Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

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CalItalian
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by CalItalian »

storewanderer wrote: September 15th, 2022, 1:03 am
CalItalian wrote: September 14th, 2022, 3:18 pm Sorry to hear your local store doesn't offer that option in the service meat case. That's my go to place when there is an advertised item that requires a value pack or 3 lbs. or more price. I get the butcher at my local Vons to package the items in a small quantity so I can pull them out of the freezer for one meal - but still get the advertised value size price or For U coupon price.
It isn't the "local store." It is the policy of Safeway NorCal Division. They select ONE SKU for meat coupon/digital offers. They are very limiting. There is no flexibility. Tagging meat as something it isn't like selling single steaks with the value pack price, will get the employee fired if they catch it, it would be considered deliberately underpricing merchandise. I have been told there is some flexibility for them to, for instance, break a value pack of 3 steaks into 3 separate small trays, wrap the 3 small trays together, and put the old price label on top of the 3 small trays... they are told they are not to "combine" 3 single pack steaks into a single value pack to get the customer the sale price due to labor waste and packaging waste. Safeway has one of the worst meat departments in my opinion of the major chains. The worst pricing, the worst assortment of cuts, and the worst promotions. Raleys just does a far better job and is a lot more flexible. If Safeway would move NorCal to the more flexible Albertsons model (where you can get thin/thick at a slight .50/lb upcharge from the sale price, where you could get any size package from the service case for the sale price), I would have a different opinion.

Yep, that was how it was before Albertsons sold to Save Mart too. The ad price worked at Butcher Block for any size package and they would do small packs without hesitation. The meat quality varied over the years but for stuff like chicken breasts and ground beef I never had any reservations purchasing from Albertsons (steaks were another matter and seafood was a hard pass) back then. They also would "clearance" all of their ground beef in the service case (85/15 and 90/10) around 7:30 PM when breaking down the case at 1.99/lb or if you were real lucky 0.99/lb. All of that ended when Save Mart took over of course.

I do not receive any $1 off coupons anymore. The past few days in CO even there none came up. I think it is something to do with the Fresh Pass program. Maybe once that ends I will start to receive them again.
Your Fresh Pass is the issue of why you aren't getting the $1 coupons. There's many reports on coupon blogs because many of us won them during the Flavor Adventure game over the summer. I won three (three different accounts). I haven't decided what to do but I have until September 30 to sign up (for a full year free). I was hoping the issue would be resolved by now.

Now, in SoCal, the policy is you get the multipack/family pack price (advertised or digital coupon) at the service meat counter. Even if you just buy 1 steak, for example. My butcher does one of two things depending on how much I am getting. One, individually packages what I ask but then wraps that in a larger package with one label or will give me two individual packages if I asked for just two.
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by storewanderer »

CalItalian wrote: September 15th, 2022, 11:39 pm Your Fresh Pass is the issue of why you aren't getting the $1 coupons. There's many reports on coupon blogs because many of us won them during the Flavor Adventure game over the summer. I won three (three different accounts). I haven't decided what to do but I have until September 30 to sign up (for a full year free). I was hoping the issue would be resolved by now.

Now, in SoCal, the policy is you get the multipack/family pack price (advertised or digital coupon) at the service meat counter. Even if you just buy 1 steak, for example. My butcher does one of two things depending on how much I am getting. One, individually packages what I ask but then wraps that in a larger package with one label or will give me two individual packages if I asked for just two.
The irony is the Fresh Pass "benefits" of a $5 off $5 coupon monthly, $2 any Medium Starbucks (let's say this is a $3 value), the double points on private label, bonus 1 reward each week, do have some "value." But I think those 4 $1 off coupons every week had a greater value.

I won it free for a year too and don't know if I need to sign up to have it stick around for a year or if I already did. I gave them a prepaid card so they won't be able to charge me anything next year if they try so maybe that means I already signed up. If I did not already sign up I would probably not proceed with the sign up due to it making the $1 offs disappear.

I notice in SoCal with the meat coupons if you drill down to eligible items it has all of the service meat PLUs (of which there are a ton) linked to the meat coupon offers.
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by mbz321 »

CalItalian wrote: September 14th, 2022, 3:12 pm
I've stated many times here I have multiple For U accounts. There is a $1 off digital produce coupon every week. You need more than $1 in total produce - one or more items - for it to apply. It stacks with personalized (Just) For U prices or ad For U coupons.
Twice now I have tried using that coupon on bananas, being over $1 total, like $1.25 give or take and the $1 never comes off!
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by marketreportblog »

mbz321 wrote: September 18th, 2022, 6:17 pm Twice now I have tried using that coupon on bananas, being over $1 total, like $1.25 give or take and the $1 never comes off!
Shaw’s this past Friday for me, had local apples at $1.75 or so per lb. A little over 3 lbs came to $5.30 or so. They were on sale for something around $1.29/lb, which brought down the total slightly but then there was also a digital coupon for the apples at $0.57/lb — a very good deal, meaning that my 3 lbs were $1.76. Then I had the $1 off any produce, which scanned too, bringing my apples down to $0.76 — or roughly $0.25/lb. Not bad.
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by Bagels »

Albertsons has started to tighten its J4U app. A couple weeks ago, I had a $5 off $25 in P&G Products + $5 off $50 total basket. Last week I had $5 off $25 in Coke products + $5 off $50 basket. Both times we spent over $80, but only one coupon came off. Apparently Albertsons is now limiting it to one $ off basket coupon per transaction (you use to be able to stack $5 off $50 paper coupon w/$5 off $50 digital, but paper coupons are becoming rare). Seems like both should apply in both cases.

Yoplait yogurt was 47c with a digital coupon. I had two 50c off 5 and a $3 off 10 digital coupons. Use to be that it would take all the coupons, so basically 10 for 70 cents. But now it's only taking the 47c weekly coupon.
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by CalItalian »

Bagels wrote: October 13th, 2022, 6:54 pm Albertsons has started to tighten its J4U app. A couple weeks ago, I had a $5 off $25 in P&G Products + $5 off $50 total basket. Last week I had $5 off $25 in Coke products + $5 off $50 basket. Both times we spent over $80, but only one coupon came off. Apparently Albertsons is now limiting it to one $ off basket coupon per transaction (you use to be able to stack $5 off $50 paper coupon w/$5 off $50 digital, but paper coupons are becoming rare). Seems like both should apply in both cases.

Yoplait yogurt was 47c with a digital coupon. I had two 50c off 5 and a $3 off 10 digital coupons. Use to be that it would take all the coupons, so basically 10 for 70 cents. But now it's only taking the 47c weekly coupon.
There's a lot of issues, more than ever, with their system. But digital coupons still stack. I had 8 orders between Monday & Tuesday. No issues (but I have to watch carefully at self-checkout). I was even able to use Las Vegas & NorCal personalized prices in Southern California (example, stacked a $4.99 personalized price for 50' Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil from NorCal Safeway w/ $1 digital manufacturer coupon which all regions got = $3.99 at Vons SoCal, 24 pack Signature Select personalized price for $2.83 from NorCal Safeway at Vons SoCal, Bananas .57 cents lb. personalized price from Vons/Albertsons Las Vegas stacked with $1 off produce coupon from Safeway NorCal at Vons SoCal).
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by storewanderer »

CalItalian wrote: October 13th, 2022, 8:46 pm
There's a lot of issues, more than ever, with their system. But digital coupons still stack. I had 8 orders between Monday & Tuesday. No issues (but I have to watch carefully at self-checkout). I was even able to use Las Vegas & NorCal personalized prices in Southern California (example, stacked a $4.99 personalized price for 50' Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil from NorCal Safeway w/ $1 digital manufacturer coupon which all regions got = $3.99 at Vons SoCal, 24 pack Signature Select personalized price for $2.83 from NorCal Safeway at Vons SoCal, Bananas .57 cents lb. personalized price from Vons/Albertsons Las Vegas stacked with $1 off produce coupon from Safeway NorCal at Vons SoCal).
The issue on the Yogurt coupon is the system is screwy and since the price of the yogurt is .47 it won't accept a coupon for over .47 (even if it is a coupon off multiple quantity).

Also the bananas are on sale for .39/lb in Las Vegas (regularly .59/lb) so I am not sure what that personalized price is.

I received $1 coupons last week for the first time in ~3 months, but none this week.
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by CalItalian »

storewanderer wrote: October 14th, 2022, 1:05 am
CalItalian wrote: October 13th, 2022, 8:46 pm
There's a lot of issues, more than ever, with their system. But digital coupons still stack. I had 8 orders between Monday & Tuesday. No issues (but I have to watch carefully at self-checkout). I was even able to use Las Vegas & NorCal personalized prices in Southern California (example, stacked a $4.99 personalized price for 50' Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil from NorCal Safeway w/ $1 digital manufacturer coupon which all regions got = $3.99 at Vons SoCal, 24 pack Signature Select personalized price for $2.83 from NorCal Safeway at Vons SoCal, Bananas .57 cents lb. personalized price from Vons/Albertsons Las Vegas stacked with $1 off produce coupon from Safeway NorCal at Vons SoCal).
The issue on the Yogurt coupon is the system is screwy and since the price of the yogurt is .47 it won't accept a coupon for over .47 (even if it is a coupon off multiple quantity).

Also the bananas are on sale for .39/lb in Las Vegas (regularly .59/lb) so I am not sure what that personalized price is.

I received $1 coupons last week for the first time in ~3 months, but none this week.
Bananas are .69 (regular price) in SoCal.
Often times, there is a digital personalized price that is higher than a digital advertised store coupon - both offered during the same timeframe.

I used the personalized digital Las Vegas price in SoCal. Personalized prices from NorCal Safeway and Vons/Albertsons Southern Nevada can be loaded to your For U account & used in Southern California. Not advertised store coupons, though. They won't show when you switch to a SoCal store location but still come off.

There is an issue across all divisions not getting the $1 coupons since this Wednesday. This happened over the summer for two weeks, as well. The $1 coupons I use in SoCal are loaded from NorCal Safeway (and those in NorCal get their $1 coupons from Vons/Albertsons/Pavilions SoCal).
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by Bagels »

CalItalian wrote: October 13th, 2022, 8:46 pmThere's a lot of issues, more than ever, with their system. But digital coupons still stack. I had 8 orders between Monday & Tuesday. No issues (but I have to watch carefully at self-checkout). I was even able to use Las Vegas & NorCal personalized prices in Southern California (example, stacked a $4.99 personalized price for 50' Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil from NorCal Safeway w/ $1 digital manufacturer coupon which all regions got = $3.99 at Vons SoCal, 24 pack Signature Select personalized price for $2.83 from NorCal Safeway at Vons SoCal, Bananas .57 cents lb. personalized price from Vons/Albertsons Las Vegas stacked with $1 off produce coupon from Safeway NorCal at Vons SoCal).
I'll have to try again, but it does seem like they've tightened in some areas -- there's no reason the P&G and Coke offers shouldn't stack as they're manufacture offers (probably a programming error -- they appear on the receipt as "$5 off basket.")

It's interesting how many bugs are in the app, given numerous other chains (e.g. Meijer) use the same software program.
storewanderer wrote: October 14th, 2022, 1:05 amThe issue on the Yogurt coupon is the system is screwy and since the price of the yogurt is .47 it won't accept a coupon for over .47 (even if it is a coupon off multiple quantity).

Also the bananas are on sale for .39/lb in Las Vegas (regularly .59/lb) so I am not sure what that personalized price is.

I received $1 coupons last week for the first time in ~3 months, but none this week.
Good to know! Albertsons has priced bananas at .69/lb in SoCal since at least 2015 (although until this year, I would regularly get personalized offers for 39c). About a month ago or so, they hiked them to .79/lb - at the same time most every other grocer cut the price. I noticed recently that they're back at 69c, not sure when the change was made. Ralphs is at 55c - they were at 69c for quite awhile. I've noticed several other price cuts at Albertsons - Big Boy Salad Dressings dropped to $5.99 from $6.49, for example ($4 at Walmart & $5.49 Ralphs).

Lots of people reported receiving a $5 of $5 coupon two weeks in a row, and a $10 off $10 this week. I got one for two bonus rewards when I spend $50.
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Re: Using an Old Receipt to Illustrate Inflation

Post by Bagels »

Walmart is quickly catching up to Albertsons:

Since my last visit two weeks ago:
* Big Boy salad dressings are now $6, up $2.
* A three pack of Romaine Hearts was $2.12, but now a single heart is the same price. Probably a slightly larger heart, but the three pack organic at $3.50 weighed twice as much.
* A four pack of Great Value breakfast sandwiches are now $6, up from $4. They’re $4.49 at Albertsons.
* A four pack of cupcakes is $5.99, up from $2.99 (I think I noticed this last time).
* GV single-serve frozen entrees are now $4.30ish, up from 2.30-something.
* Yoplait Yogurt is now 78c, was 56c.

Bananas are priced at 33c per lb, and large eggs 1.97 per dozen, both great deals, but I think that’s specific to this store.
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