Catalina insanity at Jewel!
Is your head spinning yet? Jewel shows shoppers their love once again by offering shoppers not one, not two, not even three, and no, not four either... but FIVE simultaneous high-value Catalina deals running at once! Since we have so many promotions going at the same time, I'm going to outline these for you here with names, dates, and values:
General Mills "Spend $20, get $7" - running through 3/3/10
Notes: Double-dips with Catalina deals on Fiber One bars and BC Fruit Snacks
Discussion of this deal
C.H.I.L.L. Out And Save "Buy 10, get $10" - running through 3/24
Notes: Double-dips with YourBucks deals on Hot/Lean Pockets through entire sale
Discussion of this deal
ConAgra / Georgia Pacific / Snapple "Spend $25, get $10" beginning 3/4 and running through 3/10
Notes: Scheduled to hit the ad this coming Thursday ... and a huge, high-value Catalina deal on ConAgra. One of our BEST seasonal sales for shopping big and stocking up!
Discussion of this deal
P&G / Kraft "Spend $30, get $10" beginning 3/3 and running through 3/10
Notes: Also hasn't started yet, but wanted to give you a heads-up... also has GREAT potential for big stockups (remember how much cheap Kraft cheese we took home during the last big one?)
Discussion of this deal
YourBucks Catalina deals (ongoing) through 5/4
Notes: Currently in second round of offers - MANY products totally free after YourBucks! EVERYONE should be doing this deal. (I giggled when I was at Meijer this week, and my Meijer cashier almost hugged me over the counter because she was having so much fun with YourBucks... at Jewel!)
Discussion of this deal
Better sharpen your scissors... it's going to be a fun week. (On 3/3, ALL of these deals will be active in the same day!)
What works for me....
I always check to see if the Cat's stack at least 2 high (meaning that you can get 2 in the same transaction). IF, that is the case, then I calculate to when the sale price is enough to earn two Cat's and the regular price is enough to get one. THEN I make my purchase, KNOWING full well that I may get EITHER 1 or 2 Cat's. I believe as Jill has stated that this is not the same across the board & we should shop AT OUR OWN RISK. Catalina's should be treated as a reward and not something that we are entitled to. If people are not satisfied with answers on this forum do not blame Jill....do an internet search on the deal you are looking for to find your answers. There are other sites & blogs out there that may help you. Jill is only one person and she started this site to spend time with her young kids at home. Bothering her is defeating that purpose. This is only my opinion, but I felt it had to be said.
Thank you Jill for all you do. I loved your class last year & truly appreciate what you do for us.
I think you meant...
calculate to earn one Cat based on sale price and two with regular?
These are my rules
These are my RULES:
I treat others as I would want to be treated.
I remember that while I consider Jill to be a Goddess (of coupons!) she is in fact a Human Being. What she does for all of us, she does out of the goodness of her heart. She is not obligated to be at my disposal 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
I use ALL of the information and tools Jill has so generously provided me before posting/demanding answers to questions she has already answered multiple times.
I believe what Jill tells me. While we are all special in our own way, I am not so special that the parameters of the various deals do not apply to me. If Jill tells me to buy ABC, I do not expect to go buy XYZ and still get the dirt cheap pricing or the catalina back.
If a particular deal does not work out, I realize that with all the deals that HAVE worked out, I am still ahead of the game, and I say a silent prayer of gratitude.
I remember that store employees are also human beings, they do not have magical powers, they can't make a catalina appear by waving a wand. It is never their fault if it didn't print. They are not out to get me, in fact, they would prefer it if it HAD printed, rather than face down an irate customer. These are just my rules. For what its worth.
icoupon2
I love your post!
General Mills Deal / What are the EXACT RULES about pricing?
Just got back from one last trip to Jewel N. Riverside.
I carefully added all my stuff as before / it was 42.87, but only got one $7 cat. Customer service gal got the rules sheet out which said - because of a software glitch - some stores were going off of the SALE PRICE while others tallied from the preferred card / non-sale price. So the sale price of my stuff only added up to $24 or so... not the $42.
But her RULE SHEET didn't specifically say WHICH THE IS CORRECT WAY it's supposed to work.
This was my third trip on this deal / it worked every other time using the preferred card / pre-sale price.
Can anybody confirm the exact rules. Are they posted anywhere for me to read?
Thanks
Memo
The memo is wrong - it's said that for several years now (I've seen them.) It is completely untrue that some stores operate on sale and others not -- the deals come down from Catalina the same way to ALL stores. I'd guess either it simply was a glitch, or one of your items' varieties was priced differently than others. I know at my store, one of the Wanchai dinner kits (I think Kung Pao) was ringing up pennies cheaper than the other flavors -- would be enough to break the deal if that isn't accounted for.
RE: The Memo is wrong...
The following is right off my receipt:
2 - BC brownies @ 3.09 = 6.18
4 - BC blueberry muffins @ 3.19 = 12.76
2 - Bisquick @ 2.49 = 4.98
3 - FiberOne @ 3.49 = 10.47
2 - Chex Mix @ 3.49 = 6.98
1 - Progresso soup @ 2.75 = 2.75
TOTAL - $44.12
As for "The Memo" being wrong... I read the memo she had. Although it made the - some stores / other stores statement... it didn't say what exactly was the correct way they should scan.
That's why I asked if the RULES are posted somewhere to read for myself.
At any rate... she said she'd call them today and find out, and if I did the deal correctly a $7 store coupon would be given to me.
We'll see. I'll post what I hear from them.
Rules...?
So the lady from Jewel called. She said the info she got - Was that the catalina award is based on the SALE PRICE.
Whether that is indeed correct I have no idea. I thanked her for calling.
"NO RULES.
Submitted by Coupon Maven on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 10:07."
It appears this was directed towards my inquiry... with numerous mentions of spending $25 as a benchmark, so I don't know. The General Mills Promo was $20 / get $7 back.
Another comments adds: "some obviously do not read as well as others"...
Read what...? If I doesn't work don't complain.
THAT'S THE RULE ?? That there are no rules?
I thought I asked a simple question, but it appears there is no real answer forthcoming because nobody knows.
Saving money on groceries is great. I appreciate work you put into this Jill. You obviously have my email as it's your forum. If there's anything you could add or clarify ... drop me a line.
And again... thanks for all you do.
NO RULES.
I have stated, time and time again, that if you CHOOSE to work the deal differently from the ad (black belt way) you are ON YOUR OWN if the Cat does not print. Calling Catalina will do nothing - they will tell you that you didn't spend $25 as well.
If you aren't willing to "take one for the team" occasionally, as we all have -- do NOT play the black-belt pricing game. Simple as that. You are NOT entitled to the Catalina under the terms of what is advertised, and you will CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS by drawing attention to this than letting it go.
If you cannot accept the possibility of getting no Catalina, then actually SPEND $25. PERIOD. You CANNOT go to Customer Service and ask them to make it right for you as YOU DID NOT SPEND $25.
I am not trying to yell, but if you saw my email box this morning - you'd understand. Beginner/new couponers truly have no business doing black belt deals -- there is SO much to understand about why they work and how. The last time this happened, I completely pulled the Deals, matchups and spreadsheets off the blog because people were calling my HOUSE (sometimes at 2 and 3am, waking up my entire family) to ask questions about Catalina deals at Jewel.
Please, please, please - either SPEND $25, or accept ANY outcome. I am not telling anyone to do things against what the ad says - on the contrary, I'd highly advise you TO follow the ad and be assured you'll get the Catalina.
sorry for your frustration
sorry for your frustration Jill, I understand what you are talking about, and some obviously do not read as well as others. I think they are so excited to get the deal,but then when they don't, they get upset. I have been doing the blackbelt deals, and have already taken one for the team, but I know not to go to CS. Even if you take one for the team you usually are still getting a great deal on the products. As well as Jewel is treating us with these deals, I would have to see them take a second look at how they do things if they get flooded with people upset about not getting their cat and trying to explain the differences between the pricing scale.
PLEASE HEED JILLS ADVICE FELLOW COUPONERS, IT IS GOOD ADVICE AND FAIR TO ALL INVOLVED. I have deveolped a good relationship with my Jewel manager, but know it could not have been if I kept bothering her with blackbelt issues. (Ususally if the blackbelt deal is messed up - I find it is usually something I did anyway...lol)
thanks again Jill for all your hard work, If I had a bottle of Kosher Coke Classic I'd send you one with a large bucket of ice ;)
People never cease to amaze
People never cease to amaze me with how self-centered they can be. Calling you in the middle of the night??!!? That's ridiculous. Sorry for all that you do, you get so much grief. It shouldn't be that way. Glad your Coke is on it's way!!
Thanks :)
Thanks... and the Kosher Coke post will be coming soon too. My wonderful Jewel manager has already ordered me a pallet of the stuff! :)
black belt
I'm not trying to be rude, but....there are no rules for the black belt style deal. I think Jill and others have posted enough information about this. It is a try at your own risk situation. If the cat doesn't print, consider it a learning experience. Double check all your UPCs against the list. Perhaps the cat machine was down. Perhaps you did not scan your preferred card. Perhaps another cat you used to pay was entered as grocery. There are many possibilities why your cat did not print. BTW, it is also mentioned not to go to CS and not to call Catalina. Good luck on your future deals. We have all made similar mistakes, but over the long run a few bucks here and there don't seem to matter too much because of all the money we save elsewhere. Try to remember how much you are saving compared to the way you used to shop. At least, that's what works for me.
P&G/Kraft Deal
Has anybody tried this deal today? I know it's supposed to start today, but the Jewel ad I got said it starts tomorrow. Anybody get it to work today?
Replying to my own post!
I'm replying to my own post because I was able to confirm that this deal actually is printing today! I bought 7 bags of shredded Kraft cheese ($4.29/$2.49) and there was a blinkie machine right in front of the cheese with $1/2 Kraft cheese coupons. So my net cost was $17.43 - $3 manu coupons - $10 catalina received = $4.43 for 7 bags of cheese which isn't too bad! Of course I threw in some of the YourBucks overage items ($.89 Suave) to lower my final cost for the cheese even more!
? about all these catalina's from a newbie
First of all a big thanks to Jill for not only working all these deals but answering all of our questions. THANK YOU!
Obviously I want to work as many of these as I can and as cost effectively as I can, but I don't want to be buying a lot of food we don't or won't eat. I'm more than happy to donate to the food pantry, and I do regularly, but I want to make sure I'm getting what we need to. So...my question is even if I don't follow all of the scenarios and buy things that are eligible and that we use, are these cat's still a good deal? I don't have coupons for everything but I'm only buying the things that are on preferred price.
Thanks for any help, it will make this a lot easier for me!
Wheaties Fuel $1 Coupons
If you become a fan of Wheaties Fuel on Facebook you can print two $1 off coupons to add to your savings on this cat.
That is on the General Mills Save $7 on $20.
Forgot to mention which one.
I knew I should have bought 2
I knew I should have bought 2 freezers!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm trying NOT to look! :) LOL
Ok...I made it 24 hours before I had an addictive relapse. So...my name is Joy, I am a coupon cutting (only when I'm ready to use them), deal chasing, pantry/storage rearranging coupon addict.
Ok, now seriously, I have been trying NOT to look at all 5 of these cat deals. I am out of room! :( Freezers are bursting, when I put away my Ragu and Hormel last night the lazy susan actually groaned when I tried to spin it closed. I have body wash tucked in every corner of the house, boxes of Ziplocs in the blanket chest, laundry detergent under the bed, I'm thinking about putting the Christmas tree BACK up so I can string some more popcorn and free up some space in the cabinet. Fruit snacks have become an "honorary food group". I just had a long talk with the dog about ramping up his Kibbles&Bits consumption. I'm not sure why he thinks its unreasonable for a 17lb. dog to tackle a bag that equals his body weight!??! I just shipped a box full of Fusion razors, body washes, toothpastes, deodorants etc. to my sister just to have room to get the Jewel and Target bags of free stuff off the dining room table so we can eat!
And I'm so thankful to Jill for having this "problem" LOL! :)
LOL Classic!
Thanks to all of you who make me laugh every day I read this blog! Its nice to find humor in all of this and see how we all relate to each other. Reminds me of another classic comment, not of mine so forgive me if I don't get it quoted exactly right, but I remember someone saying something along the lines of "If something should happen to me please let everyone know I am not a hoarder. I have deodorant stashed under my bed because I am a couponer!"
LOL!!!!!!
That goes for me too! My ex-DH just said that to me the other day! That if something happened to me, they would think I was a hoarder. Of course he said that as he was walking away with bags full of Ragu, bread, Pepsi Max and more Suave than his hair follicles have years left in them!
LOL! This "more Suave than
LOL! This "more Suave than his hair follicles have years left in them!" cracked me up!! It's the same here!
:)
Too funny! I love it!
Hilarious!!! But SO SO
Hilarious!!! But SO SO True!! :) Glad I'm not the only one!
How is Jewel Going to Keep the Shelves Stocked
I want to know how Jewel is going to manage to keep the shelves stocked on these items. Seriously! Looking for an .89 bottle of Sauve is going to become the same thing as looking for those Go-Go Pets at Christmas... We are going to need to start trading tips on when the truck is coming to the local Jewel.
i know!
I've had the suave problem too. gone twice and both times the $.89 suave is out. (As I don't use it myself and plan to give it away, it's not really worth it to buy the $1.79 suave)
I did have an associate give me a rain check though - so if you ask for one, you can wait till next week and still get the MM YB!! :)
Why isn't it worth it??
The $1.79 Suave is still free with the $2 yourbucks.
Exactly
I buy SOME Suave product with every trip! Even if you don't want it, donate it to a food pantry -- they can always use personal care products. Suave Body Washes are $1.50 - still moneymakers. Deodorants are $1.99 - free. If you won't use it, think about giving it away to someone in need.
check endcaps
Shelves could be empty and endcaps full - just check. I went to Wags and the shelf where the product usually was, it wasn't, I asked and she pulled me over to another aisle where they put the stuff that obviously wouldn't fit in the right place and it was stocked (I think it was Dove men's free bodywash that week).
My girlfriend said she found either the Colgate or the Suave on an endcap too.
Remember...
... there's no reason not to buy a $1.79 bottle of Suave Professionals if the .89 Suave is gone. Still free and a moneymaker! :)
Not just shampoo
And it's not just shampoo or conditioner! It says "any Suave product!"
Yes!
I bought deodorant for $1.99 making it free after the $2 YB! I thought I was getting a great deal a couple of weeks ago at Jewel when my deodorant was on sale for $1...now it's free!
Body wash
I thought I saw the Suave body wash for 1.50 at Jewel yesterday.
ladies deodorant FINALLY
The hubby now has deodorant up the ying yang from the latest deals and now, finally, it's my turn!! I need to stock up free deodorant :oD
Good to know! I missed the
Good to know! I missed the ANY suave product. I don't generally use their shampoo so this is a great idea for me!!!
BEST experience at Jewel!!
OK. I am pretty new to the super-couponing thing so I only have 2 previous shopping trips to compare today's to... However I've quickly become (cringe) obsessed with this blog and the EASY way to save!!
I decided to run my first wave of GM deals today. Everything in the store was labelled with a "buy $20 save $7" tag. (I still checked the skus, thank you very much to this blog!) Before I get into the amazing cats I got, a few compliments to Jewel (Yes I will probably even be calling to commend them!)
** They were 100%, shelves empty, sold out of the $.89 Suave that generates a $2 YB. The associate not only told me when the next shipment would come in, but wrote me a rain check for the sale price in case I don't make it back before the sale's over!!!
** She also offered to write me a rain check for the 17 oz Cinnamon toast crunch which I was planning to use towards the GM deal. However (TIP TO NEWBIES LIKE ME!!) I passed an endcap display and found the qualifying 17oz box.
** Another associate answered my questions about hot dogs (I had an avenu coupon for the Jewel brand, which I guess my Woodstock branch doesn't carry)
** Not to mention all the others that kept stopping to say hello to my 2 year old. I'm always bringing her from now on, happy associates = more happy to help you. haha.
** I used the self-checkout for the first time with coupons, and the associates were more than happy to help, even when I added one or two products after we started scanning coupons, to reach $50 for the YB$5.
OK. So here's what I ended up getting:
$2 YB cat for 26oz Ragu pasta sauce
$7 GM for buying $20
$3.50 GM for buying 5 fruit snacks
$3 for buying 2 johnson's baby products ****
BONUSES!! / Double Dips!!
Save $1.50 on any 3 GM cereals
Save $2.50 on any 3 desitin/johnson's products
****FYI to those who are doing the $3YB on Johnson's or desitin: There is a green 5oz tube of Johnson's NO MORE TANGLES Leave-in conditioner that had a SAVE $1 NOW coupon taped to the top. The price at my jewel was $4.29 pre-coupon.
I did not get the $5YB cat for spending $50, I think because she did coupons THEN added a few more products. I should have checked my total before I scanned my coupons (I was a little overexcited because...)
Some poor, unknowing customer had left 3 catalinas in the self-checkout!!!!!!! SO I ended up taking home:
$10 OYNO of $100+ (from Jewel preferred card)
save $1 on 2 pkgs Oscar Mayer deli creations
Save $5 on 2 cans any size Enfagrow Premium (I think someone else blogged about this earlier)
I am pretty sure with all these catalinas going on, I will put that $10 off $100 to good use!!! And, I have a pregnant girlfriend who will be reaping the rewards of the Enfagrow and save $2.50 on Johnsons/Desitin that I earned today :)
I was literally laughing OUT LOUD in the car on the way home. Thank you again Jill! Your website is right: Stick with you and I will NEVER shop the same way again!!!
Conagra/GP/Dannon/Dr Pepper/Snapple - "Save Tonight" deal
I got something today at the checkout at Jewel that says this deal runs between 3/4/10 and 3/10/10. So are there two sets of info for this deal? I am confused as Jill's date range is much longer. Anyone know why the dates I got would be so different?
Alerts
I'm still working off info from other sites, other stores' ads (stores on the East coast have some of these promos running NOW), etc - when I get better, firm info, I'll post. But the heads-up is so worth it :) Those may also be the dates JEWEL has decided to put those products in their ad, etc.
Thanks Jill
Jill, thanks so much for all of the work I know you are doing right now. My head hurts, I know that I should be clipping away and I'm stuck here at my computer hoping someone can kick me into action! LOL It is so hard to keep all of this straight and to know where to start. Thanks for always explaining things in a way that the most novice couponer can understand.
I have learned so much from this site and always come back to it when I need to calm down and look at the big picture. so thank you so very much for all that you do!
hug
Beer Cat!
I don't recall ever seeing a cat deal for beer, but I do now!
"Purchase 2-12 packs of Miller High Life or Miller High Life Light and get $5 off your next shopping trip. The coupon will print with your cash register receipt. 2-1-10 – 2-28-10.”
Ahhhh . . . The champaign of beers!
(p.s. I got this from Kitty on Mashup Mom's site, but I've seen it in many places.)
Miller High Life Beer
Hi,
I was wondering if you purchased the beer at Jewel, and did the coupon print out for bottles or cans?
Thanks for help.
-Sumi
Bottles AND cans?
Finally made it out there last night. I got bottles (2 12 packs of the longnecks). The cat printed just fine!
The odd thing was that there was catalina tags hangin from all of the cases of cans, and not the bottles. I really prefer bottles, so I gave it a shot & it printed. So maybe it is both?
bottles or cans??
omg this EXCITES ME!!
hmmmm . . .
Well, I guess I haven't thought about that. I'm probably going to try this evening. I'll report back. I will be buying bottles.
ill get ..
the cans@!
laughin my coupon crazed head off !!
lmccho !!
How to prepare
Jill,
thanks for keeping us all updated. I have to admit, I'm a coupon junkie and all these catalina deals are not helping. My husband wants me to start a couponer rehab center in our neighborhood :0
anyway, what are some steps/ways to prepare for these upcoming deals. Do you look at the lists of things and begin to think what would be good to stock up on for the family and then start looking for coupons that match?
wow...
this is utterly amazing! Two weeks ago I had no idea what a catalina is... now they are my FAVORITE thing EVER :)
Thanks Jill for all your hard work!!
Combine Deals
Does anyone know if you can combine these deals in one transaction? I'm just wondering if using a couple of these Cat deals would total $60 to get the $6 YB Cat.
Thoughts?
Sure
You can do General Mills, C.H.I.L.L. and YourBucks all in the same transaction, as well as anything else that's running, deal-wise! :)