The Vons supermarket chain is taking scissors to its double coupon policy.
The division of Safeway Inc. has eliminated double coupon redemptions at about 200 supermarkets in Southern California in recent months and plans to kill the promotion at the remaining 100 stores in its core market of Los Angeles and Orange counties this spring.
That's bad news for Kathy Makowski, an Irvine grocery maven whose children roll their eyes when she starts talking about coupons. Coupons slice more than $100 a week from the family of four's grocery bill. On one recent shopping expedition, Makowski saved $199.09 through coupons and store promotions.
Once the change takes effect, Makowski will take her business from the Vons she goes to in Irvine to a local Ralphs that she also visits frequently and which still doubles coupons. She expects many other hard-core coupon clippers to do the same.
"There are lots of people who save more than I do," Makowski said.
Vons spokeswoman Sandra Calderon acknowledges that the grocer's customers include an avid group of coupon users. But, she said, "a vast majority of our customers don't use double coupons."
The supermarket chain plans to use the money it saves from dropping the double-coupon promotion on other types of sales, including additional targeted mailings, more 10-for-$10 promotions of packaged goods and more discounts for users of its Vons Club card.
"That's something that never expires; you don't have to clip anything to get the discount," Calderon said. "It's a fairer way for all shoppers to take advantage of discounts."
Vons also has launched a store remodeling program to make its markets more attractive to customers. The changes include hardwood flooring in the produce section and the addition of full-service deli butcher counters, Calderon said.
He said the decision to end double coupons was gradual. Two years ago, Vons halted the promotion in Las Vegas as an experiment and discovered that "customers preferred a wider price-saving strategy."
Among the major chains in Southern California, only Kroger Co.'s Ralphs chain still offers double coupons, though it is limiting the ability of shoppers to obtain double savings when they are buying more than one of the same item.
"Double coupons are something that our customers expect and now will be just one more reason for them to choose Ralphs over the competition," Ralphs spokesman Terry O'Neil said.
