In almost every other market where they operate, Kroger Co., the Cincinnati-based parent of Ralphs, and Safeway Inc., the Pleasanton, Calif.-based owner of Vons, never allow a coupon to be doubled for more than a dollar in store savings, and frequently don't allow any coupon doubling, she said.
That doesn't mean shoppers won't find good deals in the store, the coupon maven said. They may just have to work a bit harder.
For example, Vons recently offered $5 off the purchase of five boxes of breakfast cereal, a deal that was about as good as doubling a high-value coupon after taking into account a volume discount and a $1 manufacturers coupon, Gault said. Altogether, the promotion brought the price of a box of Kellogg's Smart Start cereal down to $1.
"That's a pretty good sale price. You just have to stock up," she said.
An analysis of Ralphs' pricing over the last year also revealed some pretty good deals recently, Gault said.
In May, for example, Ralphs offered a 6-ounce container of Crest Whitening with Scope toothpaste at two for $5. In early August an 8-ounce container of the same toothpaste was on sale at 10 for $10.
But savings in other areas, especially for goods that aren't on sale, are less clear. For example, Ralphs sold a 32-ounce bottle of Gatorade for $1.39 in November, raised the price to $1.79 by February and dropped it back down to $1.39 in late June.
Despite the change in coupon policies, Gault believes that coupons still should remain an important part of a shopper's trip to the grocery store.
"Stockpiling when items are on sale, preferably with a coupon and various other bonus offerings, is the best game plan," she said.
That's the strategy of Ken Basil, a pharmaceutical consultant who lives in Hermosa Beach.
The Vons shopper said he found the reduction in savings from double coupons "troublesome, but at least they are still doubling some, so I guess I still come out ahead."
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jerry.hirsch@latimes.com
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