Q&A: One per purchase

Question from my inbox ,

First I want to thank you for your thriftymom website.  I’ve been
couponing for a year now and I still have questions.  I learn
something neew everyday about coupons….I do have a question after
watching TLC’s Extreme Couponing, in the show the couponers bought a
large number of items and used coupons for every item…… I’ve read
the fine print on the coupon and most of these coupons have written on
them “one per purchase” or “one per purchase of like item”……..I’ve
tried to use multiple coupons, for instance, Act Popcorn at Winco and
the cashier refused my coupons because they read, one per
purchase……on the show there were items the couponers purchased and
i have the same coupons and mine read “one per purchase”.  So does
this depend on the store and cashier to take these multiple coupons?
does it also depend on the store and cashier to double a coupon that
reads “do not double”.  I hope you can explain this to me.

Answer: This is a great question and asked at every coupon class I teach, so I thought it would be a good topic to cover.  First let me say the fine print on a coupon should be read and honored.   A store has the right to refuse a coupon  ( which is silly they get reimbursed the full amount plus 8 cents).  That being said this is what the fine print means…

If your coupon says ” One coupon per purchase”

That means you are only able to use one coupon per item purchased.  ( NOT buy 5 items and scan the same coupon 5 times).  If you are buying or purchasing 5 items you can then use 5 coupons.  Ask yourself or the cashier how many items did I purchase….5, so that means you can use 5 coupons  (One per purchase). You can have multiple ”purchases” within one transaction.

If the coupon was to say “One coupon per transaction” then yes you are only to use one coupon for one item on that shopping trip.

If the coupon was to say ” One coupon per House Hold” then you are only use one coupon , not even on a new transaction or next shopping trip.

Many of you may have noticed P&G a few months back changed the wording on there coupons.  They now reads ” Limit one coupon per purchase, Limit of 4 like coupon in the same shopping trip” The top line means the same as above, one coupon per item or purchase ( you can buy 3 of the same items and use 3 coupons)…. but then the next line gives you even further instruction.  Only 4 like items in the same shopping trip.  So you can buy as many P&G products as you want in one transaction….but limited to 4 of each product. So 4 toothpaste, 4 shampoo, 4 bodywash…you get the idea.

The main thing is to remember a transaction is different than a purchase.  A transaction is the sum of all the items or all the purchases you made.