COUPON QUEEN: Why coupon value can vary store to store

Question: "I usually shop at the same supermarket. However, I was drawn to shop at a competitor this week when it offered triple manufacturer coupons. A name brand of microwave popcorn was on sale for $1.62, buy one, get one free. I had a 75-cent coupon. If my coupon were tripled to $2.25, I would receive 63 cents in overage when I purchased the product, which is how my regular supermarket treats coupon deals. However, the competitor only "tripled" my 75-cent coupon to $1.62, enough to cover the actual price of the popcorn without going over. How common is the practice of limiting savings to the amount of the cost of the product? Do stores normally post their coupon policies? Where would one expect to find them posted? Is there a law that requires grocery stores to post their policies?

Answer: There are a lot of great questions in this e-mail! First, let's tackle your triple-coupon popcorn sale. Any time you can take advantage of a double or triple coupon promotion, it's a great opportunity to maximize coupon value and get items free! But, as you found, every store or chain has different policies for handling coupon promotions.