How to Coupon at Vons

Couponing at grocery stores tends to be very similar in Southern California, but as companies are moving towards digital coupons, it increases our opportunities for saving even more money. Although some people feel that coupon restrictions are becoming tighter, and that the possibility to save money is diminishing, these programs offer amazing discounts, promotions, and freebies that were never available before.

The Basics
Vons coupon policy states that they will accept up to three like manufacturer's coupons per transaction, but whether or not this rule is applied at your store will vary. You can stack a Vons coupon with a manufacturer coupon for even greater savings. There are two main types of coupons which are offered at Vons; discount coupons and price coupons. The first looks like a regular store coupon, for an amount, or occasionally a percentage, off of a specific item. The second is a price that Vons is offering on an item, for example, Hefty bags for $1.99 each. I have noticed that the stores have greatly improved their store signage to indicate that there is a coupon available (electronic or in the in-store flyer), but always check your online (Just4U) account, as well as the circular in order to be sure. Vons also runs great sales on frozen foods, which will usually include an automatic $5 off of $20 purchased in select items, $5 off a future purchase with $20 in frozen goods, or there will be a coupon in the circular for 10% off frozen items.

Sign shows Just4U discount available, which combines with a manufacturer coupon for a freebie!

Just4U
The Just4U program has been around for about a year now, and it has amazing deals available every week. The Vons ad is good from Wednesday through Tuesday, so check your account for new offers every Wednesday morning. The J4U program has everything from 30% off all bread coupons to FREE eggs, beef jerky, beverages, and more.

Many of these coupons are available for use multiple times, and many are Vons store coupons which can be combined with a manufacturer's coupon. It is frequently difficult to tell if the coupon is a store or manufacturer coupon, which is important when stacking. The main method to determine if the coupon is a store coupon is that it will be a price coupon (i.e. Dr Pepper .75 EACH), or for a specific amount off of a product, i.e. $1.50 OFF. Manufacturer's coupons, which cannot be stacked, and are only applied once and say SAVE $1.00.

OK. Ready for more complicated stuff? The other thing to watch for with the Just4U offers is the number of items and transactions that a coupon will allow. The coupon may say unlimited, which means that it can be used as many times, and in as many transactions, as you would like. I usually see these will be on "EACH" coupons, that give you a special price. A second option is a coupon which states one-time. This means that the coupon will only be good for one time, one transaction only. These are usually manufacturer's coupons, and it will only apply once to your order, and then is removed from your account. The third option is a little more confusing. The coupon will say one-time, limit 4, meaning that it can only be used once, but that it will apply FOUR TIMES to your transaction. After that transaction, whether you purchase one of the item or more, it will be removed from your account. It will apply to the total number of items in your transaction up to the limit. These coupons (that have a limit to the number of items) are frequently found in the store circular, so if you would like to do multiple transactions using this store coupon, check the weekly ad to see if this is available. You will then be able to utilize this coupon for as many transactions as you would like. Phew!

Multiplying Your Savings With Your Smart Phone
I keep harping on using your smart phone, but it really does save an amazing amount of money. Even if you do not really want to maximize your savings (WHAT?!?!?), you could even earn a bunch of cash and gift cards, and leave it in your paypal account or gift card accounts and just use it for birthdays or the holidays. A couple hundred bucks for things you are already going to purchase is a great deal in my opinion. The Shopkick app has many items to scan, and you can take a photo of your receipt and send it to Receipt Hog for points when you get home. For the best savings, be sure to use the Ibotta app. Ibotta has paid out almost $4 million to date, and they just hit their second anniversary, so this one is a biggie. Finally, I already talked in depth about the J4U program, but there is a Vons app. I do not normally like to download store specific apps to my phone, but I have found that it has been a life saver when I forget to load deals to my account. I was in line last week, and a transaction was supposed to be $0.18, but it kept showing up as $25.78. Turns out that I had forgotten to add deals to my account. While I was in line, I opened the app, added the coupons to my card, rescanned my transaction, and it immediately worked!

In comparison to all of the grocery stores in our area, I feel that Vons is really the most progressive when it comes to coupons. There are computers at the front of the store to allow people to sign up for and load their Just4U accounts, the app allows cashiers to see what should be discounted on your check, and there is such a great variety of coupon options available at Vons. Although their coupon program could be a little more clear at times, I feel that it is definitely the best grocery store for our family. They also put your percent saved right on your bill, which makes me feel like a winner every time!