One of the top questions that is asked when couponing is what does BOGO/ B1G1 mean and how does it work with coupons???? Well BOGO/B1G1 means Buy 1 Get 1 Free. There are some things you need to know when you come across a BOGO sale at a store and want to use a BOGO coupon with it.
First, you need to know whether your store is really a "BOGO” store. You can figure this out by how the store rings up the items. If it really is a BOGO store the 1st item will ring up at full price. The 2nd item will ring up free. If the store is not really a BOGO store (also known as a "half price" store) the 1st item will ring up half price as well as the 2nd item. This really can't be considered a BOGO then, right?? When this happens you could technically just buy 1 of the 2 items since the cash register registers them as separate items.
Now, how does the real BOGO or "Half price " store affect you using a BOGO coupon in conjunction with the sale???? Well, in a lot of cases it won't really affect you, but if you have a BOGO coupon to use it does! The awesome news is if the store that has a BOGO sale IS a full price and free item store, then you can use a BOGO coupon and get BOTH items for FREE!!!! If the store is a "half price" store you will get the 2 items for 50% of the cost of just 1 of those items or technically 75% off of both when you buy them.
Confused???? I am betting some of you are.... :-)
Here is another way to look at how it works:
REAL BOGO STORE:
Item 1 - $1.00
Item 2 - $0.00
Subtotal - $1.00
Less the coupon for the value of the full price item = FREE!!!!
Have the cashier scan your BOGO coupon (they will have to write the amount of the item on the coupon for them to reimbursed from the manufacturer) and then the cashier will have to manually enter the amount of the 1st item.
Half price STORE:
Item 1 = $.50
Item 2 = $.50
Subtotal = $1.00
Less the coupon for the value of 1 item = -$.50
Total = $.50 for both
The reason that the coupon value is only $.50 in this case is because that is the value of the item as it was rung up in the register. In the true BOGO store, where the first item was rung up at full price, the value of the coupon is actually $1.00 since it was rung up at the full price. As you can see, in this case, you are not saving as much. When you go to plan your shopping trips, it is essential for you to understand exactly how your store handles the BOGO transaction. If you don’t you will not be as accurate on your projections as you would like.
Now, what happens if you don’t have a BOGO coupon? What if you just want to use a $.50 off 1 coupon to shop the BOGO sale? Most stores will allow you to use a coupon on the item that you are paying for AND the item that is free. By doing this, you are really maximizing your savings. However, mathematically, there is no difference between a true BOGO store and a “half-price” store. Take a look at the examples below:
REAL BOGO STORE:
Item 1 = $1.00
Item 2 = $0.00
Subtotal = $1.00
Coupon for Item 1 = - $.50/1
Coupon for Item 2 = -. $50/1
Total out of pocket = $0.00 :-)
Half-price” STORE:
Item 1 = $.50
Item 2 = $.50
Subtotal = $1.00
Coupon for Item 1 = - $.50/1
Coupon for Item 2 = - $.50/1
Total Out of Pocket = $0.00 :-)
I hope this helps you and if it is still unclear let me know and I will try a different approach to explain it :-)
Kouponing Kristyn
