Shop 'n Save Among Store Affected by Potential Data Breach

Shop 'n Save - August 15, 2014

Have you seen this article in the Post-Dispatch?

Shop 'n Save among store affected by potential data Breach

I took a quick look at Shop 'n Save's Facebook page and website, and as of the time I'm writing this post, I'm not finding and information on their sites.  But, SuperValu has posted more info on their website.

MIssouri Sales Tax Holiday Starts Today!

Missouri Sales Tax Holiday - August 1 - 3, 2014

Take advantage of the sales tax holiday on  back to school and computer purchases.

The sales tax exemption items:

• Clothing – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less
• School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
• Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less
• Personal computers – not to exceed $3,500
• Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $3,500

Choose wisely which cities you shop in.  Check the list of cities and counties not participating in the 2014 sales tax holiday.

Missouri Annual Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend

Missouri Sales Tax Holiday - August 1 - 3, 2014

Take advantage of the sales tax holiday on  back to school and computer purchases.

The sales tax exemption items:

• Clothing – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less
• School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
• Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less
• Personal computers – not to exceed $3,500
• Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $3,500

Choose wisely which cities you shop in.  Check the list of cities and counties not participating in the 2014 sales tax holiday.

Missouri Attorney General Sues Walgreens

image from KSDK

September 2013

I'm just now getting caught up after being out of town last month - this is a quite interesting development with Walgreens.

St Louis Post-Dispatch - 8/27/13: Koster sues Walgreens for Deceptive Pricing

KSDK - 8/27/13: Atty. Gen Koster Announces Lawsuit Against Walgreens

From KSDK:

"Consumers have a right to expect the price they will pay at the register is the same as the price displayed on the shelf," said Koster.  "The sheer volume of tags on the shelves makes it nearly impossible to recall the details of each offer. Consumers should not have to double-check the price tags or signage and compare them to the prices charged at the register." 

The suit also alleges Walgreens' "Balance Rewards" program, which promises savings, does not always deliver on the advertised promise. 

If you have been a victim of or observed deceptive pricing at Walgreens or any other retailer, Koster wants to hear from you.  Call the Consumer Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or visit his website.

I general don't think Missouri is a very consumer friendly state, but maybe Mrs. Koster is a couponer and got fed up dealing with Walgreens.

Thank you Attorney General Koster! 

College Grand Tour - 2013

Iowa State University

College Grand Tour - 2013

Today starts my "College Grand Tour."

I'm dropping off my youngest in Ames at Iowas State, heading to Minneapolis to pick up the oldest (and as much as his stuff that will fit in the mini van,) back through Ames to have brunch/lunch with both kids and then heading to California - oldest is going to grad school at Cal Berkeley.

I'm going to feel like a long haul trucker when this trip is over - five hours drive time to Ames, 2 hours to my parents in northwest Iowa (I'm spending the night,) 4 hours to Minneapolis, 32 hours of driving from Minneapolis to San Francisco and another 32 hours home.

It's going to be a good week for couponing in St Louis.  I'll attempt to keep the grocery store match ups going while I'm gone, but I'll need your help.  If you find good deals at Schnucks or Dierbergs with Super Triple Coupons, please leave a comment on those pages.

Schnucks Deals

Dierbergs Deals

Schnucks: Doubling to $0.55 Coupons in Some St Louis Area Stores

Schnucks Doubles - Week of July 3, 2013

If you take a look at this week's Schnucks online ad, you might see some St Louis area stores advertising double coupons up to $0.55.

I talked to Schnucks Customer Affairs on Wednesday morning.  They told me they were aware that doubling to $0.55 coupon was in some of their online ad, but it was an error and they were going to fix it.   They would only double to $0.40 this week in all St Louis area stores.

To find out, the misprint  was not only in their online ad, but also the ads customers find in-store.  So, it looks like some (maybe all) of the stores with the misprint will honor double coupons up to $0.55.

Here are the store will the misprint.  Confirm at the store you shop that they will honor double coupons up to $0.55. If you let me know what your store is doing, I'll update this post with what's is happening.

St Louis - South City
Arsenal
Hampton Village

West County
Des Peres
Bellerive Plaza
Chesterfield
Twin Oaks - Confirmed
Richmond Center
Kehrs Mill
Brentwood
Ballwin - Confirned
Wildwood - Confirmed
Webster Groves
Kirkwood
Lindbergh
Ladue
Eureka Point
Woods Mill

South County
Butler Hill
Telegraph
Richardson Road
Crestwood - Confirmed

St Charles County
Mid Rivers
Dardenne Crossing
Harvester
Cottleville
O'Fallon

See this week's Schnucks coupon match ups.

Schnucks Still Doubling Coupons to only $0.40 in St Louis Metro Area Stores

Schnucks Doubles - Week of July 3, 2013

If you took a look at this week's Schnucks online ad, you might have seen some St Louis area stores advertising double coupons up to $0.55.

But, don't get excited.  I just got off the phone with Schnucks Customer Affairs - it's an error in the online ads.  They are only doubling coupons up to the regular $0.40 in the St Louis area stores this week.

I was excited for a few minutes.  An extra $0.15 would make a huge difference with double coupons.  But, for some reason I knew it was too good to be true.

Post Storm Roll Call - June 1st

Post Storm Roll Call - June 1, 2013

We spent some time in the basement last night, but our City neighborhood seems to have escaped any damage.  I hope everyone else is safe and damage free at their house.

Please chime in on what happened in your neighborhood.

Graduation Weekend at Our House

Unplugged for Graduation 2013

I won't be online much, or maybe not at all this weekend.  My oldest graduated last weekend from the University of Minnesota and my youngest graduates today from Metro High School.

We have relatives in town - including my oldest,  home for a few days, a  party planned for our house this afternoon, and for some crazy reason, my husband and I not only got involved with planning the all-night graduation celebration for the school my youngest attends, but are both chaperoning. 

Life  have been crazy busy at our house preparing for this weekend.   I've only been to Schnucks once to Super Triple coupon,  but  I did send my husband to Diebergs last Thursday night - we needed Pepperidge Farm Slider Buns for the party this afternoon.  And, this past week has been the calm before the storm.

So, I'm unplugging form being online to enjoy the weekend with my kids, relatives and friends.

Have fun Super Triple Copouning this weekend, and as Linda Richman would say on SNL, "Talk amongst yourselves."

Schnucks Credit/Debit Card Issue - List of Potentially Affected Stores and Dates

image from Schnucks

Schnucks Credit/Debit Card Issue Information  - 4/15/13

Schnucks has finally released  info about the recent Credit/Debit fraudulent charges issue.

• Dates of compromise - December 1, 2012 - March 29, 2013
• 79 of its 100 stores potentially affected - See list of stores
• Approximately 2.4 million cards affected
• Time line of Schnucks actions 
• Video message from Scott Schnuck
• Dedicated call center for this issue - 1-888-414-8022

One statement stands out to me - "We believe it is safe" to use your card.  The word "believe" doesn't leave me with total confidence.  I'll continue to use cash at Schnucks.

Schnucks - Credit Card Issue Found and Contained

Credit/Debit Card Fraud at Schnucks 

Schnucks has reported that they have “found and contained” the unauthorized access (cyber attack) to payment card information. Read their press release dated 3/30/13.

So, what does that mean?  Schnucks says that it is safe to use credit and debit cards in their stores.   I'll continue to use cash (hopefully, small bills and coins) for awhile, although Schnucks might now be the safest retailer in town to swipe a credit or debit card.

Schnucks also says they are also trying to determine what information was actually accessed, and will be working with the banks that issued the effected cards.  What happens after that is up to the individual banks.  You may end up being issued new cards if your card shows up on the list.  A couple banks I've seen mentioned in the media:  Parkside Financial Bank and Trust and  Montgomery Bank, but there could be more - many more.

What should you do?  Even though Schnucks say they have identified and contained the issue, card information may still be in the wrong hands.  Monitor your card for suspicious activity.   If you think your card has been compromised, you should call your bank immediately.  You may also want to go ahead ask the bank to issue replacement cards if you’re seriously concerned.

Have you been affected with this round of credit/debit card fraud?

Where Do You Shop for Groceries?

image from stltoday.com

This past week,the St Louis Post-Dispatch published a couple of articles about Supervalu/Shop 'n Save. If you missed them -  they are worth reading.

Supervalu's Struggles Put Its Grocery Chains in Limbo

Supervalu Licks its Wounds From the Superarket Wars

I'm most surprised about the graphic.  Are 35% of groceries in the area really bought at Walmart?

I posted a poll on Coupon STL Facebook page "Where do you shop for most of your groceries?"  Please, take a minute and vote for where you shop most often.