Friday, March 22, 2013

Clearance Shelf Shopping

I'm updating my couponing workshop power point presentation so I'm back to taking pictures of shopping trips. One of the things I talk about in my workshops is the strategy of shopping from clearance shelves. I was in Dyersville, Iowa the other day for a doctor's appointment so thought I would check out the new Shopko store there. When the kids spotted the clearance shelves in the health and beauty section, they asked if they could go to the library for half an hour and come back to pick me up. Ahhh, those girls know me well.

These were some of my best deals;
Colgate toothpaste on clearance for $1.39, minus $1 coupons=39-cents a tube
Oral-B toothbrushes $1.74, minus $1 coupon= 74-cents
Listerine mouthwash $2.74, minus $1 coupon=$1.49
Covergirl makeup sponges, 29-cents, minus $1 coupon,=71-cents credit toward other purchases



Always check the clearance shelves. I don't even like Colgate Total, but for 39-cents, these boxes will be added to my workshop prize baskets. When I stopped at our local Walmart for Abby's prescription, I found Febreeze stand-up room deodorizers on a clearance shelf for $1.50. I had $1 coupons, so those deals will also be added to my baskets. If you are attending one of my upcoming workshops at the Decorah, Marion, Dyersville, Readlyn or Monticello, Iowa libraries, or the Janesville Gazette workshops in Janesville, Wisconsin, you now know the prices of two of the products that are being included in my prize basket.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

What Were They Thinking?

I admitted in my last post that I had picked up a few Poise hot flash cooling cloths for my coupon workshop prize baskets, against my better judgment. The product didn't make a lot of sense to me. I just couldn't imagine a "poised" nicely-dressed woman pulling out a packet of these out in public and wiping down her face (and wiping off her makeup!). Nor could I readily imagine a woman doing so in her home, even sans make-up. Would you keep this product next to your bed, to cool off in the middle of the night when a hot flash hits? Perhaps, if they were free with a coupon. Otherwise, that seems kind of a pricey way to cool off, when a cold washcloth from the bathroom would work just as well.


But the product I picked up with the remaining coupons? I admit I was in a hurry, adding Poise products priced at $2.97 to my cart, knowing they would be free. I thought I was picking up panty liners, which would just be borderline offensive to the lucky workshop attendee who won my basket. Instead, they turned out to be panty fresheners. I had to read the directions twice, and then I laughed out loud. Panty fresheners are round thin pads; about the size of a fifty-cent piece, with a peel-off backing. Apparently, they have a fresh scent that lasts approximately four hours. You put them on the outside of your panty. (the directions weren't clear exactly where on the outside of the panty, and maybe I don't really want to know) They come in a small, round container, perfect for carrying in your purse. Now, I don't know about you, but I resent the implications of this innovative product. My guess is that it will go over about as well as the Dove Pro-Age deodorants did. The Pro-Age lotion marketed to women over age 40 made sense to me; our skin changes as we age. Even the Pro-Age shampoo seemed a good idea, since a woman's hair also changes with age. But Pro-Age deodorant? Really? There's not too much that would embarrass me more than going through a check-out line with a deodorant that practically screams "I have OLD underarms!" Except, perhaps, a product that informs the cashier that my underwear needs freshening. Ever hear of a washing machine? Dryer sheets? Regular changing of the panties, perhaps? By the way, I don't see Pro-Age deodorant on the shelves anymore. I wonder why?

My daughter Elizabeth informed me about the bright pink peelie coupons that were attached to some of the General Mills cereals at our local Fareway. The coupons are good for a free box of General Mills granola bars. I've seen similar coupons and have often taken advantage of the good deal. This time, however, the coupons don't specify that anything at all must be purchased in order to use the coupon. In other words (and don't get any ideas, please) someone could come along and peel off half a dozen of the coupons, walk over to the granola bar aisle, pick up six boxes of granola bars and get them totally free! Without buying cereal!This omission doesn't make any sense to me. Surely the intention of the coupon was that the customer is to purchase  a box of cereal in order to get the free box of granola bars, but no where on the coupon is that stated. My guess is that the coupon might be coded in some way that it won't scan unless a box of cereal is also purchased during the transaction, but this is the first time I've seen a on-package coupon that doesn't specify a purchase requirement!