UPDATE: 2/7/11, 7:50pm – Dominick’s confirms “No Expired Manufacturer Coupons” on its corporate Facebook page.
For those of you that don’t follow the blog each day, I’ll quickly summarize what’s been going on in stores this week.
It has long been Dominick’s policy to accept expired manufacturer coupons up to one year past the expiration date.
On Thursday, February 3rd, at Dominick’s locations all around Chicagoland, shoppers were surprised to see their expired coupons now beeping at the register, notifying cashiers that these coupons were expired. With no official notice from Dominick’s that there had been any kind of policy change, cashiers began denying expired coupon usage to customers. (Who could blame them? If you were a cashier, and all of a sudden, coupons started showing up “EXPIRED” on your register, you’d probably assume you were not supposed to allow shoppers to use them either either.)
Naturally, this caused a lot of confusion, both for shoppers and cashiers. Did Dominick’s stop taking expired coupons overnight? I got in touch with my contact in Dominick’s Public Relations department, Wynona Redmond, who promised an answer soon.
Meanwhile, my email box exploded with complaints from Dominick’s shoppers whose expired coupons were suddenly being denied with no explanation. As many people on this blog and other local coupon blogs, as well as the Dominick’s Facebook page noted, it was like a switch had been flipped, and these coupons were no longer allowed.
Whether you’re aware or not, there is a transition taking place in the barcodes on coupons. When you look at any coupon, the “old” bar code on the left side, the GTIN-12, is being phased out in favor of the GS1 Databar (the double-line, “weird looking” one on the right side of your coupons.) Manufacturers are switching to the GS1 because it contains much more detailed information than the GTIN-12 — and among that new info stored in the barcode? The coupon’s expiration date.
Stores around the country are required to start transitioning to reading GS1 barcodes this year, and eventually the GTIN-12 will be phased out completely and no longer appear on your coupons. But when all of these stories of expireds beeping at the register suddenly started on Thursday, I immediately assumed Dominick’s must have updated their registers, which were now detecting expired coupons and notifying the cashier.
I spoke with Wynona (who has long been my contact at Dominick’s) at 5:25pm yesterday. She confirmed that the registers’ software was updated this week “at the request of the manufacturers,” and that expired coupons are beeping. She said that Dominick’s has always “accepted coupons that don’t beep, including expired,” but now that expired coupons will be flagged as such and beeping at the register, if they beep, the cashiers are being instructed not to allow those coupons to be used. She added that the register update was done “to stay in compliance with the manufacturers” (again — ALL stores, not just Dominick’s, are required to transition to the new barcode this year.)
I asked if I could have something in writing for the blog to post. Being that this news will likely get reposted everywhere, I wanted something official, in corporate’s words and language explaining this change versus putting it into my own words. Wynona let me know that yesterday was her last official day working for Dominick’s, but that she would be finishing up things over the weekend and would get me something in writing today. I told her that if I didn’t have anything by evening, I was going to blog about it anyway, as there are just too many people out there asking the same question about the expireds to leave everyone hanging without an answer. She said that was fine and added, “You know, you really do a good service with your blog.” (I try!)
It’s now been 24 hours since that call, and I don’t have anything concrete from Dominick’s other than our phonecall yesterday. I wish I did. I know this news is going to upset a lot of people and an official statement from them would carry a lot more weight than “Jill Cataldo says that they told her.” Aside from posting a photo of my Caller ID to show that this call indeed did take place, there’s not much else I could potentially offer as “proof,” other than the verbal details of yesterday’s call.
If I do receive anything in writing from Wynona, I will gladly post it. (Let’s be honest — it’s Saturday, and if I left a job and was starting a new one soon, this subject might not be the first thing on my mind either.) But I’m persistent and will always try to get the best and most accurate information that I can for my readers.
So where does this leave us?
From my perspective, there may be instances of “my store still accepts” and “such-and-such store didn’t beep today,” but largely, the use of expired manufacturer coupons at Dominick’s is over. I’m sure there will be people who will want to try to see if they can get the store to accept them, but the reality is… being a coupon shopper takes time. I don’t want to invest my time going through all of my back inserts, matching them to sales, and then having them all scan as “EXPIRED” and be denied at the register.
It’s also detrimental for me to continue blogging Dominick’s deals involving expireds, as it will only frustrate nearly everyone who also takes time to cut them out, take them to the store, fill a cart with products and find out that cashiers are being instructed not to allow expireds any more, and none of those coupons will be accepted.
That said, I am not throwing out my back stash of inserts JUST yet. I expect this issue will explode over the next week as the news spreads. You can never say what Dominick’s will do, but if enough people are upset (and, again, judging from my email and the blogosphere, they will be) perhaps Dominick’s will realize that they could have handled this differently.
When Jewel stopped accepting expired coupons in 2009, they hung signs in every store alerting shoppers that the end date was coming, and that they should use up any expireds that they had — “On May 1, 2009, we will no longer accept expired coupons.” It was courteous, it gave shoppers a chance to use up anything they were holding on to, and then that was the end.
So, that’s it. Again, I wish I had something in writing — I intended to wait to blog about this until I did.
Honestly, I also wish that Dominick’s would have addressed this in an official capacity as soon as it happened on their site and on their Facebook page, where there are plenty of pages of posts from angry shoppers looking for answers too.
UPDATE: Monday, February 7th:
I will apparently not be receiving a written statement regarding expired coupons at Dominick’s. (Surprise.)
Here is the email I received from Wynona this morning:
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 03:20:44 -0700
From: “Wynona Redmond” [wynona.redmond@safeway.com]
To: “Jill Cataldo” [jill@supercouponing.com]
Subject: Re: Just checking in…
Jill
What we discussed will have to work.
Janet will work with the admins of Jeff Norkiewicz and Buchannan for you
to meet with them.
Thanks
—–Original Message—–
From: Jill Cataldo [mailto:jill@supercouponing.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 3:12 PM
To: Wynona Redmond [wynona.redmond@safeway.com]
Subject: Just checking in…
Will you still have something for me today re: expired coupons, or
should I just write up a summary of what we discussed yesterday?
Jill
UPDATE: 2/7/11, 7:50pm – Dominick’s confirms “No Expired Manufacturer Coupons” on its corporate Facebook page.
onceuponacoupon says
I don’t think I’ve ever used a ‘current’ coupon at Dom’s, now that they won’t take expired I don’t have a reason to shop there anymore.
First J4U fiasco and now this? Do they want to drive us away?
artofthedeal says
How ironic that your Dominick’s person is leaving the company. I bet she is happy to be moving on.
Sad part Jill is that you will have to start all over with someone else.
Dominick’s really needs to learn to talk with their customers, not “AT” us. Their Facebook page is a joke. People complaining about real problems right and left, and Dominick’s says “Why not get some sausages for your Super Bowl party?” They don’t care. It’s like talking to a robot.
chihaYn says
Thank you Jill for making a call to find out what’s going on. Your work that you do is greatly appreciated.
Kates015 says
The doms in Merrionette Park took all my expireds today, but none of them beeped. All expiried 12/31/10 or later so maybe there is a number of days the machines will allow them to go through without beeping? Maybe the more expired ones are beeping? I’m just being optamistic that maybe we can still have an expired window at Doms of 60 days or so… probably wishful thinking.
Anyone who has had beeping expireds do you know what the expiration date was?
arctura says
So if they’re no longer accepting expired coupons, do you think Dominick’s will stop trying to sell us all the expired food on their shelves? It’s only fair of them to throw all their expired merchandise away now, since we’re tossing our expired coupons, don’t you think?
ekj75ekj75 says
Don’t some of the other Safeway stores offer double coupons?? Maybe they’re switching over to double coupons (wishful thinking)
rjbsilver says
Since this started for me yesterday as well – I found the chashiers at my Dom’s were pretty good about taking everything, even if it beeped….maybe it helped that I had my 14 month old with me, her cute factor has greased many wheels in recent months…lol…I had some expired $5off huggies coupons that I used with the diaper deal they had going on, so I am glad it worked out…
cg1 says
Not sure if this has been mentioned but I always use the self checkout and to get coupons to scan there in the past required only scanning the old style barcode on the left. I even had to fold the coupon or put a thumb over the high tech barcode on the right so the machine didn’t read it.
I guess I’ll try an expired as before making sure the right barcode is covered and see if it still works with just the left one.
jennilooger says
This is why I keep coming back to your website. I respect and affirm your choice to play by the rules, as shown in this Dominick’s issue. Your integrity is what keeps you at the top of my couponing favorites. Thank you, Jill.
soapboxtray says
For getting the information you received and for posting. I did go to Doms today prior to reading this and used 2 Free Pepsi coupons I had that were expired. I don’t think it concerned them since they were free and had to write in the amount thus the beep. Very disappointed. I am one of the few I suppose that really like to shop at Dominicks. If they don’t end up giving us some time and warning then I will feel like they just don’t care. Thanks again for sharing the news you received.
stogies girl says
I am just curious, did Dominicks get reimbursed for expired coupons or did they pull out the expired before the batch was sent to the clearing house?
Julez68 says
Just called my local Dom’s (Frankfort) and was told that they still except expired coupons…
Julez68 says
Just called Orland Park, they too say that they are accepting manufacturer’s expired coupons…
Grandma D says
I see alot more Dominick’s stores closing in the near future with this change. The only reason I ever shopped there is because they take expired coupons, otherwise its not worth the drive to me.
pandorarocks says
And I was just finally convinced to give Domimick’s another try, with their Just for U program. Oh well, two trips later and it’s back to Jewel for me.
LauraK says
I was at the Gurnee Doms this morning. Didn’t ask at customer service, but asked the cashier before I checked out. He said he’d been off work for a few days and hadn’t heard anything about it. All my coupons went through fine. Some were expired, some were not. It looked like most, of not all, had the double barcode. Love that $10 off $50, too!
rachelflower says
when I can toss out my huge box of expireds, Jill. My husband will be thrilled, but I’ll be bummed. I’ve been able to do a lot of deals at Doms because of expireds.
eireed says
I called Crystal Lake yesterday and was told that they will accept expireds for 6 months after expiration. I then called Lake in The Hills and they said they won’t accept them if the register beeps and says expired. SO I will not be going to LITH anymore and will only go to CL. I then went out to CL and used a bunch of expireds and not one of them beeped and had no problems.
Coupon Maven says
I received an email this morning from Wynona, and it appears that I will not be receiving a statement on expired coupon acceptance to post on the blog after all. What a surprise.
kps says
Hi Jill
I just called my Dominicks in Palos Heights, IL and spoke to Kathy in Customer Service. I asked her if they were taking expired coupons she said no not any more. Then I asked as of when? She said let me ask the cashiers. She put me on hold came back and said I’m glad I asked we are still taking expired coupons as long as they scan. If they don’t scan we won’t take them. I said well what if I have one that is not expired and won’t scan. She said they have to scan. If they don’t we won’t take them. To be fair I shopped at Dominicks yesterday with a fistful of expired coupons I did notice the register beeping at some of them but they took every one of them. I hope Dominincks comes up with a written policy soon. This issue is confusing for their employees as well as their customers.
riley1234 says
So, is anyone throwing away their exp coupons yet?? As much as I would love too, I’m still reluctant too. But I also don’t have the time to plan my Doms trips with expired coupons to find out that I can’t use them if the register beeps!
FR4717 says
Customer service 877-723-3929… or 630-891-5000
mrswoman says
maybe because I have only been using coupons a few months..but, honestly i never understood why any store would accept expired coupons.. granted it was great getting to use them at dominicks and I hope they go back to letting people.. and yes they went about it the wrong way but in my short experience that is dominicks way, they are usually always rude when you use coupons even if they are not expired.. they have even went as far as to make me take my stuff out of the bag and read the labels and coupons for several minutes at a time!!! most of the time it ends up taking me so long and with such attitude at domincks checkout that unless it is a huge savings or great deal I tend to skip them.. I agree with Jill on Jewel being the best store when it comes to coupons.. either way thank you jill for all you do in the blog to keep everyone up to date.. as i have read many many times .. there are always more deals to come..
ghostmom01 says
It looks like Dominick’s is hiding behind their very poorly worded coupon policy. They haven’t posted anything new on FB since 2/8 and they’re not answering people anymore. They have in their notes their “official” stance on expired coupons.
Dominick’s Fans, on the question about expired manufacturer coupons….Our corporate policy is NOT to accept expired manufacturer’s coupons. Our coupon policy was updated at the end of last year. We understand that at times cashiers may accept an expired coupon if it scans at the register; while this may occur occasionally, please do not anticipate using expired manufacturer’s coupons when you plan your shopping trip. Our Coupon Policy is posted on our website at https://www.dominicks.com/IFL/Grocery/Justforu-CP-RL. Item #3 speaks to the limitations on coupons. We recommend printing it out and keeping it with you when you shop.
Item #3 states “Coupons are subject to advertised offer limitations and all other limitations and restrictions on the applicable coupon or product.”
Yeah, Dominick’s, that’s about as clear as mud when you’ve been taking expired coupons up until 4 days before you posted this on FB. Where’s the customer service?
But, I guess that if Dominick’s headquarters is this backwards on their customer service, it only makes sense their stores would be too.
I haven’t gotten rid of my expireds yet. Still waiting for them to address the outrage pouring out on their page. But, when I do, I understand there are some military organizations that take the expireds. I will be looking into that.
ghostmom01 says
Expired coupons will no longer be accepted (see line #7 of their policy). They posted this note on Facebook earlier today.
Hello, I am Don Keprta, President of Dominick’s. Your concerns are important to us. We want you to be able to use and enjoy all the ways we offer you to save money in our stores. I want to personally assure you that going forward, we will do a better job of communicating to you, our customers. Here is what we currently are doing to address your concerns:
1. A team has been assembled to immediately check product dates at every store. Dominick’s customers rightly expect they will find only high-quality, fresh products at all of our stores. Our organization is committed to meeting those expectations.
2. Any changes we make to our coupon policy will be clearly communicated. In addition to posting the policy on our web site, we will also post it here on Facebook. We have just updated our policy to state as clearly as possible that we do not accept expired coupons. The new systems used at checkout will not allow expired coupons to be scanned, per our agreement with the manufacturers. See the policy here: https://www.dominicks.com/IFL/Grocery/Coupons-Policy
3. Regarding our recent “lock in” on Just 4 U personalized deals, to avoid any confusion, we will be more clear in all explanations going forward about the parameters of our programs.
4. Some of you also posted about not being able to get a copy of our Football coupon book. We will increase the print number for any future coupon books, and all coupons in these books will be available in the just for U coupon center at Dominicks.com. Our goal is to provide a book for every customer who wants one.
I am committed to providing outstanding customer service in our stores, as is every member of the Dominick’s team. Thank you for sharing your concerns with us.
I’m frustrated about the expired coupons but we all knew their days were numbered. I’m happy to see they will begin offering the coupon book coupons via Just4U so that we don’t have to kill ourselves to get the books.
Hopefully, things will change and Dominicks will improve. I like Dominicks and, with Jewel ignoring our pleas last year as they moved to Shoppers Value, it’s nice to hear them say they’ve heard us. Now, they just need to prove it.