[acidcookie]

I started reading I Heart Kroger recently and she mentions Catalina deals a lot. What are those??

 

[Spirit Deer]

Salad dressing?

 

[acidcookie]

Salad dressing?

That's all I could think of too :crackup:

I have since learned that they are the coupons that sometimes print out with your receipt at the grocery store. I guess there's a whole system for buying the right items to get those coupons and even roll them over to future purchases?? Wow.

 

[IntlMom]

yep, that's right. They are coupons that spit out after you buy certain items. They are generated by what you buy.
Like, if you buy 5 boxes of fruit snacks, get a 4.00 catalina (this was one that safeway had a while ago), and yes, you can "roll them" for maximun savings.
It doesn't have to be a suprise either, as you have found. You can go the deal blogs and they will tell you what to buy to generate a catalina.

sale price +coupons + catalina = triple play.... which is the name of the game!!!!

 

[stinkbug]

Seems like I always get the Catalinas for an item of the opposite brand of what I buy!!! If I buy shampoo, I get a catalina for a different brand?? I've had this happen a lot!

 

[IntlMom]

Seems like I always get the Catalinas for an item of the opposite brand of what I buy!!! If I buy shampoo, I get a catalina for a different brand?? I've had this happen a lot!

ok, that is techically not what we are referring to. That is a "catalina coupon", but not a catalina "cash back off your next order".

What you are getting is normal too, it;s a marketing thing.

 

[Spirit Deer]

I see. We don't get those here.

 

[IntlMom]

I see. We don't get those here.

are you sure? most major chains have them........

is it possible you don't think you do, because you haven't bought the correct combo to generate a cat?

just wonderin

 

[Spirit Deer]

We don't have any large chains here.

We've gotten register-generated coupons sometimes when we've shopped out of town, but we don't pay much attention to them because we won't be back there in time to take advantage anyway.

 

[Libby]

I get these when I shop at Tops Supermarket but am not sure if its a true catalina OR if its just store coupons. I have noticed that they're always for the following week when I am not there :lol: (cross border shopping here)

Thanks for the explanation Intl Mom and acidcookie for asking!

 

[imagine]

I love catalinas (coupon talk for a money off coupon printed at the store)

They are like walgreens registrar rewards.

A coupon for X dollars off my next shopping trip that prints out after you pay. They generally have thanks to... or brought to you by then name a company (generally the company I just bought something from)

So when I use that coupon the store will receive that amount of money from the company that gave the coupon.

Sometimes you know you are going to get them and sometime they are a surprise.

I especially love it when it is a surprise.

You can tell if Catalinas are offered at a store if they have a box next to the registrar that spits out a receipt looking thing but it is not the receipt.

I thought we didn't have them here for the longest time because I never got one then I looked close and discovered.

We have them here at national chains and at the small independent grocery store

 

[imagine]

We don't have any large chains here.

We've gotten register-generated coupons sometimes when we've shopped out of town, but we don't pay much attention to them because we won't be back there in time to take advantage anyway.

You could be a coupon fairy and give them to someone that might be near by and would use them. If they are a frequent shopper you might just make their day.

 

[acidcookie]

A coupon for X dollars off my next shopping trip that prints out after you pay. They generally have thanks to... or brought to you by then name a company (generally the company I just bought something from

Ah, I've received a few of these at Kroger and at Giant back in PA, usually for $1.50 off. It never occurred to me that people know when they'll get them and plan for them! It's like a whole new world has been shown to me :loop:

 

[dcompton]

I guess I'm one of the odd ones out, but I don't like them at all, for the reason others have mentioned. They have to be used in the same store (chain), and have a very short expiration date. As a shopper, I would prefer just to have a sale price, but then I might not be back quickly, so it's a good marketing ploy for them. But even knowing that, I still feel manipulated by the game.

Once in a while I get one at Kroger and will be back before it expires, but the only time I deliberately do it is for omeprazole at Walgreens. It isn't cheap, and when they run a 19.99 sale + a $6 catalina, that's enough to make me do it. That is a very deeply discounted price. If they had a longer expiration date, they would not be so difficult to use. Also, I don't always get the best value for them, because there are only so many things I need in Walgreens.

I know that to use them at all, even for this one thing, is my choice, and if I don't like the rules, I don't have to play the game. Still, all the reasonableness and logic in the world doesn't keep me from being annoyed by the demand that I return and shop at their store in their (short) time frame, not mine.

 

[imagine]

Ah, I've received a few of these at Kroger and at Giant back in PA, usually for $1.50 off. It never occurred to me that people know when they'll get them and plan for them! It's like a whole new world has been shown to me :loop:

Now you can plan to get them not just have them as a surprise.

 

[imagine]

Thank you for the I heart kroger site.

I didn't know that existed. Will be helpful.

 

[Spirit Deer]

I know that to use them at all, even for this one thing, is my choice, and if I don't like the rules, I don't have to play the game. Still, all the reasonableness and logic in the world doesn't keep me from being annoyed by the demand that I return and shop at their store in their (short) time frame, not mine.

We feel the same way about rebates. Just lower the price already! Don't make us jump through hoops! We also think coupons are stupid to begin with. We use the local store coupons, but not national coupons very much because there's so little we buy that has a coupon. A coupon is a pain for everyone involved, IMO.

All promotions are a manipulation, as are all advertisements, not to mention things like the placement of products in a store and other ways they've figured out how to separate consumers from their money. It makes me feel stupid when I fall for them. I try not to and for the most part I don't think I'm being manipulated, but every once in a while I realize I got sucked in. It makes me feel like I'm in an adversarial relationship with the entire retail industry. Maybe that's why I hate shopping. It's definitely why I'm so skeptical about any type of advertising and tend to pick advertisers' claims to bits.

It's amazing how freeing cooking from scratch makes a person in the grocery store. The less I buy processed foods, the less I get suckered. Not to mention we eat better and for less money.

 

[nkotbjrkgirl]

I guess I'm one of the odd ones out, but I don't like them at all, for the reason others have mentioned. They have to be used in the same store (chain), and have a very short expiration date.

they can be redeemed at any store that has catalina machines. as long as they don't say redeemable on at(insert store here) you are fine. (i' m a cashier i see ones from walgreens, a copmpetitor grocery, store target and walmart come through quite often)

 

[acidcookie]

We feel the same way about rebates. Just lower the price already! Don't make us jump through hoops! We also think coupons are stupid to begin with. We use the local store coupons, but not national coupons very much because there's so little we buy that has a coupon. A coupon is a pain for everyone involved, IMO.

But they do that on purpose of course. They know enough people WON'T do it so they still make enough money. :crackup:

 

[acidcookie]

they can be redeemed at any store that has catalina machines. as long as they don't say redeemable on at(insert store here) you are fine. (i' m a cashier i see ones from walgreens, a copmpetitor grocery, store target and walmart come through quite often)

My Publix accepts Kroger coupons and I was just wondering the other day if it meant they also accept Kroger catalinas.