There were many comments regarding the Food4Less coupon policy yesterday. I decided to take it upon myself and see what I could get from Customer Service. Today, this is the response that I recieved:
The store manager has the right to accept, decline or limit the quantity of coupons or items used or purchased in a single transaction, by a single customer, or in a single day.
General Coupon Policy:
* All manufacturer coupons are redeemed at face value
* Limit of five (5) “free” coupons and the customer is responsible for taxes and deposits.
* Limit one (1) manufacturer coupon per item purchased.
* Limit one (1) store coupon per item purchased.
* Limit one (1) manufacturer and one (1) store coupon can be used on the same item.
* Competitor Catalina (checkout) coupons are accepted.
o Limit one (1) Catalina coupon per item.
o Catalina coupons may not be used with a manufacturer coupon on the same item.
o There is no limit on the number of Catalina coupons (one Catalina coupon per item) that are presented in a single transaction as long as the total coupon amount does not exceed the total grocery bill for that transaction.
* Coupons cannot be used on “free” items.
* Expired coupons are not accepted.
* Amount refunded cannot exceed the cost of the item.Pharmacy Coupons:
* Competitor pharmacy coupons are accepted.
* LCM or Competitor Coupons may be used in conjunction with our $4 Generic Program.
* Maximum RX coupon dollars per household is $300 per year.Internet Coupon restrictions / PAH Coupons:
* Only one internet coupon per item will be accepted
* Internet coupons that state the item is “Free” are not accepted
This is how I interpert the policy:
Limit of five (5) “free” coupons and the customer is responsible for taxes and deposits. — This means you are allowed only 5 items that would result in a ZERO total per transaction
Internet coupons that state the item is “Free” are not accepted – This to me is confusing but I believe it is supposed to mean that you can not use Internet printed coupons that require no purchase. (So if it was a printed coupon that gave you a FREE can of cat food–it would not be allowed) but it seems like some stores are interpreting this as coupons that are Buy One Get One Free are not accepted well.
The thing about this policy is that any store manager could make up any rules that they wanted because of the very first Clause:
The store manager has the right to accept, decline or limit the quantity of coupons or items used or purchased in a single transaction, by a single customer, or in a single day.
My best advice would to get acquainted with your store manager and ask them their policies. This will make for a much easier shopping experience for everyone!
My Name is Josie and I live in sunny Southern California and I am a stay at home mom to three beautiful boys. We all know that living in California is a task of it's own and saving in California IS possible! I started this blog mainly to share all the awesome deals out there and show others how to save in any area of life. Even though you may make the commitment to be frugal and pinch your pennies doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice!
yes i was having problems at food 4 less yesterday so i send a email to the main office they send me a copy so i took it with me today to show the cashier because they where still giving me problems……
Did that help??
I interpreted the limit of 5 “free” coupons to mean exactly that — you can only present 5 coupons that state the item is free, not $ off Q’s that would end up with the item being free.
i agree with this
I agree, the “free” means the coupon says free with no other purchase necessary (i.e. Good n Natural bars).
This is off the subject but I went to a flea market about a week ago and to my surprise this lady was selling all of the items that were included in the Food 4 Less mega sale that that took place about 2 weeks ago. I can’t prove but only assume that this is where she got all of her merchandise from. To make the story short If this is happening and people are taking advantage and re-selling these items, it’s because of people like this that we honest couponers can’t catch a break. This is why we see more stores get stricter and stricter when it comes to accepting coupons.
Was this at sante feel springs swap meet? I think I seen the same lady and she was there like 6 months ago….it sucks!
Couldn’t agree more!!!! i go to the flea market every week and i know what you mean.. I seen this past week two new lady’s and the worst part is that I’ve seen one of them shopping at Food4less.. LOL..
Not for anything were they Vietnamease? Just for Id Purposes. on the flip side ladies it is sad but they have to have a resellers license or sellers license and it is legal to resell.
In my local Food 4 less they have a note posted on a bulletin board with a number that urges people to call if they see any products with the food 4 less logo being sold elsewhere other then f4less. That’s what makes me think it’s illegal. I thought you would of had to go to Costco for wholesale.
Maybe you should ask a description of the lady instead of throwing a particular race out there. Your comment can come off as offensive.
When did Food4less change their coupon policy?
Thank you~~
I have consistently had problems at the F4L store in El Monte over the past few years. The cashiers, customer service people/supervisors and the managers seem to follow or make up whatever policies they want. I’ve had issues with regular clipped coupons, internet coupons and rain checks. At times, I was able to get some resolution after speaking with the manager or calling corporate to verify policies. However, the last situation where the cashier, supervisor and the manager each refused to give me a rain check on the last day of the sale because they said it would be on sale again in the next week. When I contacted corporate, I got a call back from a manager over all of the Ralphs and F4L in the area. I was shocked when she passed the buck back to me by telling me to contact the store manager for a “sit down” meeting to try to resolve the issue and to allow him to fix the customer service issue. The manager is clearly part of the problem as that store does not follow corporate policies and they use the clause that the manager has the right to make decisions regarding coupon and rain check policies. So sad to say, I now avoid shopping at F4L.
Don’t forget Walmart price matches printed ads, as long as it’s the identical item. In my very short time couponing I have found them to be more accepting of coupons and not such sticklers like F4L. Hope this helps…
so glad that at my food 4 less they are wonderful