RETIRED: ***chat*** The Official Publix Grocery Chat Thread and anyone else is welcome Chat too!

Quote from daydr3am : Alright, I've got a little rant. What is SO difficult about properly redeeming coupons?! Lately I keep encountering customers who apparently don't know how to read. No, you cannot use a Cortizone coupon on a Publix brand cream product. No I don't care that they're essentially the same thing. No you can't use a coupon for 6 Yoplaits when you only have 3. No you can't use a Kettle Brand chips coupon on Cape Cod chips. No you can't use a coupon for a 15 oz. product when the one you're buying is only 6 oz. No I don't care if think you think you've been using coupons legitimately in the past. You can try justifying your poor coupon usage all you want, but if you wanna use the coupon, you have to buy what is stated on the coupon! It's not like they aren't aware that they're not buying the right product... they know, they just want to try to take shortcuts and come up with a bunch of BS as to why I should take a coupon for stuff they're not buying. Ugh. Couponing is NOT hard!

them into shape You're right it's not that hard to use them correctly

Quote from daydr3am : ...come up with a bunch of BS as to why I should take a coupon for stuff they're not buying. Ugh. Couponing is NOT hard!

It IS a bunch of BS They know exactly what they're doing, they're just trying to get away with it. They hope the cashiers don't look and just scan them. And, sadly these people seem to know exactly the cashiers to go to. I don't know how the scammers justify stealing in their heads. I mean, look at that 'jail'me' extreme couponer. It's the same kind of crud that people are doing at Publix. The cashiers love to tell me how much this kind of stuff happens, and sadly it happens a lot. Those really high value coupons are used on the smaller sizes all the time.

Seriously, I don't get it...maybe their parents didn't teach them anything other than how to game the system or the ends justify the means or something like that?

The cashiers tell me that if they catch something and they tell them the people will be like "let's see if the register takes it" or "try it, it will scan". Though some cashiers just don't care and if it scans it's OK. That's the issue...some cashiers and some stores really don't even care about that. But, often when they say something they start a huge argument, create a scene, then a manager gets called and often they put them through anyway. Grrr....

This is the stuff they tell me that happens. I've seen people use the wrong Q's as well in person and it's very disheartening. Even Publix coupons....I saw people using those $2 off the value size nature valley PQ on the small size to get them free. Sick huh? I can't believe cashiers let those through! Some must not look at all!

I can't wait until that actual new bar code is implemented!!!

Quote from phatchristy : I can't wait until that actual new bar code is implemented!!!

I'm scared about the new barcode, only from a why in the he!l did this beep standpoint (I bought the correct size, I bought the correct brand, why it beeped.)

I've seen a Produce TQ used lately too. There hasn't been a valid one for months!

Quote from daydr3am : Couponing is NOT hard!

It isn't like Publix programmers couldn't help the situation by reading something other than JUST the value on a Q. At least read the MFG code too, as we both know that you could use a Cottonelle Q on Charmin and it never beep at Publix.

BTW, when is Publix gonna roll out the new barcode implementation?

Quote from daydr3am : Alright, I've got a little rant. What is SO difficult about properly redeeming coupons?! Lately I keep encountering customers who apparently don't know how to read. No, you cannot use a Cortizone coupon on a Publix brand cream product. No I don't care that they're essentially the same thing. No you can't use a coupon for 6 Yoplaits when you only have 3. No you can't use a Kettle Brand chips coupon on Cape Cod chips. No you can't use a coupon for a 15 oz. product when the one you're buying is only 6 oz. No I don't care if think you think you've been using coupons legitimately in the past. You can try justifying your poor coupon usage all you want, but if you wanna use the coupon, you have to buy what is stated on the coupon! It's not like they aren't aware that they're not buying the right product... they know, they just want to try to take shortcuts and come up with a bunch of BS as to why I should take a coupon for stuff they're not buying. Ugh. Couponing is NOT hard!

I love how they play it off like they didn't realize what they were doing. You can always tell when someone honestly made a mistake and when they're doing it on purpose. I know sometimes we skirt the line (like the Vicks coupon on the Puffs with Vicks), but some stuff is black & white, plain and simple.

Fake TQs are rampant here. People are still using the produce and bakery TQs

Quote from tn_native : I'm scared about the new barcode, only from a why in the he!l did this beep standpoint (I bought the correct size, I bought the correct brand, why it beeped.)

I'm not scared about the new barcode...I think that if it does beep that they will just have to verify that you bought the right product. I've had two beep since the register update all those months ago. One was a rondele cheese coupon and another was a scotch coupon (which strangely worked like the next week without beeping) all they did was check to make sure I bought what was on the coupon and they they manually entered it. Honestly, in all of the transactions I've done if it only happens a couple of times and adds like 2 minutes to the checkout then I'm more than happy. It's going to stop the people who commit out and out fraud.

Quote from Gwapes : Come to Gainesville We are smack dab in the middle of FL so you can go to the east or west coast. We are a little bigger than Lake City, have some decent schools, and have decent shopping- as well as tons of Publii. Heck even Newberry, Alachua, and High Springs are quite nice. Jax is a little over an hour drive from here. Orlando and Tampa are a little over 2 hrs.

I know someone who moved to North Port...to me, it seems a bit rural, but they homes there are super cheap and she got a really nice new home for about half of what it would cost here in Tampa! And, her lot is super large and open, what you'd want if you had kids...

So it's official - DH and I are hosting Thanksgiving (first major holiday with my family)!

I'm very excited, but also just a tad bit nervous. Besides the logistics of having 9 people in our 2 bedroom apartment for a long weekend ( good thing we're a close fam!) I really need to step it up in regards to deals to make sure I have everything I might need before they get here.

Thankfully just on my own I think I have enough toothpaste, toothbrushes, and vivarin for everyone but will definitely need more food. My fridge/freezer is painfully tiny, even for 2 of us, so I'm going to have to buy a big cooler (wish I had bought one during the Target summer deal! gargh) for fresh food when it gets closer, or maybe even a mini fridge (hoping to avoid that if possible).

What do you all suggest - find what may be the best deal for an item and then buy in bulk, or buy over the deals between now and then and slowly stock up so there's no chance of missing a future deal? DH and I only buy in small (usually max 4 per item) quantities so this is kinda new to me.

For example, the stock I'll certainly need is on BOGO next week and shelf stable - should I start buying now, or wait until it gets closer and hope for MQs?

Thank you all in advance for listening to my babble and so generously offering your advice. You're the only friends I got that I could ask about this

Quote from TeamORillo : So it's official - DH and I are hosting Thanksgiving (first major holiday with my family)! I'm very excited, but also just a tad bit nervous. Besides the logistics of having 9 people in our 2 bedroom apartment for a long weekend ( good thing we're a close fam!) I really need to step it up in regards to deals to make sure I have everything I might need before they get here. Thankfully just on my own I think I have enough toothpaste, toothbrushes, and vivarin for everyone but will definitely need more food. My fridge/freezer is painfully tiny, even for 2 of us, so I'm going to have to buy a big cooler (wish I had bought one during the Target summer deal! gargh) for fresh food when it gets closer, or maybe even a mini fridge (hoping to avoid that if possible). What do you all suggest - find what may be the best deal for an item and then buy in bulk, or buy over the deals between now and then and slowly stock up so there's no chance of missing a future deal? DH and I only buy in small (usually max 4 per item) quantities so this is kinda new to me. For example, the stock I'll certainly need is on BOGO next week and shelf stable - should I start buying now, or wait until it gets closer and hope for MQs? Thank you all in advance for listening to my babble and so generously offering your advice. You're the only friends I got that I could ask about this

I would say start buying things now. Every time I tell myself I'll wait until another sale or coupon, it never happens. And, personally, I'd rather start checking stuff off the list so there's less to deal with by the time all your personal space gets invaded

As for feeding everyone while they're there. I'm assuming they'll be there Thursday through Sunday or something? So Thursday is Thanksgiving, Friday can be leftovers (at least it always is at our house!). So you're looking at probably 2 days of feeding everyone, so that's not too bad. Try for stuff that you won't need to refrigerate- no point to buy a new cooler or mini fridge for one day.

Quote from kallison423 : I would say start buying things now. Every time I tell myself I'll wait until another sale or coupon, it never happens. And, personally, I'd rather start checking stuff off the list so there's less to deal with by the time all your personal space gets invaded As for feeding everyone while they're there. I'm assuming they'll be there Thursday through Sunday or something? So Thursday is Thanksgiving, Friday can be leftovers (at least it always is at our house!). So you're looking at probably 2 days of feeding everyone, so that's not too bad. Try for stuff that you won't need to refrigerate- no point to buy a new cooler or mini fridge for one day.

Thanks for the advice - appreciate it (will rep when I can again)! I know I've been spoiled by the deals on SD, but I have to keep telling myself that sometimes just a BOGO can be worth it!

If I can avoid buying extra food storage, I definitely will, but I'm probably most nervous about the turkey. Our fridge door opens into the kitchen wall (we're renters - I never would have designed the kitchen that way) and even if we take the side shelves out, I'm not sure we'd fit a turkey. And to buy frozen would mean dedicating like 1/3 of the freezer to stand it up in there I bet. This may be the temporary insanity talking, but maybe I need to buy a turkey the morning of?

To make things more complicated, DH brews beer and wants to make a special match for Thanksgiving - unfortunately those bottles have to stay refridgerated AND have to stay upright. It's definitely going to be a game of Refridgerator Tetris!