Today while grocery shopping (I live in Los Angeles) at Ralph's Grocery, I noticed that the Kelloggs Frosted Mini Wheats cereal that have the 100 AA miles coupon on them was on sale for $2 a box. Not bad but it gets better. The cereal boxes have a coupon on the side of them for $1 off your next purchase of Frosted Mini Wheats. Since Ralphs doubles the value of any manufacture's coupons, if I do my math correct, the next box of Frosted Mini Wheats I buy is FREE. And then when I puchase that "free" box, I will get another coupon for $1 off my next box (which will then be doubled so that box is free), and the cyle repeats itself until.....?

Granted, you have to purchase a couple of boxes at $2 each to start the coupon chase going, but if you have a couple of Kelloggs manufacture's $1 off 2 boxes that they put by the 1,000's in your Sunday newspaper,(effectively bring the cost of your first boxes down to $1 each), then the cost isn't too shabby.

I have to admit that I bought a two boxes this morning. The Mrs. wouldn't let me buy any more than two boxes.

Tell the Mrs. to start packing for her next vacation while you take the U-Haul down to Ralph's. This is a great deal.

WOW... what a deal.

The stores here in the east that match manufacturers coupons match up to 99 cents... but not $1.

You found a great deal!!!

Hope you love cereal!

William

Mr. Dog,
Before you get that UHaul, remember that Ralph only doubles 3 coupons at a time. So you and the Mrs will need to go back and forth into the store, but at 6 boxes per visit, you should be able to clean them out pretty quickly. And there's nothing wrong with cutting a coupon off a box that you're about to purchase, IMHO.

Ah, cereal memories from my LA days...

Are you sure Ralph's doubles up to a $1.00 on coupons? Most places only double to 50 cents. In any event, sounds like a good deal. Good luck!

You are correct. Ralph's policy is only 3 of the same coupon at a time. However, many of the checkers at my neighborhood Ralph's recognize me and so on occasion I have been able to redeem more than 3 of the same coupon at a time on occasion.

I live in the LAX area, and there are about 8 Ralph's markets within 10 minutes of me, so I guess I could just visit all the stores one after the other, clipping the $1 off coupon from the boxes purchased at one store, and redeeming it at the next?

Yes, Ralph's will double up to $1.

FYI, Vons/Pavilions has the same deal right now, so you get UA miles for your purchase as well.

Yes, Ralphs will not double but three at a time. Also, even if the check out person allows, make sure that the computer doubles anything past 3. They override but often the additional coupons are taken at face value, not doulble.

Or, pull the buy-3-go-to-car-and-return, move. I did this 12 times at one store. With double coupons $1 a box.

I hate to pop anyone's bubble, but the box I have (regular size Frosted Mini Wheats) has a coupon on it, that is only good on "Bite Size" Frosted Mini Wheats. So far I have been unable to find where the Bite Size, has the Flyer Points on it, just the regular or fruit filled.
If any of you have please let me know.
Cindi

I hate to pop anyone's bubble, but the box I have (regular size Frosted Mini Wheats) has a coupon on it, that is only good on "Bite Size" Frosted Mini Wheats. So far I have been unable to find where the Bite Size, has the Flyer Points on it, just the regular or fruit filled.
If any of you have please let me know.
Cindi

Think we can get CO Or DL to match on say Froot Loops, I don't like mini wheats

Does Albertson's double coupons too? If I timed it right I could drive to Ralph's, Von's and Albertson's all within a half mile of each other

Oh yeah what are you going to do with all that cereal.

OK, the rules are no more that 3 of the same coupon for the same item in a 24 hour period for Ralphs.

The full dollar is doubled at Ralphs and no tax is added. You must have a Ralphs card to get the $2 price for the cereal (free when the $ is doubled). The checker is the enforcer, not the Ralph's card, therefore those that wish to "push there morality" might want to visit a different checker each time and switch to a different Ralphs when you exhaust you luck.

If you have no coupons to start then you must buy 1-3 boxes at $2 each first (depending on how many trips you want to make). Have a knife and sizzor in the car. Take your purchase out to the car and remove the $ coupon (s) from the carton. Once started you can repeat this program as much as you need without further cost, dependent on the enforcement of the above rules.
Remember this price is temporary and therefore the deal will end when the sales does.

Mark sure the boxes you buy have the coupon on the side and the 100 AA points on the panel too.

Happy shopping.

I found that the checker usually doesn't really care that the coupon is for the Bite Size Frosted Mini Wheats. They just check that you have some type of Mini Wheats and that is good enough for them.

I agree onedog. They don't check closely or maybe they don't care. I used four of the $1 off coupons today, but I bought 8 boxes (after my initial purchase of 4) for $8.00 since the coupons were doubled.

I doubt that the store loses any money on this, because they send the coupons to the main office and that offices sends the coupons they've received from all the stores to Kellogs for their reimbursement.

Ralphs will get reimbursed by Kellogs for the $1 face value of the coupon, but will not get reimbursed for the doubling, i.e., for the second $1. Stores often will put staples like breakfast cereal on sale to draw more traffic to the store (where they then hope you'll also buy other incidentals that have better profit margins). Such sales might even be genuine loss leaders, where the store is losing a little bit of money on the heavily advertised item. If that's the case here, then Ralphs IS losing money. (Whether the loss is "eaten" at the local store or absorbed by corporate headquarters, I don't know....)

As a consumer, it's not my obligation to look after the profit margins of merchants. But having said that, I would have moral qualms about visting the store again and again and again. I don't have any problems with visiting a store once and buying items which they have put on sale as loss leaders, but I would respect the "limit N" limitations that the store prints clearly on the sales flyer, even if the checkers at the store are not enforcing the policy very well.