[joyfulmom4]

I just read somewhere that Rainbow, Copps and Pick-n-save are all the same chain. Looking through the posts here, I am realizing that the sales this week are the same, so it must be true. I just made a HUGE trip to Copps and took advantage of every possible combination of sales and coupons I could come up with. Bought some 295 items for just over $200 (total before coupons was $526 and that was all sale priced stuff, so would have been even more at regular price). That averages out to 68 cents per item. OMG, I LOVE Copps! Great deals, great coupons and NO hassle whatsoever. I posted this in the Copps thread, but will cross-post here. Todays Copps shopping trip:

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I am doing the happy dance today. Dd and I planned a HUGE shopping trip to Copps using every possible combination of sale and coupon savings we could come up with from the sale flyer and our coupon stash. We spent a small fortune, but saved a considerably larger fortune.

After coupons and cash back and free bonus products, we paid just over $200 for 295 items!!! That averages out to 68 cents each. Considering what we bought, I think it was a pretty incredible haul. Check out the list (I think it's complete, but I might have missed something). Imagine if you really could get every item on this list for 68 cents...

3 gallons skim milk
4 Jacks 12” frozen pizzas
2 x 1 lb packages ground beef patties
1 lb Klements bratwurst
Oscar Mayer light beef hotdogs
4 lbs Golden Plump boneless skinless chicken breast
2 packages Oscar Mayer deli fresh meats
2 boxes Oscar Mayer ready-to-eat bacon
2 packages Oscar Mayer light bologna
2 x 8 oz blocks Kraft Naturals cheese
6 x 8 oz packs Sargento cheese slices
4 packages Kraft singles American cheese
2 Kraft Parmesan cheese
1 ½ dozen eggs
20 ears fresh sweet corn
5 ¼ lbs fresh bing cherries
2 pints fresh blueberries
Romaine lettuce salad bag
2 x Cool Whip fat free tubs
2 x 4lb bags sugar
24 single serve Kemps ice cream
2 x 1 ½ qt Edys slow churned ice cream
2 boxes Keebler fudge-dipped ice cream cones
1 box sugar cones
5 boxes Wheat Thins Artisan crackers
5 boxes Ritz Crackers
Roundys yellow mustard
2 jars Grey Poupon mustard
4 bottles Vlasic sweet pickle relish
4 cans Bushes baked beans
9 bottles McCormick Grinders seasoning
12 packs McCormick Grillmates seasoning
2 packs Ortega taco seasoning
4 boxes Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta
9 boxes Hamburger Helper
4 boxes Special K cereal
4 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats cereal
2 boxes Kelloggs Raisin Bran Crunch cereal
1 box Apple Jacks
1 box Fruit Loops
2 boxes Kashi TLC chewy granola bars
12 Soy Joy bars
4 boxes Eggo Bake Shop frozen pastries
2 loaves Sara Lee light 12 grain bread
Sara Lee hotdog buns 8
2 packages 8 hamburger buns
2 bags Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips
5 x 6-packs Diet Coke 24 oz bottles
22 bottles Fruit2O
24-pack Miller Genuine Draft beer
10 packs Kool-Aid unsweetened
24 oz Sunkist float beverage
9 x 6-packs Hersheys chocolate bars
10 Bic all-purpose lighters
52 cans Mighty Dog dog food

It was a lot of money to spend on groceries in one trip, but it was three carts heaping full of *good* food. The original price before coupons was $526 and virtually everything we bought was already on sale, so it would have been a whole lot more than that at regular prices. Granted, Copps regular prices do run higher than somewhere like Walmart, but still, I can't even imagine how much todays shopping trip would have cost w/o sales, store card and coupon savings.
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[CharisS]

Yes they are all owned by Roundys.

Nice shopping trip!

[zmique]

Great trip. Does Copps double coupons on Weds like Rainbow?

[mom2Belle&Steven]

Great job!!

[joyfulmom4]

Yes, Copps does doubles on Wed. I am going to drop by today and pick up a few things with doubles. Not much (obviously) just a few frees and the really good meat deals to freeze.

Thought I would also share some of the specifics on the best deals I got by combining multiple coupons w/ their store deals:

The cereal, Nabisco and Coke deals have been mentioned. Here are ways to sweeten them.

If you can get your hands on any of the $2 off milk when you buy two boxes of Kelloggs cereal or $2 off fresh fruit when you buy two boxes of Kelloggs cereal, you can stack them with the 8 boxes deal and get big savings on milk and fruit along with the cheap cereal. I did this twice yesterday.

Also, they have the Coke deal where you can buy five multipacks for $10. They had tearpads in the cracker aisle for $2 off Coke multipack bottles when you buy 2 Nabisco crackers. Buy 5 Nabisco Ritz crackers with $1/1 Ritz coupons (if you have any left from the Kraft IPs last month) and use 5 bogo coupons for Ritz/Wheat Thins to get 5 boxes of free Wheat Thins. Then use the 5 Coke/Nabisco crackers coupons to get your Coke for free. Nifty, huh? But wait, it gets even better b/c if you buy ten Nabisco products, you get coupons for a free pack of roundys hamburger buns and a free pack of ground beef patties! Buy the buns this week while the Roundy's buns are bogo and you get two packs free!!!

If that was all clear as mud, here's a simpler breakdown of the deals I got:

Kelloggs Deal:

buy 8 boxes Kelloggs for $20........................+$20
get $10 back instantly..................................-10
use 8 x $1/1 Kelloggs coupons........................- 8

buy 2 gallons milk approx $3............................+6
use two $2/1 wyb2Kelloggs.............................-4

buy your choice of fresh fruit..........................+4
use two $2/1 wyb2Kelloggs.............................-4

Net cost.............................................. .......$4

Not bad for 8 boxes cereal, 2 gallons milk and $4 worth of fresh fruit!!!
(Fruit ideas: cherries $1.48/lb, blueberries $3/2, raspberries $3/2, use saver card)

You really save big by combining these.

For the pop & crackers deal:

5 boxes Ritz.............................................. .............$12.50
5 boxes Wheat Thins............................................. ..$12.50
5 Coke 6-packs of 24oz bottles.................................$10.00

use 5 x $1/1 Ritz coupons..........................................-5.00
use 5 x buy1Ritz get1Wheatthins free.........................-12.50
use 5 x buy2Nabisco get$2off Coke............................-10.00

Net cost.............................................. ...................$7.50

Pretty darn good for 10 boxes of crackers and 5 Coke multipacks!

Plus you get coupons on your reciept for free hamburger buns and free hamburger patties. Use them this week to get this deal:

Burgers and Buns Deal:

hamburger patties.......................................$3.4 9
hamburger buns x 2.....................................$2.38

free burger patties......................................-3.49
free buns.............................................. ....-1.19
bogo buns.............................................. ...-1.19

Net cost.............................................. ....All free!

As if that weren't enough, they are also doing that deal this week where you get credits for every $50 you spend and these go towards gift cards for more free groceries. Six credits = $10 off. I can't remember what the other amounts were, but the more credits you get, the more you save.

If you can get your hands on the additional coupons, the savings are awesome!!! All of my Kelloggs coupons came from tearpads at the Eau Claire Target store. Hth.

[rach]

Wow great job! That is a lot of food. Are there any Copps and Pick n Save in MN?

[joyfulmom4]

Originally Posted by rach

Wow great job! That is a lot of food. Are there any Copps and Pick n Save in MN?

Yes, I believe so. Or Rainbow Foods. All the same, I just realized.

[Kmchamplin]

Does Copps limit the number of coupons that you can double?

[joyfulmom4]

Yes, Copps only does double Qs on Wed and they will double only 5 coupons with a value of up to $1 each. You have to spend a minimum of $25 before coupons.

It doesn't sound that great, but I have come to realize that if you combine the right offers, this can work out to some great savings (as above). You can use more than 5 coupons in a transaction and can use coupons with values greater than $1. You just can't double more than 5 or double higher value Qs.

My store is pretty friendly about letting me check out with more than one transaction so that I can double more than 5 coupons per trip. I have to have a minimum of $25 for each transaction though.

[eeyore55107]

Pick n' Save is in WI. The only difference between PNS and Rainbow is that the PNS ad runs Thur thru Wed.