- Manufacturer's Coupons are the most common type of coupon. These are the ones that come in the local papers. At the top of the coupon it will say Manufacturer's Coupon or MFR Coupon just to the left of the expiration date. This is the manufacturer's way of advertising a product in the hopes that you will purchase it. These coupons can be used at almost any store that carries the product BUT you can only use one MFR Coupon per item. This is a universal policy.
- Store Coupons come directly from the store. These coupons are found on the store website and/or in the store circular typically found in the Sunday paper. At the top of the coupon it will generally say the name of the store (i.e. Cub Foods Coupon). These coupons can only be used at the store they come from.
- Catalina Coupons are the coupons that are generated at the check out. These coupons are generally for something that you have just purchased. Read these carefully because some of them are MFR Coupons and some are Store Coupons. These can have a shorter life-span than other coupons, so check the expiration dates carefully. Occasionally you might get lucky and receive a really great Catalina Coupon (i.e. $5.00 off any meat purchase).
When you check out at the grocery store you give your coupons to the cashier. Once they are scanned and you receive your discounts, the coupons go into a drawer. At the end of the day the coupons are totaled and included in the drawer total when the drawer is reconciled. Once a week the grocery store gathers all of the coupons and sends them off to a clearing house where they are sorted and totaled. The grocery store then receives payment from the various manufacturers for the face amount of the coupons PLUS an additional 8-15 cents per coupon. YES, the grocery store does make a profit off of the coupons used in their store. Don't ever feel guilty for using a lot of coupons! Many grocery chains will receive a million or more coupons each week.
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