Explaining buy 1, get 1 free sales
Buy one, get one free sales can be a lot of fun for coupon shoppers!
Stores handle buy one, get one free sales differently and this affects how shoppers should use coupons. The next time you buy items featured in a buy one, get one free sale, take a look at the receipt to see how the two items are charged at the register. This will help determine how you can use coupons to cut those great prices even more.
There are two ways buy one, get one free items may ring up. Let's assume you're buying two identical bottles of lotion that are on sale for $4, buy one, get one free.
Example No. 1: You buy two lotions that are on salebuy one, get one free for $4. The register charges you $4 for the first bottle and nothing for the second bottle.
This sale is a time to put a "buy one lotion, get one free" coupon to best use. You will end up getting two bottles free with your coupon. I realize this can be a little confusing, so I will explain.
When a coupon for buy one, get one free is scanned, the register will take off the price for the first bottle you're buying. The first bottle's price? $4. After this coupon is scanned, the register takes $4 off. Now, the first bottle is free. The second bottle's price is still zero, because it is free with the buy one, get one free sale.
Another way to make the most of this sale is to use one coupon on each item that you purchase — even the free one! Check your store's coupon policy to determine whether this is allowed by your store. Because you're purchasing two items, even the free one, some stores will allow you to use a coupon on each bottle, bringing the total cost of both down.
So, if I have two $1 coupons for the lotion, I could use one on each bottle (even the free one) and pay $2 for both.
Example No. 2: You buy two lotions that are buy one, get one free for $4. The register charges you $2 for each bottle.
With this example, instead of one bottle being full price and the other bottle being free, each bottle sells for half-price: $2. With this sale, using a buy one, get one free coupon will take $2 off the cost of the first bottle, and you'll pay $2 for both — the cost of the other bottle.
