Hot off the presses here — I’ve got a copy of the brand new Walmart Coupon Policy that is being implemented now! I’ve been working on this as a part of my involvement with Walmart Moms for nearly 2.5 years, so I’m thrilled to finally have some real results to share.
The two biggest changes that I see are that 1) Walmart will now be offering change back or overage on your transaction when a coupon exceeds the price of a product and 2) Walmart will now accept Catalina coupons that are clearly marked as manufacturer’s coupons.
Walmart will accept the following coupons:
- manufacturer’s coupons
- Internet printable coupons
- competitor’s coupons that have a specific price listed
- soft drink container caps
- Catalina coupons clearly labeled as “manufacturer coupon”
Provided they meet the following criteria:
- one coupon per item
- coupons must have an expiration date and be redeemed prior to expiration
- change or overage will be given if a coupon exceeds a purchase
- coupon must be for an item Walmart sells
- coupons must be presented at the time of purchase
Walmart does not accept the following coupons:
- Internet printable coupons for a free product
- competitor’s coupons for dollars, cents or percentage off, B1G1 free, and double or triple value
Management approval will be required for:
- transactions with 40 or more coupons
- any coupon with a value over $20
- $50 or more in coupons in a single transaction
Of course it’s going to take some time for cashiers to be trained on these procedures, but in the meantime, here’s a nice printable version of the Walmart coupon policy that you can carry with you! I’d recommend setting your printer to draft mode or, even better, black and white when printing.
Some of you may disagree, but I believe this is a positive step for Walmart. Many of you have questioned what stores are doing with the overage from coupons in the past, so I’m thrilled to see a store finally take a positive stance on it. It seems like Walmart is really trying to accommodate coupon users!
So there you have it — what are your thoughts? Walmart wants to hear your feedback on the new policy in this quick survey.
I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program — participation is voluntary. Walmart has provided me with compensation for the time and effort spent creating this post, but all opinions are always my own!
Naomi
I think that is stupid that I can’t print off my free chip coupon by Missions and take it to Walmart since I just get a free item. Missions said that we had to print it off on our printer to redeem it. I went the coupon with my husband to get the chips, oh well I guess.
Tina
My problem with WM and printable coupons right now is if they don’t scan, they won’t accept them. I print my coupons with minimal ink…and sometimes they just need to punch in the numbers!
Jackie O
Maybe I missed this, but I am wondering are they taking a manufacturers’ coupon and a competitors’ coupon for the same item like places like Target do?
Liz
Elk Grove Village, IL is refusing to follow this new policy. I asked and provided a copy and they said that they weren’t aware of a change in policy and couldn’t find it on the Walmart site. They refused to allow me to show them where it was on the site and did nothing to accommodate me after I waited patiently for 45 mintues. I’ve placed a call in to corporate, but be prepared for poor treatment at that store.
Denise
Liz, I had the same experience. Tried to use my Gain coupons. I didn’t even want overage–just to buy other things. Cashier was rude and convinced she was right–she told me the policy was last updated May 2010. I told her she was wrong. I finally left and went back with my printout. I will keep shopping at Target instead–too much hassle when Target takes my coupons without issue.
Kelly
Store #3224 would not accept any Walgreens Register Rewards because they consider it a store coupon even though it says it’s a manufacture coupon at the top. Also they said it has to say an amount of a certain product not of your next order.
Cheryl M
I would love it if the local Walmart was more coupon friendly. In January I had 2 of the B1G1 coke coupons from recyclebank. The coupon didn’t work for the cashier; she went through my items saw I had the cokes, wrote the price in the box on the coupon, verified it said MFR coupon, tried it again & still nothing so she called a CSM over. She tried it & it didn’t work (all the while the people behind me in line are sighing & rolling their eyes & muttering it’s $1.25 WTF—yeah good day) So I left without using the coupons. When I tried using the coupons at Kroger they wouldn’t accept them because they we already filled out & the cashier thought I had lifted them from coupon register bag !!
With the minute maid B1G1 coupons Walmart again would not accept them. The same CSM was there & she even said to me “Oh, we’ve had problems with you before”. I explained to not write on them since I couldn’t use the last coupon she filled out.
She was VERY rude & huffy. What sucks is I’ve been sick forEVER & am basically going to walmart to buy cheap medicine & get ‘just the essentials’ if I had the energy I would be going to kroger or someplace else—but I wanted to do ‘one stop shopping’
Jane
This is not a coupon issue, but I thought I would post it anyway. I purchased a money order at Walmart for my granddaughter who lives 50 miles away from me. She tried all over to cash that money order and no one would cash it, not even Walmart. The bank in Walmart finally agreed to cash it if she opened an account with them.
What a rip off! I’ll never purchase another money order there.
Heartland Hannah
Well, as I expected this was a no-go. I took in Walgreens RR catalina coupons to Walmart. All have valid dates and meet their stated requirements. I went through 5 different levels of people over the course of 20+ minutes standing at the checkout. They had no clue. I brought up their own website on my smartphone and showed it to them. They said they still hadn’t heard of it and couldn’t honor it. And….it took 20 minutes for them to decide that while my frozen food was melting and people were swearing at me in line.
It was my first trip to Walmart in several months and also my last for a long time.
I called Walmart corporate customer service afterward and the guy that answered was completely clueless and not helpful either. All he said is he wasn’t aware of this policy and he would have “someone get back to me in a few days.” Whoopppeee. By then my Wags RR will be expired so it’s pointless.
I guess the moral of the story is if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Why do they put these policies out to get our hopes up and then not tell their stores?
This is why I’m a Target shopper.
Jennifer
I had the same experience as everyone else when I tried to use my register rewards at the Bloomington MN store. The cashier had no clue (but was nice), the manager had also not heard of the new policy but acted like I was dumb. She said Walmart does not accept RR’s because the coupons say they are redeemable at Walgreens. I just wish there was some clarification. I emailed Walmart headquarters and asked specifically if they accept RR’s, and they responded by emailing a copy of their coupon policy. I have that already! I didn’t help in the store. Also, wal-mart really does have poor customer service compared to other stores.
Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny
I was able to use RRs at Walmart this weekend. The cashier tried to scan one but got a “check log” message of some sort. She went for the CSM who claimed it was a store Q and they didn’t do store Qs for $$ off. I asked for the manager, who read the policy and agreed that it was a manu Q and could be used “if it was scannable, yours wasn’t” I asked that they try again but to scan the barcodes one at a time since there are two. They scanned the small barcode first and BAM- register took it with no problems! I figure it will be different next time, but at least we know how to get them to scan correctly now! HTH
NotTellinYou
-Walmart does not accept the following coupons:
* competitor’s coupons for dollars, cents or percentage off, B1G1 free, and double or triple value
Dorothy
ok I’m confused: don’t these 2 cancel each other out?
-Walmart will accept the following coupons:
* competitor’s coupons that have a specific price listed
-Walmart does not accept the following coupons:
* competitor’s coupons for dollars, cents or percentage off, B1G1 free, and double or triple value
Tara Kuczykowski
No, by specific price they’re referring to a coupon that lists the price of the item — a good example would be the Walgreens in-ad coupons like get Puffs tissues for $0.69.
tarynn
okay, so I am finding this extremely confusing… Wal-mart will take a competitor’s coupon, but only if it says the actual price you have to pay for it? If that is the case, they may as well not even have changed the policy! I just looked at every single Target coupon online at target.com, and walgreen’s coupons, and they ALL say $1 off such and such, or $2 off such and such. So what good is changing the policy if no one is going to be able to utilize it? I’m sorry to say that if there were other grocery stores such as Target or Kroger in my home county, I would not shop at Walmart. As it is, with gas so expensive, I cannot afford to travel 45 miles to the nearest large chain store. I was extremely excited about this new policy before reading it! Especially since Walmart lags behind so many other stores in this area. You can’t stack coupons, you can’t use competitor’s coupons without a stated price (although, Walmart doesn’t even have THEIR OWN coupons), and they don’t even double at least 1 day of the week. Even Fred’s Dollar Store doubles on Saturdays, come on! I’m extremely disappointed, seems like a lot of hype for very little results.
vielka
So what your telling me is I have to bring in an AD and a coupon from another competitor for Walmart to accept it. I truely believe and feel Walmart is only posting this to attract more coupon users to there stores. However what they forget is we read details and know the rules better then your employee most of the time. ITS A SCAM BEWARE !!!!
Tara Kuczykowski
The official clarification that I received on Register Rewards and other Catalina coupons is that they will be accepted as long as they are manufacturer’s coupons and scan at the register. As Cricket mentioned above, try asking them to scan the bar codes one at a time if the register is not taking them the first time. It will take some time, but their goal is to get the register set up to accept them all.
Walmart is working to get training in place in all of the stores, but this is a big undertaking. So if you have an issue that you can’t resolve in the store, please take a minute to contact customer service so that your experience can benefit everyone.
Michele Barber
Yesterday, I was accused of trying to steal by using the $3 Purex coupon on the trial size for .97. Absolutely would not let me do it and I even showed them the copy of the coupon policy. She told me that wasn’t right. I have never been so humiliated. Called customer service and no one has called me back yet about it.
Michele Barber
On the upside, I haven’t had any problems using the RR there on any of my purchases up til yesterday.
jessica
What was the number of the store this happened at?
Michele Barber
0036 in Paragould, AR
Julie
Was your cashier’s name Judy by any chance? I had a similar experience last night. She told me it was stealing if I bought an item less than the coupon amount! I told her she needs to read her policy and she said her policy is on her tag…she flipped it over to show me. Much to her surprise it was the last statement on her tag! She still wouldn’t do it without management approval. I was so flustered when I left! I emailed corporate, called the customer service number today and also emailed the CEO of Walmart! She was rude and telling me it was fraud?!! 3 cashiers walked over to see why she was yelling at me…so embarrassed. Got my deals though! :)
Devin
Tara, I came back here to let you know that I saw on another deal blog (Living rich with coupons) that WM is NOT honoring what you would consider catalinas–that is, the RR given out at Walgreens or Shop Rite and such. They will honor a Walgreens coupon that says, say “$1 off Sprite” or whatever, but they will not be honoring RR. This supposedly came directly from the corporate office.
I knew it was too good to be true…can you find out and let your readers know for sure? It will be embarrassing to many people who try to go in to the store, insisting that they CAN use the RR, when the policy apparently doesn’t allow it.
Thanks.
Michele Barber
They revised the coupon policy on the 18th that stated they would not accept a $ amount off the basket purchase (Register Rewards).
Heidi
Gee….wish I knew how well our Wal-Mart handled the coupon policy….the shelves are never stocked well enough for me to buy what I am looking for. … I don’t understand WHY our Wal-Mart will not keep the shelves stocked.
Mary Warr
I went to Walmart with 15 coupons today. 6 were for $1 off Rayovac
5 were for $1 off AirWick warmers
4 were for $1 off Aquafresh.
All of the 15 items were .97 each
I had other items as well (milk, groceries, etc.)
After I paid and left, I saw only 8 of the -1.00 coupons at the bottom.
7 of my coupons did not ring correctly, and I have no idea of knowing which ones work.
I have to shop late due to my schedule, so when I went back in the cashier saw the problem and agreed something went wrong, but she said she couldn’t do anything about it because it was after 10 p.m. I will have to go back tomorrow with no guarantee it will work.
Sherry
The last two times I’ve been to Walmart with coupons for identical items (one valid coupon for each item), nothing I said would deter them from insisting I either needed to go to a different line with the second identical item, or physically leave the store and walk back in and get at the back of the line. The first time, I left the second item and the second time I stood my ground, embarrassed, until a CSM was brought over and told the cashier to “just take it”, as if I was in the wrong and being placated. I found out via the customer service desk that the district manager handed down an edict for that stipulation, but the managers and most cashiers hate it. I talked to corporate, who was supposed to handle it after the first time, and got a followup message from the store manager that it was being handled, but it happened that second time days later. I just sent corporate an online email that they are going to lose my loyalty if they don’t straighten this out. I live midway between a Kroger and a Publix, both of whom double coupons and are much closer than the Walmart(s) that I drive to instead. My loyalty also extends to my business and personal trips where I shop Walmart almost exclusively. No more. Why should I drive further, missing out on better coupon deals, only to be argued with, treated like a second class citizen in front of an entire line of people, and embarrassed, simply because I wanted a good deal on two identical items? The nice thing is that I don’t have to. I can vote with my feet, and they can be sorry they lost the thousands of dollars I spend a year at their stores to their competitors. I’m but one person, but everyone I tell will add up. Their loss.
MAMA
I have been looking for an email for corporate.
I was there today with a coupon that exceeded the item,so, therefore i get the change back or can put it towards my basket price(this is new)However i was made to stand there and pretty much be accused of being a liar by not one,not two but, four managers!!!Walmart is so bad about coupons anyways but, for pete sake this is the companys policy-LEARN IT! (especially the management!)
Sherry
The last two times I’ve been to Walmart with coupons for identical items (one valid coupon for each item), nothing I said would deter them from insisting I either needed to go to a different line with the second identical item, or physically leave the store and walk back in and get at the back of the line. The first time, I left the second item and the second time I stood my ground, embarrassed, until a CSM was brought over and told the cashier to “just take it”, as if I was in the wrong and being placated. I found out via the customer service desk that the district manager handed down an edict for that stipulation, but the managers and most cashiers hate it. I talked to corporate, who was supposed to handle it after the first time, and got a followup message from the store manager that it was being handled, but it happened that second time days later. I just sent corporate an online email that they are going to lose my loyalty if they don’t straighten this out. I live midway between a Kroger and a Publix, both of whom double coupons and are much closer than the Walmart(s) that I drive to instead. My loyalty also extends to my business and personal trips where I shop Walmart almost exclusively. No more. Why should I drive further, missing out on better coupon deals, only to be argued with, treated like a second class citizen in front of an entire line of people, and embarrassed, simply because I wanted a good deal on two identical items? The nice thing is that I don’t have to. I can vote with my feet, and they can be sorry they lost the thousands of dollars I spend a year at their stores to their competitors. I’m but one person, but everyone I tell will add up. Their loss!
Sherry
(Sorry for the double post) Funny thing is that I just took my items out of the bag, and in the confusion, the cashier put the coupons in my bag of items rather than in his register. If I were less honest, I’d keep them for my annoying experiences.
Nikki
I just read all the previous posts and I just can not believe it. I personally have never had any problems with wal-mart taking my coupons. I even price match most of the items I purchase. I put up all items that are to be rung up normally and then I seperate all items to be price matched. I am not saying that the cashiers are excited to see me coming, but they always take all my coupons and sales ads. I did read on another site they WOULD not be taking RR or UP rewards as those were specific inventives to return to a particular store. Do what you gotta do to get your deals but a sweet smile never hurt!
NotTellinYou
This is what happens when you follow the rules and not read into a policy what you want to read.
Dennis O'Malley
Seems like a lot of people have an issue with WalMart. My wife was there today and had a diabetic seizure. When she came to, customers were around her takinf pictures with their cell phones! The managers were there and didn’t do anything to stop it. It al started because she tried to use coupons. The managers don’t know their own policy, and made her sit while they rang up each item separately! The had the manager from Stop Loss watching her like she was trying to steal something. The manager told her if she came in again with multiple coupons, they would refuse to ring her up. I may take my business elsewhere.
Nicole
Wow! I was just at Walmart last night and scored! I have 7 in my family and require coupons to stay on budget. While I do have a favorite cashier at Walmart I am comfortable checking out in any line. My Walmart is wonderful! Some will take the time to dilegently look at each coupon and make sure that I purchased the correct item, but I don’t mind, that’s their job. They give me my change back graciously and I have even been applauded by the CSM for great shopping. Maybe it is my small town and representative of the area I live in, but I love shopping at Walmart and I attribute a large portion of my stockpile to their coupon policy and finally giving back to the customers what they get in return and what other stores won’t.
callan
used 5.00 coupon for 3.00 just my size sweater. cashier lowered coupon to 3.00 said she could not give overage.used 1.00 coupon for 97cent pert shampoo.she gave me 3cent overage.so i feel i was cheated out of 2 bucks. walmart cheats their employees because they have had several lawsuits against them. so why do we think they would be fair to customers?
Sweetness1770
I shop at wal-mart all the time, sometimes they will take coupons no problem and sometimes they give me all kinds of trouble. They wouldn’t take a coupon for an item after they price matched it yesterday, but have always taken coupons on the price matched items before. Did someone on here say wal mart don’t take BOGO free? My walmart in Lindale TX takes my BOGO free all the time, I believe how you get treated at wal mart depends on your cashier. But I will not let anyone treat me badly for trying to save money, the coupons are out there for us to use, and we shouldnt be treated like we are stealing for using them.
carolyn
I went to Walmart yesterday & the cashier tried to tell me I couldn’t use a coupon for a price match. I asked her when they changed their policy, so the manager came over & excepted it & told the cashier from now on she has to except the coupons. So it truly is the cashier.
carol
I recently started couponing and the first time I tried to use coupons at walmart 2 cashiers and a csm gave me a hard time and they had an attitude as if they owned the store so the following week I went into walmart and spoke to 2 managers on duty, one of the managers was very nice about me wanting to use coupons but the store manager wasn’t as nice he told me there was only one competitor in town and that was lowes super save and since we are a small town with only a walmart in town to shop at I guess he makes his own rules. He was rude enough to tell me that I’m crazy if I think that anything is cheap and free at his store because I had some free up to $1.99 2 ltr dr pepper 10 coupons and he said he would not accept them. I went down the street and the lowes super save grocery store was more then happy to accept them. My big question is “do store managers make the coupon rules or does he/she have to follow the walmart policy? Because I have the new policy printed out and he refused to read it!!!!!!
Nae
Its definitely the cashier! I’ve had great luck with price matching & using my coupons until last night! I was harassed by the cashier who said she “remembered me trying to use an invalid coupon” before & insisted every coupon be placed with its matching item after she had already checked half my items out! She claimed 1 of my febreeze coupons couldn’t be used on a candle because that specific picture wasn’t on it!! Do you know how many scents they make? I was in tears by the end of checkout. Made out to be a criminal all because I was trying to save for the holidays.
Kc
Walmart has a new coupon “rule” every time I go in. I have never yelled or been nasty with a cashier or CSM, wish I could say I have had the same respect. I haven’t used coupons in walmart once without a problem. I usually get through it because I know my coupons and policies. But its always an argument with cash back or free items. Walmart treats me like I’m steeling when I am couponing. It feels
like if I’m going to use a coupon its the same as sticking something in my pocket and walking
Kc
Out the front door. I used a coupon the other day and got cash back. I had two managers yell at me and tell me I couldn’t do that and act like I was taking money out of their pockets. Keep in mind that I have used this same coupon on several occasions, I guess coupons are based on who ever you gets opinion. The lady actually said “you people always do this and get away with it”. I am not a thief! I am trying to get
things my family cant afford the right way. Thanks for your resp
Kc
Thanks walmart for your respect and support in these tough times and for making me feel like a thief.
L.K.
So, I see I’m clearly not the only one who has a problem when using coupons at Wal-mart. When I have coupons, I prepare for the problem I’m going to have at checkout. :-X
Mary
Went to my local Walmart today, and as always had a problem with coupons. I was told by a CSM that if the coupon wouldn’t scan, even if it was legitimate and I am buying the item that they will not take the coupon. Was also told that say if you buy 3 of a certain item and have a valid coupon for each item that they will not accept either. The CSM was horrible had no customer service at all, called their customer service department just to get a call back that said “we had a meeting and we aren’t supposed to override coupons any more, if they don’t scan then they won’t take”, not acceptable at all. I am now waiting for a call back from the Store Manager, hopefully will get better results.