As part of our Coupons: The Fine Print series, I’m going to start by outlining the difference between a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon. Most every coupon will either specify that it’s either a manufacturer coupon or a store coupon – when you know the difference you can save the most.
MANUFACTURER COUPONS
The majority of coupons are manufacturer coupons. These coupons are put out and distributed by the manufacturer of the product. The coupons are FUNDED by the manufacturer – which means when you use the coupon at the store, the manufacturer will ultimately pay the store for the value of the coupon. These coupons are most commonly found in the Sunday coupon inserts in your local newspaper and through printable sources online like Coupons.com or the company websites or Facebook pages.
These are characteristics you generally see on manufacturer coupons. A manufacturer coupon can have one, or all, of these traits:
- It will say “Manufacturer’s coupon” along the top of the coupon. This is the most common way to tell if it’s a manufacturer coupon.
- It will have redemption information for retailers. For example, it will say “We will reimburse you the face value of this coupon plus 8 cents handling if submitted in compliance with our coupon policy. Send coupons to: ______.” It lists the location for stores to send the coupons for redemption.
- It could say, “Redeem at food, drug or discount stores accepting coupons” but it doesn’t say that it has to be redeemed at a specific store.
Here are some examples of manufacturer coupons:
STORE COUPONS
Store coupons are put out by the individual grocery or retail stores. They are essentially store sales in the form of a coupon. It’s a gimmick to give you a sales price, with the technicality of having you clip a coupon. These coupons are FUNDED solely by the store and are often found in the ads or on the store websites. National stores like Target, Walgreens and Rite Aid release store coupons. Target store coupons can be found online at Target.com or sometimes in the Sunday coupon inserts. Walgreens and Rite Aid generally put store coupons in their ads. Most grocery stores also issue store coupons.
These are things you generally see on store coupons. A store coupon can have one or all of these traits:
- Has store logo on it.
- Says “store coupon” or “Safeway coupon” or “Fred Meyer coupon” or whatever store the coupon is issued by.
- The coupon says, “Must be redeemed at _____” and it lists the store.
- There is NO redemption information on it. Nothing that says “Retailer must send it to XXX address for redemption from manufacturer. This is excluded because it isn’t needed, since the store won’t send it offer for reimbursement, but will just offer the discount in-store.
- Coupon could (but not always) list a specific product at a specific price. For example, coupon for “$1.99 I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”. Whereas a manufacturer coupon is usually for a specific amount off , like “$1.25 off I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” but it wouldn’t list a final product price. Store coupons (like the Target coupon below) can also be for cents off.
There are times when Target puts out manufacturer coupons and they look very similar to the Target store coupons – they even have a Target logo on them. BUT if you look closely it will say “Manufacturer coupon” along the top of the coupon – which means technically they could be redeemed anywhere. Although this is true – often times people have trouble redeeming Target manufacturer coupons at other retailers because of the Target logo on them.
AND if you remember anything from this all – remember, you can ALWAYS, ALWAYS combine a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on the same item.
Here’s an example of combining a store and a manufacturer coupon:
Breyers Blasts – $2.49
Use Safeway in-ad coupon to get $2.49 price
PLUS use $0.75 printable manufacturer’s coupon
Final price = $1.74
You would hand the cashier BOTH coupons.
Do you have any questions about the difference between store coupons and manufacturer coupons? Leave a comment on this post. This post is part of a series on Coupons: The Fine Print series – check back soon for another post covering the topic of coupon fine print.
Nancy Lapke says
What if it says Manufacturers Coupon on top and has QFC logo on bottom (Quality Food Center)? Is it good everywhere? By the way, these coupons are issued by QFC and come with coupons that say Store Coupon on top with QFC logo on bottom; obviously, these can only be used at QFC.
Lisa says
Walgreens store coupons now say manufactured coupon so they won’t let me use any other coupon with theirs. Is this correct?
Frannie Catania says
It is said coupons.com coupons are manufacturers coupons but I am confused by their printables vs link to card. I always check both within the app, but don’t think mobile printing is supported (haven’t bought printer yet) so if I use a store coupon, ie Walgreen will the link to card in Coupons.com work as a form of stacking? It seems like I’m getting the store one but not the credit for Coupons.com…Please clarify if anyone understands my question. Thanks
Earth Ocean Sky Redux says
I am not a regular couponer and yesterday had two manufacturer’s coupons that clearly said manufacturer’s on them but were given to me after my last purchase at one particular grocery store. I went to redeem them at a different store and was told no. I complained and said they clearly state manufacturer and not store coupon (I know the difference). I blogged about it today and would love your advice, comment, either here or on my post, or both. One of my readers sent me the link to your site.
http://earthoceanskyredux.com/2012/05/02/can-this-old-dog-learn-new-tricks/
Krystal says
Just found out I can use an Enfamil coupon and an enfamil check at the same time!!! Wish I would have known that for my last kid!!!
D'Anna says
This is under the Tide coupon above: “BUT if you look closely it will say “Manufacturer coupon” along the top of the coupon – which means technically they could be redeemed anywhere. Although this is true – often times people have trouble redeeming Target manufacturer coupons at other retailers because of the Target logo on them.”
I’ve printed them from Coupons dot com and they have Wal-Mart on them A LOT and it’s a toss up if a clerk at any store other than Wal-Mart will take them. I wish you could preview the coupons before you print them to avoid the hassle.
Renee says
I have seen coupons that say “Manufacturer’s Coupon” along the top of the coupon as illustrated above but also will have a store logo on them like Walmart. Are these really manufacturer’s coupons and will or should other stores honor them?