Frugal Shopping Glossary
Saturday, October 3, 2009
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AcronymsB1G1F: “Buy one, get one free.” The numbers in the acronym may change. For example: B2G3F = “Buy two, get three free.”
MB2FP: "Must buy two for price." The number in the acronym may change. For example: MB10FP = "Must buy ten for price."
WYB: “When you buy”
OYNP: “On your next purchase”
PP: Participating Products
WHC: Warehouse Club. Used after a 4* or 5* rating in the Current Deals List when that item can typically be found for less at a warehouse club.
MIR: Mail-In Rebate
ECR: “Extra Care Rewards.” Rewards you get for shopping at CVS. Receive 2% back on all purchases, and $1 for every two prescriptions. They are issued quarterly as ECBs (see below).
ECB: “Extra Care Buck.” Coupons that are printed on the bottom of your receipt at CVS as part of the ECR program or at the end of a qualifying purchase. They can be used like cash at CVS except that they have expiration dates.
RRP: “Ralphs Rewards Points.” Reward points you get for shopping at Ralphs. You get 1 point per dollar. Earn $5 for your first 500 points and $1 for every 100 points after that. They are issued quarterly by mail as Ralphs coupons. Points not redeemed (if you have less than 500 etc) are rolled over to the next quarter.
SCR: "Single Check Rebate." A check you get from Rite Aid once a month that combines all the rebates you qualified for during the previous month.
Rebate Deals
Often, stores will run specials that require you to buy a certain dollar amount or number of items in order to earn a rebate. When understood and correctly used, these deals can be a great way to get 5* items, items next to free, or even for free!
IR Deal: “Instant Rebate Deal.” A rebate deal where your savings are instant. For example: “Save $5 instantly when you buy $15 in participating products.” Items ring up at the normal sale price. Then, before you pay, a credit is issued on your transaction for the designated amount.
CR Deal: “Coupon Rebate Deal.” A rebate deal where your savings are issued in the form of a coupon. For example: “Get a $10 coupon to use on your next purchase when you buy $25 in participating products.” Items ring up at the normal sale price. You pay the normal sale price. Then, at the end of the transaction, you receive coupons for the designated amount. You can use these coupons like cash on your next transaction at that store. Coupons usually expire within a few weeks.
GCR Deal: “Gift Card Rebate Deal.” A rebate deal where your savings are issued as a gift card. For example: “Get a $5 gift card when you buy 2 participating products.” Items ring up at the normal sale price. You pay the normal sale price. Then, at the end of the transaction, you receive a gift card for the designated amount. You can use this gift card on your next transaction at that store.
MIR Deal: “Mail-In Rebate Deal.” A rebate deal where your savings are issued as a check to you. In order to get these savings, you must fill out a rebate form and send it in, along with your receipt and any other required information. It typically takes 3-12 weeks to get your check, depending on the rebate.
RR Deal: “Ralphs Rewards Deal.” A rebate deal specific to Ralphs. Your savings are issued in the form of additional Ralphs Rewards which are awarded quarterly along with your regular Ralphs Rewards. Visit the Ralphs page for more details.
ECB Deal: “Extra Care Buck Deal.” CVS’s form of a “Coupon Rebate Deal.” ECBs will print on the bottom of your CVS receipt when you buy certain required items. There are always a few ECB deals each month that allow you to get items for free (after ECBs). There are a few tricks to making ECBs work well. Please visit the CVS page for more information.
SCR Deal: “Single Check Rebate Deal.” Rite Aid's form of a “Mail-in Rebate deal.” However, you don't have to mail anything. You simply submit each of your receipts online during the month and request a check at the end of the month. Rite Aid will mail you one check that combines all the rebates you qualified for during that month. There are always a few SCR deals each month that allow you to get items for free (after rebate). There are a few tricks to making SCRs work well. Please visit the Rite Aid page for more information.
“1 per ______”
Many Deals have limitations as to how many times you can apply the deal. Often, this is very confusing language. Use the guide below to maximize your savings.
1 per purchase: A purchase is defined as whatever the coupon or sales states you have to buy in order to get a discount. For example: If a sale states: "Save $0.50 instantly when you buy two Pillsbury biscuits," a purchase would be two Pillsbury biscuits. Or if a coupon states: "Save $0.55 on any Marzetti Salad Dressing," a purchase would be any one Marzetti Salad Dressing.
1 per transaction/order: One receipt = One transaction/order. You can have more than one purchase in a transaction. If there is a deal that is limited to one/transaction, you can do 2 or 3 transactions in a row and get the deal for each transaction. This is a great way to use a CR Deal or GCR Deals. Apply the coupons/card you get on your 1st transaction to your 2nd transaction, then those you get on your 2nd transaction to your third, etc.
1 per customer: Most stores see this the same as “1 per day.” This is because you are considered a “new customer" every time you enter the store. Occasionally this is seen as the same as “1 per household” (see below). Ask the store about their specific policy.
1 per household: This means you can only do the deal once, period. Your husband or children cannot (or shouldn’t) try to get the same deal. You can’t (or shouldn’t) try to get the deal again on another day. Many stores track this by means of their membership cards.
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