As you all know, you can score AWESOME deals at Publix because they are so coupon friendly! However, I have received two different emails within the past 24 hours from readers whose Publix stores are no longer accepting black and white printables. I don’t know if this is going to be a policy that only select stores adopt or if it is going to be a store wide policy. Normally in my Addicted to Saving classes, I tell you to print out in black and white ink so that you save money on ink because while B&W ink is expensive, color ink is even more expensive. BUT, in this circumstance I wanted to give you the head’s up that your store may switch their policy and decline your black and white coupons. So, you might want to print out color coupons to err on the side of caution. Or, if you want to call your local Publix and ask to speak to a manager, you can find out your store’s policy over the phone. **Make sure you write down the manager’s name in case your store gives you problems! Go HERE to find the phone numbers for the local Publix near you.
Also. It’s my turn to lecture all of you. Sorry. I don’t lecture you all often so know that this is important. Publix is declining black and white coupons because they have had problems with people photocopying printable coupons. As a reminder DO NOT PHOTOCOPY printable coupons. This is fraud. I know it is so tempting when you print out high value coupons that will get you great deals. But here’s the thing – on each and every printable that you print out there is tracking numbers. Once Publix accepts your coupon, they will mail it to the manufacturer to be reimbursed. If the manufacturer receives duplicate copies of one coupon, they can track that coupon back to your computer. And you can be charged with fraud and trust me when I say the fines are not cheap. Think six figures. So, do not photocopy. Most coupons have a print limit of two. So, after you print out your two printables, either use other computers to print out the printables or else be content with the coupons you have.
I know most of you don’t need the lecture. But, let’s remember that Publix is extremely coupon friendly and we need to adhere to all of the rules and BE ETHICAL. Otherwise, Publix will stop being coupon friendly and we will not get the deals we are used to. So, play fair everyone!!
Okay. I’m done now! 🙂 I’ll go back to posting good deals for all of you!
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
Thank you!
Is there any way people could post what they’re Publix location and what they hear back from their manager? That would be a big help!
Hey Lauren! The first email I received did not state which location they were at.. but the second email was from a reader who shops at the Publix in Trinity, FL on Little Rd
I always print my coupons in color and NEVER photocopy.. I want this way of saving $$ to stay around!!! If everyone was honest.. wow.. wouldn’t that be great! Thanks for the post, and frequent reminders are good, because there are always new people learning the couponing way!
*their
My publix (Brandon on 60) is looking very hard at printables and anything that says free. They questioned my Kraft Free Mayo Q from that sample pack we received. My Q’s are always legit, so I don’t care if they look extra careful. I asked them whats going on, and the manager said they have seen a ton of fake printable coupons. I asked what kind so I knew to stay away from them, and they told me for free coke (which we all know never has coupons)and a few others I cant recall. Apparently people are also changing the dollar value on the q’s.???? Also, my friend says the Platt Publix downtown Tampa is a nightmare with coupons and wont stack!
Hopefully they are cracking down only on fraudulent coupons, and not on everyone. I hope those people dont ruin it for all of us honest people!
My husband brought home the free coke coupon that he got from a coworker. My Publix took it. Now I feel bad, I did not realize it was a fake
The manager said that they understand that some people dont realize they are getting fake coupons, and some do it on purpose. I figure as long as I follow the rules, and use this site, that we shouldn’t run into the bad coupons. I wouldn’t feel bad Lisa… I wouldnt know a fake one if I saw it, unless it was too good to be true! I always check the coupon database to find additional coupons for things I have to buy, that arent on the list.
When Jessica Lunsford was buried alive in Florida neither Publix or any other corporation, that have been making extensive use of invasive privacy technologies for 2 decades,
showed outrage that this technology was not used to find her.
In the 20 years I’ve protested the use of this technology, which employs eavesdropping and marketing togehter, no person besides myself has done the same. I don’t know any honest Americans. The FBI had 2 decades to be honest, that didn’t happen either.
@Pamela Curry. I’m interested in knowing what you mean by invasive technologies, how it relates to the case you refer to and how it relates to this coupon fraud thread. My e-mail address is [email protected]. Thanks.
No matter how many people/organizations/corporations are dishonest, keeping honest is a good way of life. It just is.
i’m lost cause the coupons say they can be black & white or color…and people who are up to no good will just color copy…
By the way this is a copy of your own post: “Tornados on Facebook are giving away tons of coupons and prizes! Go HERE to become a fan/”like” Tornados on Facebook. Once you do this, click on “Idea Challenge” and then “Enter the Chowdown”. Once there you will immediately earn 10 points which will get you a printable Buy One Get One Free coupon!! (I haven’t printed mine out yet but I’m thinking you should be able to print this out twice if you hit the back button..)”
The back button makes a copy.
Pamela – when you hit the back button, the website generates a new coupon. The second coupon is not a copy. If you look at the second coupon that prints out, there is different coding on the coupon. It is not the same coupon as the first coupon printed. If you were to try to hit the back button a third time, you will receive a message that the print limit has been reached. This is how manufacturers “police” how many coupons are printed. They give us a limit of two or sometimes one so that we don’t go crazy and print out dozens of coupons.
A copied coupon is one that you use on a color or black and white copier.
Lisa, once we had coupons for frozen vegetables (I think they were manufacturer’s coupons – but they may have been Publix coupons). I printed 6 of them as it never declared a print limit reached. They were all in color. Once at Publix, I was concerned that they were all the same barcode # on them and checked with the cashier first – she said they were acceptable. I now wonder if she was mistaken. I’m headed over to my Publix today and have some black&white (I’m out of color in my printer). Let’s hope they still accept them.
Last week there I was told that they are getting iffy about competitors coupons. This is Publix South Pasadena 33707.
Hi Vicky! Keep us posted on what happens!
Thanks for the warning Liza!
On a differet note, I discovered something interesting at my Publix today. If you buy a product with a peelie on it, they will apply the peelie AND another manufacturer coupon if you brought one with you. That’s TWO manufacturer coupons for the same item! The assistant manager checked me out and she’s the one who told me about it. Not only that, if the peelie has expired they must take it – meaning, a peelie on a product that you’re buying that day, not a peelie that you took home to save for later (no, I don’t take peelies off of products I don’t buy!). This may not be the case at all Publix stores…
I had that happen to me this week at Publix on Gulf to Bay in Clearwater also.
A few weeks ago when the Hefty bags were on sale, they had peelies and the Customer Service Rep said I couldn’t use them because I already had a coupon. This was at Publix.
Just came from my Publix in Largo, FL and they still took my printables!! Yea!
I LOVE the Largo Publix! Well, the one is West Bay drive and the one in Highland Ave (or is that Clearwater already). They are sooooo well stocked and friendly there. I miss living there.
@ Vicky:
The Highland store (Highland and Nursery) is in Clearwater and that’s the store I go to! They have fantastic cashiers, nearly all of which are great with coupons. (Don’t we all have our favorite cashiers?) and you’re right, the store is very well stocked, especially for such a small store! i’ve never had a couponing problem there; in fact, the cashiers are usually thrilled that I’m saving so much money. It’s exciting! Not like they work oc commission!
Ok I know the managers @ my Publix and they know I am very carefull and use my cpns correctly. However the store manager did tell me that there was a guy that had a few cpns that were on their email alert for fraud and he did not take them. So they have their eyes peeled.
But I totally love my Publix!!Will let u know how my trip goes tomorrow…
I am GUTTERED! The Publix at South Pasadena does not accept ANY PRINTABLES ANY LONGER! ANY AT ALL!
I’m rather outspoken but I would call corporate if they stopped altogether. If they want to take color only, so be it, but to stop altogether is going to cost them a lot of business, especially if enough people speak out and let them know that they will look elsewhere to shop. I would let them know that even Walmart takes printables:)
Once again, the greediness of a few threatens the savings future of those of us who are honest. I have copiers all around me at work and have never once been tempted to copy coupons, just as I am not one to empty shelves, take all the coupon books out on display or peel all the peelies off of items. Liza, maybe you should hold a “coupon etiquette” class. Sorry for ranting but I can’t afford to lose the money that I have been saving every week.
So, After Vicky’s post about the Pasadena store not accepting any, I called to find out WTF was going on.
The first girl at customer service says that they had a big meeting about not taking ANY of the coupons & that it came down from corporate.
Then she put her manager on who says they just aren’t taking the fake ones, you know, the ones that make a product free. Umm, that’s a lot of what I buy.
When you have $200 in your cart & your total comes to like half (seriously?) then you MUST have fake coupons. I told her I bought way more than $200 a few weeks ago and have never paid even a fourth of the total when using coupons.
So after a few minutes of conversation & me saying the girl that transferred me said no coupons at all, she asked 2 of the cashiers ( I guess she was at the front service desk) & they both said that they have been refusing them all day because that’s what Mr. ??? said, I could hear in the background. Well, several more minutes later, she said if any of us get through the register & are told no, ask for a manager & point out the different codes on the receipts.
How this may or may not play out in the future is anyone’s guess! I hope we won’t have any more problems!!!
Thanks for that. I called the Publix on 66th Street near Tyrone and two in 34th Street (one North and one South) and they all still accept them – even black and white… So, I’ve just changed stores.
I just called the Publix that I go to the most, Curlew & US 19 in Palm Harbor. The person I spoke with (Joe) said that they haven’t changed their policy on printed coupons. They just aren’t allowed to accept internet coupons over $5.00 and they aren’t allowed to take a coupon for more than an item is selling for. Thank goodness! My last shopping trip there, 75% of my coupons were printed in black and white!
@Monica, not only are they changing $$ amounts, they are also changing expiration dates. That was one “reason” Winn Dixie had given me for not accepting an internet coupon for B1G1 free sausage. Supposedly because it was a pdf coupon, someone changed the expiration date.
Reading all this just makes me sick to my stomach! Why would ANYONE copy our conterfiet a coupon? I just don’t get dishonest people… for God’s sake we are getting the coupons for free… and alot of the the times the product… or they PAY US to leave the store with it..why would people take advantage of this?! Be happy with the allowable FREE stuff and let us all partake in the fun and savings!! Don’t let a few bad spoil the whole good! For the spoilers out there…. dont ruin it for us all!!! Liza thanks for ALL you hard work and dedication and bringing COUPON FRAUD to the forefront!
I have a trip planned to publix at river crossing in NPR tomorrow… will let all know how it goes there.
Yeah, I really don’t get the black & white versus color thing. Someone could photocopy either coupon and it would still be fraudulent. If Publix wants to crack down on copies, they should make sure each code is different on the coupons, no matter the color. Just my opinion.
Unfortunately, technology in the wrong hands may ruin it for the rest of us. Accepting only color coupons will not guard against those who would use a scanner and color printer for the same devious purpose. Personally, I would like to encourage Publix to have a more stringent policy for quantity limits. The store shelves have been wiped clean of sale items over the past month.
Liza, thanks for all you do and for the guidance you have provided us. Good will prevail.
Hey Liza, I’ve been following your site for a few weeks now and just want to say Thank you for all you do.
Well, regarding publix coupons, I went to my Publix in St. Pete last week and the manager told me that they are no longer taking any printed coupons that are $5 or more, any that say FREE, and ANY competitor printed coupons. She also stated that Publix is trying to change their policy regarding competitor coupons and that they will not be accepting ANY competitor coupons soon. That is the main reason I go to Publix because I can do all my shopping at one place. It’s so much easier when you have little children. Can’t wait to hear what corporate tells you! Thanks again!!!!
Which St. Pete Publix? It really bothers me when I use ink to print up a coupon to use on a great sale and then someone says they can’t take it. It feels like such a waste. Right now my favorite store is 38th and 49th. 🙂
It’s the publix at 38th & 66th St. It has always been my favorite one because they have wonderful employees and have always been so helpful. I’m just really disappointed.
I just found this site a few days ago and used my first coupons this past weekend and now I hear that it could all go away….so sad! Just when I was getting all excited.
I will probably stick to the coupons you get in the Sunday papers and the ones published in the Publix flyers…..I’m sure I can’t go wrong with those.
Ok .. So i just came back from my Publix (THE BEST) @ Doral, Fl. They took all my cpns. I did ask to see what was going on and they r getting alot of Fraudulent cpns. The customers r saying they get it in the email. But that they have been very careful.
However I believe that if you build a relationship with the managers (specially the store manager) you will do fine. Make sure they know u love cpns and use them all the time.
I talked to the Publix in Tampa (Twelve Oaks Plaza on Waters by the Veterans) and they said their policy has not changed, they still take them as long as they are not on their “known fraudulent” watch list.
Also of note though is that my local CVS (corner of Hillsborough & Hanley) has told their cashiers not to take ANY printed coupons. Though on occasion, the cashier will call the manager and try and get a certain coupon approved. The last two times I’ve gone they’ve taken 1 or 2 of my printed ones and declined a couple, including the TG Lee milk one.
My store (The Villages – Southern Trace Plaza) also said last week they are checking the printables very carefully and at first said they couldn’t accept mine but then checked with customer service who said they were fine. I am also a very honest couponer and was amazed yesterday when the cashier and bag boy both bragged that I saved $111 with legitimate coupons. I said “what are you talking about” and they said they are experiencing a lot of coupon fraud.
I spoke to the managers at Southern Trace today. There’s a group that’s been “teaching” coupon classes in the area and has been telling people its okay to copy internet printables. I took some examples and such to show them how to spot the copies. They said they are having to take a serious look at the coupon policy. Because of a group of coupon abusers in our area, the coupon acceptance in our store is in jeopardy.
Could all of the fraudulent coupons going around be the reason why, on Saturday, the manager at a Walgreens store said that I cut too much off of an internet coupon? I didn’t know this was wrong but I’ve been cutting internet coupons (I think they are the Bricks ones) to put away and not keeping the boarder around the coupon. I would cut just inside the boarder to make sure it fit in the plastic sheets. He told me that he would take it this time but that I had cut too much off. The coupon was legit and he took it but no one had ever said anything before this happened. Was he just being careful?
I cut the border in because it has the dollar amount and the date all around. That is how, I think, they also try to stop people from changing the dollar amount and the expiration date. It is so small that one can almost miss that it is writing. don’t know what official policy is, but that is just what I thought when I noticed what the borders consist off.
My publix in Brandon on Windhorst hung up a sign that said “we welcome all competitor coupons” and gave me no trouble with my coupons today! Great store and great customer service too!
Hi Monica
I go to the same publix that you go.
They are great there.
Andrew knows me as every time I shop he has to come to the register to enter a code because of the amount of coupons that I use.
Never have an issue with them and they are always willing to talk to you about any question regarding the coupons!
In regards to Liza’s post from July 16…can’t believe they are “teaching” classes on how to STEAL! I love seeing how much I can get and how much I can save and I would NEVER use a coupon that wasn’t legit. The cashiers at my Publix have even said, “we don’t have to even check your coupons because we know you never give us any for things you don’t buy or ones that are expired”. I take that as a compliment! I had no trouble today at my Publix with printed coupons. Hope it stays that way!
Actually, that was me, Liz not Liza. If anyone is having problems with their store accepting printables, it might be helpful for you to take some legitimate printed copies to the management and show them how to tell whether its been copied or not. My management seemed EXTREMELY thankful and anxious to hear anything I could share with them. Unfortunately, not all of those making copies are doing it out of innocent ignorance…some don’t care to hear that its wrong.