there for the rest of us too!)