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Coupon Barcode Basics

2,125 1,015 August 6, 2008 at 08:42 AM in Coupon (2)
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Last Edited by slayers750 March 10, 2010 at 08:01 PM
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THIS POST IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT POST COMMENTS RELATING TO WAYS TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!


A WARNING FOR COUPON FRAUD WILL BE ISSUED TO ANY USER WHO USES THIS INFORMATION IN ANY THREAD TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!

SHOULD WE GET TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO IGNORE THE STATEMENT ABOVE, THE THREAD WILL BE DELETED FOR GOOD.

In the past two weeks there have been two instances where valid coupons are beeping and it's resulted in a TON of thread posts with complaints, questions, and stories from frustrated couponers. Just a little bit of knowledge about barcodes can equip you with a lot of ammunition when dealing with cashiers and managers (since most of them are clueless and you'd be teaching them).

I'll explain the coupon barcodes, then show you exactly why the Lifesavers and Pert coupons are beeping.

Coupons will beep if ANY PORTION of the barcode does not match the products in your cart.

A typical coupon barcode looks like this:
1-22222-333-44-5


1 - This portion of the code will be either a 5 or a 9. It deals with doubling. If your store doesn't double coupons, then this number has no purpose. If your store DOES double coupons, then any coupon coded with a 5 will double (up to your store's doubling limit) and any coupon coded with a 9 will not double.

22222 - This number is the manufacturer's code. This code is the reason why the Lifesavers and Pert were beeping, but I'll explain those situations below.

333
- This number is the family code. Most manufacturers break their products into families. If you see a three digit number with no zeros, the coupon is coded for a specific product. If there is one zero at the end, the coupon is coded for more than one *variety* product. If there are two zeros at the end, the coupon is coded for more than one *type or brand* of product. Here's an example of how it works:

25700 100 - any Ziploc or Saran Wrap item
25700 160 - any Ziploc item
25700 170 - any Saran Wrap item
25700 164 - Ziploc containers
25700 175 - Saran Wrap disposable Cutting Sheets

If the family code is 000, then the coupon will not beep with any product which falls under the preceeding 5-digit manufacturer's code.

Some products are not broken into any families and are coded as 992. A 992 coupon will do one of two things, depending on how your store has it's registers programmed. Either it will NEVER beep, even if you didn't buy the product, or it will ALWAYS beep and require cashier intervention. These coupons were severely abused by couponers who wanted to use coupons even though they didn't buy the product, so most major retailers have now programmed their registers to beep at every 992.


44 - This is the value code. It tells the register how much to take off. Regardless of what the wording on the coupon says, this code tells the register what you need to purchase and how much to take off. Yes, in many cases there are some VERY EXTREME differences between the wording on the coupon and what the barcode actually requires you to purchase (since there are only a limited number of value codes available). Here are the codes and, again, PLEASE NO DISCUSSIONS ON HOW TO CIRCUMVENT THE SYSTEM. The wording on the coupon is the manufacturer's intended use for it.

00 "Beep" - Manual Input Required
01 Free Item - Will normally beep so cashier can input value
02 B4G1
03 $1.10
04 $1.35
05 $1.40
06 $1.60
07 B3 $1.50
08 B2 $3.00
09 B3 $2.00
10 $0.10
11 $1.85
12 $0.12
13 B4 $1.00
14 B1G1
15 $0.15
16 B2G1
18 $2.60
19 B3G1
20 $0.20
21 B2 $0.35
22 B2 $0.40
23 B2 $0.45
24 B2 $0.50
25 $0.25
26 $2.85
28 B2 $0.55
29 $0.29
30 $0.30
31 B2 $0.60
32 B2 $0.75
33 B2 $1.00
34 B2 $1.25
35 $0.35
36 B2 $1.50
37 B3 $0.25
38 B3 $0.30
39 $0.39
40 $0.40
41 B3 $0.50
42 B3 $1.00
43 B2 $1.10
44 B2 $1.35
45 $0.45
46 B2 $1.60
47 B2 $1.75
48 B2 $1.85
49 $0.49
50 $0.50
51 B2 $2.00
52 B3 $0.55
53 B2 $0.10
54 B2 $0.15
55 $0.55
56 B2 $0.20
57 B2 $0.25
58 B2 $0.30
59 $0.59
60 $0.60
61 $10.00
62 $9.50
63 $9.00
64 $8.50
65 $0.65
66 $8.00
67 $7.50
68 $7.00
69 $0.69
70 $0.70
71 $6.50
72 $6.00
73 $5.50
74 $5.00
75 $0.75
76 $1.00
77 $1.25
78 $1.50
79 $0.79
80 $0.80
81 $1.75
82 $2.00
83 $2.25
84 $2.50
85 $0.85
86 $2.75
87 $3.00
88 $3.25
89 $0.89
90 $0.90
91 $3.50
92 $3.75
93 $4.00
95 $0.95
96 $4.50
98 B2 $0.65
99 $0.99


5 Check digit...no real relevance to couponers.
Add a Comment Sorry, this thread is closed.

Community Wiki

Last Edited by slayers750 March 10, 2010 at 07:56 PM
THIS POST IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT POST COMMENTS RELATING TO WAYS TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!

A WARNING FOR COUPON FRAUD WILL BE ISSUED TO ANY USER WHO USES THIS INFORMATION IN ANY THREAD TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!

SHOULD WE GET TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO IGNORE THE STATEMENT ABOVE, THE THREAD WILL BE DELETED FOR GOOD.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some stores accept expired coupons. Check this thread to see if any stores near you have a policy to accept expired coupons:

https://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?p=12410695#post12410695

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Joined May 2008
L5: Journeyman
> bubble2 567 Posts
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xpro92
08-13-2008 at 07:28 AM.
08-13-2008 at 07:28 AM.
Quote from duttygal :
does anyone know the price of Pert at Walmart?
Not certain, probably just over $3 for regular size.... but on a much more important note I did hear that the price of tea in China increased drastically in recent weeks...... Maybe some tea conspiracy???
Reply
Joined Jun 2006
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 348 Posts
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lynnroberts
08-13-2008 at 07:28 AM.
08-13-2008 at 07:28 AM.
Quote from mahgobbi :
Exactly what part of his reasons were legitimate? He slandered me for stealing from his site, which I had never even heard of until somebody else posted a link to it. No information was *stolen* from him, so how is his slander legitimate?

And this is just speculation, but if his site was constructed post-2003, it's more than likely that the ideas on his site were *borrowed* from dealideal. To my knowledge, DI was the first site of its kind.
Is there no honor among THIEVES?? lol
Reply
Joined Oct 2007
L7: Teacher
> bubble2 2,185 Posts
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CVS_Lifer
08-13-2008 at 01:52 PM.
08-13-2008 at 01:52 PM.
Quote from AMDGD :
I'm a bit puzzled by your tone. In the past your posts have been well received but some of the information in this post is certainly incorrect.

First, my understanding is that this is a civil matter and as such an attorney will not be provided to John as you assert.

Also John remains innocent unless Coupons, Inc. can prove in a court of law that he violated their rights. This is the same rights that you, I, or anyone else in this country are guaranteed. Until this is settled in a court of law it serves no one to assume that he hacked their software and violated their rights.

Finally, unless you have a direct intimate knowledge of John's motives I would suggest that you not speculate about them. This only stirs up hard feeling and detracts from the CVS community.

Hopefully we can move forward in a positive and supportive manner.
My point was that John seemed to feel as if he were owed something, because although he says he expected nothing in return, both his tone and the number of times/ways he said it, seemed opposite. As I said, only he knows the reasons why he tried to defeat coupons.com software, and that he is free to take his site down at anytime. But like a child saying mine mine mine, don't put something out there online or otherwise, and expect heaps of praise. If you truly do expect nothing in return, then dont come here and post or take your site offline because of a few member posts on SD.

Whatever.
Reply
Joined Nov 2007
L5: Journeyman
> bubble2 847 Posts
1,043 Reputation
AMDGD
08-13-2008 at 02:25 PM.
08-13-2008 at 02:25 PM.
Quote from CVS_Lifer :
My point was that John seemed to feel as if he were owed something, because although he says he expected nothing in return, both his tone and the number of times/ways he said it, seemed opposite. As I said, only he knows the reasons why he tried to defeat coupons.com software, and that he is free to take his site down at anytime. But like a child saying mine mine mine, don't put something out there online or otherwise, and expect heaps of praise. If you truly do expect nothing in return, then dont come here and post or take your site offline because of a few member posts on SD.

Whatever.
I suppose we'll see if Coupons, Inc. can actually prove he "hacked" or "defeated" their system as they have claimed. I for one do not assume so but I'll leave that decision up to a court of law.

As for John's motivation for taking down his decoder we can only speculate. Anyone can speculate but without hard facts it's nothing more. What we do know is that he stated that it was taken down for reason's not related to this thread. He even apologized for not making that as clear as he could have. Doesn't sound like a self-seeking or childish attitude to me.

If I was being falsely attacked by a large corporation and had to defend myself in court at my own expense I can assure you I would probably not be as gracious as John has been.

Having said that, hopefully, we can move on.
Reply
Joined Nov 2007
L3: Novice
> bubble2 140 Posts
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duttygal
08-14-2008 at 06:44 AM.
08-14-2008 at 06:44 AM.
Quote from xpro92 :
Not certain, probably just over $3 for regular size.... but on a much more important note I did hear that the price of tea in China increased drastically in recent weeks...... Maybe some tea conspiracy???
It ended up being 2.98 for the little one here in the sunshine state, Pert is a horrendous shampp, and I only buy it to wash my dog!
Reply
Joined Dec 2007
L8: Grand Teacher
> bubble2 3,242 Posts
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Poker Junkie
08-16-2008 at 10:02 PM.
08-16-2008 at 10:02 PM.
Quote from virtually_john :
I really can't believe I'm being slammed as much as I am for taking a site down.
I certainly don't want any piece of this drama. What I do want is to thank you for creating the site to begin with. I probably only decode coupons once or twice a month at best. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon your site because it was so easy to use. I clicked on my bookmark tonight and found out the decoder was no longer available. I will certainly win it.

Good luck with your lawsuit.
Reply
Joined Jul 2008
L7: Teacher
> bubble2 2,548 Posts
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kobe0007
08-17-2008 at 12:36 PM.
08-17-2008 at 12:36 PM.
I have a question about barcodes. Okay, so there is a family code that is associated with the coupon. Is there anyway to tell what items these are for? Like on Colgate Total Advanced Clean coupon I have, the family code is 550. I am assuming that this must mean all Colgate toothpaste. But on a Colgate Total Advance Clean container, I don't see any part of the barcode that matches this number. So how does that get verified?

Coupon barcode is 5-35000-55076-2 the product barcode is 0-35000-74543-9
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Joined Jul 2007
L7: Teacher
> bubble2 2,125 Posts
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Original Poster
mahgobbi
08-17-2008 at 01:46 PM.
08-17-2008 at 01:46 PM.
Quote from kobe0007 :
I have a question about barcodes. Okay, so there is a family code that is associated with the coupon. Is there anyway to tell what items these are for? Like on Colgate Total Advanced Clean coupon I have, the family code is 550. I am assuming that this must mean all Colgate toothpaste. But on a Colgate Total Advance Clean container, I don't see any part of the barcode that matches this number. So how does that get verified?

Coupon barcode is 5-35000-55076-2 the product barcode is 0-35000-74543-9
Short of punching the coupon into a decoder, it's hard to know for certain; however, I'm pretty sure it will work on any Colgate Toothpaste. This is my rationale...

35000 is the manufacturer's code for Colgate-Palmolive. If the family code was 000, it would work on any Colgate *or* Palmolive product. From that, my guess is that the first 5 in the family code on this coupon must be limiting the purchase to Colgate. The 0 in the family code means it can be used on more than one product. Therefore, my guess is that the middle digit (5 in this case) must be determining whether it can be used on toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, etc. So, my educated guess is that it can be used on any Colgate Toothpaste without beeping; however, you need to be sure to follow the wording on the coupon, regardless of the coding. Smilie
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Joined Oct 2007
L7: Teacher
> bubble2 2,185 Posts
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CVS_Lifer
08-17-2008 at 01:47 PM.
08-17-2008 at 01:47 PM.
Quote from kobe0007 :
I have a question about barcodes. Okay, so there is a family code that is associated with the coupon. Is there anyway to tell what items these are for? Like on Colgate Total Advanced Clean coupon I have, the family code is 550. I am assuming that this must mean all Colgate toothpaste. But on a Colgate Total Advance Clean container, I don't see any part of the barcode that matches this number. So how does that get verified?

Coupon barcode is 5-35000-55076-2 the product barcode is 0-35000-74543-9
That $1 off colgate total advanced clean coupon scans on itself (I've used it before, if memory serves it scans fine), but it wont work on any other kind of colgate tp. HTH.
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Joined Jul 2007
L7: Teacher
> bubble2 2,125 Posts
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Original Poster
mahgobbi
08-17-2008 at 01:51 PM.
08-17-2008 at 01:51 PM.
Quote from CVS_Lifer :
That $1 off colgate total advanced clean coupon scans on itself (I've used it before, if memory serves it scans fine), but it wont work on any other kind of colgate tp. HTH.
I stand corrected Wink

This just reinforces my point though...without having a decoder or list of family codes, it's hard to know for sure. A 000 is easy and a family code with x00 is normally fairly easy, but it's hard to know what will work or not work if you've only got one 0 at the end.
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Joined Jan 2008
L6: Expert
> bubble2 1,097 Posts
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Socalmommy
08-17-2008 at 09:59 PM.
08-17-2008 at 09:59 PM.
Quote from mahgobbi :
I stand corrected Wink

This just reinforces my point though...without having a decoder or list of family codes, it's hard to know for sure. A 000 is easy and a family code with x00 is normally fairly easy, but it's hard to know what will work or not work if you've only got one 0 at the end.
It's also going to depend on what store you use it at...as some stores don't read family codes at all....
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Joined Jun 2007
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 342 Posts
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harperjn
08-20-2008 at 11:15 AM.
08-20-2008 at 11:15 AM.
Maybe somebody can help me figure this out. I have some coupons for Gold Peak Tea. One is coded for B2G1 (Free tea WYB 2 bottles), and the other coupon is $1 off 2 bottles (33). How many bottles do I have to buy to use both of these? Will I be okay if I buy 4 bottles? I'm doing the monthly CVS deal, so I need to buy in multiples of two.

TIA
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Joined Jul 2007
L7: Teacher
> bubble2 2,125 Posts
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Original Poster
mahgobbi
08-21-2008 at 11:05 AM.
08-21-2008 at 11:05 AM.
Quote from harperjn :
Maybe somebody can help me figure this out. I have some coupons for Gold Peak Tea. One is coded for B2G1 (Free tea WYB 2 bottles), and the other coupon is $1 off 2 bottles (33). How many bottles do I have to buy to use both of these? Will I be okay if I buy 4 bottles? I'm doing the monthly CVS deal, so I need to buy in multiples of two.

TIA
I've never heard of this product, but let's assume it costs $1.50 per bottle. Buy three bottles for $4.50. The $1/2 coupon will bring your total down to $3.50, then the B2G1 coupon will take off another $1.50, so you'd pay $2.00 for 3 bottles, or $.67 each.

If you have multiples of these coupons, then the *best* way to use them is to purchase in multiples of 6. Buy 6 bottles for $9.00. Use THREE $1/2 coupons to bring your total down to $6.00. Then use TWO B2G1 coupons ($1.50 each) to bring your total down to $3.00 for 6 bottles, or $.50 each.
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Joined Jun 2007
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 342 Posts
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harperjn
08-25-2008 at 09:22 AM.
08-25-2008 at 09:22 AM.
Quote from mahgobbi :
I've never heard of this product, but let's assume it costs $1.50 per bottle. Buy three bottles for $4.50. The $1/2 coupon will bring your total down to $3.50, then the B2G1 coupon will take off another $1.50, so you'd pay $2.00 for 3 bottles, or $.67 each.

If you have multiples of these coupons, then the *best* way to use them is to purchase in multiples of 6. Buy 6 bottles for $9.00. Use THREE $1/2 coupons to bring your total down to $6.00. Then use TWO B2G1 coupons ($1.50 each) to bring your total down to $3.00 for 6 bottles, or $.50 each.
Thanks for the reply, but I already went to cvs and tried it. I bought 4 bottles ($1.69) gave the B2G1 and then the $1off 2. The second Q beeped. Was I supposed to give them in a certain order? The cashier said it was because the Q stated 1 per purchase shake head .
I halfheartedly attempted to explain the purchase / transaction difference, but it was a no go. The manager told her to scan it again after I added another bottle (total of 5 bottles). It worked, and she was not happy about it. Roll Eyes (Sarcastic)
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Joined Apr 2008
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smythecvs123
08-26-2008 at 03:40 AM.
08-26-2008 at 03:40 AM.
I used a 992 coupon($4 Monistat 01/06 V.) that beeped at one CVS(after scanning fine at several others).The cashier and then manager didn't know what to do.I finally just took the Monistat off my order and got something (I actually wantedWink) to cover the negative balance.But,if this situation were to happen again(now that I realize it is a 992) what should I instruct the cashier to do?Should I just explain the 992 coded coupons scan on anything (even if you don't buy it)so some registers are programmed to beep to allow the cashier to verify and then manually enter the coupon as a mfg coupon?Or is there something else more specific such as a certain key (or way to enter the coupon)I can mention?
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Last edited by smythecvs123 August 26, 2008 at 04:31 AM.
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